At Grammie's

My mom amazes me. She is patient (oh, SO patient!), creative, and loves anything and everything related to learning. I'm so, so thankful the boys are able to be with her. It's truly one of the biggest blessings of my life. The boys' day is full of new, fun things that have them begging to come back again. Her energy, in spite of how little I know she sleeps, leaves me in awe. She's superhuman, I tell you.

Thanks to the photography of our Miss Esther, who by the way is also more than I could have ever asked for, we have pictures of some recent fun at Grammie's.

Shaving cream!!

No doubt Mimi is talking about the physical properties/characteristics of shaving cream, asking Kyle to describe it with as many adjectives as he can. Just wait till you can write, Kyle, and you'll be asked to write a journal entry on the experience. :)

Pure delight. I love Kyle's true, joy-filled smiles.

Thanks, mom, for E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G you do! And thanks, Miss Esther, for capturing these memories!

Kyle's Auto Shop

A few months ago, Rudy's work schedule changed to a 4/10 and therefore every Tuesday while I'm at work, Ru stays home with the boys. It's been a good experience for all involved. Today, though, Gavin wasn't feeling well and in order to avoid an entire day cooped up in our place with Kyle wanting to get out when Gav needed to lay low, Rudy asked if he could join me on the drive up to work and take the boys over to Grammie's house just to make the day more interesting. (Thanks, Mimi!) It was fun to have my boys drop me off at work and come pick me up later. While at Grammie's Rudy and Kyle washed our cars and played pretend mechanic. Kyle is big on pretending. 

Kyle filled out the work order and wrote up an estimate. This car was overheating and Kyle said, "It's the radiator."

Then he got busy fixin' her.

Another car rolled in and they both got to work. Business was picking up!

Kyle loved jacking up the car and changing the oil. They passed tools back and forth while talking shop.Kyle also got a lesson on jump starting a dead battery by connecting the jumper cables from the yellow car to the stroller. Red to red, black to black.

Then, they discovered that Kyle's license plate fit exactly onto the back of his little, yellow car and gave "her" the name "Corona." 

They drilled holes and screwed that plate in.

Adorable, no?!

Gaining Confidence

I realize that these pics might be a repeat for some of you, but I want these memorialized here on the blog, too. So, Kyle had a fun little session the other day. He's gaining a lot of confidence and getting more and more brave each time he goes out. This time, he went out farther and rode in some fast little waves. At first, when the full speed of the wave took over, he was a bit scared. But that fear quickly turned to glee the closer he got to the shore. He really wants to stand, but of course there's a process to this and riding in on his belly is just the thing to do at his age. One bad spill could scare him off completely and though he's becoming more and more water safe, those waves are much too powerful to mess with. So of course for now we stay close by his side.

He proudly waxes his board "just like Daddy."

 The boys do some stretching and have a little talk.

Then off he goes...

...and rides in his biggest waves yet. This is the only shot I got of him dropping in since I was busy keeping Gavin from charging into the water! (Gavin's fearlessness/love of water makes beach-going a lot of work these days!)

 Perhaps it's hard to see, but he's got a super huge smile on his face!

 Daddy love. :)

We're so proud of you, Kyle. Most of all, for doing something that takes a lot of bravery. 

Creativity/Kid Entertainment

Or, in other words, thank you Rudy. When it comes to kid-friendly entertainment and high creativity... Rudy is your go-to guy. Seriously!  Here's an older pic from a birthday party we went to. Rudy was the "magic carpet" guy for about an hour. He's amazing like that.

So, it comes as no surprise that there are lots of gadgets and gizmos around the house. We currently have 2 very large boxes filling up our living space. They are hotels. GG hotels to be exact. Made with key-card door entry sliders, t.v.'s, remotes, pillows and blankets, you name it. All we need in there is a GG. :)

A fun idea Ru stole from Kyle's preschool was this pumpkin pin-cushion. Kyle loves hammering golf tees into his pumpkin over and over and over!

Actually, it was the pumpkin that all of a sudden went missing from my October mantel ... but for all the entertainment it provided, the mantel happily did without!

Rudy also made Kyle this "telescope" with a little light inside to shine on the neighbor's walls or into the night sky. Fantastic use of a box or two.

The "men" set out to find a bit box or two and came back home with a set of boxes that filled the boys' backyard. Boxes are the coolest thing.

Yet another use of a box - Kyle's train.

And it wouldn't be a complete post without a shot of the boys carving a pumpkin. You know, just to get this in here before it's Christmas time. (I've been a very neglectful blogger lately. Sorry!!)

So, thanks Rudy, for being an awesome, creative dad who delights in anything and everything for "the boys." It's fun to raise kids with you.