Family Swim

The first time we took Luke to the nearby city pool, he slept through the entire visit.   We tried it again, and this time he actually was awake enough to take a dip!  He started off in Mommy's lap just to get a feel for the water... 

Jake was a great big brother and helped him to feel comfortable...

We then took him for a real swim.  Kevin and I took turns helping him float around in the water.  I think he liked it.  He wasn't exactly smiling, but he wasn't frowning or crying either, so I think he was pleasantly content with the situation.  Here's our newest swimmer...

 A shot with Daddy...

Builders

With the extreme summer heat and a new baby, one easy way to spend some is playing with all of Jake's cool toys right at home.  Jake has lots of toys which allow him to build and use his imagination to create an unlimited number of things.  My parents are great at getting him unique learning toys, so most of these are gifts from them.  When Jake is in the right mood, he loves to build, and Daddy is a great co-builder.  I, on the other hand, can only copy what I see in a picture.  Jake and Daddy, though, are always working on something creative and unique that's one-of-a-kind.  Here's a bridge they made together... 

A Saturday adventure

We always try to find something fun to do as a family on Saturdays. This is especially nice when Daddy is home since there's a big chunk of the year when he works on Saturdays and we miss him.  For now, though, he's home on Saturdays and we try to enjoy every minute.  One such Saturday we ventured out to a festival in hopes for some good fun.  The best part was a free petting zoo where Jake got to see lots of animals including a kangaroo...

Jake loves petting zoos and we spent a good 20 minutes checking out all the animals...

It was SUPER HOT that day, so we then headed to a splash pad so we could escape the heat.  Well, maybe not escape the heat, but at least cool down from it.  This was Luke's first time to a splash pad.  He was not a fan, but we tried so he could at least get cooled down...



 

Having such a young baby during the summer heat is a little tough, but Luke is a trooper and adapts well to all our adventures.  It's unbelievable to think right now he can't even sit up on his own, but next summer he'll be running around trying to keep up with Jake.  For now, he's content to nap in the shade of a nice tree while big brother enjoys the adventures...

My sweet napping baby...





Taco...

the dog got to hang out with us for a week while our good friends, Cody, Chez, Eliza and Hazel were off to church camp.  Jake was thrilled to have a dog in the house and was a great helper.  Jake definitely wants his own dog, and will ask us every once in a while if he can have one.  For now, we're happy with dog sitting and spoiling others' dogs.  Here's Jake hanging out with Taco...

Our first VBS



 Jake was old enough to go to his first ever VBS this summer.  His preschool church hosted it back in June and he LOVED it.  It was Monday through Friday 8:30-noon, and he was so excited each day.  Here he is after the last day sporting his painted face, sno cone dyed mouth and new VBS shirt...

Mom Barr

Also back in June, we enjoyed a special visit from Mom Barr.  This visit was very special because she is the boys' only living great-grandparent, it was her first time to ever visit us in Austin, and it was her first time to meet Luke.  Here she is enjoying a couple of her great grandchildren...

Silly boys

Luke has definitely discovered his hands over these last few weeks and loves various combinations of his fingers in his mouth.  It's too soon to tell if he will be a thumb sucker, because right now he's an all-fingers sucker.  Here's a a pic of him taste testing his middle ones...

 Jake loves to have fun in the bath, and one day he had super bubbles!

Creek Fun

One summer day a few weeks back brought us to Bull Creek off 360.  We had a great time.  We ate a picnic lunch, walked along the banks, played in the water, but Jake's favorite part of all was exploring and climbing. 

 

Luke slept through the first half of our adventure

Jake loved finding rocks and throwing them back in the water