2 Months

Levi got his first shots. He did a lot of sleeping for two days. 

He doesn’t usually like to sleep on our laps, but he needed a lot of cuddles after those shots. 







He’s smiling more and more!

We’re fighting cradle cap with coconut oil, so it makes for a lot of baths. 

The Second Half of Summer

We’ve had a good summer so far, but last weekend we needed a revamp. New activities, new ideas, new adventures, new work.

Lewis has come up with all sorts of ideas with Wicky Sticks. This is when he ran electricity to Levi’s toy from the bar stool. 

After a year and a half I finally found something I like to put on either side of my Grandparent’s frame. 

Lisa K finally met Levi! I lived with she and her family when her boys were my boys ages. It’s so fun to share this season of life with her, but now I’m the young(ish) mom. :) She gave me all kinds of ideas on what 9 year old boys like to do during the summer. 

He was half-smiling last week.

This week he got a toy to his mouth!!!

Elias had a new idea for his mower. He needed a bag to catch the grass or else “it’s just too messy without one.”

And then this week he’s giving us full smiles!!!

We excavated Dino eggs this morning. It was a huge hit. I’ll be freezing water in balloons again soon. 

We used a small mallet and chisel, along with warm water squirters. 

We also made fresh play doh. 

July 4th

July 4th is one of my favorite holidays...except when there’s a nursing newborn in the mix. Then it’s just a hot, sweaty, loud mess. 

We hosted the ‘hood parade for the 8th year. Such a simple, fun event!


125 people participated this year!

Nailed this photo bomb while also looking super creepy. 

I forgot to get a picture of my own kids. Oops. They always take off at the beginning of the parade so they’re hard to catch. 



Watermelon afterward is always a hit. The weather wasn’t too bad either, so people stuck around a long time. It was fun!

Our usual plans for the afternoon were cancelled this year, so Logan and Lewis went to see Toy Story 4...which was a hit, but not as exciting as a bag of cotton candy. 

Elias decided the holes that were drilled for the new school bike rack were a fun place to play ice fishing. 

That evening we went up to the old ‘hood and watched everyone else blow up their money for a little while. 

God Bless America...Home Sweet Home!

Station 2

Every summer we tour one fire station. We’ve toured 7, 5, 14, and 1. This year Elias chose Station 2. 

The ambulance got a call while we were there so we stood right in the garage as they left!

All the fire fighters were awesome with kids. Probably the best I’ve seen over the years. 

This was one happy three year old! Although when asked what his favorite part of the tour was, he quickly replied it was the mower and weed wacker in the corner of the garage. You know, behind the giant big rig with all kinds of cool equipment on it. 





All of his favorite things in one building. 

Grandpa Mike and Grandma Kathleen joined us on the tour. 



Thanks Station 2 for such a fun family adventure!

He Can Do It!

I pump once a day so we have lots of extra milk. I don’t want to waste it, so we tried a bottle and Levi rocked it!

The boys were fascinated by bottle feeding, so they each gave it a try. 





None of them were overly impressed. 

Grandma Susan quite enjoys it though!

One Week

Logan spent a week at training again this year, and we survived quite well this time around! The grandparents helped a ton. 

Each boy got turns at their houses. 

LEGO sets are always a favorite. 

Sewing projects too. 

Friends came to play and we did a few simple projects together. 

The big boys got to help scrape wallpaper at my parent’s house to prepare for the kitchen facelift. 



Augustine has a sleepover with Grandma Kathleen. They did some garage sales, set up a pretend office, Magic tracks, and other fun activities!

The cousins spent a night with us! We had all sorts of fun.


Aunt Beth kept us company through the home stretch. 

And then Logan came home! I may or may not have eaten my feelings that evening. :)

Also, for the first time in 11 years of FOCUS, wehired a nanny to help me about 5 hours a day while Logan was gone. She was incredible!

Thanks to all who helped make our week a success!