Daddy's Phone Dump

A Thursday lunch date at the mall

followed by cookies.

(The boys got their sweet tooth from their Daddy, for sure!)

No words...

(Except I am glad they had their helmets on!)

Hope the neighbors were not watching, although I am sure they are quite used to this sight. ;)

A Thursday afternoon on the river.

And, another attempt at towing Caleb.

This cracks me up...

Apparently Creed noticed this car on a weekend trip he made to Virginia.

Back to the Future???

And, when everyone was stuck in traffic for over an hour, he got a closer look...

The way I see it, if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?

Making the Most of It

With a forecast of 80s and sunny, Creed decided to take a vacation day last Saturday so we could take the boat out. We made the most of what may have been one of our last lake days this summer...swimming, fishing, tubing, and just riding around.

Caleb always takes his turn at the wheel.

I loved this moment! Caleb was explaining to Luke how to fish, going into lots of details. So sweet.

Little brother crashed on my lap and napped while Caleb literally tubed from one end of the lake to the other. Boat naps are the best. ;)

The Gaslight Parade

Last Thursday went spent the evening on Taylorsville Road enjoying the Gaslight Parade. We got there early, parked and picked our prime spots, enjoyed dinner, and then waited for the parade to begin. 

The highlight for me was the dance party that took place each time fun music went by!

Harper, Ava, Caleb, Jackson, and Luke

Hand, Foot, and YUCK

Thankfully, Luke's case of hand, foot, and mouth disease was very mild and it didn't seem to slow him down much. I kept him home last Monday just in case he was still contagious, because really, I would hope other parents would do the same. (ha!) 

Around 10:00 that morning I got a call from the school nurse because Caleb was in her room from throwing up and he had a fever. (The school nurse is actually a family friend and has known Caleb since he was born so I knew he was in good hands!) Luke and I rushed to pick him up, drove by the Redbox for a few movies, and came home for this:

When he woke up (and his fever was gone) he was all smiles. We watched movies and cuddled on the couch, played countless games of Connect Four, and ate lots of popcicles since he throat was bothering him.

Fever+Throwing up+Sore throat...we were just sure he had strep. 

So, the next morning we took him to the pediatrician to get him checked out. The verdict: Hand, foot, and mouth disease. :(

With Caleb, the spike in his fever is what made him throw up. And, HFMD in older kids can just cause a fever and a red, sore throat. So, we spent the next two days doing nothing except resting. Since his fever was gone, he actually felt pretty good so it was nice to just stay home and play.

We were so lucky...we made it all the way through MDO (Luke) and Kindergarten last year without any sickness, so something was bound to get us. Glad they both had mild cases (and not what I saw when I Googled hand, foot and mouth disease)!

Recently...

It's hard to believe that we are basically half way to October! We have settled into a nice routine lately, with early bedtimes a crucial aspect. Still, Caleb has adjusted to school and thankfully, homework isn't a fight...yet. ;) We've had lots of down time to simply ride bikes and play outside lately, which has been great.

Caleb also started a 12 week swim clinic on Saturdays at St.X. Two of his best buddies are taking the same lessons, so it's great to be able to car pool! 

Working on his stroke

Little brothers came the first week to cheer the big boys on. 

A few Saturdays back we met cousin Ava for the Middletown parade. The kids loaded up on candy, so my sweet-toothed boys were thrilled.

This picture cracks me up. Caleb and Ava were way more interested in their candy than the huge fire trucks driving by. Ha!

I told Luke that if he wanted to go outside then he needed to go and pick out some clothes to wear. He opted for a Mickey pajama top and Thomas pajama bottoms. Because, why not?

Luke requested to take swim lessons since Caleb was, so last week he started at UL. He loves his instructor, Mr. Alex and will hopefully continue his love of the water this winter. (Mr. Alex started teaching Caleb when he was three, as well!)

Our sad faces...

This is how we felt about Luke's 102 degree fever Friday evening. While he is feeling great at this point, he developed some red spots in his mouth, and on his hands. Sadly, we are thinking hand, foot, and mouth disease, but are still thankful he has such a mild case. (As of today the spots in his mouth are gone, but he has developed a few more on his hands.)

Closing Time

Labor Day weekend brought the end of our pool time for the summer, and to say we were bummed is definitely an understatement. We all loved the pool this summer (It was our first summer without swim diapers!!!) and spent many days there. There is no telling how much we spent on mediocre chicken fingers, popsicles, and Italian ice this summer, but it was so worth it!

Caleb perfected his cannon ball, as well as learning to do both front and back flips. I think he got up to seven front flips in a row, which was big time in his mind. ;) He made new pool friends this summer, and loved swimming with his neighborhood buddies as well. One of his favorite activities, though, was simply sitting up at the snack bar and talking to the college student that worked it.

Luke decided around the end of July that he didn't want to swim with his arm floaties, but still wanted a noodle or kick board to hold. Then, as luck would have it, he decided the last week that the pool was open to swim unassisted. And, like we knew he could, did great. He made sure everyone was watching him, even the lifeguard. Hey, lifeguard, watch this!

The best lunch

Until Memorial Day 2015...

Labor Day Weekend

We spent two full days at Claytor Lake for Labor Day Weekend. The weather was beautiful both days- sunny and in the 80s, so we spent our time outside and on the water...

tubing,

snacking,

hanging out with Uncle Drew

and Uncle Matt,

surfing,

relaxing,

scolding Hallie 

(as she seems to get into some trouble these days)

 flipping,

riding the jet ski,

laying out,

watching the neighbor's plane take off and then land,

pushing Uncle Matt off the dock,

attempting to catch a Frisbee, 

trying to learn to ski,

(Caleb kept jumping out of the ski before we could even get him up.)

looking super cute,

(Hallie is already 3x the size she was 4th of July!)

trying desperately to get a good picture of the boys,

riding the pontoon with Kaitlin (Drew's girlfriend),

spending time with family,

Matt, Beth, Doug (Beth's brother), and Drew

and watching the action from the shady shore line.

Words can't fully express how much we enjoy our time with family at the lake. Looking so forward to next summer's season at the lake!