Bike Riding 07/27/2009
 

Yesterday I took Aidan's training wheels off.  He was pretty nervous about trying to ride the bike alone, so I would run with him and hold onto it while he pedaled and practiced steering.  Here he is just one day later, riding ten feet at a time.

 
 

When it is not raining, the days are perfect.  Like the summers of my youth, the temps are in the 70s and the humidity is relatively low.  I can breathe, we can actually spend time in the south-facing part of the house, and it just couldn't be more beautiful.

Aidan and RB are becoming fast friends.  They both think that they are excavators in the making and love to dig dirt.  They nap together-on the top bunk-and I just love listening to the two of them playing make-believe.

Here they are on their hot rods with Mangus, our youngest dog:

Aidan also has a great love of cooking.  It really doesn't matter what; he loves to measure, pour, stir, everything.  He even loves to wash dishes.  Here he is actually cooking with a wok that my sister gave us years ago.

Family Style

This weekend was G's family reunion.  Here are some shots of Aidan playing ball, BB trying to get in on the game, BB and GB enjoying the sun, and Aidan hanging out with his father.

Hangin' out with Dad

Picture
All tuckered out from that batting practice.

My Little Dirt Diggers

The trip to the elementary school playground was so that Aidan could get used to his new school and play on the equipment, but the boys spent most of their time in the dirt.

Today we went to my mother's gravel pit.  Aidan was awed by the place.  I'll have to tell him that both of his grandmothers own gravel pits!
 
 
Picture
The boys catching rain with their shovels.  What else was there to do this week?

After our week of rain, the sun came out enough for us to watch the parade in the next town.  Then, just as we were heading to our car, the pellets started falling, and just after we started the car, the skies opened up with a vengeance.  By the time we got home it was tapering off.  A couple of hours later we went to G's parents' house for the annual cook-out and the rain held off long enough for us all to eat and play for a couple of hours, then the thunder came again.  Most of the week we just had rain without thunder or lightning, but it sure would be nice to see a break. 

Normally my brother is haying at this time of year.  Normally I've gone to the beach just once.  Normally I have not had to put a hat and coat on the kids.  This just isn't normal.  We had one summer like this in the mid-1990s and prior to that we had two like this in the 1970s.  The difference between now and the 1970s, though, is that back then we didn't have the extreme heat and humidity (90% humidity and 100º + temps) that usually follows.  So I'm hoping for a gradual transition over to summer weather when the rain finally breaks.

Picture


Aidan, enjoying some of G's onion rings, just before the parade got started, and wearing the Sponge Bob hat that G bought him at the vendor tables.
 
Drip, Drip, Drip 07/02/2009
 

It might never stop raining. 
My nose may never stop running.
My double ear infection is a real downer.
Not exactly a great week for the boys, either, though I did buy them each a mess-free color wonder book (we took one to China with us for Aidan and he loved it).  Aidan's new book is of Diego and RB's book is of Lightning McQueen.  That entertained them for about five minutes.  I feel guilty with them watching so much t.v. this week, broken only by the occasional playtime on the porch, but what else can you do when your caregiver is sick and e

 
Create a free website with Weebly