Beautiful Weekend

The boys had their very first school bus ride. The driver was kind enough to share her seat for a few minutes. We rode the bus from the wedding to the reception (in case you were wondering how a school bus ride relates to a wedding).
A mediocre attempt to capture the beauty of Chicago's skyline. Perhaps a post card would have been better. It was such a beautiful day, I couldn't resist taking a picture.
Uncle Jack, Aunt Janette and Grammie enjoying the reception. What fun we had.
Here we are posing outside the chapel in our "church clothes", as Luke calls them. Andy was not interested in a photo op, hence the rigid body. Graham and Liz planned a beautiful wedding, complete with fantastic late summer weather. The ceremony was delightful, held at a chapel on the University of Chicago's campus. The reception was in a former airport, now a visitor's center, in a park near downtown. The view was incredible and the lake looked amazing on such a clear day. Our only regret is that we didn't have more time to enjoy the city. Perhaps when the boys are bigger...

Two Already

The birthday boy sure knows what the camera is all about. What a ham!
We tried to get him to pose with his balloons, but he kept running toward the camera yelling, "cheese!"

Grandma made a dirt track on top of the cake, which was very creative. Andy is pulling the cake closer to him and saying, "wow!" My pictures are out of sequence, but she surrounded the dirt with hot wheels trucks. Definitely a big hit with the 4 and under crowd.

Andy is clapping for the birthday song.

Luke is trying to get his mits on those cars and trucks.

Steve is directing traffic.


The Baby is two. My, that was fast. We had a little family party over the weekend. He was over the moon to see some brand new monster trucks and a DVD about (you'll never guess) monster trucks. He is a bit of a fanatic these days. His latest trick is to throw these unbelievable tantrums. I just can't imagine where he gets it. He alternates between utter joy and extreme anger. I hope that goes away quickly.

First Soccer Game

Steve making his coaching debut
Look at that ball! Should I kick it?
Um, maybe I'll just watch this time.

Luke had his very first soccer game today. Steve coached his very first soccer game today. We had a superstar on our team who probably scored about 6 or 7 goals. I'm glad we could start the season off with a win. Steve is not the regular coach, ours is on vacation. We were very proud of Luke. He tried hard and had a lot of fun. His attitude is excellent, for which we are grateful.

First Day of Preschool

Luke started another year of preschool today. Andy was pretty bummed that he didn't get to go, too. I must admit, I felt a little out of sorts, at first. It's been 3 months since we've had any kind of consistent routine. I felt obligated to do something fun that was just for Andy, so we walked around the block, pushing Andy's lawn mower and gobbling up blackberries.
Luke is at a new preschool this year and so far, we are very impressed. He gets to go with his friends, Jack and Dylan. The teacher said everyone had a great first day. Class is 30 minutes longer than last year and the school is much closer to our house. I might actually be able to accomplish something while he is at preschool.
We celebrated with lunch at McDonald's afterward.

Do The Puyallup

Riding the # 5 car. This ride is pretty mellow, but Luke loved it. Can't beat driving a car, I guess.
A little uncertain about the canoe ride, but there's a hint of a smile behind the nail biting.
Luke rode the roller coaster, I couldn't believe it!
Happy, at last, because he gets another ride on the train.

We had a minor lapse in good judgement and took BOTH boys to the Puyallup Fair over the weekend. Luke had a fabulous time..."more, more, more!" he said. Andy, on the other hand, should have stayed home. There was much weeping and gnashing of teeth when he couldn't ride the rides that Luke was able to ride. He was permitted to ride the little race cars, then got so upset when the ride was over, that he ran around in circles, screaming. We let him get back in line and somehow he lost his balance and fell through the railing into the track. He was so terrified that he refused to get back in the little car. Thankfully, there was a small train that went around a portion of the fairgrounds. We rode that twice, just to appease Andy. His temper is a force to be wreckoned with. It's going to be an interesting life, that's for sure.

Oh, How We Love Our Cousins

We celebrated Labor Day with an afternoon at Grandma and Papa's. The kids were begging to pull out the water slide, but we refused. It was pretty cold for the last week of August. By the time it warmed up, we were ready to pack up and go home. Instead, they enjoyed a busy afternoon of soccer and tractor rides with Papa. Andy and Luke are always thrilled to see the cousins rolling into Grandma and Papa's driveway. Andy woke up from his nap and said, "wow, cool car!" Apparently he is quite fond of Uncle Scott's suburban. All of the cousins went to school this week. Sniff, sniff. I feel a sentimental moment coming on. Where does the time go?