Dog Days of Summer

Summer is winding down, and I felt like the last few weeks were meant to cram in all of the things I didn't get done during the first part of summer.  Kerry and I went on our last summer walk, and this time we decided to cut the walk short so we could spend more time doing an end-of-summer pub crawl.  We did the loop around the waterfront, and then we went to Hair of the Dog and then to Bunk Bar.  We had intentions to hit a third place, but we were too tempted to try a Typhoon Shandy at the Bunk Bar so we stayed there.  Pretty yummy and I would like to make them at home...tequila, lime juice, grapefruit juice, and lager.  Sounds gross, but it was delish. 

Our fair city on a cloudy day

Trey and I had the pleasure of watching Grady almost every other Friday this summer. The boys had so much fun together, and it was really a good bonding experience for them.  Their new favorite thing to do is jump on the bed. 

This may be one of the first pictures I have of both of them looking at the same time.

Randy and Trey left to go camping, so Grady and I had the afternoon to ourselves.  We headed over to the school playground to play.  Grady turns two next month, and I have totally forgotten how different an almost two year old is than a three year old.  The age difference between Grady and Trey is the same age difference between Case and Grady.  I think Julie will have so much fun watching her boys together a year from now. 

If you follow my blog, you know that Trey started swimming lessons this summer where he was on his own (rather than me being with him in the water), and it was a rough start.  It took five weeks before he stopped crying during the lessons.  Yes, FIVE.  I am happy to report that by the end of the summer, he was doing awesome and loved swimming lessons.  On the last day of the session they worked on boat saftey.  Our new session starts tomorrow, and he will likely have a new teacher.  Fingers crossed that it goes smoothly. 

 

So I think I have some strengths as a mother, but being artsy and crafty is definitely NOT one of them.  I think Trey and I painted at home twice this summer, and this day with watercolors was one of them. <and I know that painting in itself doesn't really qualify as artsy and crafty, but that's about as good as it gets for me...> I saw this post on Facebook which reminded me of my failings as an artsy and crafty mom.  Sorry, Trey, I don't think it will ever happen.

Remember when I said my new task was to get Trey to eat new foods? Another tip I've been told is to let kids help with meal prep and they might eat some of the things as you work (or be more inclined to eat what they made).  Trey wanted to help me make vegetable soup, and I was SHOCKED when he started eating raw zucchini.  Even I do not like raw zucchini.   P.S.  I like this soup because it freezes well which I did to give me a few cheater meals for the fall.

I remember the old days when everyone and their mother asked me if Trey was walking or talking.  This was always a fun conversation as he was late in both.  I have assumed ever since that he would be late in potty training, and he is not letting me down. The best part is that I could care less if he is potty trained or not.  However, we are working in that direction, and he is showing *some* signs of being ready. His daycare provider agrees with me that he isn't entirely ready yet, so I'm not really working on it.  I did buy him some underwear so he could have an idea of what I meant when I talked to him about big boy underwear.  He was more interested in wearing it on his head.  Also, he wore them on his bottom for about 10 minutes before he peed in them.   He did not like that feeling AT ALL.