Gordon Comes to Visit!

Ben, Adie, and Gordon came down to visit this weekend! We had a great time--the weather was perfect for a campfire (and hoboes), thrifting, and an unheard of (in my world) mid-day July run/walk for Adie and I (we're training for a 5k and 10k this fall).

As you'll see, Lewis had fun playing alongside Gordon--he was pretty good overall, though he did play too rough a few times.

Tummy Time, together

I missed another instance where both boys were doing tummy time and taking turns fussing. :) Kevin said Gordon was actually fussing, and Lewis was pretend fussing. Ha.

Some morning PJ snuggle time:

I love each of their sweet expressions--they definitely seem to like each other.

Lewis, reading to G about bugs

Fun with phones:

What is that silly Lewis Pete doing?

Not sure what he was looking at on the phone, but it must have been funny. (Probably himself on the camera?)

Both boys, checking their email :)

Sweet Boy :)

Whoa, two at once!

Gordon took a few practice spins in our jumperoo, and Lewis was happy to show him how it works (especially how to turn the music on):

Want some water, buddy? I know this jumping stuff is hard work!

And, finally, Lewis had fun when Gordon was in the highchair:

 Again, offering his water. :)

It looks like Gordon's holding on for his life, which became necessary, as you'll see in the video below. :)

:)

It was a great visit. AND Adie taught Lewis how to hold up 2 fingers to show his age (we've been trying for weeks...he'll hold up 1 and hold up 5, but we always had to help him with the thumb for 2-4). He's also counting 1-5 now and trying 6-10--I think Adie, the teacher, needs to hang out with Lew more often. :) She also had a talk with him about napping, but unfortunately, that, he did not comprehend. :)

A Morning with Old Man Lew and To the Zoo

This was where and how I found Lewis the other morning:

:)

It cracked me up. In his little old man recliner and pajamas, reading a book.

That day, I believe, we headed to the zoo with Tonya and Carlton, incognito:

He insisted on the shade being pulled all the way down for the first part of our time there, so I guess he was feeling like an undercover kind of day. :)

Hitching a ride on the turtle

Sliding at the 'new' playground

We always walk by this spot, but I wasn't sure if it was open to the public or for special groups. It's kind of around a corner from the main drag, but I discovered it is totally open to all. I think it seemed to be a little less crowded than the usual playground we stop at, and they seemed to have more equipment to play on. Lewis and Carlton had a blast.

Watching the train go by

Like, 'Hey, wait for me!!' We thought about riding it on the way out, but the line was way too long--next time, buddy!

Finally figured out how to get back to see the wallabies 

(aka not kangaroos, as I first thought)

And finally, I had a water spot on my lens in the exactly wrong spot, but the polar bear kept pacing back and forth through this bridge above the sidewalk, which was pretty neat.

The end of last week/beginning of this week were/are absolutely gorgeous, so we're trying to spend as much time as possible outside.

Party Weekend

Last weekend, we had two birthday parties to attend...my second/Lewis' third cousin, Jerrett, turned 1 and Carlton turned 2!

Party #1

Jerrett's party was fun for Lewis because it was at the splash park that we usually go to! It was on Friday evening, so we were late arriving and missed bedtime by a bit, but it was good to see my aunt, uncle, cousins, etc. and catch up.

Carlton's party was Saturday afternoon, and Lewis and Carlton (and other kiddos) had a blast. I don't think they stopped from the time we got there to the time we left, as you'll see by the blurry pictures I took:

Balloons!

The boys took turns running through the house chasing each other and the balloons.

The biggest attraction of the day was Carlton's new slide (and this is where the pictures go blurry):

Better watch out, Lewis! Here comes Carlton!

Whee!

I can just see where this next one is heading:

Boom! Crash! (Two of Lewis' new favorite words.)

He plowed right into Carlton, and they both ended up on the floor laughing. :)

I take that back, they DID pause long enough to eat a little bit of dinner and a cupcake:

Sweet little table for two :)

Mmmm...carrot cake!

Happy birthday, buddy!

Sure, you can dip your celery in my icing--I don't mind. :)

We had a great time at both parties!

Ain't No Mountain High Enough

Kevin and Lewis took our recycling yesterday morning and stopped at a playground on the way home. I can't think of a time when Lew has attempted the climbing wall before, but he figured it out yesterday after watching a bigger boy go up it:

Like a pro.

And he seemed super proud of himself once he reached the top, too. :)

Happy Camper and Maybe Sleep Strides

As I mentioned, today was Lewis' first day of camp!

Our happy camper!

We've been talking it up for a few days, and he was super excited about it. For some reason, he got it in his head that camp=eating pizza, so I made sure to pack some pizza in his lunch. :) At drop-off this morning, we talked to one teacher while Lewis walked right on in with another--just like, 'See ya later, folks! I'm off to have some fun!'

I received a positive report at pick-up. The teacher said he did well with transitioning from one activity to another and with interacting with the other kids. She said he would shoot basketballs and proclaim 'I made it!' over and over, which the teacher found funny. :) He did not eat his lunch, however--I didn't think about it, but he isn't used to sitting in a chair without being strapped into it. He just took a few bites and walked around, so he had to eat when he got home. (I'm going to bring a booster seat tomorrow to see if he can use it.)

The theme this week is 'Jungle,' and I gathered that they talked about gorillas and alligators. Otherwise, he told me he rode on a fire truck, plane, big dump truck, and bikes. The church has a huge gym that they let the kids ride around in, so I'm guessing that's what he's referring to. He's excited to go back tomorrow (and Thursday)!

--------------------------------

Sleep update:

This morning I had to wake up at 5am to go to a park for a news segment for the place I volunteer, and, unfortunately, I must have woken up Lewis with the sound of the shower...which, of course, meant that Kevin had to wake up, too. Oopsy. (And the news thingy had a big turnout, and I wouldn't have even been missed, but whatever.)

By the time naptime rolled around today, I knew it was crucial that I do something different. Over the weekend I did some more reading and found a method that uses strict rules, rewards, and consequences (by Marc Weissbluth). Monday, Lewis and I made a Sleep Rules poster for his room with places for stickers (rewards), and we talked about the rules a lot.

1. Get in bed/stay in bed.
2. Close your eyes.
3. Be quiet.
4. Go to sleep.
5. Don't wake up until the alarm clock tells you it's okay to wake up. (We ordered a clock that is supposed to light up green when it's okay to get up...we'll see if it works--it isn't here yet.)

He seems really excited to decorate his poster with stickers, but Monday's nap situation was still bad (really bad) and the early morning wake-ups are getting worse (from being overtired). As much as he seems to understand the rules and wants to follow the rules to get his sticker, I realized today that he doesn't know how to shut himself down enough for a nap. He doesn't know how to stay in bed because he's never had to (he's always had the crib keeping him 'put'). 

He is so active (and so overtired at this point), so today I tried something different...I literally laid in bed with him in a bear hug while he thrashed and fought me (all gently, of course). I shushed and sang and told him I loved him, and he finally, finally, finally tired out after about 20 minutes and nap happened. Hooray! Since it was an early day for all of us, I stayed with him and napped, too. A poopy diaper woke him up about an hour later, and he wasn't able to go back to sleep after that. BUT, I really am hopeful that we'll be able to work on it every day until he gets it and eventually gets his sticker. :)

These are the faces of a non-napping Lewis:

 

Suckers! Rookies! You have no clue what you're doing, do you?! :)

And I'm not napping in the car!

 This was yesterday at dinner, which was a first:

Poor little buddy

To be continued...

A Weekend Around Town

I think it has been awhile since we have had a weekend at home with no real plans, so we took advantage and visited the zoo and science center. The zoo's train just reopened after a four year shutdown, so we though Lewis might like to check it out:

Watching it coming 'round the bend 

Toot Toot! 

Ready to roll!

:)

It was pretty neat--we went through tunnels and around the perimeter of the zoo to places I didn't know existed. (There are kangaroos?!) We'll definitely have to check out other areas next time we go around on foot. The line was kind of long, so we really only had time after our train ride to see the gorillas (Lewis' choice) and play at the playground--then we had to get back for lunch and an attempt to nap.

After yet another non-nap, we ran some errands Saturday afternoon and took a picnic to the park: 

Sunday, we were up bright and early (thanks again, Lewis) and headed out to the science center for a few hours of running around:

Water table fun, as usual:

He got totally soaking wet, but he had a blast. :)

Kevin and Lewis sat and did a news report, which Lewis loved. He loved seeing himself up on the screen, and he loved watching it playback even more:

Hi, there!

:)

(Their faces as they were being recorded.)

And then on playback:

Hi, Lewis Pete! (waving to himself)

Did you guys see that? Lewis Pete and Dada are on TV!!

Driving a Car

(Nevermind that it's a drunk driving simulator...)

Sitting in a Space Capsule

So that was our weekend around town! Lewis is heading to camp tomorrow through Thursday, so hopefully I can get some things done around the house while he is away.