To the River

We were so excited to join the Fitzgeralds on the river today. Lincoln may have been less than thrilled to be wearing a bulky life vest in such hot weather, but the breeze was great and he loved watching all of the commotion.




Getting to watch daddy show off a bit.




Zeke loved riding on the raft with daddy, he didn't want to stop.

A Crafty Kind of Night

Gabby thought up this cool project. We made chapstick! And by we, I mean mostly Gabby and Trevor. And Robb did a little bit. It is super smooth, wonderful chapstick. We will definitely be trying this little project again.

And of course, no weekend would be complete without a little hive check.

Our Chicken Coop

Somehow, we finally got around to working on our chicken coop today. Don't get me wrong, it has served our little flock well for over a year now, but it isn't really finished. Mostly, I was eager to clean up a pile of leftover siding from the old place and this was the ideal spot for it.

We got a nice early start while Lincoln took his morning nap. Zeke was happy to run around exploring and it was oddly overcast (perfect!) all morning.




The boys kept themselves entertained all afternoon with a pile of sand and the garden hose. I can't even venture a guess as to how much sand Lincoln may have ingested. It wasn't pretty. And Zeke kept "accidentally" spraying him down, but it really heated up this afternoon, so it was kind of okay.

A little closer to being finished. I need to paint it now!

Artistic Easel

One of Zeke's birthday presents has been wrapped up and sitting in the corner until the Crawfords could come over. Whatever could it be?

How does this thing work?

Behold, our masterpiece.

Lincoln Photo of the Day

Zeke requested his musical instruments today, but quickly abandoned them. Lincoln, however kept revising them and trying out the different sounds. He was so pleased with himself.

Morning Cuddles

I just love how babies have a whole different look when they just wake up. This morning Lincoln just wanted to cuddle, it was pretty hard for Robb to actually leave for work.

Luke and Genna, Part 2

I love the family reunion aspect of weddings. So many great people that we just don't see enough of.

Lincoln did a bit of lap-hopping. 

The decor was especially fun!

Zeke can't take in the joy. Spending time with his favorite McKenna. And a birthday present.

Lincoln let me know it was time to go.

A Day at the Zoo — Part 2

Lincoln tries to look cool in the stroller, he can't wait to get out.

We saved some of Zeke's favorite exhibits for last. He especially loves the fish of the northwest (go figure) and the penguins. But also, one of the polar bears was right up next to the glass, and the seals were being so cute and there really is no end to the number of cool animals to see.

That's right, folks. They wore matching shirts. I think that is almost a first.

A Day at the Zoo — Part 1

Somehow the day started with bats and snakes. My favorites.

How exciting to be able to spend the day at the zoo. And even more so, because we had Grandma Lorraine along and met up with the Malotts! The weather was lovely, the animals were in fine form and the kids held up pretty well.

These alligators looked super creepy. The boys loved them.

Lincoln had it pretty good. (Robb can't help but gloat over his elephant ear.)

Colby and Garrett show us how to drive through the lion habitat.

I Do It Myself

Robb and I were just talking yesterday about the fact that Lincoln would probably start trying to give himself the bottle soon. So I shouldn't have been surprised this morning when he reached over for the bottle and helped himself. But still...

Helping

Today I really needed and extra set of hands. I was right in the middle of something and Lincoln was demanding a bottle, so Zeke stepped up and saved the day. He seemed pretty proud of himself too. And Lincoln only falls more in love with him every day.

Gabby Snaps

These kids know how to keep cool on a hot day. (I love that Zeke is hanging onto a carrot.)

First Steps

We think he's got it figured out. A little earlier than Zeke did, but he does have a big brother to keep up with.

Climb On

Zeke finally got to play with his window markers today. They are pretty fantastic, but not suitable for Lincoln, so we put them up on the ladder "out of the baby's reach". Ha.

Given that the kid hasn't really tried to walk yet, Zeke and I were pretty shocked to find that he had climbed up on the ladder to get what he wanted. Oh boy.

Gabby Snaps

Gabby and the hooligans. I especially love it when she texts me these pictures at work. It really does break up the day.

The multi-tasker.

Future bookworm?

Out of the box.

Ice Cream!

On a hot summer evening, ice cream is always a good idea. And playing on a friend's slide isn't too bad either. And then there are the bigger boy activities (like examining climbing gear).

Gabby Snaps

 

Baby in the sprinkler.

These kids (Gabby included) have way too much fun while we're away.

"Painting" with water.