Nana and Papa's Visit

We had a great visit from Craig and Mora in September that I want to mention before updating the blog on all our October activities. The boys' Nana and Papa spoiled them with lots of love and attention, and gifts - a late birthday present for Asher (a very cool racetrack!) and a contribution to an early present for Toby (a bicycle!). They also allowed Tim and I to go away for a night to relax and enjoy 24 hours sans kids - that was an early birthday present for me!

Toby on his new bike!

While they were here it was fun to go with them to our family's favorite restaurant: Islands! The kids love the tropical atmosphere and surfing videos they play and we all love the food. We are there enough that one of the waitresses, named Debbie, knows us! We try to request her as our server when we are there.

Mora planned some fun activities for the kids and Craig kept busy fixing things around the house and with Tim's truck. They hardly sat still while they were here!

Happy 65th Birthday Dad!

My dad happens to be in Brazil today, on his birthday. We were thinking about him and celebrating his life, which in turn gave me life, and now Tim and I have two boys to show for it! Speaking of those two boys, here they are below sending Grandpa their birthday wishes. Asher was a bit camera shy. We love you dad!

Proud Moment

It really made me smile today when Toby said to Asher, "Race ya!" as they ran down the hall in to the playroom. The best part was that Toby (who is very competitive and hates to lose) let Asher get there first saying, "You won!"

Goodbye Paci

Asher has officially sworn off pacifier use! (It's bittersweet.) I had cut a small piece off of one pacifier and, as it turned out, the other one got wedged between the crib and mattress and it took us a whole day to find it. So we told Asher that one pacifier was broken and that the other was lost (because it was - he just doesn't know that we eventually found it!) There were a couple rough spots of grieving for him - one bedtime and one nap time in particular - but all in all he was a trooper and dealt with the loss well. This is amazing considering how much he loved his pacis. Today - day 4 - he napped and went down for the night with no issues, except that he is a bit more wound up while before the pacifier used to calm him right down. (I miss that.)

He did bring up the subject once today:

Asher: "Mommy, one paci broke and one paci lost?"
Me: "Yes, one paci broke and one was lost."
Asher: "Oh."

Changes

Asher is SO cute these days, as he is talking more and more. His body language and two-year-old way of speaking keep us smiling all day. I had to hold him longer and give him an extra squeeze before putting him down for his nap today because there is no doubt that my baby is on his way to becoming a big boy.

That said, he has some major transitions coming up soon: saying goodbye to pacifier use, moving to a big boy bed, and potty training.

So we are tackling the first hurdle. He is still using a pacifier to sleep. He likes one in his mouth and holds one in his hand. These two remaining beloved pacis are getting grungy and I don't think we will buy him new ones. We are pretty confident he can get to sleep without them and this is a good time to wean him off of them since he is healthy, happy, not teething, and we are not traveling or hosting company or any of the other excuses we've used to let him keep using them this long. So...I cut a small hole in one of the pacifiers, which renders it useless and tomorrow night I will do the same to the other.

He was pretty concerned about the hole in his pacifier, and I was very sympathic. We bemoaned the fate of his dear object. He still held on to it when I put him down for the night, but I don't think he'll put it in his mouth. I'll let you know how tomorrow night goes...

Back to School!

We really had a GREAT summer, and I've enjoyed reflecting on it:

ONE wonderful pool which Toby learned to swim across
TWO dear parents (my mom and dad) who we so enjoyed having here
THREE trips: Minnesota, Mammoth Lakes, and back to the family farm in New York

But it also feels GREAT to get back in to a routine! Toby had his first day back at preschool Friday. We like his new teacher, Miss Diane, very much already. Our kiddo was happy to be reunited with old friends and excited to make new ones!

Nervous excitement as he stands outside his classroom door ready to go in!

No problem settling in. Can I get a "Bye Mom?"

Love and War

Overheard in our living room recently:

T: I love you Asher.
A: I love you, too.

Not only is it fun that Asher can say, "I love you, too" but it is a nice respite from the opposite type of brotherly interaction that is often blaring from the living room. :)

Our New York Trip

Being back in Upstate New York was almost surreal for me! So beautiful and green. So many loved ones. And it holds my favorite place on earth: THE POND.

But first I had to survive the flight! Unfortunately Tim didn't get to join us on this trip, so I flew alone with the boys. It was a LONG day, with a few hectic moments, but the kids did great and God gave me grace in the little (but big) ways, like Asher taking a nap on the flight and Toby entertaining himself splendidly.

We started the fun by spending a few days with my college friend Jamie and her family in Ellicotville, NY. Watching our offspring play together was so special! Jamie has a fun home well equipped for active children. I enjoyed getting to know Jamie's husband Chris better and her two boys, Sam and Ben, were delightful. The boys played in the rocks, sprayed the hose, discovered a (harmless) snake, picked (and promptly ate) blueberries, played ball, ran around and were basically "all boy". One of the highlights for Toby was seeing the herd of buffalo that graze at a ranch up the road from Jamie's home!

Next we were off to Castile, NY! To see my Grandma DeGolyer, my very loved aunts and uncles, my cousins, and my cousin's children, including some little cuties I had never met before was WONDERFUL. And I couldn't hold back the tears when I saw Daniel and Giovy and my two beautiful nieces, Mia and Nai who arrived from Florida for the reunion. My family rented a six-bedroom farm just minutes from the family farm and pond. Being all together again was awesome.

It was a busy, but very special and fun time! Especially for Toby, ever the enthusiastic one, every day was an adventure. Playing with cousins upon cousins he didn't know he had, digging and splashing in the pond, riding the ferris wheel at the county fair, watching cows being milked, climbing up in to enormous tractors, picking sweet corn, seeing waterfalls at Letchworth State Park, playing miniature golf followed by a large ice-cream cone...he never wanted the trip to end and was a bit bummed to be back. Asher loved his baby cousin Nai, and also had a good time, but he was happiest when he was finally back to his dad and his home. What two different personalities these boys have!

Cousins! Asher, Nai, Tobiah, and Mia at Letchworth State Park.

Just missing Tim.


My Uncle Willard - Toby's new hero - and his oh-so-cool tractors. Toby was invited to help cut the hay!

Happy 8 Years to Us!

Our baby is TWO!

We had a fun Happy Birthday celebration for Asher, who turned TWO today! The theme was zoo animals which was perfect for our Asher Bear (I reused some decorations from Toby's second birthday...same candle in the shape of a two!). He LOVED the special attention and seemed to really understand that this was his special day. As soon as we finished singing to him, he blew out his candle without having to be prompted - he knew what to do! Having his Grandma and Grandpa here for his birthday made it extra festive for the little guy.

Asher is a gift from God. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET BOY!

A Wet Fourth of July!

Toby has been looking forward to our local 4th of July parade since last year, and he wasn't disappointed! Asher also had a good time and enjoyed waving at the people in the parade as Toby would enthusiastically yell, "Happy Fourth!"

The grand finale to the parade, and most exciting part for the boys, were the firetrucks, some of which had firemen on top spraying at the kids who wanted to get WET (The day was in the high 90s.)!! Many of the children, including our own, were armed with water guns and were allowed to spray back. It turned in to an all out water fight! A few of the firetrucks stopped at the end of the route and unloaded their hoses to spray water out in to the street for the kids to run around in and get SOAKED. Many kids even got to take turns holding the hose and turning the valve. Asher didn't participate much, although he liked watching, but lets just say that Toby went ALL OUT! Tim brought out a cooler full of water, which he refilled twice, so that Toby would have ample water to spray as he wished. He loved jumping through the water and getting a turn to spray the big hose. What an unforgettable experience for a four-year-old!

Hap Day to You Dee Dee!

The title is written in Asher-ese. Today is my sister, Debbie's birthday. Although we are having a BBQ in her honor on Sunday she stopped by today during the boys' dinner time and we were able to sing to her and celebrate a bit. The boys LOVE their Aunt Debbie! Oh, and they like cake too...like their mother.

How do you like the following picture of Asher and me taken by Toby? I know that I can turn it around on the computer, but it cracked me up that he took it upside down. :)

Too much fun!

I've been teasing Toby that a boy his age just shouldn't be having this much fun. This was his week:

MONDAY: A picnic at the park with his preschool class. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures, but he had a blast playing and eating pizza with his class, The Dinosaurs.

TUESDAY: Tuesdays are usually our family day when we do an activity all together. On this day we chose to go to the Aquarium of the Pacific. It was amazing! Toby loves to tell the story of how we saw one enormous ray in a touch pool, thinking to ourselves that it was the biggest ray we had ever seen...until we looked in to the shark tank and saw an unbelievably BIGGER ray (that I think was said to be 10 feet in diameter)! Asher loved the tanks of jellyfish...he called them "up, ups" because of the way they pumped themselves up the tank. There were a lot of other very cool creatures and things to do, but we'll have to tell you about it in person!


WEDNESDAY: Toby's preschool had a carnival day as a grand finale for the school year. The game booths were a hit with the boys. Here is Toby enjoying some popcorn with his buddy Jacob.

THURSDAY: First time bowling! We spontaneously ended up at the bowling alley Thursday morning with Toby's buddy Joseph. I can't tell you how excited Toby was to try this new sport!

FRIDAY: We invited some friends to spend the morning in the pool with us. Where else would we be on an 100 degree day? Toby loved spending time with his friends Ryan and Igy, with all the little brothers, Connor, Imani, and Asher in tow. Boys, boys, boys!

What a Dad!

There is SO MUCH I appreciate about Tim and I feel so blessed that my children have such a wonderful daddy. I have to list some of his awesome qualities:

- He does our laundry. (Enough said!)
- He plays with the boys and dedicates a lot of time to them. Even when he is tired from a long day at work, he finds reserve energy to interact with them.
- He is affectionate and loving to all of us.
- He lets this mommy get a break when she needs it!
- He makes funny faces outside the window as he is walking out to work and makes the boys roar with laughter.

We did our best to make Father's Day a special day for Tim. I'm sure he totally appreciated the boys and I waking him up with a "breakfast in bed" of cinnamon rolls and fruit. Of course, he didn't eat it in bed because who wants to try to eat precariously on a bouncy bed with two wild boys jumping around you?

After church, lunch at a yummy BBQ place and naps, we hit the pool. It was lots of fun!

The perfect ending to our day was Tim's favorite dessert: strawberry shortcake!

We love our dads!

My wonderful Grandpa Red passed away earlier this year, so on Father's Day I will be thinking about the special man that he was and how much he meant to our family. His hugs, deep voice, humor, and soft heart where everything a little girl could ask for in a grandpa. I know my mom will be missing her daddy too.

And I couldn't resist putting another slide show together of our dads! It is a lot of fun going through the pictures and remembering all the good times together. Tim and I feel so blessed to have godly, loving, wise dads who also make fantastic grandpas for our two boys! We gave our boys the middle names of Craig (Tobiah's) and James (Asher's) to honor the incredible role our dads have played in our lives.

And in case you think this little blogger is forgetting her husband, the daddy of her children...just know that I'm waiting to post a blurb about him after we celebrate Father's Day tomorrow.

Minnesota

We are back after spending two weeks in rural Minnesota! We saw a lot of open space, tractors, friends, and family.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Getting to spend a week at the Gardeens, hanging out with my friend Natasha and her kids. Tim left part of the time to attend his brother David's graduation from the Naval Academy in Annapolis (Congratulations David!!), but was back to spend Memorial Day weekend with us.

Tobiah, especially, had the time of his life playing in the Gardeen's huge back yard and tree fort with Isaiah, Elijah, and Samuel. Anna, the youngest, was Asher's favorite. Both boys also loved jumping on the trampoline!

Tash and I have been close friends since the 6th grade!

The second week we stayed at a beautiful house on Green Lake with lots of very loved relatives on Tim's side of the family, all gathered to take part in David and Kristi's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and the ring bearers (Tobiah and his cousin Liam) were especially cute. Welcome to the family Kristi!! We are so happy for you two.



To see lots more pictures from our trip, go to our web album. A lot of the pictures are from Amy's or Matt and Sara's cameras. Thanks guys!

http://picasaweb.google.com/tsbundy or click on the link to the right.

Creative Play...Compliments of Costco

Costco boxes have always been a source of fun for our boys, but more recently they have found that the big packages of diapers are even more of a blast! Toby uses them as surfboards or to slide down the stairs. Here is a video clip of Asher after a recent trip to Costco. Toby was at preschool, so Asher got the diapers all to himself!

To Grandma and Nana: Happy Mother's Day!

Words could not express how much
we love our moms
and grandmas!
Happy Mother's Day!