Summertime

I don't have a lot to say... we've been getting outside as much as possible & just trying to enjoy summertime before it's over. :)

One of my most favorite things...

Nathan still sleeps everywhere and often, but Ollie hasn't been taking regular naps for a few months now. On the rare occasion that he falls asleep in the car, it's pretty much the most adorable thing ever. Definitely one of my favorite things to watch, if I can catch it as it happens.

It'll sneak up on me, but first I'll notice how quiet everything is back there. He isn't asking his usual fifty questions per minute, isn't speaking in his high pitched voice, and if NPR is on and Nate is already sleeping, it starts...


He'll fix his eyes on something, his eyelids start to get droooooooopy, and his head will fall -- very slowly-- forward. Then he'll try to sit up straight, open his eyes wide, but it never works. Again, his eyes get droopy, sleeeeeeepy, close just for a second or two, head falls forward, and then pop up again! He'll do this for about five minutes. When the Sandman finally gets him, he's out.

I used to do the same thing on the bus. Sometimes on my way home from work or school, sometimes on the longer bus rides between Madison & Milwaukee. I'm sure it wasn't cute when I was doing it, but when I'm watching Ollie from the rearview mirror, it melts my heart every single time.

I wish I could record it from the front seat, but it would never work. As soon as he saw the camera, he'd be wide awake and probably start singing. So until I install a hidden camera in my car, writing about it will have to do. I just hope that I never forget how truly sweet it is to watch.

Ahhhh sleeping babies.

Wow, it's amazing, the things that didn't excite me before having children that now have me running around the house and practically jumping for joy. A friend is on her way over to sit with my kids while I go for a short bike ride (I'm really not sure how long I'll be able to go since I was pregnant last year and didn't get to go at all, so I have to break my butt in, lol!).

I am SO FREAKING EXCITED! I seriously feel like a child waiting for my birthday presents!

I have been waiting for this for sooooo long. Last summer, Travis took Ollie out for a half-day bike ride while I lay on the couch, tired & pregnant. It was the perfect day for a bike ride and I was so jealous.

The bike trailer we have does fit two kids, and according to the manufacturer, Nathan could go for a ride... but there are more than a few reasons it's probably better to leave them at home. For one, please see any of the 'dangerous toddlers' posts... I just have a bad feeling about putting them in the same trailer and turning my back on them. I don't think we'd make it very far from home before I heard Nate screaming and Ollie saying something along the lines of, "I unbuckled Nate!" or "I'm going to change Nate's diaper!" or "I want to hold my baby buddah!"

So wish me luck. Hopefully I can go for more than 15 minutes before I need to turn around because I'm too tired or the kids need me back.

The garden is up!

Even though the book said that we should have 12 boxes for our family (each person is supposed to have three each), we decided it'd be best to start with one. Travis worked on it all afternoon on Sunday and planted all of the plants we bought at the farmer's market that day:

broccoli
celery
tomatoes
peppers
cucumber
melon
green beans
cauliflower

I ordered some more seeds online, so we're waiting for those... and we'll either need to build a second box or harvest the veggies that are in the existing garden before we can plant the other seeds. I'm really excited to have a garden but I'm also kind of nervous... what if nothing grows? How will I know when it's the right time to pick the plant? I've never had a garden before, so this is all brand new. Cross your fingers for us! I'm really hoping that it goes well.

Then we can get some chickens. Haha.

Too cute

As of this week, Ollie is saying the following:

Me: "Ollie, would you (insert favor here)?"
Ollie: "Of course I can, Mama"

----

Ollie: "Mama, where are my (insert toy or food item here)?"
Me: "Over there Ollie"
Ollie: "Oh PHEW"

----

Me: "Ugh, why is this not working?!"
Ollie: "Calm down, Mama. Just relax."

It actually helps me calm down too. He's such a little sweetheart.

Muffins, take two

Ollie and I made blueberry muffins from scratch today... I'm not going to act like they're at all healthy, because they're not. All I can say is that they're completely fresh & delicious.

Actually, I'm pretty sure they're the best muffins I've ever had. Maybe it's because they're all warm and the blueberries are melted on the inside... YUM.

Wow

I watched my mom and sister skydive today. I used to think that I would want to skydive, and then I went bungee jumping. That's when I realized I was all talk. The entire way up the lift, I thought I would wildly jump off the platform and giggle the entire way down...

And then I got to the top and looked down. And couldn't move.

Every muscle in my body fought the idea of jumping off of that platform. I begged the guy to bring me back to the ground.

Then he pushed me off. This blood-curdling scream escaped my throat as I lunged towards the ground.

Days after, I realized how terrified I had been. My mind wanted to jump off, but my body was a much more powerful force that didn't want to let me jump. I'd never be able to (willingly) jump out of a plane.

When we got to the airport today, I didn't think that I would want to jump... but after watching my mom and sister (and getting to see their videos), I think I really do want to do it. The instructors that they came down with had such control over the parachutes; they made it look so easy.

I'm pretty sure I want to.