Who needs steering when they have reverse??

Ethan has started practicing for Fall baseball, last Saturday Landen played soccer while waiting for his brother to be finished with baseball practice.  I couldn't get over how tall he looks in these pictures...

Landen can't wait to play baseball.  Every time we go to practice he cries and cries to go out on the field with his brother.  We are hoping to get him signed up for t-ball next Summer.

                                                                                                                                                                   

I caught them being sweet to one another a few nights ago.

                                                                                                                                                                   

On Tuesday, Landen and I were playing outside and we decided to get out his brother's jeep that he has outgrown and see if Landen could drive it.  He LOVED it!!!  He doesn't really turn the steering wheel, he just goes straight forward until he hits something and then he puts it in reverse and goes backwards until he hits something else, and then repeats the process. I laughed at him so hard!  The jeep has a radio and that may just be Landen's favorite part.  He would just park and dance to the music.  When the battery started getting low I tried to turn the radio off to save the battery power, but Landen was NOT having that.  He would turn it back on immediately!

Of course we had to swing while we were out playing.  I love his big grin in these pics.

                                                                                                                                                                           

   That silly boy put his potty seat on his head!!!  He'll do anything for a laugh!

                                                                                                                                                                   On Wednesday evening, we took Ethan and his buddy Carter to the batting cages.  Those boys had a blast!!

Ethan up to bat

Carter and Landen watching Ethan

Carter batting

Ethan batting again

Josh, Carter, and Landen

Landen had to play too so we went outside of the cages to bat.

Big ball players!

Back to School Bravery

On Tuesday of last week, Ethan had a 24 hour stomach virus.  He was a sick little guy for a little while there but his brother was more than happy to keep him company while they played Ipad and piled stuffed animals on the bed. It was sweet!

By that evening Ethan was feeling a little better and his fever was gone so to cheer him up Josh challenged the boys to a Nerf war after he got home from work...I don't know who enjoys it more, Josh or the kids, ha!

We spent Saturday at Opry Mills back to school shopping and of course Ethan had to ride the train that is inside the mall.  Landen would have loved the train ride too but we left him at home with grandparents since he isn't much of a shopper.  Ethan loved the new Lego store at the mall!  He has been saving his allowance for a few weeks and spent every last dollar in there.  Of course, he had to try on clothes in order to go to the Lego store.  I can pretty much judge on shirts without him having to try them on but pants/jeans are another story.

One day earlier this week I found them in Ethan's bed watching cartoons and snacking with their cowboy hats on....crack up!!!

Yesterday, Ethan went to stay with his Nannie for a few hours to enjoy some time together before school started back and Landen came into the kitchen wearing these Cookie Monster goggles and said "Wike my gwasses Mama?"  I could kiss his cheeks off!

And last but not least, today Ethan headed back to school.  Our Summer break has come to an end and he is a big 2nd grader now!

Ethan showing off his new backpack...

Landen wanted shoes and a "pac-pac" like brother.

This morning was hard. You would think that by 2nd grade you would be used to them going to school but it's difficult to entrust your child with a teacher who you've met once.  It was also hard because Ethan decided that he didn't want me to walk him into school on the first day for the first time EVER.  He said it makes him cry when I leave the room.  I was so sad but so proud at the same time.  He is so mature sometimes and I am proud that he was able to face his first day on his own.  He was a little nervous and needed a little reassurance last night and again this morning but he was BRAVE when it came time to get out of the truck!  His little brother cried saying "Jar come back".  He will miss having him home to play with and fuss with.  And I might have shed a tear or two as I watched my almost eight year old (who by the way, should still be four) walk into school without me on the first day.  I found this quote that suited today...

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"Listen to the desires of your children. Encourage them and then give them the autonomy to make their own decision."  - Denis Waitley

Well, I am headed out shortly to pick up my sweet boy and hopefully hear about his AWESOME day!!

Savoring Summer

A couple of Saturdays ago we met up with friends to watch a Hot Rod's baseball game.  It was some type of agriculture day, so they had tractors parked out front of the stadium and of course the boys enjoyed checking one of them out...

Ethan enjoyed playing with our friends youngest daughter.  I thought the second picture of them nuzzling was SO precious!  THIS made me want to have another baby.  Just watching Ethan with her did me in.  However, once we got in the truck and the boys started arguing over a toy the baby fever went away pretty quickly, ha!  Anyway, there were fireworks after the game and, as always, they were awesome!  The boys also enjoyed some time on the inflatable at the stadium and in case I had any doubt that Landen was fearless, I now know that he is FOR SURE!  Nothing is to high or too difficult!!!

Last Wednesday, Ethan lost yet another tooth.  The tooth fairy is VERY familiar with our house lately.  His teeth are falling out left and right!

Ethan's lunchbox is the one on the right.

We are starting to slowly gear up for 2nd grade.  School starts back on August 8th but we are dragging our feet as much as possible, trying to extend the few days left of Summer break.  We went last Tuesday to register for school and find out who Ethan's teacher would be....he will be in Ms. Tucker's class this year.  Here is a picture of the cute backpack and lunchbox with matching thermos, Ethan picked out from Pottery Barn Kids...




















*Disclaimer: This next paragraph makes Landen sound like a terror.  He really isn't at all.  He just doesn't do well with busy days, no nap, and constantly being restrained (strollers, car seats, carts, etc). *

Once we were finished with school registration (where Ethan saw all of his prior teachers, his principal, and a few other school staff that he knew and talked their ears off & Landen decided to crawl out of his stroller WHILE I was pushing it!!), we headed to BG to sign up for Fall baseball.  While at sign-ups Landen rolled his hot wheel under the workers feet at least three times while I was filling out the paperwork and then as we were leaving, I was holding his hand and walking and he decided to throw himself in the floor.  It caught me completely off guard and I nearly wiped out.  I had to do a little dance maneuver to keep from stepping on him.  It was SO embarrassing!  Once we recovered from that ordeal and the punishment, we went to the dermatologist's office to pick up a book that we had left there last week.  After, herding Landen up to the office (he wont stay in a stroller and does back bends until you put him down, so I let him walk but insist the he hold my hand) the book that they had been holding for us for a week wasn't even our book.  Ugh!  Ours must have been picked up and taken home by someone else who was in the waiting room.  Our last feat of the day was heading to Target for school supplies. The school supply isles were packed and ransacked, we were all worn out, and the boys seemed to have been affected by a sudden stomach upset.  So, we got what we needed and once everyone was cleaned up, we got OUT of there!  I usually browse in Target for quite some time, but not this trip.  We grabbed Fazoli's family meal for dinner and headed home to eat with Josh.  What a day!

This past weekend we finally celebrated Independence day with a backyard get together, complete with water fun for the kids, bbq, corn hole, fireworks, and lots of family and friends.  It was very enjoyable, my only complaint was the humidity.  Is anyone else ready for Fall???  This girl is!!!!  I'm  looking forward to cooler weather, Jackson's Orchard, football, Pumpkins, and my sweet boy's 8th birthday.  It's my favorite time of year.  The only downfall is Ethan having to go back to school.  We will miss him SO much during the day!!  Landen is going to be so lost without him.  The one night he stayed with my grandparents overnight a couple of weeks ago, Landen got up the next morning running around the house saying "Jar, wheah aww you??" and when he couldn't find him he came running back to my bedroom crying.  It broke my heart!  But change is a part of life and we will get into a routine again soon enough.  Until then, I'm off to enjoy having both of my boys being home with me and maybe this weekend....just maybe, we'll do some back-to-school clothes/shoes shopping.  But we're gonna' make it fun and hit up the Lego store while we are there!!!

Sidewalk Sales & A Visit to Fort Campbell

Last Thursday, the boys and I checked out the sidewalk sales on the square after getting haircuts.  We found several good deals!

The boys enjoyed the play area at Pistol's while I shopped

These are our deals from Red Bird (turkey shirt for L = $8 and wallet for E =  50 cents)

And our deals from Pistol's (2 pair Under Armour shorts for L = $12 each, baseball shirt for E = $12, and bag for L =  $12)
The same bag is $30 online.  I know, because I almost bought it about a month ago. It was originally $25 at Pistol's but I got it 1/2 off because it had a name on it.  I just removed the name and plan to take it to Red Bird to have Landen's name put on it.  This is a great bag.  We had a train version of it for Ethan and used it for over 3 years!

Ethan had a check-up with his dermatologist for the mole on his leg on Tuesday morning.  He has been getting it checked every 6 months for the last couple of years.  It hasn't grown or changed (thankfully), so we are now only having to go once a year.  Landen sat up on the exam table with Ethan throughout the entire check-up and even put his leg over top of Ethan's for the doctor to examine it!  It was adorable!!

After the dermatologist appointment we headed to Fort Campbell, Ky to visit Amanda and her kiddos.  We went on the army base for the first time and the kids had a great time!  First, we visited a museum on post.

Landen wanted to pose by this "rocket"

Ethan & Alera reading the information plaque

The kids under a plane

Closer up

Ethan with an army tank

Landen posed and said "cheese mama" after he saw his brother  take a picture with the tank.

Next, we went to the pool on post where I didn't take any pictures.  And we ended the day at the park which also had a really neat splash park!

Landen met this sweet little girl on the slides and they played together for a bit.

Ethan enjoyed the splash park.

Ethan & Alera swinging

Movies, Memories, & More

On Friday, June 26th we took the boys and Ethan's buddy Myles to Famous Dave's arcade.  As you can see they had a ball!  After the arcade we went to Ethan's favorite place for lunch....Fazoli's!!

After lunch, we spent the afternoon watching Disney's Brave in 3D!  It was a very enjoyable movie.

                Landen was digging the 3D glasses and wore them upside down through half  of the movie!

Ethan took a picture of Josh and I on Saturday, June 30th before we headed out for a weekend in Nashville to celebrate our 9 year wedding anniversary!

My handsome cowboys eating breakfast...

Landen at the doctor to have a bite looked at.  Turned out to be nothing, thankfully!

Ethan floating in Dale Hollow lake on 6/30/12

Guess who lost his other top-front tooth?!?!

We spent the weekend of the Fourth at Kentucky Lake...

Ky lake welcomed us as we crossed the bridge

Firework show on the lake

Ethan and his papa

Josh & the boys before we headed home

We also drove over to Paducah, Ky one day and watched Spiderman to avoid the heat for a while.  My grandparents hadn't been to a movie theater in 25 years or more.  So it was a nice little treat to have them go with us.  As an added bonus, the movie was excellent for both the boys and the adults.

Once we got back home, Landen and I tried out his new "Lightning McQueen" pull-ups.  He was so excited to wear them!  We are taking little baby steps toward potty training...we're FAR from the finish line.  But hey, a few months ago he wouldn't go near the potty without screaming so we'll take this step in the right direction and be happy!