May and June

Here is the last round of pre-#3 pictures. These are rather out of order, but maybe that will help you experience our whirlwind of activities in a more realistic fashion! June pics are first, then May. Enjoy!

Even David can climb this wall now!

There goes monkey Josh too.

Ready to go.

What? A playdough sandwich at the pool? Not exactly.

Joshua loves to paddle about in this ring.

David likes it too but not so much in the pool.

WWII flying ace.

Another handsome fearless flyer.

Rrrr...rings.

All the above photos are from our weekly pool day at a wonderful friend's lovely home. Rachel thank you so much for providing this incredible time for our family on a weekly basis! Look forward to coming back with the little one next month!
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A family in our care group invited us over one afternoon and the boys had a great time playing in their yard, as seen below:

Slip'n'slide...

Ker-splash!

During a recent family fun night, we broke out the children's golfing set that Chris's aunt and uncle passed down to us. I have to say it was the best golf I've played in years. I think I aced every hole but one. Chris told the boys not to smile because golf is serious, but I didn't get the message. =)

Our harvest, about 8 lbs. Not quite as many as I hoped but quite enough to enjoy for a while.

Hot, tired, and happy strawberry pickers.

Josh and David with friends Sam and Matthew

We vacuumed and rearranged the van to install the baby's seat. Joshua has the back to himself now and seems to be enjoying it despite the more limited view.

For one family fun night we practiced a magic trick called "The Floating Egg."

Can you guess how it's done?

They won't tell, and neither will I.

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Memorial Day Parade, Washington D.C.

Joshua helped carry gear since I was so pregnant. I put their bathing suits on because we were anticipating getting to play in the fountain we've enjoyed before, but this year, alas, it was off. A pity too because it was quite hot!

But that didn't diminish our enjoyment of the parade.

In addition to all the various bands and floats, some new things this year included:

A model motor torpedo boat,

a fighter plane,

and the space shuttle.

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On May 28th, the day after skating, we went with friends to the butterfly exhibit at Brookside Gardens. We were amazed! So many gorgeous butterflies everywhere we looked, flitting freely around a large greenhouse. Here are a few examples:

They will even land on you!

Challenge: Spot the butterfly causing this crazy reaction!

These were so beautiful but difficult to catch resting with their wings spread. Joshua pointed out this one to me.

Daniel, in the middle, is a super active kiddo who gave a daring butterfly the ride of its life when it rested in his hair. For some reason, maybe shock, it wouldn't let go and fly away! I had been telling Joshua and David that if they stood still and waited maybe a butterfly would land on them. They did so for about 10 minutes with no result. Then Daniel ended up with that one on his head for a good 5 minutes, all the while jumping and running and bouncing around! I guess my philosophy about attracting butterflies isn't exactly correct.

After the butterfly house we went through the outdoor gardens and Joshua found this feather, which the other boys quickly coveted. Here David is having a turn with it. Thanks J for sharing your feather!

Then we headed to the children's garden, where Joshua tried life as a gnome.

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Still riding multiple times a day if time and weather permit.

And building Lego creations in between rides.

Race car.

Tractor with lawn mower attachment.
It is so wonderful to see his creative powers developing!

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Inspired by children's cookbooks, Saturday morning pancakes took on a slight variation one morning.

The boys came downstairs and were thrilled to see their names in pancake!

Just a tip if you want to try it, we used the turkey baster to squirt out alpha-numeric pancakes on the griddle and it worked really well!

Continuing the fun food theme, when we babysat some other boys overnight we made personal pizzas, and these were the kids' creations. David's has the upside down mouth on the lower left, and Joshua's is the most symmetrical on the lower right.

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May 26th, Last Day of Preschool!

The school year zipped by incredibly fast.

Last day on the school playground...looks like Joshua made the most of it!

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A friend invited us to go ice skating May 27th. Nevermind that I was 8 months pregnant, it sounded like a great opportunity, so we went! Renee came along to assist and I couldn't have done it without her. Being a careful (some might say over-careful) mom and to help the boys not be as afraid, we put their bike helmets on in case of crashes.

Joshua edging along near the wall.

David skating with our friend. Her son was confident enough that he didn't mind letting go of her for a few minutes!

A natural reward: watching the zamboni at the end.

Below see footage of Joshua in the pool:

And of Joshua describing his playdough creation:

Some day we'll get some movies of David posted! I don't have any recent ones. But with this new little guy coming on the scene, I expect the camera to be seeing plenty of action in coming weeks.

At the doctor today, I found out I am 3 cm dilated! He'll be here any time now...

A few more pics

This is the freecycled dresser I am currently refinishing by hand. Today I went out for my usual sanding during the boys' nap and no sooner had I undone the tarp than it started to rain. All the finish is off the top, front, and left side by this time, so once I get the right side done then I can apply the wood filler where needed and then sand again with a finer grit sandpaper. Then finally I can stain! And then varnish varnish varnish. I only hope the rain didn't do any damage I can't sand away. I haven't sanded down the wood that goes behind the mirror yet. Maybe I can do that now that the rain has stopped.

This was our preferred way of traveling to and from the Apple Ridge pool for swimming lessons.

And one more water shot, just because I like it. Hope you enjoy it too!

Swimming Lessons

At Joshua's last swimming lesson this morning, parents were finally allowed on the pool deck to snap pictures. Now, if you recall, these lessons didn't seem like such a good idea on day 1. He bolted screaming from the pool back to the safety of mama's arms.

The next day, he bravely went in. Overall, he seemed to enjoy the class, but he always moved timidly in the water. He trusted his teacher, Miss Becca, especially after he accidentally went all the way under one day and she calmed him down. It was almost miraculous to me that he stayed in the pool that day and actually recovered from that little shock.

Practicing a crawl stroke motion with Miss Becca.

David patiently watched 8 lessons. He wasn't supposed to be on the pool deck today but how could I leave him behind the fence all alone? Besides, he probably would have gone into the kiddie pool. So I kept him with me, but he didn't stay in that chair the whole time like I was hoping he would. Thankfully, it all worked out okay.

"Ring around a rosy, pocket full of posy, ashes, ashes, we all..."
Blow bubbles! or
Put our chin in! or
Put our ear in! or
You get the idea.

Grandpa Kinsinger has turned us off to this little ditty by explaining how the words seem to indicate it originated as a chant to scorn people with bubonic plague. If anyone has a similar type of song for short circle games, I'm looking for alternatives. Until then, this one seems far enough removed from the plague days to be harmless, and it definitely has its uses, particularly at the beginning and end of swimming class.


Here is a rare moment of good form with his chin close to the water. Miss Becca had to really coax him to put his head down. You can see his knees are still very bent, but at least his feet are
on the surface. Usually his back is arched like a seal to keep his head a foot out of the water, which means his legs are under water like he's riding a unicycle. But, this is evidence of progress!



Back float? No problem! As long as Miss Becca's holding me.

Two days ago they practiced wearing life vests, and some of the kids floated independently while they were wearing their life jacket. Joshua would on no account take such a risk and instead chose to float on his stomach, with help from Miss Becca.


These next two show the kids getting ready for the "treasure hunt" game. Miss Becca scattered floating toys about and they had to wade over to them and pick them up when she said go. I noticed that not only was Joshua the slowest wader (being ultra-cautious), he was also the only one who played by the rules! Those two factors gave him a decided disadvantage.
See the other children peeking?

Fortunately, Miss Becca wasn't blind to this situation, and once I saw her save a coveted boat for Joshua to capture.

All in all, Joshua grew from this learning experience. And would he do it again? He said he would! So maybe we'll sign him up for the August session. In terms of combatting his fear, he's come a long way so far this year. Way to go, Joshua!