Celebrating Uncle Joe

The boys' uncle turned the big 5-0 on August 18th. We celebrated with the rest of our family over the weekend and headed out to celebrate with more family and friends. It was a surprise and I really do think that he had no idea. Everyone was in on it but Michael had the task of making sure he got to the party without suspecting anything. He did a great job.



The boys were in to EVERYTHING. There were labradoodles, a deck for the boys to admire the party guests, a big pool, a fire put, lots of mud, a barbeque area, horseshoes, steps, boys playing football and of course, Connor's new buddy, Phoebe. We didn't last very long at the party but we heard that the birthday boy enjoyed himself. Happy 50th.



note: The boys and I spent several hours at Joe and Missy's during the storm when we were out of power to get some laundry done before vacation. Connor is always super psyched to see Phoebe so I brought him into the house first and went back to get Jackson. Apparently, Phoebe was a little too excited to see Connor as I returned with Jackson to find him in tears. He was in the corner of their living room as if he was back tracking away from her. Seems as though he forgot about that incident as he was "pat" (petting) her with a big smile on his face for a long time.

Working at Stanleyville - our version of the Farmer's Market

The boys and I met up with Christine at Storyville and had a great time. I couldn't get Connor out of the market and Christine was in the garden with Jackson for an extended period of time. It is so amazing to watch their minds work and how they are both interested in such different things (at times). They had a lot of fun and we will be back again soon. Hopefully, I can get Connor out of the market but he does look super cute in the apron.

Jackson working on bringing the food to harvest..



and, Connor working at the store to sell it to everyone.

Overcast but PERFECT day at the beach with toddlers

On our last day before having to return home, we decided to try the beach again on our own and it was an awesome time to be had by all. It was overcast, which turned out to be toddler preferred. Less chance of sunburn, lots of room to maneuver and little tidal pools are a yes, please to parents of twin
toddlers.  The tidal pools were like individualized pools and we were able to get to each one and moved on once the water disappeared into the sand.

Both boys still ventured out to the ocean but it was a lot easier finding them with the lack of sunbathers on the beach.  Many people wouldn't have considered going out but we were glad that we risked the chance of rain to give them a great time on the beach. 









Of course, Connor, the ultimate ladies man found someone to flirt with on an almost deserted beach.






He must have been thirsty.  We had juice cups and snacks but the leaning over to lick the water was hilarious.



And, of course, there was splashing.

Fun Land Day # 2

We had some extra tickets left over from the book that we purchased the day before and since it was our last night, we decided to use them up and hit the boardwalk for one last bit of fun.

First up was the firetruck...






Next up were the airplanes that went up and down...




Jackson figured out that he could reach the water in the boats and was oh.so.proud of himself and Michael and I were in disbelief that he was the ONLY one attempting to to put his finger in the water much less licking his fingers. Even the person running the ride was laughing at him. He is definitely s-o-m-e-t-h-i-n-g!!!






They had another ride on the firetruck to finish off the tickets and show us how they could ring the bell like big boys.




Next up was ice cream at the Royal Treat. Michael picked Moose Trax and I got my go-to mint chocolate chip milkshake.






Little did I know that I wouldn't really get very much of that milkshake (thank you Connor) and that Jackson would use the straw in lieu of a spoon but there were a LOT of laughs in that ice cream parlor.

Fun Land Day # 1

Despite the threat of rain, we decided it was time to go to Fun Land on the Boardwalk.  First up was the multi-colored truck.  Micahel got in to ride with the boys out of concern as it was their first ride.  The smile on Jackson's face and Connor running back to the truck after he had to get off were a good sign that they enjoyed themselves.





Next up, the fighter plane that goes up and down.



Driving the Hummers and big smiles.



Next up was the fire truck.  We were trying to let the boys know how much fun it would be to pull the rope and activate the bell. Connor finally got into it as the ride was starting to end.





And the boats were well received too especially after Jackson realized that he could reach out and touch the water.





After the mini-ferris wheel balloon ride, we ended the night with a ride on the carousel and we now know that the boys are ready to go back for some more fun.

Strolling the boards

Connor strutting it on the boards...



Jackson and the flower...

Family Beach Day

After some convincing, Joe, Michael, Gina and Tony agreed to join us at the beach. We knew that it was going to be a lot to carry for no guarantee of fun but we had to try, right??

With both boys now walking, we were exited for them to be able to experience the sand and water and most importantly, be able to explore all that the beach had to offer.

 

As a first birthday gift, the boys received chairs.  Connor thought he was something on the beach to have a chair like most of the adults.



We had walked on the beach the first day that we arrived, which was a couple days prior to this and Connor immediately bolted for the water.  He thought he was something else and had no idea what he was getting in too.  Good thing is that he was just as willing to go back in with his uncle and cousin.



Experiencing the sand.





The boys got a lot of use out of their sandcastle molds and shovels.  Jackson thought it was important to be neighborly and borrow other people's shovels and pails despite the fact that there were more than enough for the boys and all of us.



Connor posing with Michael and I.



Happy Connor on the beach with his mama.



Jackson digging in the sand and making sand castles.





Connor showing off his sand sitting and digging skills.



We had a great time at the beach and were happy to have our family join us.

Not a great display of brotherly love

I had asked the boys to hug one another as they were starting to show signs of wanting too and this is definitely not my idea of brotherly love. Connor is always the victim in these exchanges as Jackson is over the top, at times and as you can see --- relentless.

introducing Connor Patrick, MD

Jackson had a really high fever over the weekend and it eventually turned into an ear infection. Our pediatrician cautioned us that Connor would most likely develop similar symptoms and that we should be checking his temperature along with Jackson's to make sure it stayed down. Without missing a beat, Connor found their thermometer and kept insisting on taking his own temperature along with Jackson's, which wasn't very well received.

He was so supportive during Jackson's round of antibiotics that he would cry if he didn't get any medicine. We would give him small doses of the acetaminophen to keep his fever, which did show up down. It didn't get as high as his brother but it was a good thing we had our little doctor available for consults.

Big boys sit at the table for a second..or two.

Jackson has learned how to get into a chair and sit down all by himself. He is so proud of himself. I had walked into the kitchen and found him sitting at the table drinking his milk cup. When I asked him how he did it after helping him to the ground, he gladly obliged me and I was able to get him in action. There are obviously pluses and minuses to this new found discovery. We have to be super careful about what is left out on the table since they could reach a lot before but now just about EVERYTHING can be in their reach.









P.S. After watching Jackson for about a week or so, Connor was able to take a seat in a chair as well. He chose the chair that was underneath the dimmer switch for our chandelier. It gets better and better...