Just a cool picture

It sort of looks like the boys are climbing the walls!

Guess who turned up?

Thomas' teddy has been missing since spring. We looked high and low but never thought to check the pitches on the lazy-susan in our kitchen! What's worse, the pitcher had its' cover on. Anyways, it was a very happy reunion. Nathan wanted his picture taken with his teddy also, though yellow teddy was not missing.

Thomas' Trip to Rochester

Love these pictures! Given to us by Thomas' grandpa--thank you! Glad to see some of his doings. He went to the zoo in Rochester with his grandparents the day before coming home...I believe most of these are from Thursday. Seeing these pictures is making Nathan want to go visit!

Canobie Lake, NH

We spent Saturday at Canobie Lake amusement park. Our first ride, the ferris wheel(the last picture of the bunch) shows Thomas with a "I think I'm happy smile" or maybe it's a "If I think I'm happy, then maybe I'll start relaxing this death grip on my father's arm". Thomas was not comfortable, all right, he was downright nervous to go on a ride without us. So, you see, picture #2, shows Nathan riding by himself. We found the firetruck ride which didn't rise off the ground that he would go on with Nathan. It was really cute, in between the early rides, our boys held on to each others hands as if giving each other courage. We rode the train around the property twice which was definitely a favorite ride. Nathan loved the bumper cars.

Nathan is slightly fixated on gaining weight. He knows when he hits 40# that he gets to change to a booster seat. He was a measly 32.5# and he weighed in the other day at 31#. So, we had this long conversation about how he needs to do better at drinking his milk and eating his meat. So, the very next day, he asks, Mommy, while you scale me? uh? Oh, okay, get on the scale and I'll weigh you. He was utterly disappointed to find his weight exactly the same as the day before which launched us into a new conversation of how this won't happen overnight.

Thomas has spent the entire week with his grandparents in Rochester! His first time to stay there without his parents! He has done excellent! I get one happy call a day usually around supper time. I'll say I've really missed him and often wonder what he is doing. I have had a wonderful week with Nathan. He has been so much fun. He definitely misses Thomas and has said as much a couple of times a day. He has been playing some on his own but generally stays with me. He either helps me or just keeps me company. I love it!

This was our conversation at supper last night (Matt hadn't gotten home yet, so I was interpreting on my own!)
N: Mommy, where are the sows?
J: The sows?
N: Yes, the sows, you know, like the ones in the kitchen!
J: Nathan, their are no sows in the kitchen (I'm starting to giggle as I'm both embarrassed that I can't understand him and literally what he is saying is funny)
N: Mommy, sows like at the beach!
J: Nathan go get whatever you are talking about.
Nathan ran to the kitchen and brought back a box of pasta shells!

We had a good laugh about this! Thankfully, neither boy gets impatient with us when we can't understand. In fact, Nathan has started to speak louder and enunciate. 4 times out of 5 it doesn't help. But he's just copying us!

Happy Friday with Grandparents

Fun Weekend with Family

A cousin who lives out in Buffalo came with his girlfriend to see Boston but stayed with us for the weekend. We thoroughly enjoyed their company and were sorry to see them go! Thomas and Nathan made sure they didn't sit around with nothing to do! Sorry the one picture was blurry but wanted to post the fun they had! Several books were read and the 4-wheeler came out of hibernation for a few runs around the circuit!

The other day, while Thomas was in Westwood, I realized the boys had my kitchen hammer outside and so Nathan and I went looking for it. We couldn't find it so while we were walking in Nathan told me "don't be mad, mommy, lets just have a nice day!" Boy, talk about hearing your own words come back! I wasn't mad but appreciated his concern!

Thomas and Ellie

Early morning, on Daddy's lap....typical! Most every morning, Thomas goes right downstairs and snuggles with his Dad. This morning, Ellie, joined in. Doesn't Thomas have beautiful lip? You can see that Thomas has poison ivy on his cheek up to his forehead. He doesn't seem overly concerned by it. I think it bothers me more than him. It showed up Tuesday and seems to look worse as the day progresses. Nathan has some poison ivy on his knee.

Sometime during last night (I think around 12:30 or so), Thomas was attempting to sneak down the hall by crawling next to the wall to get back in bed with me. Matt, who was still up, picked up on what was going on and called up to Thomas. Thomas then went downstairs and curled up on his father, putting his father right to sleep until 2:30. Then they got up, had some bread and milk, and headed upstairs to bed. Sort of cute!

Just hanging out

Caught in the act of wrestling! Nothing new, just more of the same.

At convention, I could hardly get Nathan to wear his rubber boots. I think he was leary of them because I pulled on a pair of boots and got stung twice by a bee of some sort who had taken up residence in my boot. Now, I can hardly get them off of him. He calls them his workboots and he wears them from first thing in the morning until late at night. He even asked to wear them to meeting last night. They are just black rubber boots but they have caught his fancy. He definitely gets onto something and won't let go, like the orange googles he wore for most of August on his forehead.

Labor Day doings

Why is it the little kids that come up with the best ideas? It was their idea to toast marshmallows and their idea to set the tent up. We had a small bonfire in our driveway a couple of times over the weekend. Matt slept out in the tent with the boys Saturday night and he thought to bring the camera out. Thomas is counting on his fingers the number of pictures his dad is taking. Nathan told me the next morning about the little smile he did for the camera, the no-teeth version. We have such fun with the boys. Somedays I get taken-up with the jobs that come with owning a house and then have this vision of them 10 years old and not wanting to be with us....I usually hurry up and finish and find something to do with them. They keep busy playing together most of the time, but I can hear it in their temperament and voices when it's time for us to get involved. Sometimes all it is is to sit on the swings with them or take a 4-wheeler ride or just read a book together. We have been splitting wood together. The boys use a small 4 pound sludge hammer. Nathan is very impressive with it. Thomas is quite careful with it. They sit out on top of the wood pile waiting for me to show up. I guess when you have boys, you do boy things!

The boys have been asking to go down to our little Berlin library, so this morning we did. We packed a little picnic for after to eat down in the middle of town. We walked to a ancient cemetery in the center of town afterwards and had a look around. Of interest, I found a few headstones with the name Howe on it. Cemeteries sure remind us of our mortality. Thomas asked if he would be buried under the dirt. And then he reminded me that God would take care of him. What a sweet thought.

Rose of Sharon

The same bush and the same kids!

Honeypot Orchards

Wednesday, we met up with friends at an orchard in Stow to have a picnic.

Earlier this week, the boys dragged the hose down to the driveway and turned it on to create their own stream. When I noticed, I had a small fit as the running water goes against my do-not-waste gene and our fine gravel/dirt driveway was nicely washing out. So after a short lecture of their badness, I put the hose away and went back to weeding. Not a minute later, I hear "Is God mad about this?" What a wonderful question! I was thrilled to hear this crossed a little mind. Wish I could remember who asked it, but alas, I forget. I just told them that if they thought Daddy would be upset about it, then God would be too. That was all.

Nathan came in the kitchen this afternoon saying he didn't feel well at all. I felt concerned as he didn't look so well. So I asked him what hurt. He said his belly and that he thought he needed a cough drop.

We set a tent up out in the yard to sleep in tonight! I have 2 very excited little boys! I am sort of excited too! And yes, I did spray around the entrance with some bug repellent.

Scootin' Boys

You can see the scooters are a bit big for them, but they happily use them every day now! A couple of end of summer sprinkler fun! My camera's lens won't open now...is this it for pictures?