Perfect Summer Morning

This morning I took the boys in the stroller and ran to Chris's office to bring him some lunch.  The weather was breezy and sunny...perfect!   So perfect our air conditioning is off today.   The route to Chris's office takes us through the campus of Indiana University and downtown Bloomington, and both are beautiful this time of year.  Lots of flowers blooming, students walking to class, green trees and limestone buildings.  We saw several police cars, fire trucks, UPS trucks, diggers, and bulldozers, too, since summer on a college campus is prime time for construction projects.   Cole was enthralled!  On our way home we stopped at The Copper Cup for a raspberry smoothie.  Yum!  The ride lulled Max to sleep, so he missed out on the smoothie.  When we got home, we painted rocks in our driveway and ate some lunch.   Now it's nap time!  

GMAT

On July 12 Chris takes the GMAT.  It's the entrance exam for business school.  He's been studying for months, alone and with a Kaplan tutor, hoping to score well and be granted admission to an MBA program for Fall '09.  Where?  He's not sure yet.  I am so proud of his diligence and positive attitude in the face of algebra, geometry, critical reasoning, sets, and many more topics.  He has had to re-learn a lot!   He has spent countless hours in front of the computer in our basement and more countless hours with a GMAT preparation book on his lunch hours and after the boys are in bed.  And on the weekends he breaks to eat, sleep, mow the lawn, and go to church.  His practice test scores have been increasing, and I think he would tell you that his hard work is paying off.   Whew!  I'm ready to have my husband back in a couple weeks.   GMAT, release my husband from your grip with an awesome score, please!  

Pool Love

Max was definitely not feeling the pool love this morning.   Too cold?  Too unfamiliar?  Too much Cole splashing?  Is it a bath...outside...what?  Whatever stole his pool love wasn't so important as soon as I sat in the pool with him, though.  He had a great time after that chewing on every toy he could grab.  Once I saw him dive for a red cup!  Thankfully I was holding his arm so he didn't faceplant into the bottom of the pool.  Whew!   Hopefully we haven't turned Max off to swimming.  Before the summer is over, I'm confident Max's pool love will grow! 

One Big Day

We dropped Kelsey off at the airport this morning, so we decided to make a day of being in Indianapolis.  First, we visited GrandBob at work.  Cole loved sitting at my dad's big desk, and it was the first time Max had been to Lilly.  Fun! 

After visiting with my dad, we met my mom at the Indianapolis Children's Museum.   Cole loved exploring the Curious George exhibit, which was of course designed for curious kids!   Cole also fished with my mom in the Playscape while Max chewed on some toys, and we ended the day on the carousel.   Both boys took naps on our way back down to Bloomington and woke up right when we pulled in our driveway, which means I am a sleep deprived mommy today! Bedtime, come soon! 

Kelsey & Puff Balls

Our good friend Kelsey is a missionary in Marghita, Romania.   She works with orphans and is building an new life there with her foster son, Caleb.  We've known her for a few years and have been part of her support team.   Well, after four years in Romania, Kelsey came home to the USA to raise more support and share about Romania with family and friends.   Due to Romanian government restrictions, Caleb had to stay in Romania.  We are so bummed that he and Cole couldn't play together!   Anyway, Kelsey stayed with us for a couple days and we hosted a BBQ for her while she was here.  We also met Chris for lunch on Monday at the Irish Lion downtown, because Kelsey couldn't believe that we've never tried the Puff Balls there. They were yummy, and I think she had her Puff Ball fix until her next Bloomington visit!  

Boys in the Bath and My Addiction

Yes, folks.  I am definitely addicted to blogging.  Hence, multiple posts daily sometimes.  I am interested in all things blog.  Your blog, my blog, strangers' blogs.  Everywhere I go I take the camera and anticipate blog opportunities.  One of my love languages is gifts, and every time I take a picture and post it with a story, I feel like I gain something...a memory!  This may explain my habit.  I really do love photographing and documenting life's adventures with our wonderful boys.   Thanks for your patronage to Frankly Speaking!

So my latest victory is bathing both boys simultaneously without extreme splashing and a soaked mommy and bathroom at the end.  Now that Max is sitting up better, this is even more fun.   This video moment is something I've been hoping for!  

Here Come the Burnetts!

Lance, Mendy, and Ethan Burnett are friends of ours from Vienna.  They left Vienna the same time we did last summer after serving at VCS for four years.    They are working on their Master's Degrees in Columbus, OH, this summer, and stopped at our house last night along the way.  Ethan and Cole played together really well in the rocks and with a huge tub of water.  The last time we saw Ethan he was only 6 months old!   It was great, too, to exchange stories of post-Vienna life!   Too bad Ethan and Cole weren't so cooperative for the family picture!  Max was already in bed, so it was definitley around melt-down time.  Note to self:  No photos after dinner.  Oh well!  

Water Fun!

Cole enjoyed some water fun on our driveway today after we got home from camp.  Max looked on and had his lunch outside while Cole sprayed and washed everything in sight.   Both boys are taking great naps now after our morning adventures!  

This week and next are camp weeks for Cole, which means Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings he goes to Pathfinder 2's camp at the YMCA from 9-10:30 a.m.  He has had so much fun so far this week, and today on our way home he asked if we could turn around and go right back to camp again.   Friday is water day at camp.   Fun! 

A Wagon Ridin' We Will Go

Father's Day Cookout

Our small group had a Father's Day Cookout this afternoon, and it was so much fun!  We are so thankful to have found other families from our wonderful church, ECC, to get to know better.  The dads had a great time throwing the football around and grilling the meat, the moms chatted, and of course, the kids had the best time splashing in the pool.  Max decided to really start sitting up today, too. Woah!  Never saw that one coming!  Up until now, he's been really floppy.   Happy Father's Day!  

Choosy Moms Choose Jif

I turned my back for just a minute, and what do I get?  A Jif thief!   

Significant!

This is our boys' room.  It hasn't looked this way for long, so that's why this photo is significant! Cole jumped out of this crib in February or so, so we moved it to the guest room and Cole moved to the twin bed.   Max slept in a bassinet in our room or the guest room crib up until the last two weeks or so.   It felt like he was homeless!  But now, after five months of hard work, Cole and Max are happily sharing a room overnight.  Both boys are sleeping from about 8 p.m. until 7 a.m.  Yahoo!  For the last few days, too, Cole and Max have both been napping from 1:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m.  This, again, after months of hard work and little sleep, is sweet for me!  Way to go Cole and Max!   

Food!

Max's repertoire now includes sweet potatoes, bananas, apples, avocado, peas, pears, prunes, peaches, and cereal.  Yum!   His latest trick is playing with the spoon. I've been giving him his own so he doesn't grab mine away while I try to feed him.   Tricky!   He also loves to watch Cole, Chris, and I at the table...hence the huge smile above.  

Boys 'n Cars

Fire Truck Love

This past weekend Chris and I went to St. Louis for a friend's wedding, and the boys stayed with my parents in Indianapolis.  Friday afternoon my dad came home early from work, and was greeted by Cole begging to see some fire trucks.  Lately every conversation Cole has involves fire trucks, police cars, ambulances, tow trucks, and other vehicles with sirens.  He's fascinated, and the funniest part is that when he talks about these trucks, his voice gets higher and higher and he talks faster and faster.   So on Friday my dad took Cole to the fire station hoping to see a fire truck.   When they arrived, the fireman was filling the truck up with gas in the parking lot, so my dad and Cole got to touch the fire truck and sit in the cab!  Lucky Day!   The fire truck love continued, though, and on Sunday my dad took Cole back to the fire station after more begging. This time the fire truck was out, but they saw fire boats and a fire jeep.  Lucky Day Number 2!   Long live Cole's fire truck love. 

What Happens?

THIS is what happens at 6:00 p.m. on days when Cole plays in his room instead of taking a nap.  Yikes!   Yesterday he fell asleep with music on, Max crying, me making dinner, and Chris arriving home from work all at the same time!  We let him sleep for a few minutes, woke him up for dinner, and what resulted was a very tired Cole and an early bed time.  Whew!   

Kathleen's Visit

My great friend Kathleen visited us this weekend.  She lives in North Carolina with her husband, Mike, and three little boys.   I was the maid of honor in her wedding and she in mine, and we haven't seen each other in 4 years!  Wow!   She cut Cole's hair, played with our boys, made dinner for us, came to church with us, and just did life with us for a little while.  What a huge blessing for us!  Thanks, Kathleen!   

In other news, Cole is interested in giving Max kisses lately!  He actually let me take a picture tonight with no bribery.   And Max rode in the swing at the park the other day for the first time, too.  He loved it!  Go Max!