That's a Wrap!

Before:

After:

Alex and Vanessa working as the clean up crew.

View from out our back door.

Thank you Mark!!

The deck is done and we love it! We can't wait to sit out back for cookouts, parties, and watch the kiddos play! Mark did an amazing job! He definitely knows what he's doing that's for sure. We all had lots of fun hassling Brad about his super clean tool belt and he was able to break that in a little bit during this project too, especially on the weekends :) We've still got a little bit of work ahead of us washing and sealing the deck, but I think it is safe to say that the hard part is finished. Alex was so pleased that he went right to the garage and brought his little folding chair right out to the deck! It is going to be pretty dull around here during the days now, but at least we can pass the time while sitting on our lovely new deck!

Swimming, Finally!!

For the first time this summer, we were finally able to enjoy a fun, warm day at the pool! Our good friend Karen has a nice pool in the complex where she lives and she is always nice enough to invite us over to swim. Alex has turned into quite the little fish! He strapped on that life jacket and jumped right in. He swam for hours with a few mom-mandated breaks in between to warm up and rest. Alex made fast friends with all the other kids at the pool yesterday and loved throwing the dive sticks for the big kids. I had actually been getting worried about Alex's reliance on floatation devices in the pool, but his swim instructor at the Y told me today that they are moving him up to the class where he can remove his float now! What a big boy :)

I had purchased a cute ladybug float with a canopy for Abby and once she got used to being in the water, little by little, she did really well. She kind of stretched out in the float sideways and didn't mind getting wet at all. Now, she DID mind if she got splashed and always gasped very dramatically when this happened. Of course, she looked mighty cute in her polka dots too!

Dollars and Cents

Alex figured out that Abby has some money in her piggy bank in her room and anytime he wants to buy something, he says "well, we could us those dollars in Abby's bank"!! It is so funny! Today he asked if we could get the car washed and when I asked him if he had any money with which to do so, he suggested we borrow it from Abby. I wonder if when she gets older she'll have to hide her piggy bank--not from us, but from her brother! We'd also been playing this computer game called Farm Town, where we'd earn coins for crops we harvested, and Alex wanted to spend those "coins" the other day to buy a toy at WalMart! I told him he needs to stick to the money in HIS wallet or piggy bank for special treats :)

Visit with the Gordons

Baby John Gordon

The 3 Amigos

So cute together!

Mommy and Abby

Yesterday our friends Robbie and Margie Gordon stopped by for a visit with their son John. John is about 9 weeks younger than Abby and they were so adorable together! Abby was very interested in him, even throwing her weight around to get the toys she wanted! Alex was of course eager to show off all his toys to our new visitors too. He's always up for some new Mario Kart competition!

Is That an Alien?

Abby's new sunglasses make her look a little like an alien. I cannot believe that she'll actually keep them on her face, even for a little while?

Deck Construction

The deck construction is coming along and it is now completely framed! Next week should bring decking, handrails, and the enclosure around the bottom :) We keep joking with the neighbors that if they are looking for us, we'll be outside on our new deck!

Alex was a little bothered by all the construction noise yesterday and today but once we got out there and he was able to join in the fun, he was a happy camper! He was a very good scrap wood collector with his wheelbarrow and is officially in charge of the scrap pile on the side of the house!

Why Am I Moving Away From My Toys?

I noticed today that Abby seems to be crawling backwards. She really wants to move forward, and she does from time to time, but for the most part she moves in reverse. Today we started on the carpet in the dining room and she backed herself all the way out to the hallway wood floor! I don't think she's too far from moving forward. Let the games begin!