End of summer...sigh...

Tomorrow marks the official end of summer.  I had to work one day last week but that felt like a cruel tease because I then had four days off.  Trey went to daycare on Thursday and they said he did well.  He napped in the stroller and was filthy when I picked him up so I know he had fun.  He starts on Tuesday full time at a new daycare and I have mixed feelings about it (daycare in general, not where we picked).

Advantages to going back to work full-time/sending Trey to full-time daycare:

• Trey gets to socialize all day long with a bunch of kids, play with new toys, and have new experiences.
• A full time paycheck - phew, we needed that!
• I enjoy my job and what I do - looking forward to having things to think about besides Trey's naps; how much milk he does or does not drink from the bottle, sippy cup, through the straw, etc.; chores; and what might be on tv that night.  Boring!

Disadvantages to having Trey in full-time daycare/working full-time:

• Well, the obvious...not getting to spend as much time with Trey and missing out on his moments of learning, curiosity, and delight.
• Having someone else be with Trey 8.5-9 hours a day, 5 days a week
• Not having as much time to do playdates, meet for lunch, go fun places...
• Not having my relaxing mornings...and I have a feeling the evenings won't be as relaxing either.
• A few others that I'm sure I will think of of as I blog.

We have enjoyed our last few weeks of summer.  If you saw the last blog post, you saw Trey sitting in a little tupperware container with his feet in the water.  We improved his accommodations slightly and had him cool off in this tub on the deck.  He loved it!  It is supposed to be hot again this weekend, so I might have to pull it out again.  

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks.  We've finally had some hot weather here in Portland so on one hand we are trying to get out and enjoy it, but on the other we are trying to keep Trey cool.

Randy has been itching to get Trey out fishing with him and finally took him out to Kelly Point Park with Trey in the backpack.  He said Trey was his good luck charm because he doesn't usually catch anything in this specific spot.

I have found an awesome pool at the Mt Scott Community Center where they have a family swim period.  The water is 88 degrees, there is a section that is only one foot deep so Trey can stand, and they also have this cool "river" with a current where I take Trey on a floating pad.  One day a few weeks ago Trey and I went and had lunch in the park and then went swimming.  (This would be another thing on my list of disadvantages.)

Have I mentioned how much Trey loves Tango's water dish?  This happened in just a short time of Trey being out of my eyesight.  If you know our house, this is not the kitchen and NOT where Tango's water dish is usually housed.

Last weekend, Trey and I went to my dad's in Leaburg with Julie.  Randy and Tim had other commitments and Sandy was headed to Bend for a get together.  It was sort of fun just to be with my dad and Julie all weekend.

 Dinner at the rest stop

Trey doesn't like to nap at my dad's and he usually doesn't sleep in the stroller anymore, but he did this weekend.  It was a short nap (45 minutes) and led to a long day, but at least it was something!

Lunch on the patio 

What a lucky boy to eat lunch in front of the river. 

Part of the reason we went this weekend is so Julie could get her hair cut.  She cut off 12 inches that she will send to Locks of Love.

34 weeks pregnant and so cute with her new haircut!

Randy took some afternoons off last week so we could spend some time together.  One day we went to OMSI with Adam and his girls.  

They have a video game exhibit which is probably really fun if you aren't there with a one year old...

 Last time we were there, all Trey could do was play in the infant area.  This time he was able to climb and explore other areas in the Science Playground which was a lot of fun.

 Trey and his first toy snake thanks to Dad

We went to Hopworks afterwards and Trey got to enjoy the kiddie area for the first time.  Finally, our time has come to enjoy the kid friendly part of Hopworks...before it was just a giant headache.

I also drove to Salem last week to visit my dad for lunch.  We won't be able to do that anymore (another thing on my list of disadvantages) so it was good to go one last time.

 Grandpa teaching Trey how to use the adding machine
Trey loved the noises that the machine made.
Maybe he will like numbers just like his mama and grandpa.

I was excited to take Randy to the swimming pool with Trey so we also did that this week.

It might look like they are having fun, but Trey is actually crying in this picture. 

 He was crying because he wanted to get out of the pool and crawl around the side.  Weird kid.

Saturday Randy went with us to the Portland Farmers Market.  We were first in line for Pine State Biscuits and then stocked up on some produce for the next few weeks.  I am up for the Bad Mother award because I'm not very good at feeding Trey vegetables.  I've been trying it recently but he is not a fan.  I think Randy is coaching him behind my back.  

Here is Trey at the market.  I love his expressions when he is checking things out.  And they are hard to see, but Trey is wearing the cutest Converse tennis shoes.  

Randy got his bike all set up to take Trey in the trailer.  Trey is handling the bike helmet much better than we thought he would.  Having his bottle and blanket with him seems to keep him happy.  So far Randy has only taken him on quick rides around the neighborhood.  We can't wait to do something longer! 

I expect my blog posts will slow down when I'm working full time, but I will do my best to keep them up with photos and stories.  I'm not sure how being a full time working mama will go, but I am ready to get this next chapter started.  My mom did it, lots of my friends do it, and women everywhere do it all the time.  Here's to the next adventure!