New interest...

Hunter's new thing is counting. And like everything, he does it with gusto! He's also always pronounced Braden more like "Brendon," but seems to be getting it down! He's helping me get packed up for our remodel that starts on Tuesday.... ahhhhh!

San Diego!

Woohoo! We had a fun getaway to San Diego! It's nice and close and something we've been wanting to do, so we found a long weekend that worked and decided to go for it. When my Mom saw on the blog that we were thinking about going, she asked to come along. And we of course said "sure!" We always love when family members want to come visit. So we found a little condo on Mission Beach, packed up our stuff and hit the highway. The kids loved the beach. Braden asked if we could build a house there on the sand. I love the ocean, but have to admit I'm not a huge fan of sand. Braden, JJ and I went to Sea World on Monday and were there when it opened and stayed til closing. It was a fun and exhausting day. Braden was a trooper and it was the perfect place for him to visit since he's so into fish and all things marine life. Of course there are always the challenges of traveling and staying places other than home with active 2 and 4 year olds, but overall, it was well worth it!

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1st day of Pre-K!

Braden started Pre-K this week! This lead to a bunch of different emotions as we were excited, nervous, teary (Mommy and Daddy anyway!) and anxious to see if Braden would like it. I'm very relieved to report that he said he "loved it" after his first day! I had a feeling he would because he does well in that sort of setting and likes learning. He's going to Scottsdale Christian Academy and we have been very happy with the school so far. And his teacher is great! Hopefully his love of school will continue after the novelty wears off. The primary thing we've gotten him to share with us about his school day in any detail is about their snack... I guess I should be glad to get any details! 

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Swimmer's ear.

So Hunter was diagnosed with swimmer's ear earlier this week. When I explained the symptoms to the doc and told him I thought it was swimmer's ear he said, "Well, kids his age generally don't get swimmer's ear... unless he's a wild-man." Yep, you got it! No, he doesn't sit on the edge, paddle around in a floaty and go under to blow "little bubbles," as Dr Cannon described "typical 2-year old behavior in the water. Hunter is a wild-man. It has now been diagnosed by a doctor and not just me and everyone who has the pleasure of spending any amount of time with him... through swimmer's ear!

Here is is playing a humpback whale.

 And here he is propelling the raft across the pool.

 We planted some pumpkin seeds! 

Hunter tried out helping.

 Unfortunately the birds have gotten our sprout-lings each time. Anthony is going to try to figure out some way to keep them out. He's been stalking the Garden Guy from Channel 3 at the gym, so I'm sure he'll get a professional answer soon. 

We've had some yummy corn, so some has survived the drought. Unfortunately I think it's going to be the "feed corn" that takes the biggest hit. I know there's not much hope for the harvest on our family farm in Ohio this year. 

"Why bother cooking it?" asks Hunter.

The giant Eucalyptus tree outside our condo fell over! Grant, our nanny's son, owns the black car in the picture. Miraculously neither it or anyone else was hurt when this tree went down. Everyone is very sad about the lose of shade at the condo, though!

Rain

The monsoons have been pretty good to us this year and the boys have enjoyed the rain. Hunter loves to watch for "storms!" 

Helping the storm along!

Watching the storm roll in!

Rain-slayers with their bats! They were glad to pull out the trusty Thomas boots. 

Another day of rain.

Chillin' in Hunter's crib.

 Look at that form... a rock climber in the making. :-)

 Sunscreen and dirt. A good combination for boys in the summer!

Braden and I went shopping for his school supplies last night. He kept a good, tight hold on the list! He's very excited for school. His teacher comes over next Wednesday to meet him at home, which I think is such a nice touch. We're all excited to meet Mrs. Small!

Ever since we had the Happy Birthday banner up for Braden and Daddy's birthdays, anytime Hunter sees a group of letters he assumes that's what it says. Which is the case here with the fridge alphabet!