Traveling man

Graydon proving Gramps wrong again.

Tough Mami

And she claims nobody ever takes pictures of her. She just needs to pick up a sledgehammer more often.

A neighborhood full of lawyers?

Wiley found what I think is actually a handicap swing at a friend's elementary school.

Daddy's Phone

This is what results when Graydon borrows daddy's phone in the car.

Creative napping

Wiley refuses to nap in the afternoons these days. So that means he falls asleep in all sorts of other places. This afternoon, it was the couch, with his face sliding down the cushions. He got himself out of the crevice a short time later all while asleep, as far as I can tell.

Little Sibling Love

All partied out

We went to the birthday party of two of Graydon's preschool friends today. Portia got all dressed up for the occasion and wore her silver-sequin party shoes for the first time on this occasion. It was so exciting that she fell asleep shortly after we arrived. :)

The Tagalongs

Graydon isn't the only one making his way back and forth from elementary school via pedal-power. These two seemed more than happy to go along for the pickup ride with Mami on Friday and sat patiently while we waited for Graydon to emerge.

Commuting Kindergartner

Now this is the way to avoid the drop-off madness at Graydon's elementary school. It has 900 kids, the majority of whom are dropped by car each morning. Not surprisingly, those who live close-by choose to walk or bike, so Graydon joins a convoy of bikes headed for school every morning. It's quite the spectacle - will try to capture a photo of that next week.

First Day of Kindergarten!

Well, for all the excitement over the last few days, things started a little inauspicious. Graydon was pretty groggy this morning and not quite ready to dig into his cereal. But that changed once we got on our bikes and headed to school! The last photo is a proud new kindergartner in front of his classroom with his color-coded name tag and his backpack hanging neatly on its hook. With a "k-bye" he was gone and that was that. :)

Cutie Pie, Take II

Even "big boys" can be cute!

Cutie Pie

Usually, kids rushing the camera only result in random looking blurs. But this one came out pretty nice!

It's a Bird, it's a Plane...

No! It's a flying Portia!

A sibling conversation

It goes something like this:
G: "Portia, take the darned Eddie!"
P: "Ok, fine."

Wiley was there, too, and obliged with the requisite matching Schnookie. 

A Throne Worthy of...

... the princess everyone says she is going to be. She enjoyed her few minutes in the Bumbo today. Here she is telling me all about how exciting it all is - body language is everything. :)

A little more than a Bump on a Log...

Wiley is waiting for the sprinklers to be done in the front yard.

Three birds with one...

...hose? Entertain Wiley, entertain Kiwi, and water the yellow spots on the lawn. Everybody wins!

Work Day at the Elementary School

Graydon got to meet a number of new friends at today's work day at his new elementary school. He was so excited about painting benches! Wiley contributed by carrying a few sticks to the right pile and then heading for the swings. Daddy swung a sledge hammer for about five hours straight driving in rebar to hold the landscaping timbers into place that delineate the new walking track through the well-shaded playground. Mami gave him a break for a few minutes and let him hold Portia while she swung a sledge hammer, too. :)

Wiley can hold Portia, too!

Wiley is excited to hold Portia for the first time but she so nonchalant about it that it makes her yawn!

It's Portia's turn in the Froggie Floatie!

I think she likes it!

Graydon and the Kayak

Turns out Graydon likes kayaking...! He's spending a couple of days at Camp Tanner and is obviously having a great time.

All clean!

Extreme concentration

No, she's not working on filling her diaper, she's just really excited that she managed to grab Pooh's paw. It has been eluding her for weeks now! 

Boy was it hard to leave that little smile this morning...

Holding Hands

After returning from a trip down to the lake this weekend, Portia was fussing while the rest of us were getting changed into dry clothes. So Wiley crawled over to hold her hand. She must have appreciated that, since she stopped fussing and held on tightly! Wiley is such a sweetheart.

The Boys' Story Time

Happy Baby!

Hey Kiwi!

What?

Mami's Snuggle Bug

... and thanks to Graydon for snapping this photo. Nobody ever takes pictures of Mami!

Hangin' Out in the Trailer