A little catching up...

Last weekend we went to see the Cubs / Cardinals game with our friends Al & Kim. We had a mix up with our tickets and ended up in another section not where we typically sit. We had AMAZING seats!! we were behind home plate about 10 rows up...we've never sat that close. It was also the air & water show in Chicago so that is always the best time to head to Wrigley Field. We've gone a few times through the years and the planes always end up sweeping down and "buzzing" the stadium.

This past weekend we had visitors...the Zehring clan came to go see "Thomas the Train". There is a steam engine painted up like Thomas and he travels all over to different locations so kids from everywhere get to ride their favorite locomotive! To be honest, it wasn't all that thrilling for the adults but the kiddos thought it was pretty cool to see Thomas and get a ride from him.

Riding the train:A sunscreen mohawk:

With Summer Ending...

...life from this vantage point is coming to a close as well. I keep thinking that next summer will be a bit easier with Kale likely walking and Dane being 3.5, but I really wish I could just freeze this...

"Half" Checkups

Today we had the boys "half" checkups...2 1/2 for Dane and 1/2 year for Kale. Kale weighed in at a whopping 18lbs (50-75%) and 28 inches long (90th percentile). Exactly 2 lbs lighter than Dane at 6 months and a half inch shorter! I thought Kale was going to measure taller than Dane did at 6 months which shows you exactly how much I remember! At 6 months, Kale is a very happy baby and grants almost everyone that big gummy smile! He is sitting on his own for a couple seconds before toppling over and he does get up on all fours and bounces so we'll see when he decides to start crawling. Dane absolutely adores him and always wants Kale to play with him...he just doesn't understand yet that Kale isn't able to do all the things he does!

Dane measured in at 37.25 inches and 31 lbs! They didn't give us percentiles for his measurements so we're not sure where he falls. At 2.5 Dane is hilarious...definitely our wild child! The absolute most hysterical things come out of his mouth...I am terrible about sharing them on the blog therefore I will not remember most of them. This morning had to be one of the top "Dane-isms"...I was holding him and he pointed to my chest and asked "mommy, what is that?" to which I didn't respond, just threw a sideways glance at Cameron and tried to ignore Dane's question. Of course Dane wasn't going to be deterred so he continued with "is that mommy's nipple?" I realize this is likely completely inappropriate to post on our blog but now you know what we're up against. I mean, how do you answer that without cracking up? And to our benefit, he only knows the word "nipple" because he has asked what his are and I told him.

Anyway, Dane starts a mother's morning out program the day after Labor Day. He will go to the Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Libertyville on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:15 to 11:15. He is incredibly excited to start "school" and I am having a hard time with the fact that I have a little boy who is so ready to get away from his mommy twice a week! I know it will be so good for him...hopefully he doesn't talk about nipples with anyone there!

A Murder in the Eco System

Cameron had taken our original Tadpole (Tad) back to the pond and released him once he turned into a frog. He caught another giant Tadpole to add to our aquarium so Johnny Bananas would have a friend. We had recently figured out that Johnny Bananas was a meat eater and on Thursday Cameron said that he was going to release the newest Tadpole back to the pond because we thought JB was trying to eat him...well, let's just say we were a little late on the uptake with this one. On Friday morning when I went to check on our little pets, Tadpole was belly up and half eaten! So. Disgusting. So our little painted turtle that Dane loves so much is a killer. Now we know...keep your fingers out of the tank people - he's likely to take a bite!

Mr. Big Stuff

Over the course of the last 3 weeks our amazing sleeper has turned into Mr. Big Stuff and has thrown his entire sleep schedule out the window. Dane has fought and fought and fought an afternoon nap for the past few weeks. We have continued to attempt a nap but generally we either end up going to get him because we can hear him running around in his room or we allow him to watch a movie and "relax". Today he was having a snack and "relaxing" and I kept watching his eyes shut for longer and longer blinks. I asked him a couple times if he wanted to go to his room and sleep and his response was "no, I need to relax". All that relaxing wore him out....
He has also gone from a 7am riser to a 5:30 or 6am riser and it is killing me!! I hope that it is a passing phase and he soon goes back to sleeping soundly until 7am!

Johnny Bananas

We have added to our eco system...introducing our box turtle, Johnny Bananas. Cameron, Dane and our neighbor kids caught him on Wednesday.

3 Weeks Apart...TROUBLE!!

After watching Barrett and Kale together this weekend, one thing is very clear...they are very different! Barrett actually reminds me a bit of Dane...very active, spinning in circles very fast, sitting by himself, standing very sturdy all at 6 months old. Kale is pretty content to do his floor circles...slowly. Cannot sit up - slumps forward and will only bear weight on his legs for a very short time before they turn into noodles. Kale is very content to let Dane and Barrett be in the spotlight.

W'sup?Mom, get him off of me!This kid is hilarious!

Catching a Cubs Win!

On Friday we went with our friends Luke & Nicole to a Cubs game. We had a great time and the Cubs clinched their 6th win in a row...

The Polks were also here for a visit due to a sale in Walworth, WI. Jeff, Christy, Barrett, Dad & Pam all came for a 3 night stay. Many pictures to come of Kale and Barrett once I've downloaded.

Our New Friend, Tad

There is a pond behind our house that is part of our neighborhood. This summer, Cameron and Dane have made it an evening habit to go out walking around it and catching all sorts of disgusting creatures. They have brought home several things...little tiny baby frogs that were about the size of a pinky fingernail were the cutest. On Monday they went out with a new net that had just been purchased for such fun events. They came home with a giant tadpole that had it's back legs. Cameron decided it needed a home and tupperware just wasn't going to cut it this time. So, Dane and Cameron ran off to Petsmart to pick up the necessary items. They came home with an aquarium complete with rocks, a filter and a big light. Dane cannot get enough of Tad and I am completely grossed out by him. He did grow his front legs overnight and now has all 4, but still has a long tail. He is currently not eating so hopefully we can keep him alive...well, at least Dane is hoping we can keep him alive (and probably Cameron too).

Complete adoration for the slimy thing:

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