As the end of summer approached, Jonathan and the boys squeezed in another day hike and one more camping trip. The boys loved getting outdoors and Avery was eager to go back to the same camp site that he went to last summer. The boys did some day hikes from the campground and explored the forest and river. Avery and Kieron are good little pals on trips like this, and really enjoyed their special time with Daddy.
Woah! Not Mommy approved!
Avery has been wiggling a loose tooth for the past month or so, and consuming lots of apples and corn-on-the-cob too! His new, adult tooth was even pushing up behind it, giving Avery “shark teeth,” which he thought was very cool. I have to say, a child with his first loose tooth is awfully cute! Avery was so proud of this right of passage, showing anyone he could, “wanna see my looth tooth!?”
Well wouldn’t you know it, the tooth finally came out an hour after Jonathan left for an overnight backpacking trip with a buddy! Avery bolted in from the back yard beaming, holding it up, “Mommy, my tooth came out!” Sweet boy that he is, he said he wanted to keep it until Daddy got back so he could show him before he gave it to the tooth fairy. So that’s what we did. The tooth fairy left him a silver half dollar.
The next day we counted all of Avery’s money (he saved $40.11), and he decided he wanted to spend some of it on a new toy for himself. We went to the toy store, and he bought a Pirates of the Caribbean Lego Set (seriously, the boy doesn’t have enough Legos yet?) Oh well, his choice.
And a few shots from Jason and Jonathan’s backpacking trip at Rachel Lake
At the end of June we flew to Texas for a visit. It was hot, hot hot while we were there, so we spent a lot of time in the pool. It was amazing to see how far Avery and Kieron have come at swimming. Avery can now get around the pool quite well by himself. He loved snorkeling, picking up dive sticks off the pool floor, and jumping in. Kieron is a fearless little two-year-old, and must be watched at all times! He never tired of jumping in, being dunked, and even attempting to swim underwater. It was great to see how into it he was, but also a little scary!
As usual, the cousins had a blast playing together. We had a couple of sleepovers, lots of pool play, and Grammy took Avery, Nicole, and Andrew to see Madagascar 3 at the theatre. There was even a trip to Lego Land. Here are some pictures from our trip:
Silas’ first dip in the pool
Wrestling
All the grandkids
Kieron loved the pool!
Tummy time
Date night! We went to our favorite Italian restaurant, Cafe Amore
The kids at breakfast
At the end of June, Avery had his first, and quite possibly last (tear), ballet recital. His class danced to “Thank Heaven for Little Girls.” It was adorable, and he did a great job! He also seemed to enjoy performing.
While he liked dance lessons, he wasn’t particularly fond of recital season and having to memorize a routine. I think all the female energy also started to get to him, and he would have preferred having some boys in class. So this fall he’ll be doing some other activity. I sure am glad I got this year to be a dance mom though. What a treat it was!
So handsome in his costume!
It’s hard to believe, but our biggest little boy is going to start kindergarten in the fall! His pre-k class marked the end of the year last month with a graduation ceremony. We are so proud of Avery and look forward to grade school and all of the learning and experiences it will surely bring! But first, bring on summer!
With his buddy, Gideon, who will also be in his kindergarten class
