Days of Summer

Gosh, we have done so much fun stuff since my last post that I'm afraid I can't remember it all! I will try my best and use the pictures as reference points. Why, oh why, do I let myself fall so far behind in blogging? Is is the same as with my laundry?

Carter and Samantha finished swimming lessons, and Miss Jordan said they both did great and can swim a little by themselves. They had fun the last day, playing in the baby pool after lessons were over - they kept pouring water over the other one's head. They get along very well together and neither gets too upset about the other one being too rough (they both give and take as much as the other, no tattling) - they are a good match! It's kind of funny to see a tiny little girl be as rough as Carter though! Maybe it's because they have gone to school together since they were babies???

We had a playdate with the Joneses... Andrew wanted his picture taken with Charlie :)

Speaking of Charlie, he is trying very hard to give up one of his naps every day, and I am fighting him on it. Although, as we all know, you can't make babies sleep if they don't want to. Here he is one Sunday after church (he never takes a morning nap at church). If we go more than 2 miles in the car, he falls asleep and Alan has to hold him during lunch. I love this picture - probably because we have one just like it with Carter (except Carter was only 2 days old and had his mouth wide open!) :)My favorite thing of his is this bottom lip that he pokes out when he is upset. I don't want to scold him for no reason, but it is so cute to see - ha! (I actually don't like correcting him b/c he's so sweet, but this is just a perk that I get to see when I do have to get onto him). Recently, he fell and hit his head and didn't even cry - just poked out his lip! He's so reserved most of the time (as compared to Carter, who screams and wails and can't cry quietly if his life depends on it). On my little, not-so-great camera, it's really hard to capture how cute this is!I have also given up the hope that he is going to walk by himself anytime in the near future (he could do it if he had the confidence to let go), so I bought some "leg warmers" from Target. They keep him from getting rug burn and bruises all over his legs as he crawls. Look at how long his legs are here!Here he is, showing off his 2 bottom teeth (and his left index finger, which is his favorite - he uses it for everything).

Bothering Coleigh in the car...Being a brainiac with these glasses...Carter LOVES those glasses. They are the same ones we get at the dentist's office each time. He needs them to see his computer...Andrew stayed with us one afternoon, because Holly's dad was in the hospital for several days after his blood pressure bottomed out a couple of times. Thank goodness he is alright now. This picture is a study in opposites - hard to believe they are the same age at such different sizes!A couple of Saturdays ago, our SS class did a local missions project for a battered women and children's home. My friend Jennifer and I (along with another friend for a couple of hours in the morning) volunteered to keep children at my house while everyone worked. I think I should've signed up for hard labor instead - it was exhausting!!! Here is most of the crew, minus a couple of stragglers... Oh, I heard Alan did a fantastic job on the kitchen, so I need to get more info on what went down and what kind of cleaning or decorating skills he has been hiding from me all these years...Here is the new, still in progress, sewing room. This used to be a guest bedroom suite in our basement (at least that's how we imagined it - with its own connected bathroom, and kitchenette around the corner). In the latter days of my working for InterCall, it was also my office (a very depresisng one with no windows). We had to make my old office into Carter's big boy room before Charlie arrived, so I was kicked down to the basement. Sigh. I think it works well as a sewing room, though, and we already have another guest bedroom upstairs with the boys' rooms. No need for 2 guest rooms, right? Unless I have my appendix removed again and Cheryl needs to stay with us! In the middle, you see the tall table for cutting fabric. It has a leaf to make it much bigger, but right now we don't have room for it. Against the wall is Pandi's table, with my old machine (she hasn't brought all her machines over). Next to that is our shelf for shirt samples (we are ordering more of those today, actually), and fabric scraps for applique. To the right are the old mattresses which are currently being used as shelves ;) To the left and otuside the picture is my desk (my former work desk) with my serger and big sewing machine. To the left of that is a big closet that we are working on cleaning out to use for more storage. It's definitely a work in progress, but we're getting there! Anyone want to come clean out a closet??? :)

I'll update a little more about our weekend later, when I can find the other camera with more pictures... It was very busy - date night (thanks, Nana and Pawpaw), Carter's first train ride (thanks Gigi, Papa and Cheryl), SS supper club at our house, and a birthday swimming party. Toodles for now!