Buddy in action

Will loves to follow Dave's lead and imitate him. So, when Dave started sweeping up the wood chips from chopping wood, Will found a broom to do the same. Even if he was in his diaper and bike helmet.

 Do you see that small, glass Pyrex bowl near Will? It holds our fish, Sunny, which travelled home from Wildwood with us. Today, when Lucy was cleaning the bowl, Will was keeping Sunny company. Will fed her and waited and waited and waited . . . . . for Sunny to eat, which she did not, which kind of upset Will. 

 He didn't seem to think it would be overwhelming for a fish to have a small boy's head in the water . . . . hmmmmm

Will's moved to a big boy swing and loves it!

 Like I said, he imitates Dave. (sorry about the trash cans) This is Will's scoot bike, which he decided to work on . . . .. just like Daddy.

First Day of School

Wednesday, September 5, was the first day of school. Anna Kate started third grade at OSLS and Lucy started first grade at home. Here are pictures before Anna Kate left for school. 

 Ready to go! We had dropped off supplies on Tuesday, so there wasn't much to carry on Wednesday!

Anna Kate had a great first day; although, I think it was a little disappointing for her since this was her first "first day" - no schoolwork, no books, no "real school" - just classroom rules, procedures, etc. 

 Sissies wanted a picture all together

 Will just watched

 Samantha insisted on a picture of just the two of them

 This was how Buddy looked as Anna Kate left the driveway. He just watched her go, even following her down the driveway, waving. Sweet!

 Samantha followed suit (yep, we're getting ready for winter here, with our wood all chopped and seasoning. That's the last stack that needs to be moved in to the garage.)

 A week ago, Lucy lost her first tooth on the bottom. Her adult tooth was growing behind, so it's not easy to see, but it's gone! 

 Lucy's first day of first grade

The end of summer

I haven't been great about taking pictures. And I have been even worse about blogging. But, we're back! About a week after returning home, we set out for a few days camping with our dear, dear friends. It was awesome. There's something about the "hanging out" while you're camping. It revived our souls! Oops . . . . I didn't take pictures. 

The next week, we headed to Boston for a wedding of a couple who met on WWSP '11. Woo-hoo. Our good friends were super hospitable and generous, and our children loved, loved, loved spending time with them (and their dog, Jenny). Oops . . . . I didn't take pictures. 

Then, the kids and I headed to El Paso, Texas, to visit family. At least this time my parents were there to help with the picture taking. In El Paso, we mostly eat, drink, and swim. It's quite a life! I soaked up the 100 weather, the mountains, the big blue sky, and the sun, as well as some incredibly precious time with my sisters, their kids, my parents and Emilie and Eliza, and some old friends. It was a busy couple of weeks, and we missed Dave terribly. But we had a fabulous time! Here are just a few pics 

Will loved the pool and became quite fearless. We even had a day where he swam without floaties or any help. He was all boy in the pool and loved getting everyone's attention. 

 His older cousin, Maddy took great care of him (and the girls!)

 It was a full house for most meals and for most of the time!

 Lucy learned to swim earlier this summer in Wildwood, and she became a much stronger swimmer at Gramma's!

 Samantha learned to swim at Gramma's! She is a strong swimmer already!

 Will loved playing basketball, which required a tireless workout from the adult involved! This time, it was Aunt Heather.

 Lots of time just hangin' with cousins.

 Perhaps a highlight for Will was cousin Emmy's guitars! He has fallen in love with guitars and she has two he could play with. This heart one with wings quickly became "his."

 Time with Eliza was super precious. Anna Kate even passed up an afternoon at the movies for some alone time with this one. She jumped right in to the chaos and noise and was so much fun!

Anna Kate made these yummy meringues one night (Aunt Kelly's birthday night - celebration in spirit, if not in presence!) for dessert. 

Wildwood Wrap Up

There's something about little people at the beach! We did enjoy the beach a few times this summer, and almost always with the Lamb family. That's their daughter standing between Anna Kate and Lucy.

 Will loves those beach shovels!

 This is the Lamb's little boy, who is Will's age. I had to capture this picture . . . . they had some difficulty communicating. :) The best of friends, the worst of friends . . . . they are two!

 Will's ride from the car to the beach.

 All the kids really, really enjoyed boogie boards! 

 Even Will

 This sequence made us all laugh. Samantha had built this big mound. Then, Will discovered it and decided he would enjoy it, too. It was a lot more like king of the hill . . . .

 The girls and Dad really wanted to ride the Ferris Wheel this year. We're looking at it . . . . the first day we tried. It was closed that afternoon. Dave went back again, and he couldn't ride it alone with the three girls. Good thing there's next year.

 We made up for it by choosing to ride another ride.

 Some New York state staff & students (& staff kids)

 Will is so affectionate! Love that little arm around Samantha!