We have yet to unpack our camera, but I've been catching some of our fun on the iphone. We moved into our new place the second weekend of September, but then Cas, Collin and I have all been sharing a bad cold that has zapped our motivation to unpack and fully settle into our new home . . . maybe this weekend!
We were so grateful to my Aunt Debbie for offering us a place to stay while our remodel ran 5 weeks over schedule. Collin made himself at home in cousin Bryce's room, cuddling up with a new stuffed monkey that Bryce and Radscha gave him -
And he misses Bryce's drum set that he jammed out to almost daily. We selflessly let him wear the noise-reducing head phones, enabling the rest of the home to enjoy the energetic clashes.
We have Great Grandma B over to our house throughout the week, often keeping me company for a meal when Cas is traveling. While we were at Aunt Debbie's, we went to her. Rather than knocking, Collin always opens the mail slot and yells for his great grandma.
One night we made it to B's house to play with cousin Edie, who is 6 months older than Collin. Collin was shy for a minute or two, and then they were running laps around the house, deconstructing sofa cushions, and having a great time with one another.
Collin's favorite color is blue, so at Marble Slab, of course he requests blue ice cream (cotton candy). Then not only does he get blue ice cream, but he gets a blue face and shirt as well.
Since they don't sell blue ice cream at the store, we settle for green (pistachio-almond). It gets a big grin of approval -
The last weekend in August, we attended the birthday party of my best friend's oldest son. Collin pretty much sat in my lap the entire party, intimidated by the rambunctious 6-year-olds. But he thoroughly enjoyed the party favor - inflatable swords to battle with Brownie.
We continued our almost weekly visits to the Children's Museum, each time hitting a new area. It was lovely when the kids went back to school and the crowds disappeared.
Collin decided to give himself a blue mustache during one of our visits, which got him some attention as he explored the museum. The water section is much more fun this year because Collin understands it more and he can reach everything. I was able to relax in a bench while he explored for almost an hour!
We made some trips to the park, starting out in shoes but abandoning them after they filled with pebbles somewhere along the way -
While we moved in, Collin spent the weekend with Grammy and Brownie, waking up for some fun time with lizards. When I picked him up, their front porch was filled with drawings of T-Rexes and Anklosauruses, so he kept Grammy busy fulfilling his specific chalk artwork requests while he searched for lizards and frogs with Brownie!
Bruno and Fergie LOVE the new home. At one point Cas joked that we were buying a home for the dogs, and the yard size is one of our favorite parts of the new place (better schools being a bigger driver). Bruno takes multiple daily lap swims, and now even Collin knows to pet his fur to check for dampness before letting him in our house. The best part is our active dogs come inside and collapse from exhaustion, happy from a day of swimming and squirrel chasing.
Collin's favorite part about the new house may be the road construction, started 2 weeks after we moved. They're putting new water pipes and sidewalks on our street. For the adults, it means a hassle during the 4 month construction. For our son, it means walks down the street to watch the bulldozers and excavators in action.
Collin continues to entertain us, now telling "once upon a time" stories normally involving a Tyrannosaurus Rex. When we're putting him to bed, his creativity kicks into high gear, as he's learned that having his stuffed animals act out dialogue often buys him a few extra minutes at bedtime.
We took him to the pediatrician last week to check his ear for an infection (which had already run its course), and our doctor gave him a sticker and lollipop as we left. Since then, his ear has hurt multiple times, as well as his stomach, always with a request to see his doctor and get a "polliwop"! Quite the manipulator, our delightful son!
And he misses Bryce's drum set that he jammed out to almost daily. We selflessly let him wear the noise-reducing head phones, enabling the rest of the home to enjoy the energetic clashes.
