"End of Summer"

Somehow the end of summer is upon us. Last week Ian returned to his Parent's Morning Out (PMO) program, signifying the end of summer for us. I know summer lasts further, but it felt like a transition for our little family.

My heart felt the weight of that first day. Had I done everything I wanted to do with him this summer? Had he had a carefree, happy childhood summer? Have I listened and paused enough to truly hear and enjoy time with him? Had I been too snippy when the baby needed something or my mind was distracted by other things on my plate? I hope not. I hope he felt the love, the stillness, the warmth, and the joy of summer.

Recently, I uploaded pictures of our August. Here's a smattering of the photos from our camera. I've struggled because the phone is much easier to use to capture our days. Our camera is too bulky. If you want to see what we've been up to daily, find us on Instagram at "riverandshore".

Ian's started using the potty, occasionally. Here was one of the first times that he took an interest to sit on it on his own. I put a stack of books next to him on the dresser and he read them one by one, before putting them in a pile on the floor. Owen and I decided to keep him company :)

One thing I need to change is the fact that I haven't printed pictures in almost two years. Crazy, right? I store all of our pictures here on the blog, on my computer or external hard-drive, or in my Google drive. So, Ian enjoys looking at pictures of himself and Owen on my phone. He watches videos or his recent accomplishments and activities and scrolls through recent pictures of what we've done. One day we'll print his blog in books and he will be able to see them here, too. But, truly, I should print some pictures! For a boy who gets very little screen time, we don't think looking through pictures of our goings ons is a bad thing ;)

Owen & Mama. Love this kiddo.

Recently, Owen's become a fan of this swing! Gramee and I made it for Ian around nine or ten months old and now he's able to sit up enough to use it.

Ian enjoys pushing him gently. We couldn't ask for a better big brother. Seriously.

When we're inside, Owen has a special blanket spot on the floor. It's been there since we brought him home from the hospital. As he's grown older, he's rolled to grab toys, and recently started turning in circles to grab the toys of choice.

What a happy lad!

Papa put up the swing for Ian a couple of weeks ago. What a great asset it is to our beautiful yard! Thank you, Äma & Grumps! All of us have enjoyed taking a turn, even Owen. On the very first day, Jim was working on a woodworking project and Ian was playing. Soon a Monarch butterfly came and perched on the side of the swing.

And then it decided that Ian's toes were a more desirable spot! It hung out for quite a while. He'd flit away and then return and land on his toes again.

What a sweet joy for a young child (and his parents).

That was an especially eventful day because I believe Owen tried his first solid food, as well! He's now had carrots and avocado. Carrots seem to have been the more favorable food, but avocado is good, too.

After the first grimaces, he was content to eat more.

Ian helped feed him, too. Owen- "Mom, are you sure he should be feeding me???"

Jim documenting me documenting them :)

Sweet photos with my firstborn.

I cannot believe that he'll be turning three in a month. It was just yesterday that I held him in my arms for the first time.

Boys in pajamas. Ian's been waiting for Owen to get bigger and more sturdy since the day he came home. While he's still quite little, Owen has initiated and enjoyed some gentle rolling, hugging, and maneuvering on the blanket :)

Brothers! Sweet smiles.

While Christine was here, we asked her to take a few pictures for us. I love how these turned out :)

She probably took about twenty and this was the only one worth posting! Thank goodness for a patient photographer who just kept snapping photos. This is a new favorite. It's been a long while since we've gotten a good family photo.

I know August isn't quite done, but here is some of our month :)

I'm still in denial that summer is almost over, but I have grown to adore fall. I cannot wait for crisp days, warm sweaters, apple picking, pumpkins and hay rides, and the beautiful changing colors of the leaves. It's a gorgeous time to live where we live.

Oh, and those mosquitoes in our yard? Yea, I'm ready to bid goodbye. It's time for us to enjoy our yard again, free of those pesky bugs.

Summer at Home

Don't ask me why, but all of these pictures uploaded completely out of order. Oh well! It's a smattering of pictures from our summer that have finally been uploaded and gathered.

Ian loves toys! He's gotten so imaginative in his play and uses different voices for each toy, allowing them to converse. We just love listening and watching him play. Ian's animals are still a very popular toy. While we were at The Pinery last week he was gifted a bunch of matchbox cars from my family in Miami. He spends lots of time arranging them in lines and rows around our house.

 Owen's gotten stronger and stronger. Rolling over and lifting his head far about his hands. He can crane is neck in any direction necessary and often turns 360 degrees around on the blanket. Owen's quite interested and observant.

 At the very beginning of the summer we had about a week straight of grandparent visits!! It was lovely.

Fourth of July- Owen had some very appropriate leggings!

 These boys are found like this all throughout our days. They LOVED being together, babbling back and forth, and smiling at each other. It's going to be fun to watch this relationship unfold.

Ian learned how to catch a ball this summer! He loves throwing back and forth or dribbling or chasing us as we dribble around the yard.

 

If this picture is any indication, Ian definitely approves of cooling down with a cool smoothie! No matter the color ;)

 Owen's dexterity has improved greatly. It's so sweet to get purposeful caresses and watch him manipulate his toys and other objects around him.

We've read loads and loads of books. The local library had a challenge to read 20 hours over the summer. This kid easily surpasses that in very little time. He's started asking more comprehension questions while we're reading, which is really fun. Ian's also quoting the books we read a lot while he plays or walks throughout our house. It's so fun, almost like a auditory scavenger hunt, to listen to him speak and figure out which book he's quoting. We have a pirate book called, "Pirates Don't Change Diapers" and that is a common source. It's fun to hear pirate jargon (all appropriate) coming from our sweet two year old's mouth!

 Jim's parents are clearing out his childhood home and brought us six adirondack chairs. They needed to be stained and so Ian and Jim spent some time painting them together. What a pair they made!

 Owen's favorite past-time (other than rolling, nursing, sleeping, ha!) is sticking his feet in his mouth. What delectable treats his toes must be! Ian continues to be a huge fan of apples, but the tomatoes currently growing in our garden are the most recent winner! He downed a whole pint before I even noticed he'd been sneaking them off of the kitchen counter!

These two. More of the sweet, sweet same.

Papa continues to bring so much joy and love into the lives of these boys. 

 Owen's taking notes. Soon he'll be in the mix, too. It's going to wild around here!

 Each homemade dinner is brought to you by either naptime or the jumper! Thank goodness for this jumper! He loves it (most of the time)!

This HAD been a really cute moment when both boys were lying on their bellies on this blanket. Right when I grabbed the camera, Ian turned around. Oh well! I still love the way his legs are crossed.

 I told you these are crazy out of order. Here are some of Aunt Erin and Seraphina when they visited last week. We loved having them here and getting the cousins together again! Sadly we didn't get one of all three of them together. So silly!

 They enjoyed playing together a lot. Ian did a great job sharing his toys.

 More grandparents visits...

 Sweet moments between brothers.

I don't bring my big camera on many excursions, so Instragram has a lot of our outings. But I love these moments captured around our home with the boys. This is everyday life.