aquatic center

Yes, we do occasionally pack a box here or there.

After feeding the ducks we headed over to the aquatic center for a little fun in the sun and water. It was Drew's lucky day as his good friend Jack was there too.

ducks

We have not pushed potty-training with Drew yet. But, we have a potty for him to use whenever he wants to. A few weeks ago I posted a potty chart in the bathroom for him & then he went on a potty dry-spell. But, this past week he has really gotten into it & has filled all 5 of the stars on his chart with stickers. So he got to pick a special activity for us to do. He picked feeding the ducks. Drew loves throwing things so it was right up his alley.

we did it

I can't believe we've done it, but we have switched from disposable diapers to cloth diapers. It's something that I thought about when we had Drew, but just didn't know much about it or anyone who did it. There's a great store in Fayetteville that put on a little workshop that I attended & learned all about it. The information I learned helped make it less intimidating. Basically, changing a diaper is changing a diaper. There are a couple of extra steps you have to do, but they have come a long way with some perks in the cloth diapering world... including a sprayer attachment for the toilet to spray away poop!

I am anxious about explaining to people that we have switched and am glad its out there now. We aren't becoming total hippies or anything, but it just seemed like a no-brainer to us financially & environmentally. Drew is actually still in disposables as we will put him in training pants soon after we get settled in Stillwater. Today was our first day in cloth diapers & we still have a lot to figure out.

(Yes, we know Benjamin is in OSU orange!)

debt is dumb

We watched Maxed Out last night & it was awesome! If anyone is sick and tired of being sick and tired, I highly reccomend it. Also, if you are already on the path to financial freedom as we are, it can give you a great motivational push that you sometimes need in this world of materialism & overspending.

"...the borrower is slave to the lender." (Proverbs 22:7)

family pic

All four of us on Sunday ended up in pretty "matchy-matchy" clothes for some reason. I'm not one to do this on purpose, but it does happen on occasion by accident. And everyone seemed in a pretty good mood after church so we spontaneously decided to try to take a family picture in the front yard. When it was just the two of us, David & I were always trying to take fun pics with the timer & tripod. We haven't had much success with the kids, but this time they actually cooperated great! Drew smiled and looked at the camera. Benjamin looked at the camera too with no one there trying to capture his attention. Pretty amazing I might say!

i would never

There are many things I thought I would never do as a parent. One of which was let my baby drink a carbonated beverage (at least it was a cherry limeade so no caffeine!). Ever since Benjamin randomly started drinking from a straw last week, you really have to watch your drinks. Drew leaves his straw cups everywhere & if Benjamin happens upon it, he will take it for his own. Here's some more things I thought I'd never do when I became a parent:

1. Let my child stand up in the basket of a shopping cart. Hey, what else are you going to do with the oldest, but still young kid? Sometimes those carts with extra seats aren't available. And if they are, they aren't the easiest to push around a store.

2. Spank. Yes, I did say spank & no it's not illegal. Hitting is abuse, spanking is not. I was so fearful about admitting that we spank because of all the controversy. But, we believe it is biblical and the right thing to do. Check out this book for more info on our view of discipline.

3. Let my child under the age of 2 watch TV. I know the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against this, but what can I say? Benjamin gets the occasional baby video. Especially on long car rides.

I know there's plenty more, but that's all my brain can squeeze out right now.

10 months

Benjamin turned 10 months old this weekend. We stopped by Lake Fayetteville to take a few pics for the baby album. I'm still attempting to keep Benjamin's baby book as similar to Drew's as possible. His new skills include pulling up by himself, drinking from a straw, and feeding himself with a spoon (he can put it in his mouth, but we have to fill it). He is pretty independent and likes to be able to feed himself.

july 4

We went to Keystone Lake on July 4th to hang out with David's family. David, Benjamin, & I spent the day there while Drew got to stay the whole weekend. It was his first time away by himself & he had a blast. The lake was so full it had flooded the camp ground and the swimming beach was pushed all the way back up into some camp sites. It was a little tricky trying to avoid picnic tables, grills, & curbs while swimming!

David tried taking Drew out on the wave runner, but Drew screamed the whole time.

The boys with their cousins. Drew loved to jump in the inflatable boat & throw balls in the water for his cousins to go after. Benjamin was passed around a lot & enjoyed a little splash time in the water too.

Benjamin got a quick bath in the camp sink before we headed back.