Visiting

This weekend Jonas, Grandma M., and I went to visit Uncle Alex, Aunt Katie, Abbie, and new cousin Isabel. The weather was perfect for lots of playing in the park...very summer-like. Lots and lots of playing took place. And in the evenings, the adults got to hang out...in the kitchen...the only room in the apartment where no babies were sleeping!

Here are the cousins reading sweetly together in the chair...very impressive considering this picture took place on the last morning of our visit...about the time Abbie was wondering, "how much longer do I have to share my toys?"

Here is baby Isabel...the whole purpose for the trip. Of course, since she is just one month old, this is about all she does...thus, this is the only picture I took of her!!! And so it goes for the 2nd child :(

Here's Abbie eating up the goldfish that got spilled at the top of the slide...

And here's Jonas making sure no other kids get to them before him!!

Jonas surveys the park before deciding where to go next...(or maybe he's just taking a little breather...that Abbie can go and go!!)

Storytime! Trust me...bedtime routine did NOT go as smoothly as it may appear here.

And Grandma joins in on storytime...

Don't think it was all play and no work for Grandma! Here she is pushing the double-wide.

Jonas enjoys a bit of sliding.

Sliding together...so sweet!

Like I said...that Abbie can go and go...sometimes NORMAL slide use is just too boring for her!

What a great way to spend a long weekend!

To Bess

This post is to Bess...you know who you are. As you might guess, I've been reading YOUR blog lately. And here is my response...

*Rare movie/date nights...but at least 30 minutes of entertainment watching son run around in too-small robe after bathtime laughing hysterically because when he runs, you can see his butt-cheeks!

*No biking through Andes...but laughing at son wearing daddy's bike helmet. AND daddy still manages to enjoy 2 hours of "alone time" often while "training for triathlon."

*No weekend mountain climbing/backpacking expeditions...but always an excuse to ignore the cleaning and go outside to enjoy the beautiful fall weather!

*Rare lazy weekends...but lots of exciting trips to the zoo, apple orchard, park, story time at Barnes and Noble, etc.

*No backpacking...but car camping with Pack 'n Play and plastic tricycle and cool REI kid-carrier backpack.

*Actually, let me clarify...no backpacking together as a couple...BUT fun week-long backpacking/outdoor adventure trip for Ben with guy pals while I stay with child, then fun 4-day trip to Pennsylvania for me to visit BFF while Ben stays home with child!

*Rare eating out (especially at exotic food restaurants like sushi bars and Thai)...but nightly sitting down to eat as a family and talking about the day with husband (our days of eating at the coffee table in front of the TV are over.) In fact, we got rid of our coffee table because it was a bit of a hazard to toddlers!

*No Brazilian soccer games seen LIVE in Brazil...but lots of time spent oohing and aahing over very talented 15 month-old who can ALREADY dribble a soccer ball (seriously, he can!)

So, yeah, life is different now...but still exciting in so many (different) ways!

Labor Day

Here's Jonas staying cool on our very hot Labor Day. Grandma M. and I sat in the shade while Jonas played with the hose. Daddy spent the day back at school for a final push to get ready for the first day (today)!!