Summer Recap: Sibling Love

After Nana left, we were on our own for a month. 

I spent my days trying to rest. We also went to the pool for Pre-team, to the theater for $1 Summer Movies, and to the Bowling Alley for free bowling.  I didn't do a good job of resting, but I had a good recovery.  Beyond these things, this is what I did the most: 

Dress up Gianna, 

 Pose her with her siblings

and Daddy. 

Introduce her to our friends. This is Annie.

and savor her baby sweetness. 

School starts again

It's that wonderful time of year when the air gets crisper, pants are worn, and we sadly say goodbye to summer. 

Clark started school last week at St Raphael's Nursery School. He's in MWF mornings. His class is full of many of the kids from last year, but 10 boys and 5 girls! 

Clark amazes me. I really like his age. He is constantly making up songs, jokes and stories. His content frequently includes "poop" or "pie face" or "pickle pants" or other silly things. 

His latest joy is setting traps around the house. He has made girl traps and mommy traps. He has made bad guy robber traps to keep us safe. Today he was playing and kept getting caught in his own traps by an "evil king who drove by in his castle mobile" 

He is constantly making up games and has lots of fun ideas. 

Clark memorized my phone number just by hearing me say it on the phone or at the grocery store. 

He really wants to learn to read. He uses his finger to follow words on the page and enjoys participating in some very early readers where a sentence has a few pictures in it. He likes to read to Iris and now to his new frogs. 

He saved up his chore money to buy two tiny frogs. He gets a nickel for every pair of shoes he puts away, every cup he finds wandering around the house and returns to the kitchen, and for every night he wears underpants and is dry the next morning. 

He's a pretty great kid. We love him so much and are very proud of him. 

Next week is his superstar week at school. On Friday we will get to go into his classroom and introduce ourselves. I'm also going to read a story. We are all very excited! 

We're cute

Here's some cute photos we've taken in the past month

argh, she's a pirate

Iris talking on her "car phone"

Clark acting like Captain America!

Iris looking super cute in her "Wendy" nightgown, chasing Clark around the island in the kitchen.

Ft. Lauderdale, Everglades, Keys

 So here's a few more photos from our trip to Florida.
This is Iris on the balcony one morning.  The sun rises right over the ocean, right into the hotel room. Tom got up early with Iris one morning to watch it.

 

We also saw some beautiful moon rises.

 Our last day in Ft. Lauderdale, we went to the International Swimming Hall of Fame.  This is me and kids by the swimming statue (Mark Spitz?) and in front of their pool. That day was a big pre-Olympic diving competition with some of the world's best divers.  Tom really enjoyed the HoF. I'm really glad we fit it in.

 

Clark (the Original Gumbo) on the Gumbo Limbo Trail in the Everglades NP

 We also go to visit the Everglades National Park. We went to the visitors center and went on a guided hike on the Anhinga Trail. We didn't see an Anhinga (a bird) but we saw lots of fish and a tiny alligator.  Then we did a quick and shady and mosquitoey trail - Gumbo Limbo Trail. Iris loved it and got 18 mosquito bites.

 Then we drove down HWY 1 on the chain of little Islands known as the Florida Keys. We stopped to refresh ourselves at  Harry Harris Park in Tavernier. It had this great pool. The water came from the ocean and fish were swimming around, but it was portioned off as a swimming area. It was perfect for Clark and Iris

Sunset on Key West and a Ship

We visited Key West and went to the Southernmost Point, as well as Mile 0. Key West is like a hot, beachy New Orleans. 









On the way back north on our way out of the Keys and Florida, we stopped at John Pennecamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo. Most of the park is underwater and awesome for snorkeling and scuba diving. We didn't do either, but we did do some wading with our babies.  They have glass bottom boat tours, which we vow to do next time we come through!

Florida Keys

We went on our annual Florida trip for the last time earlier this May. We spent a week in Lauderdale By the Sea at the Sea Lord Hotel which is completely awesome.  Then we drove to the Everglades and then down to the Florida Keys. My Aunt Carla lives on Summerland Key. We were just there a weekend, and here's some photos from it.  We are so glad we took the time to go down there, and would love to do it again (maybe faaaar into the future)

Iris and Clark being cuties in the Ft. Lauderdale Airport

with my cousin Kelly

Southernmost Point of the USA

And again

Kids enjoying some ice cream at a shop in Key West

Kids REALLY enjoying that Ice Cream!

Tom, V and Clark Kayaking off of Cudjoe Key

in my brother's narrative:

WEIRDO: "HA HA HA !....LOOK AT THESE TOO DELICIOUS LOOKING CHILDREN!"

Children: "We promise to eat our green beans. Please SAVE US!"   

WEIRDO: "They're slow and easy to catch around this stream. I GOT TWO!"

Strawberry Picking

We went strawberry picking. It was fun.

Iris tasted lots of strawberries in the field. People loved that she was appropriately dressed.

Riding in the tram!

Tram ride with our friends the Singleton Family