Howdy All,
Well we've had a very fun and very busy past month and the boys are continuing to do great. I'm happy to report that Ian has just completed his first week with NO DIAPERS (expect for nap/overnight) and has done extremely well. He still forgets about the potty sometimes when he is having a lot of fun but on the whole he has done an excellent job. We also got some exciting news from his daycare that he will be moving up to pre-school level starting October 1st, meaning he will be up with all the big kids on the second floor. He already has his 'trial run' day - where his toddler teacher was supposed to stay with him for a bit to help with the transition - but he got right in there with the big kids and didn't even look back!
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| Ian watching for the garbage truck |
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| Ian playing spider web |
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| Ian learning to drive |
Alex also continues to grow, grow, grow - he's now up to wearing 9-month clothing and filling it out completely - I'm guessing he's pushing 20lbs now. He has also become much more aware of everything around him and had become very interested in all of his toys. He really enjoys his exersaucer and playmat now and can't seem to get enough of his Sophie the giraffe, but his favorite toy is a big colourful bird with a crinkly tail that he just seems fascinated with. He is also already working on trying to crawl and can manage to shuffle forward a few feet - probably wanting to start chasing after his brother. Ian is a very enthusiastic supporter of Alex's crawling and rolling attempts - getting right down on the floor with him and showing him the proper technique.
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| Alex in his exersaucer |
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| Alex taking his turn at being a dinosaur |
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| Alex hanging out |
We tried to round out our summer with a bang and went to Port Stanley beach and Peach Fest with Uncle Gary, Auntie Tif, Grandma and Matthew, then we went back to the cottage and Sauble Beach for the labour day weekend before heading off for our awesome family vacation at Rocking Horse Ranch.
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| Alex sunbathing on the beach |
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| Ian playing with Uncle Gary |
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| Grandma and the boys |
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| Ian and Matthew buried in the sand |
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| Ian at the cottage |
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| Alex at the cottage |
I decided to try and conduct a 'do-it-yourself' home photo session where I put the boys in cute matching outfits and then attempted to take posed pictures. It was not the most successful of endeavours but after a half hour or so I did manage to come up with a few usable pictures...
The highlight of the past month (and one of the best trips I've been on) was our family vacation to Rocking Horse Ranch in Highland, NY. I discovered the ranch when I was looking for a vacation we could take that would be good for families with babies and toddlers and it popped up on the short list. As it was an eight-hour drive we tackled only the first 5 on the first day, spending the night in Ian's birth city of Syracuse. Ian, Alex and I spent the next morning at the Syracuse Zoo while Daddy had a much-needed sleep-in. We arrived at the ranch just after nap time and the fun didn't stop for the next five days! There was so much to do we didn't even get to it all and it was the perfect time of year for us to go - with all the bigger kids in school, the little ones had the place to themselves. There were a mix of several seniors groups and families like ours with young kids - so it was perfect for us. There were 110 horses on the ranch who paraded across the road every morning at 8am while we watched - the perfect way to start our day! Ian went on a pony ride every day we were there and he loved visiting all the animals including the horses, goats, barn cats (Jack and Ringo) the donkeys, longhorn cows and the zebra and camel. There was also a lake with paddle boats and huge (like three foot long) fish that Ian could feed, a bungee-trampoline, mini-golf (which we never got to), a fun barn with a bouncy castle and climber, horse-drawn hay rides, a bonfire with marshmallows, indoor and outdoor toddler pools with slides and other fun toys, entertainment and dancing every night and lots, lots more! Mommy and Daddy even got to go on two hour-long horseback rides while Ian and Alex enjoyed some fun time in the daycare. Ian made friends with several of the kids who were there and had an absolute blast the whole time. We are very excited to go back again - maybe even next year!
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| Ian matching the penguins to the map |
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| Ian checking out the tiger |
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| Ian riding the elephant |
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| Fooling around at the ranch |
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| Riding the playground horses |
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| checking out the real thing |
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| a camel and a zebra |
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| scaling the mountain |
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| taking Daddy for a ride |
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| Ian ready to ride |
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| Ian riding Casino |
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| Ian taking a pony ride |
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| Ian cleaning his boots |
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| Ian and Daddy on a paddleboat |
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| Alex on the climber |
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| Alex playing with the balls |
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| Ian bungee jumping |
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| Ian and Alex cuddling on the ranch bed |
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| Alex the cowboy! |
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| Daddy and the boys! |
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| Ian the cowboy |
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| watching the horse parade |
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| Ian riding Loredo |
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| Ian checking out the goats and sheep |
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| Ian going down a BIG slide |
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| Ian and Daddy on the bridge |
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| Ian riding a tractor |
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| Ian and his friends (Erik, Hailey and Hannah) |
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| Ian ready to ride! |
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| The family at the ranch |
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| Playing a game of giant checkers |
Daddy has really stepped up his game this past month - helping me out a lot more with Alex and even taking on both kids on a regular basis to let me get in some break time. I have been super grateful for all his help and the chance for some 'mommy time'.
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| Daddy and the boys |
Well the next month does not look quite as thrilling as the past month - I am still very excited to enter into fall and to see what my little 'bosses' have in store for me!
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| Is that me?? |
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| HI MOM! |
Love Amanda
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