swimming

wilson and muskoka having a "swimming good time," as Walker observes from nearby!

 

 

 

more birthday...

the boys enjoyed digging into the package from Aunt Rene and Uncle Bob. Wilson was pleasantly surprised to find some things in there for him!

 

 

 

uncle david

a few more pics of david's visit, it went fast, but it was fun...

 

 

 

Walker Eating Cake

more birthday pics...

wilson and Uncle David...Wil was thrilled to see him, a little shy, but not too bad...and walker recognized the voice, if not the face, he wasn't scared of David at all...plans for slip and slide tomorrow...its good to spend time with an uncle!

big brother enjoyed helping unwrap the gifts...he also told anyone that would listen that his birthday is in 3 weeks (well, he says "3 days" but we clarify it). wilson even helped by blowing out the candle for walker...he was excited to help out!

happy birthday walker!

is our baby really one already? we had a super day with our little guy. daddy made it safely "out of the field" this morning, and we were able to pick up Uncle David to join us for the weekend. we had the easy stuff...hot dogs for dinner

walker got a real kick out of us singing happy birthday to him...you can see him laughing at daddy here

goggles

Wilson was thrilled to buy some goggles for the "pool." Unfortunately, the pair he bought broke before he got to use them. But, his Meme sent a couple replacements in the mail. He was happy to let his brother and Muskoka share his spair set.

walker "helping"

here are a couple of pics of Walker in his favorite cupboard...they say if you give them a place to play while you work in the kitchen then you'll both be happy, right? Usually all the plastic is on the floor or in Muskoka's food bowl within moments.

for freedom...

Today is Flag Day and the Army's Birthday! The kids and I are decked out in a bit of red, white and blue and of course Brad is representing in his uniform (like he has a choice!) Anyway, if I knew how to "post" a song on our blog, I would post the song "For Freedom," by Avalon. I can't listen to this song without welling up, its beautiful. Here are the lyrics to the first stanza...

Somewhere a trumpet sounds in the night
A soldier is standing there
Its calling him out to the stars and stripes
Its calling him God knows where.
He kisses the ones he loves goodbye
And leaves in the dead of night
For freedom, he'll heed the call, leave all he knows
And for freedom he'll stand and fight.

You can find the song on iTunes. Brad bought the album while he was in Afghanstan and the first time I heard the song was the day he picked us up at the airport after he got back. Its worth a listen. Celebrate our freedom in this country, but don't forget the cost!

any advice?

I am thinking about buying some re-usable swim diapers for Walker. I bought some disposable diapers the other day, for $10 and Brad and I decided we would save those for outings rather than at home "swimming." However, when Walker was in the pool for 20 +/- minutes yesterday his diaper "over-inflated" and the filling--those gel-like capsules of absorbant stuff--came out all over. Which (with a baby that puts everything in his mouth and puppy that is equally interested) created quite a fiasco at our house.

I have a feeling we will be using our "pool" daily and I am not a fan of the "just let him pee and hope he doesn't poop" method. For one, Walker drinks the water, as does Muskoka, and it doesn't set a good precedent for Wilson who has had a friend "relieve" himself in our driveway and now wonders why he can't do the same (c'mon, the MPs will haul us away for sure!)

Anyway, does anyone have experience with these reusable swim diapers? They are sold out on a couple of the websites that I have looked at, so I am assuming that is a good sign.

Harley Outfit

Walker wearing an outfit that Grandpa Carl picked out for Wilson.

Slip-n-Slide

Yesterday was Wilson's first experience with a Slip-n-Slide.
He absolutely loved it! He is still having a hard time figuring out when to dive, but he enjoys it still.
Now we just have to teach Muskoka to stay off of it. She thinks she is supposed to chase him when he is running down it.

"pool" party

Daddy and the boys cooling off...

Muskoka joins in too!

blackhawk flight path

Almost everyday, we see a lot of helicopters flying around us. The airfield on post is not far and they usually fly along this route as they prepare to land. Wilson never gets bored with it...and Walker is starting to notice them now too.

summer fun

here is the favorite hang-out in the yard. Its the only place to find shade, aside from the patio!
Wilson, Walker and Muskoka enjoying the "pool." This is Walker's first birthday present from Grandma Rose. Fortunately he doesn't mind sharing...actually, he probably doesn't know that he is sharing! Oh well...

unexpected benefit

One more reason to get a dog...early mornings outside. I didn't realize how much more time we would be spending outside when we got a puppy. But of course, housebreaking is a lot easier if you spend most of your time outdoors, right? The boys love getting outside early, even if they are still in their jammies. It also helps because we have decided to reduce our TV viewing and Wilson hardly notices that he only watches 2 shows a day now. (I know its still an hour a day, but I have to shower sometime!!) By the way, we decided to cut down on TV because we were debating sending Wilson to pre-K next year and I thought why keep him home to watch TV all day? That would be silly right? The first few days we had some withdrawal and I wondered how I would ever be able to get anything done. But we are getting in a routine now. We try not to turn the TV back on until 8 pm so we can enjoy some TV-free time with Daddy too. We (I [and Brad when he can]) watch the news until Brad leaves and then Wil watches two shows sometime throughout the day. Oh, I forgot another reason that prompted the shut-off...Wilson knows too many company slogans and jingles...its almost embarrassing!
Close-up and personal, she wanted to check out that "thing" in my face.

walker takes the plunge

Walker braves the lawn. He no longer dislikes the feel of the grass on his legs, so he is everywhere now. I am a bit concerned that he might crawl over to one of Muskoka's "piles" and eat it. Everything else goes in his mouth immediately, so you can understand my fears. So far so good...