Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day! We had a nice Father's Day weekend.  On Friday night, we followed tradition and went to Ramona's Table.  We ran into the Rectors and the Harts and had a nice time chatting with them.  Will has made friends with the owners and they let him carry his own food to the table and joke around with him which he really likes.  On Saturday morning, we went to the Farmer's Market and then walked up to Gaslight for the Clothesline Art Fair.  We didn't make any purchases but stopped at the lake so Will could throw some rocks in the water.  We stayed in and grilled Saturday night (with fresh meat, cheese, and bread from the Farmer's Market).  On Sunday morning, we went out to breakfast and walked around downtown before it started to rain.  We were going to take Will to Java Gym but they were closed for Father's Day so we went to the mall for him to run around a bit.  Then we made a quick stop at Lowe's before heading home for the night. 

Will and Alex really seem to like each other.  Whenever Will is in the room, Alex has his eyes on him.  Will likes to dance around and be silly to get Alex to laugh. 

We've been having fun with water balloons lately - although, it takes much longer to fill them up than it takes for Will to throw them on the ground. Even Alex enjoys watching Will play with them. He giggles if he gets splashed  when they pop. 

Funny Face

Excitment on our walk to town

Happy Father's Day!

Birthday Party!

Singing Happy Birthday

Yummy Toes!

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Alex's 4 Month Photos

Here are a few of Alex's 4 month photos.

Cincinnati - Part 3

On Sunday, we were lucky and got to go to Jeff's parents' house to swim. Will spent most of his time on the steps filling/pouring buckets and using the water guns. He finally got adventurous and went for a ride on one of the rafts around the pool. Alex (sporting a pink UV top) dipped his toes in the water and immediately started to cry. It was a little too chilly for him. He sat on a raft for a bit and then hung out in the Bumbo near the pool. Then Phil (who also thought the water was too cold) walked him around while the rest of us played. We had lunch at the pool and then went home for naps. Will again refused to nap so we went for a walk around the neighborhood. We all met at Skyline for dinner (a tradition) and then went back to Mimi and GBob's for Mimi's birthday treats. The kids were sad to say goodbye but are already looking forward to our trip next summer.

The trip home on Monday was uneventful. Both kids were pretty worn out. Alex slept a good portion of the trip and Will tried out the DVD player in the minivan for the first time. When we were about 20 minuts from home, he whimpered and said, "Mom, I just can't sit in this carseat anymore. I need to get out!" I was right there with him...

Too cold!

Water fight

GBob and Abbey

Looking pretty sporty

Going for a ride

Nice 'do

Towel picnic

Ready for his first trip to Skyline

Yum!

Cincinnati - Part 2

On Saturday morning, we met up with the Smiths at the playground for a while. The big kids had fun chasing each other around and Alex had fun watching. Then we went back home for lunch and the kids had a squirt gun fight in the backyard. Then the Smith's went home for naps/rest and Alex took a nap. Will decided he'd rather play and managed to get himself soaked in the backyard.

At 3pm, we took the "big kids" downtown to see the Tigers vs. Reds game. Grann, Mimi, and GBob volunteered to stay home with Alex and Lyla. We got to the ballpark with a little time to spare. The kids did a good job sitting in their seats (food helped) through the 5th inning. Then we went down to the kids' area and let them play and run the bases. We left the park in the 8th inning. It was a lot of fun to see the stadium.

Hanging out with Uncle Jeff at the Playground

GBob and his crew

Trying out big brother's car seat

On a mission

Cooling off

At the ballpark

Abbey and Owen

Great shot!

Running the bases

Cooling off at the game

Cincinnati - Part 1

We had a great long weekend in Cincinnati visiting family. We picked up Will from school after lunch and drove down to Kalamazoo to pick up Phil. We stopped at a playground so Alex could eat and Will could run around before we got on the road. The boys were great travelers and we got to Mimi and GBob's house around 8:30pm. Will remembered everyone from last summer and Alex warmed up to everyone really quick.

On Friday, Sara, Abbey, Owen and Lyla came over to play for a bit in the morning and we all had lunch together. In the afternoon, Phil and GBob went to pick up a souvenir for Phil (see below) while Kristen stayed home with the boys. We played outside with Mimi and waited for Grann to get into town. Then we met up with everyone at the Cactus Pear for dinner and did more playing back at the house. Will loved playing with his cousins! I think they could get into some serious trouble if we let them!

I took so many photos I'm going to post them in installments this week. Here are some shots from the first day:

Outside Mimi and GBob's

So strong!

Hours of entertainment putting sticks in the hole in the planter box

Family dinner at the Cactus Pear

Time with Mimi

Cousins at lunch

They look like trouble!

Abbey and Alex bonded

Grann and Alex

GBob, Alex, Grann, and Mimi

Alex and the Ladies

Phil's souvenir from the trip

Potty Training Update: When Phil went to pick Will up from school on Friday, Will was wearing pants that did not belong to him.  We had sent 5 pairs of pants and he went through them all and had to wear "school pants."  The teacher said it seemed like Will was just very stubborn and wasn't quite ready for potty training.  She advised waiting a few months and trying it again.  Since they have potty trained a lot of kids, we took their advice.  We are keeping him in pull-ups and are still trying to get him to go on the potty.  He seems to be more conscious of when he's going so hopefully we will have more success next time around.

On Saturday morning, we went to the Farmer's Market and ran into the friends we were having over for dinner that night.  Since we were halfway to downtown, we went down and walked around festival for a little bit.  We got to hear some music and then went into the art museum so Will could do the monthly art project.  Then we had to head home so Alex could eat.  While downtown, we ran into someone from the U of M alumni club that took our picture (see below).  Saturday afternoon was spent getting ready for our cookout.  Of course, it was sunny all afternoon and only started to rain (and then pour) after we had cleaned off the outdoor furniture, put out the kiddie table, uncovered the grill, and uncovered the sandbox.  So the kids ended up playing inside and we all ate in the living.  It wasn't quite the same but everyone seemed to still have fun.

On Sunday, we went for a nice walk in the morning.  Then Phil and Will went to get Will's haircut (he was in desperate need) and Alex and I stayed home so I could feed him and pack his lunch.  Then we all met at the Gardens and spent a couple hours there walking around.  Will loves the Great Lakes fountains, the tree house, and the boardwalk.  We packed a picnic and had lunch at the barn.  In the afternoon, we just played around the house.

We are looking forward to a short week - we leave for Cincinnati on Thursday!

Magurans at Festival

Kiddie Table - Relocated to the Living Room

Glow Bath

5 Months Old!

Alex turned 5 months old today! Here are a few milestones from the month:

- He can roll over front to back and back to front, although, he still only does it when he really wants to.
- He has been eating baby food peas and green beans and really looks forward to them.
- He is getting much better about sleeping through the night.  He goes down for the night around 8:30 and typically doesn't get fed until 4am.  He will still get up and fuss for a bit around 1am, but we let him cry it out and then he doesn't get up until 4 or so.
- He is really good and sitting up with support.
- He loves playing in his exersaucer.