Hotter than July...

Now we really get what that term means, because this July has been HOT. I think we've broken a record for consecutive days over 90 degrees, and in the last few weeks 90 degrees is relatively cool! But thankfully we have our new house fan, a trusty window AC unit, and beautiful mountains to escape to for cooler temps. During July we've made it to Breckenridge for the Brown Family Reunion- great fun- and to the mountains for camping and a few hikes and of course to Pinewood and "the tubs" to cool off. I need to make a new photo album, and I will, as soon as my sister sends me her pics from their wonderful visit out here:-) She was better than me about taking pictures of course.

There is so much going on right now, it's hard to know where to start! My big news is that in August I'll be re-entering the work force, though most definitely in a slow fashion. I'll be working at Wardenburg Student Health Center on a very part-time basis. It couldn't be a better situation and it feels good to be getting my mind back into shape. Daddy will be nanny for those few clinic shifts per week, and of course will have Grammy and Tiffy backup. The kids are ready for it- Maggie has so much fun with Matt- she likes to be on his arm just touring the world. There's no question about Ian- he has actually said that I can go to work and Daddy can stay home with them and that would be just fine. My only anxiety is about Maggie nursing- which of course she'll have to do less of when I'm at work. But she likes food, a lot, and she likes action, so it will be okay.

Ian will be busy himself, as he will start preschool at First Presbyterian Cooperative Preschool in September! We visited this week, as it has become very apparent this summer that he is a big boy and is ready for something more (doesn't he look like a first grader in the serious-face picture above??), and he was so sad to leave at the end of the visit that he almost cried. It's a "cooperative" preschool, which means that parents spend 5-6 mornings in the classroom per semester. I really like that model, and think Ian will like that too. There is always one teacher and two parents for 10 kids- pretty good ratio! Those days can be divided between Mom, Dad, and Grandparents, which makes it easier to meet your quota. Now, the potty training begins in earnest. Ian's almost there, does great at home in underwear- we all just need to get brave and start going out in public without diapers! This morning he was wearing his little undies and thinking about going pee in the potty when he said "Can I go pee pee on the blinds? You'd say 'dammit'!". Hmmmmm, he's right about that one. How do you not laugh when they bust out these funny statements? Ian's constantly coming up with them, whether they are his own original thoughts, movie lines, or things he's heard us or his friends say- for better or worse.

Maggie-bel is a full-blown cruiser now. She's in that super dangerous phase where she can be across the room, into the bathroom, standing up holding on to the tub and trying to empty shampoo bottles in about 5 seconds flat. Can't take your eyes off that girl. Her latest cutest is when Ian is being crazy and she thinks he's coming to "get" her... she squeals like a little piglet and buries her face in my lap and does this amazing belly laugh.

We're coming down from the high of two weeks of Brown family here. Ian, specifically, is having to deal with not being the little prince any more, as he was when Morgan and Hallee were here. There was swimming, playing, swimming, and more playing. Now it's back to boring old us! We're trying to keep busy with outings and hikes, and we're doing okay.

Off to sleep under the fans for another hot night!

Mary

Bye, Mary!

Ian picked this bike out, after test-riding three others around University Bikes. He definitively said "this one", we paid for it, then the mechanic checked it over while an anxiously awaiting two and a half year old kept saying "is it ready yet??". The mechanic gave him his bike, he got on, and he didn't get off until he got home (probably about a mile away). This was his second time, ever, on a bike. He's a natural! A few crashes (he does wear his helmet, Gramma!) and some serious hours on the bike later, and he's mastered hills, the brakes, and turns. We just need a helmet for Maggie to ride in the bike seat and we're ready for some family bike rides!
Camping in the Cache la Poudre Canyon (Gorgeous scenery!), Grammy came back from a trip to town with a Lightning McQueen fishing pole for Ian, and a Barbie one for Nora. He loves it! And he caught quite a few "fish" to "cook" on his "camp stove"!
Ian's first encounter with Cocoa Puffs. Judging by the look on his face, I'm glad I wasn't there. Apparently he said "I like this cereal", in contrast to the boring ones Mom usually buys.
Ian and Pops, out for a bike ride around the campground.

Our track record with camping is not so great, in terms of GI illnesses anyway. Last year it was poor Ian (and our very painful neglect to pack Desitin), and this year it was poor me. Matt said he knew I wasn't faking it to get out of sleeping on an air mattress by my 5th or 6th middle-of- the-night trip to the pit toilet. I, not one for middle of the night walks in the dark woods to spider-filled outhouses, could have told him on my first trip that I was not faking it. The next morning I made the decision to cut it short and go home to be sick in the comfort of my own home, Maggie and Max having to come with me for logistics. Neither of them really cared, but I was bummed. It was the right decision, as I was still up during the night for the next two nights, but it was still hard to leave. Ian, sweet Ian, as if to make my departure easier, would barely hug me (too busy with the new fishing pole), and when I pulled out in the car he yelled "Bye, Mary!". He wasn't faking it, either, he didn't once ask for me and he went ahead and had a great time for the next 48 hours. I was glad for that... really, I was. Some quality time with Daddy and the crew, and without Mom and little sister in tow is really rare and valuable. When they returned home, he told me all about the trip, but his favorite story was "the hail story". Another occasion I'm glad I missed (Grammy did the worrying for me since I was not there) was the boys fishing and playing at the Red Feather Lakes when a massive thunder and hail storm developed out of thin air. They had to run for the shelter of a tree, and got there just in time for a huge crack of thunder, literally right over their heads. It made quite an impression on Ian- we even made up a song about it today while playing in the sandbox.

In Maggie news, she has become ever more busy. She's now realized that crawling can get her places... like right next to her brother as he's playing, to the open dishwasher, out the front door, and many other precarious positions. Even better, she's finding, is to have someone hold her hands while she walks all these places. She's not an official cruiser yet, but today at the Barnes & Noble train table she almost became one. She's pulling up on anything she can grab (favorite right now is the TV stand and particularly the DVR with all those pretty lights... this is deja-vous), and is starting to inch along the edges. I had forgotten how many bumps and bruises come with this stage.

Tomorrow night the next phase of summer begins, as Gramma and Grandpa and Morgan arrive, a few days prior to heading up to Breckenridge for the Brown Family Reunion. We can't wait to see all those cousins, and to have another mountain getaway!