Ever since JT watched the original Superman movie with Uncle Jeff this summer, he has been spending a lot of time in his cape. He flies around the house and has even begun jumping off things to “fly.” Grandpa Keene told him a story about jumping off the porch roof as a child and I’m hoping JT learned something from the story other than not to repeat it. 🙂 Grandma Cole nicknamed him the Red Blur the other day and he loves that. Today while we were finishing the fence (see previous post) JT put on his cape and got out his bike. I took a couple of pictures because to me this embodies everything BOY: superheros, bikes, imagination, outside, summer… and I absolutely love the way this first one turned out!

Here he is riding back… showing off for the camera!

Trying “pictures without heads,” courtesy Gena Cole 🙂

Jim has been working since May on a big project: replacing one long side of our fence. A section blew over this winter and about took out our neighbor’s car, since the fence borders their driveway. He tore down the fence and has been working slowly to put it back up ever since. And today it was finished!

Finishing touches

Tada!

Next step: a new gate that will open the entire 12-foot width so we can back in our boat.

I’ve been hunting for a backyard inflatable pool for two summers now. I am willing to wait to get what I want for the right price. And then, I found it this week: a large pool with a slide and without silly dangling toys. It was exactly what I’d been looking for, but $20 less than the price on Amazon. Done! We’ve been enjoying what I fear are our final hours of time off and sunshine today!

The pool!

Kicking

Silly faces

Hooking up the ski boat to the trailer. The slide doubles as a boat launch.

Jumping!

Oh-how-I-wish-this-was-in-focus!

JT has been gaining confidence in the water and loves to practice diving and swimming.

This is how he looked a lot of the time!

Haley contemplating another jump

Haley was ready to get out and dry off after about two jumps. She was not thrilled with the temperature.

Clean and dry!

JT noticed a bug floating in the pool and suggested I get the strainer from the kitchen to take care of it. This was quite a production and he proceeded to spend many minutes cleaning out the pool. Good stuff.

It was a wonderful afternoon!

We are wrapping up summer here in the Keene house, which is disappointing. We love summer for so many reasons! We got family photos taken (twice this summer) but I’m waiting to get the final copies to post my favs. Haley had a birthday but her checkup is next week so I’m waiting to post about it then. I did get a great picture from her small birthday celebration – she loved her pink cake!

Great Grandma Hall drove in from out of town to visit and see “Baby Travis” (as my kids refer to him). We got some nice group photos and a couple cute ones of Travis.

With Uncle Jim

Four generations of Halls

Great Grandma and just three of her many, many great grandchildren

I’m working all week so there isn’t much time for photos, but we did get to go to Music in the Park last night with Grandma and Grandpa Keene. We listened to Elvis sing and danced and ate popcorn. So fun!

Our other news is that we got a new (used) motorcycle. Jim rides to work almost every day, and he has been dreaming of a bigger, more comfortable bike that can carry more gear for years. He found a great deal on a bike with low miles just five minutes from our house… twenty-four hours later, it was ours! I haven’t had a chance to ride with him yet but am looking forward to a ride soon. For those who care, it’s a 2006 Harley Street Glide. And now we have a 2007 Harley 1200 Custom Sportster for sale…

Oh, my – what fun. We had some friends invite us to play at their homeowners’ association’s private beach, and it was a blast. The day was hot and the water was perfect. With 12 children ages 2-4 and three infants, it was quite a crowd! We got this awesome picture of everyone but the babies.

On to the fun stuff. JT is so fun this summer. He is trying more and more things. For example, he started jumping off the dock into waist-deep water. Then I encouraged him to move out so he wouldn’t hurt his legs if he landed wrong. Soon he was jumping off the very end of the dock, into water over my head. Then he would swim back to shore and do it again. He even ran off the dock and jumped in once. He was the only kid to conquer the “deep end” and he had a great time doing it.

He also asked me to swim with him out to the floating dock. So we did, of course! Our friend Elisa took a picture of us after we climbed up the ladder, before we jumped in and swam back. I love this picture!

JT had such a good time playing with friends. Here is one friend, Brady… I could barely tell them apart from behind!

P.S. Haley was there too. 🙂

I have been trying to plan a weekend to visit some friends in Yakima for, um, two years. We finally made it happen this week! Her husband is at the police academy full time, so it was just the moms and kids. We had a blast. JT and Haley did great in the car. Haley napped both directions and stayed 100% dry in the car.

Checking the map at a rest stop: We’re almost there!

Keeping occupied with their car baskets

I warned JT that he would be the lone male in a house of women. He was completely and utterly confused at the concept of playing makeup. He even clarified for Liv: “You know there’s nothing in there, right?” Too funny. Haley knew exactly what to do. Go figure.

Bedtime movie on the couch

Steph made this yummy enchilada pasta for dinner and we had a nice time staying up talking after the kids went to bed. The next day was hot and we kicked it off with banana pancakes. Then we spent the rest of the morning and lunch time playing in the sun and water!

But first, let’s take your temperature…

Off to the pool!

Front tooth injury buddies. 😦

Lunch in the shade

JT loved the pool!

Haley did too…

JT got really confident about jumping in and swimming across to the other side. I managed to get one on video… not his best one, but still fun to watch. He has decided to enjoy the water this year, that’s for sure.

Oops. JT was running so fast playing in Grandma and Grandpa Cole’s backyard that he “got sweat in my eyes” and didn’t see the trampoline in its normal location in the middle of the yard. BAM. He hit the trampoline’s horizontal frame with his mouth open (thankfully) and chipped off three of his front teeth. You can see the damage in the picture. We photographed the damage to the trampoline too: it looks like someone made notches in the metal with chalk, but no, that’s his tooth enamel flaked off.

That night his upper gums started swelling and turned a little purple.

The good news is that he hasn’t been complaining about pain since the first day and he is eating just fine. He says he figured out how to use his back teeth more. 🙂 I took him to the dentist today and the dentist smoothed out his jagged edges so he wouldn’t risk cutting a lip on the sharp points. Then we’re going to try filling them back out starting next week at his already-scheduled checkup. JT didn’t seem to mind this a bit… probably because there is a TV playing Cartoon Network hanging from the ceiling above him!

Date Night Series #8 was a wonderful day of boating on Puget Sound. We borrowed my parents’ boat, which is much more seaworthy than our lake boat, and drove from Port Orchard up to Poulsbo. The water was so flat and calm, and there were only a few boats out. We sat and floated in the sun for almost half an hour before another boat went by… it was a little eerie!

Then we finished the short trip to Poulsbo, a favorite destination and also where Jim proposed 12 years ago.

Seals basking in the sun on the docks

We had an amazing dinner at The Loft, sitting in the sun right over the ocean water.

We didn’t head home without stopping by the famous Poulsbo bakery for a maple bar and getting some fresh ice cream to eat at the park. Yum! When we got home, my dad and JT helped Jim scrub the saltwater off the boat. My dad commented how calm the Sound must have been: there was hardly any salt splashed on the boat!

We were running late on our way home so JT and Jim voted to swing through McDonald’s. What is it about that food that appeals to children so universally? Haley doesn’t love hamburgers (or any type of sandwich, really) but she ate her four-piece chicken nuggets without pause.

We are pleased to welcome Travis Michael Small to the family! He arrived on July 29 and is just as adorable and snuggly in person as he looks in the photos. 🙂 Jim got to visit in the hospital, but the kids and I were sick with a weird 24-hour fever so I waited to take the kids to visit him until we were healthy.

 

JT was very excited to hold his new little cousin.

 

Haley didn’t get to hold Travis but she wanted to… instead she got to play with his feet.

Congratulations, Matt and Jen!

Family of Three!