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Toadfrogs & Elephants

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Month: August 2018

31 Aug

Assistant

Have you ever wondered what goes into Ben’s monthly pictures? They were pretty easy initially. He would stay where I put him and even slept for the first few. Then I wanted him to smile and needed him to focus on the area of the camera. Now I just don’t want him to kill himself. He spends most of the time we are taking these pictures trying to jump off the chair or the changing table (his other monthly series). Teague has become my photo assistant. For the bear pictures, he wears the costume seen below and dances around like a fool to keep Ben entertained enough to both sit in once spot and smile. For the blanket pictures, he kneels below the changing table and is ready to jump if Ben so much as moves a muscle. (I did not think the location for those pictures through very well at all.)

31 Aug

August 31, 2018

Even as I took this, I wondered if this was the last time these two would play like this on a playground together. Alex spent most of the morning reading in the shade.

31 Aug

August 31, 2018

Friends sliding together.

31 Aug

August 31, 2018

Mom’s Club meeting at the park.

30 Aug

9 Months Of Ben

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30 Aug

August 30, 2018


Full sparring gear. It’s kind of fun to watch.

30 Aug

August 30, 2018

Kaitlyn’s 4 year checkup came with shots. She was actually excited about them (because of the My Little Pony band-aids) and did great until they got to the third shot. It was evidently incredibly painful and ruined the entire experience. She wouldn’t be consoled and screamed until she fell asleep in the car on the way home.

30 Aug

August 30, 2018

Alex had more help than he wanted unloading the dishwasher this morning.

29 Aug

August 29, 2018

These guys are determined to get a tandem jump caught on camera. We’ll see…

29 Aug

August 29, 2018

Ben ate that entire piece of pizza but I was so thankful we were outside and there was a hose nearby.

29 Aug

Death Wish

This boy is a walking death wish. It will be a miracle if he makes it to elementary school. (It’s not that the other kids were easier or calmer, but I had more attention to focus on them.) Ben puts everything in his mouth and for every small item I pick up there are three other people in the house putting small things right back on the floor. For every door I close, there are three other people opening them. Ben is mobile earlier than my other children so he already has access to things I wish he didn’t. (Did I mention he is the first child I have ever had to call poison control for?) He definitely keeps me on my toes!
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28 Aug

First Day

This year the first day of school was HOT. Unfortunately the elementary schools up here do not have air conditioning. (If you are really astute you will notice the first day pictures on the kids’ blogs have the boys in polos and the rest of pictures they have changed to t-shirts. It was so hot before school they were sweating just taking the pictures.) I sent the boys to school with extra water bottles and couldn’t wait to see them at the end of the day. Kaitlyn and I cooked up a surprise and decided the boys should start a new tradition this year of jumping in the pool with their clothes on after the first day of school. We met the boys at the bus stop (Kaitlyn already had her bathing suit on.) and escorted them to the backyard. They loved the idea and were happy to jump right in!
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28 Aug

August 28, 2018

First day of school.

28 Aug

August 28, 2018

She missed Teague and couldn’t wait for him to come home today.

28 Aug

August 28, 2018

This boy loves to eat – thank goodness. Baby led weaning is super messy but there is no special food to buy or make and so far I have found nothing he won’t try. (Although realistically all of my kids are really good eaters.)

27 Aug

Fairy Cookies

Today a fairy showed up in my kitchen and wanted to make cookies. How could I say no?
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27 Aug

August 27, 2018


We are getting ready to return to school – summer is almost over. Today we walked down to the school to meet the teachers.

27 Aug

August 27, 2018

Meet the teacher day!

27 Aug

August 27, 2018

Kaitlyn went from barely putting her toes in the water to wanting to live in the water. Some days she is my only child wanting to swim and is happy to do so by herself.

27 Aug

August 27, 2018

Peaches and cucumbers – yum?

26 Aug

August 26, 2018

I shamelessly bribed them to play outside while the Ben and Kaitlyn napped so I could have some quiet time myself. I told them for every minute they played outside they could have the same amount of electronics time.

26 Aug

August 26, 2018


They have an entire pool to swim in and instead play in two large buckets.

26 Aug

August 26, 2018

Some days it’s rough being the baby..

26 Aug

9 Months

25 Aug

August 25, 2018

Neighbors are no fun at all.

25 Aug

August 25, 2018


Pool time!

25 Aug

August 25, 2018

Busted eating wood chips behind the chairs.

25 Aug

Ready, Set, Jump

Kaitlyn has finally decided to swim in the pool! It took most of the summer and a lot of encouragement but once again she is a fish. The water was a little chilly but nobody really seemed to mind (other than me – I took pictures from outside the water).
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24 Aug

August 24, 2018

Splash pad days.

24 Aug

August 24, 2018

24 Aug

Friday

What didn’t we do today? We played dress up. Ben practiced his vet skills. The kids pulled every single toy out in the living room – and then cleaned them all up. We went to the splash pad and Teague scared every single person with a fake fishing worm. (It was pretty awesome. He just let it go in the water and it freaked out most of the mothers. I had no idea he had even brought it.) Then we had sparring at taekwondo. Finally it was bedtime. Of course Kaitlyn decided to sleep in costume – a horse costume. Why not?
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23 Aug

August 23, 2018

9 is a great age. He not only can fix his own breakfast, he doesn’t wait for me to remind him to do so.

23 Aug

August 23, 2018


Sometimes it’s just easier to play Legos by yourself.

23 Aug

August 23, 2018


Sometimes it’s just easier to play Legos by yourself.

23 Aug

August 23, 2018

He loves the play food wooden pickle. Now the question is whether he will like a real pickle.

23 Aug

TROUBLE

This one keeps us on our toes. He moves a mile a minute and is into everything. One of his favorite places to play is in dog’s water bowl. He also loves to find any food Madison has missed and will happily eat it. (It’s got to have some nutritional value, right?) Life is never dull or quiet or clean….

22 Aug

August 22, 2018

We all took an evening walk to the park and the big boys played a little basketball.

22 Aug

August 22, 2018


These two can play for hours in their own created world. I love to sit just close enough to listen without their realizing.

22 Aug

August 22, 2018


Today she is a fairy.

22 Aug

August 22, 2018

This is 8 months – into everything!

22 Aug

9 Years And Still Here

We bought this exersaucer for Alex. I remember cringing at the time because it was the only one on the shelf and it was neon colors. I didn’t want it in my house but I definitely needed somewhere to put him that would help entertain him and keep him in one spot. Here we are 9 years later with the same one. I searched and searched for a picture of Alex in it and only found two really bad ones. Obviously I hated it so much I didn’t take many pictures. I do vividly remember that Alex’s favorite toy to chew was also the apple – just like Kaitlyn and Ben.
[pp_gallery id=”25749″]

21 Aug

August 21, 2018

This is how I get laundry folded and ironing done. I bribe the big kids with a movie and confine Ben with doors.

21 Aug

Child Labor

One of the best parts of summer is all the extra help I have with my daily errands. The boys are such a big help when it comes to loading and unloading my car. (I don’t even have to ask anymore!)

20 Aug

Sweet Sleeper

Ben is a wonderful sleeper and even lets me transfer him from the carseat to his bed, but he does not sleep deep enough for pictures. My theory has always been to let a sleeping baby sleep. On the occasion I am going to have to wake them up anyway (for another child pickup, church, etc, then I go into their room with a camera in hand) I learned only on, that Kaitlyn would sleep through most pictures and I could go in almost anytime to snap a few. Ben wakes up the second my hand touches the doorknob. Today seemed to be an exception. I got a nice set of pictures and he never stirred.
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20 Aug

August 20, 2018

Running wire for an electric fence. (And one step that has to be done before Mom and Dad will even consider the puppy Alex so desperately wants.)

20 Aug

August 20, 2018

Doctoring all the animals.

20 Aug

August 20, 2018

Monday nap.

19 Aug

Doggy Dip Day

Sadly summer is ending and that means the beach is one of the first things to close. The lake officially closes with a last Sunday afternoon for dogs only. This year Madison only swam a small amount and then found a nice spot near the lifeguards to watch all the action. (Her 13 years are starting to show.)
[pp_gallery id=”25732″]

19 Aug

August 19, 2018

Neighborhood laser tag.

19 Aug

August 19, 2018

Afternoon nap.

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