bye bye grandpa & grandma

Grandpa & Grandma left Quincy yesterday and started the long voyage back to Pennsylvania. Here they are with the boys and the new wagon.

This link takes you to a video clip called "Sit Down Joel" rather than "Wagon Ride" -- you'll see why: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9WVsz_AVkw

happy birthday trevor!

Trevor celebrated his third birthday today. Grandpa and Grandma were here to celebrate and several of his friends came for a "John Deere" party. He requested pizza and cupcakes and friends. We had all three.

scooter boys

Vroom, Vroom! No worries...the boys only foot-coasted along the driveway.

attention future outdoorsmen!

Todd has already begun instilling a love of the outdoors in the boys. He has to make-up for my less than enthusiastic embrace of camping, hiking, backpacking, etc. :)

A tent in the backyard provided Trevor with his first out-of-doors sleeping experience.

do you know the muffin man?

I know two muffin men.

my mom is not my stylist

Trying on winter clothing for size has led to interesting combinations in wardrobe choices!

not so laborious

Labor Day weekend was laid back family time. We were joined by Oma, Papa, Aunt Heidi, Uncle Mike, and Ella -- all the way from Michigan and Arizona! We rode on the Mark Twain riverboat in Hannibal and celebrated b-day party part 1 for Ella and Trevor.

balloon rally

Trevor and Joel attended their first balloon rally and had a fun time watching the balloons inflate and take-off into the sky.

mr. mud

Joel is not afraid of getting a little dirty or off-roading on his John Deere ATV.

yogi

Trevor is still into yoga and enjoys learning different poses from Todd. He is especially endearing in his new big-boy undies. Check out the video clip at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNVWT-VAmF4

potty training

Trevor is now (cross fingers) potty-trained! He in turn has been potty training his doll, Cody. Check out the video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG5YOPo0naY

teeter totter bliss

Trevor and Joel have been greatly enjoying their newest addition to their backyard: a Gym Dandy Teeter Totter. The helmets are remnants from the bike ride -- not because they fly off the teeter totter! Trevor likes to go "high" and "fast." We get quite the leg and arm work-out accomodating such requests. Check out the video of the boys riding the teeter totter: http://www.youtube.com/my_videos_edit2?ns=1&video_id=6tA09LYLJFo&next=%2Fmy_videos2%3Fpi%3D0%26ps%3D20%26sf%3Dadded%26sa%3D0%26sq%3D%26dm%3D1

safety first

The boys are becoming avid bikers riding both the tricycle and the inside the bike buggy. Trevor loves his helmet and would wear it indoors and out on the town if we would let him. Joel is getting more used to his -- it really makes him look like a lollipop with his skinny body :)

mr. clean

Trevor thoroughly enjoys cleaning. I have to clean very quietly while he is napping -- if hears me, he will wake up to help. One of the ways he "helps" is running the dust buster. I think the hat and sunglasses really complete the look.

July 4th

Trevor went to his friend Evie's b-day party on the 4th of July. He gave her the princess dress featured in the picture. He also ate princess cake, broke a princess pinata, and watched a small scaled fireworks display (the regular fireworks are postponed on account of the Mississippi flooding).

arts faire

I participated in a local arts faire and the boys came often to visit and see the art. Joel enjoyed riding in the kiddie backpack. Trevor was all hands in my booth and wanted several business cards as well as labels that accompany the art.

michigan

After Ohio, I took the boys to Michigan for a week to see Oma, Papa, and Uncle Bud as well as Auntie Heidi and Ella (who were visiting from Phoenix, AZ). The theme of the week was "John Deere tractors" but activities also included visiting the Critter Barn, going to the beach, watching street performers, swimming in the pool, and going for ice cream.