August Turns Two!

This guy here-

this sweet little man who waves by to everyone in the building while leaving his summer camp (saying, 'Bye, friends!')-

who rocks this long haircut and loves his bath times with Papa to entertain him (especially with bath gel bubbles)-

who gamely stops his goofy antics to let me document his insane cuteness and thinks glasses are the ultimate accessory-

who can't get enough bubbles and could not be more affectionate-

and looks awesome with chalk on his face-

he turned TWO yesterday!  This year has flown by even faster than his first, so it came as a bit of a shock to realize there would be an 's' at the end of his age now (yearS old).  

August, you are SO MUCH FUN to hang out with.  Yes, you are a toddler, and so have your moments of frustration and exhaustion, but they are so minuscule compared to the smiles and laughs.  You can't get enough of anything that goes: boats, construction vehicles, motorcycles.  It has been so heartwarming to watch you with your little brother these past few months; you've given him a pacifier when he's sad, spontaneously hugged him, and say, 'Night night, Bashy Boo' when he goes down for his afternoon nap.  Our sweetest moments are when we snuggle during your bedtime stories, and, not surprisingly, your favorite new book is Good Night, Good Night, Construction Site.  We have so much fun playing, singing, watching cartoons, and running around playgrounds together.  I can't wait to see what this year holds!

We celebrated with a construction-themed cake with the abuelos and tias.  The cake came second to the mini trucks on top, scooping graham cracker sand!

Happy birthday, my little sweet potato pie!  

P.S. Bash was nonplussed most of the day.  I think he was bummed there was no cake for him!

What We Did in May (Part 2)

 After a busy baptism weekend, we dropped August off with his abuelos for a few days while Bash and I trailed JP on a work trip to DC.  I had the days to myself to visit with some friends and our old haunts, then would meet up with JP after his conference to do dinner and walks around the city.

The first day we were in DC, it reached the mid-90s!  Poor Bash got a bit warm, but still very cute in his whale romper.

We wandered around Foggy Bottom, Georgetown, and Dupont Circle with Aunt SJ before heading back to the hotel to cool down.  My phone pedometer says I walked 8 miles that day!  Whew!

JP and I took Bash to BTS, our favorite burger place in our old neighborhood.  He was a little nonplussed, but a little too young to appreciate the milkshakes ;)

 After our trip away, we could not have been happier to pick up the big brother and snuggle in the living room!  I did not love being away from one of the boys; after only 4 months, it feels so much better with our family of 4 together.

 The morning after we returned from DC, we packed up again for Memorial Day weekend in Naples, FL with the abuelos.  We all piled in the plane with plenty of iPhone videos to keep August happy and snacks for the rest of us!

 30 minutes after we touched down in Naples, our toes were in the sand.  August took his job of shoveling all of the sand on the beach very seriously.

 This trip to the beach was exactly what I was hoping for August; he didn't want to get out of the water!  He would walk straight up to his chin, then hold our hands as he just walked laps parallel to the shore.  Such a water baby!

 Proof.

JP saw this cute little train museum on our drive to the house, so took August on our second day there.  There was a HUGE model train exhibit...

 ...and a mini train we took a ride on!  It was a very cute outing.

 We have way too much fun playing with this kid's hair.  He was a little less than impressed with the beach, but took a couple of good naps and was generally happy if we were holding him.

 I got to see my cousin Justin, who works in south Florida now!  It was so great to catch up with my family; we spend so much time with Diegos, and can't forget about the Summers/Shelton side!

 That little face!  Total mom bragging moment: Bash is already rolling both ways.  Most babies hit that milestone at 6 months, and he mastered it by 4 months.  Needless to say, I am convinced that he is destined for greatness.

 We know every splash pad in a 10-mile radius, and are not afraid to use them on these heatwave days in ATL.

 August trying to keep up with the big kids on a Hike It, Baby hike.  He walked the entire mile loop!  He's not even 2 years old yet!  Another amazing Diego kid.

Good book, great kid.

The High Museum here in ATL has a retrospective of Mo Willems' work.  (The awesome children's author who write the Pigeon, Gerald and Piggie, and Knuffle Bunny books!) We got to take August on opening day and had the best time!

The boys closed out the month with a kiss in their matching monster pjs.  It was a pretty good, busy month!

What We Did in May (Part 1)

May was such a fun, all-over-the-place month for our family!  This is super picture-heavy; you've been warned!

 Grandma and my dad came up to visit the first weekend!  It was so, so nice to show Grandma around Roswell and our home (she hadn't visited yet!), and I will never get over how cool it is to see my kids with my dad.

August was pretty psyched to show off his many, many truck books.

 JP was the best man in his cousin's wedding at the absolutely stunning Barnsley Gardens, so we got to dress up for the night and dance a little bit.  I was so impressed with the speech he gave for Nacho; maybe in his next life, my husband will be a public speaker.
Also, we brought Bash to the ceremony and reception, so I needed a nursing-friendly outfit for the night.  Above, you can see that I went with a 'formal' crop top and skirt combo.  So cute and comfy!

This handsome little man turned 3 months on May 10.  Don't let the onesie fool you- he's actually a pretty decent sleeper.

I got some breakfast in bed for Mother's Day, which August promptly dug into.  Thanks, little man!  I can never handle waffles on my own.  ;)

We joined a great new group geared toward getting parents outdoors with their kids; Hike It, Baby has been awesome for us this spring and summer.  I led a hike at one of our favorite parks, and Bash slept in the carrier while August wandered around this pond on a break in them middle.  Fun!

 Hein came to town for Bash's baptism in mid-May!  He got lots of kisses.

 Most of our playgroup members at the Southeast Railway Museum in Duluth.  This is right after we rode around on a mini steam train with all the kids!  We really enjoyed ourselves.  Thanks for being the photographer, Mom!

One of the very few photos from Bash's baptism.  We were so lucky to have Amber come up for the event!  Bash enjoyed meeting her. 

Come back later for more pictures from our busy month!  There is so much to capture on this blog before I forget it.  Would y'all be interested in hearing Bash's birth story?

Two Under Two

You may find this hard to believe, but there are currently two small children sleeping at the same time in my house.  They are both hard-fought naps, but it actually happens most days that there is some overlap and I get a moment to think for just me.  It's a bit amazing to me that things go as well as they do, as often as they do, but I also work a lot at figuring out how to structure our days.  There has been a massive learning curve at this whole 'two kids under two' thing.  So far, this is what I've picked up.

1. Don't overschedule.  The days that leave me feeling the most drained are the ones where I thought, 'Just get out there!  August needs to be tired out, and you haven't seen many adults these days,' made two playdates and left the groceries to be shopped for that afternoon.  Those days don't end well.  My sweet spot is making morning plans for August, being home by noon for lunch and nap time, and perhaps having friends over or going to one person's house in the afternoon.  Which brings me to...

2. Massive play dates at people's houses just don't work for me.  Several moms (of other toddlers, of more than one kid, my own mom) have noted that August and Bash just like to be on the move.  August is one independent kid who is constantly on the go when we're at someone's house, and I honestly can't follow him around, sidestepping ten other kids in the process, while simultaneously nursing Bash.  We meet up with larger groups at a playground or park, so it doesn't matter if August is running around like a maniac while yelling; he's not echoing in someone's living room with 8 other kids at the same time.  It gives me space to breathe.

3. My downtime is precious.  I love hanging out with both boys all day (well, most days), but they take pretty much all of my good energy.  There is a bit in reserve for JP, but I'm finally getting more comfortable with not giving my small amount of remaining energy to people and experiences who don't require it.  It feels so much better than spreading myself thin.

4. Don't say no to hand me downs.  A friend recently gave us an entire wardrobe's worth of 3T stuff for August, and it's saved me from so much shopping!

5. Routines are awesome.  They keep our days flowing, and lets each kid know what's coming up without too much variation.  The best part about our routine, though, is deviating from it once in a while.  Last Friday night, we met up with my cousin and his lovely wife for a picnic dinner.  The catch?  It was way after both boys are usually in bed; generally they're both down by 8ish, and that night, we didn't get home until 10.  August loved that he was out so late, listening to live music, and Bash was surprisingly well-behaved.  Plus, we got some grown-up conversation!  A win for everyone.

6. Just get through the day.  I swore up and down that, after two months of August only napping while riding in the car, that I would never be suckered into that with Bash.  Guess what I did yesterday?  Drove around for an hour while Bash napped in the back and August ate french fries.  After an hour of infant fussing, though, it was the only thing I knew would make him sleep.  Whatever.  He slept and I drank a milkshake while touring nearby construction sites with the toddler. We got through.