It's August?!

I have a backlog of photos and fun events to share. And with Sam's birthday tomorrow, I had to get all of this up now.

July has really gone fast. How is it August already? The boys and I spend most of our days hopping from one playground in Wauwatosa to another. This week alone we visited 6 different ones. The weather has been on the cool side, so that helps. We usually spend most of our days outside. We also are frequent visitors of the Wauwatosa Public Library.

The big news for Sam is that he now can ride a two-wheeled bike - no training wheels. We started him on a balance bike around age 2 or 2 1/2. That helped him learn to balance (there are no pedals on a balance bike.) I bought a Thomas the Train bike for him at a garage sale. It came with training wheels. He wanted to leave them on, but he became frustrated because he couldn't go fast. So, Dave took the wheels off, and with only a few rides with Dave holding onto the bike, he was off.

Also, Sam attended a two-week, mini-school session in July for those entering 4-year-old kindergarten. It was free and just for a couple hours each morning. He was able to get acclimated to his school and meet some kids his age. We've had a playdate with one of his classmates. It was nice for me, too, to talk to another mom. I certainly miss my mom friends in Brooklyn.

Henry has grown a lot this summer - both in height and in personality. He's starting to come into his own, I think. We are still struggling with tantrums, but my Henry is one strong-willed little boy.

Jonah, too, is starting to show a personality. He LOVES his brothers. He laughs and smiles all of the time when they are around. Sam, especially, has shown an interest in helping Jonah. The other day he said: "Jonah, I am going to teach you to walk, talk and read."

Today, Aug. 2, Jonah took his first bites of "real" food. I gave him some brown rice cereal mixed with breastmilk. He loved it!

Our biggest adventure in July was a trip to northern Minnesota to my friend Joy's cabin. I've been going to Joy's cabin since 2001 (though it's been tough to go since having kids.) This was the first time many of the other cabin-goers met the boys. It was an 8-hour drive but well worth the trip. Despite the wind and cooler temps, the boys had a blast.

Enjoy the pictures: July 2013 (I do have video of Sam riding his bike and of Jonah eating for the first time. I hope to process that soon.)