Wordless Wednesday: "Mom, he's bothering me!!"

Random Instagram

It's been quiet around here since we came back from Lake George. Calm before the storm I guess you could say - once September starts everything gets a little crazier. Matthew will be going to pre-k 3 days a week, and I'll be going with him (as a parent volunteer). Pre-k means school trips, more detailed projects and homework, and hopefully more fun. Matthew is excited. The weekend after school starts we're having Matthew's 4th birthday party. We're also doing professional pics of the boys and have every weekend in September pretty much booked with family and friends events. We even have October events already on the calendar.

So until the calendar turns from August, I'm enjoying the last few lazy days of summer.

Matthew hit the tag sale circuit with grandma and grandpa yesterday. He insisted on waiting for them on the front porch and kept asking "what's taking them so long to get here??" This boy loves his tag sales.

Noah continues his daily maniacal randomness. He's using more words now, but he likes to scream and yell a lot in order to try to get his way (which doesn't cut it here anymore).

He's lucky he's so darn cute.

Matthew has gotten really good at coloring - staying inside the lines is now the norm. He seems to really enjoy it lately which is nice. Especially when the maniac named above is napping and he can safely lay out all his crayons and books on the floor.

It's been hot and humid here lately and we've been spending a lot of time indoors. And even though they have roughly 2000 square feet to play in, they wind up on my lap most of the day. As they are getting bigger, it's getting tougher, so I'm enjoying every moment that we can still cram this close together without someone getting seriously hurt.

And now, back to regularly scheduled programming.

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Lake George 2012

Our summer wouldn't be complete without our annual trip to Lake George. We spent four glorious days in the little town - starting off with lunch upon our arrival at The Lookout Cafe. Even Matthew was impressed with the views of the water from our table.

Noah didn't really notice the water - he's all about the food.

Mare Mare joined us later in the day. And for some reason sitting in these chairs outside the rooms was a thrill.

Even for Noah.

The pool was a big hit this year. Note to self: bringing our own tubes, water floaties and various pool tools is GENIUS! Both boys were quite the water bugs this year - insisting on going in every day.

The nights were a blast for Matthew - being allowed to stay up late and play outside until he dropped from pure exhaustion.

Even Maryann was able to stay awake long enough to enjoy some post-dinner, pre-bedtime fun. 

Noah enjoyed the continental breakfast every morning.

As did Matthew. Can't beat a bowl of Fruit Loops in the morning!

We took quite a few laps around town - stopping to take pictures with some locals.

The cuteness of the hand-holding was off-the-charts.

A trip to Lake George isn't complete without spending a day at Great Escape. All the kiddos were excited for the rides (yes, even Noah!).

Maryann was very brave - she went on almost every ride Matthew did.

They were all happy with their winnings for the day - especially the big stuffed Scooby Doos and Smurfs.

Noah had a blast on every ride he was allowed on. Even though they seemed a tad too big for him, he soaked in every minute of joy. (See his little head here???)

Matthew was glad to see his friends at the park.

And he was happy to take pictures with all of them.

All the kids had a blast on the vacation (we adults did too).

Matthew was so sad to leave.

But all good things must come to an end. And after four days of go-go-go, even our little energizer bunny was worn out.

See you next year Lake George!

Wordless Wednesday: A kiss for little brother

An ordinary life

Things have been quiet lately. But good quiet - the kind of quiet you hope for in life. The boys and I have been keeping busy during the course of the days in our fantastically ordinary life.

We try to get outside as much as we can. The play set at the local elementary school is a favorite spot.

When Noah takes his morning naps, Matthew decorates our driveway.

We've been inside a lot lately though - it's just been so oppressively hot and humid. The boys don't mind so much - seeing as we live in a Toys R Us and all.

Coloring has become a team sport now that Noah kinda sorta knows the deal (although he tends to lunge towards Matthew's book and will randomly steal all the crayons and run around the room like the little thief he is).

Noah is still very much into climbing and acting like it's totally normal to sit in the train table.

When we get too-hot-to-play-outside-cabin-fever, we take little road trips. On one such trip Matthew and I introduced Noah to the wonder that is Stew Leonard's (they were both quite intrigued with the Dairy Land Band).

We've been to the local mall quite a bit. There's a dollar store that Matthew thinks is the greatest and a Sbarro pizza place that makes for kid-friendly afternoons.

Sometimes we'll venture out to malls further away - and sometimes we bring guests.

Matthew likes to do little projects when we're at home - last week we melted leftover white chocolate from July 4th and made bunny pops.

Weekends have been running errands, lunches out, and hanging out at home doing the things that need to be done. The big excitement this weekend - hosting a tag sale and washing the car. Doesn't get better than that.

As our summer winds down we're going to head to our favorite vacation spot - Lake George. We've already gone back-to-school shopping, and Matthew is super excited for Pre-K. I'm ready for pumpkins, long sleeves and apple cider. Noah is no fan of the heat (that kid sweats like it's his job!), so we're all pretty much ready for the fall! We can be ordinary in the chilly weather too.

Wordless Wednesday: Peek A Boo!

Little Buddies

These boys are getting cuter every day. And not just in the physical sense (which is also true if I say so myself), but in the "yeah, that's my brother, he's my buddy" kind of way.

Matthew's tolerance level has increased now that Noah has grown out of the "I've been sent here to annoy my older brother" stage. Matthew now realizes that Noah can do things with him (as opposed to just taking things away from him and "yelling" at him).

They like to be near each other at all times.

And even when they have other playmates available, they always circle back to each other.

Noah will follow Matthew everywhere and anywhere. Including behind the curtains in the kitchen.

I'm pretty sure Noah has no idea what's going on with Phineas & Ferb, but he'll sit there and watch it with Matthew every day.

Even my "go sit with your brother so I can take a nice picture" pictures are improving because of their friendship.

Noah isn't the best sharer on the planet, but he's getting better. So is Matthew. So playtime is getting better for all involved.

Hopefully this trend continues. My little buddies - I'd like to keep them like this forever.

Wordless Wednesday: Chalk Play