The end of summer in Baltimore is like a cruel joke, where the pools and ice cream trucks all shut down September first, but it's still 90 degrees and unbearably humid out. "Open two weeks later in June!" I yell impotently at them as I trudge around soaking in sweat and pumpkin spice "No one wants to swim on Memorial Day! We need you now!" The pool has no answer. It knows I'm right.
Oh, yeah, Miles.
Miles started a couple classes at the local gym, soccer and gymnastics. Unfortunately, he turned out to be the only only one signed up for his soccer class. He's had two great solo soccer lessons with the coach, but we decided to move him to a class with, you know, some other kids. I mean, he should probably have someone to pass to. In his gymnastics class, his group was sharing the gym and his side was running a little course where they bounced across a long trampoline, walked a balance beam, and rolled down a padded slope. The other group, who were a couple years older were swinging on a trapeze on the other side of the gym. The parents watched from a balcony, under strict instructions not to distract or interact with the kids.
So, I stood up there and watched patiently as Miles pointed at the trapeze and said "I want to do that", and I watched while, as soon as the teacher's back was turned, he took off running all the way across the gym. I watched him get in line and wait patiently for "his" turn. He got up to the trapeze just as one gym teacher realized she had one extra and the other gym teacher realized she was one short. So, he got sent back with a promise that he'd get to do the trapeze next week.
His vocabulary is really exploding. Every few days he'll come out with a word that none of us can remember teaching him. He tells me that his play tent "collapsed", or he tells Colleen that he's a "predatory venus flytrap". He'll stand somewhere and declare himself to be "camouflaged". He says something silly and then follows up with "That's preposterous" (OK, I did specifically teach him that one.) It's a lot of fun.
We're pretty excited for fall. Colleen has started her fantastic work on Miles' halloween costume, and he's real excited about it too. Tonight, while getting ready for bed he ran into the room and told me "Mama's gonna read me some stories and then we're going to work on my costume for Christmastime". So, I guess he's getting two costumes or something, huh?
Miles, Brooks and Frankie on chalk beds
Ready for gossip!
We got caught in a rainstorm
.
Puppet Show!
"Hello, Child Services? I'm at my best friend's pool party and my horrible dad is trying to make me eat pizza. Can you guys come pick me up?"
The Beach at the National Building Museum
It was really cool.
Maybe a bit crowded
I lost Miles
Hiking trip!
???
Climbin' a tree
Cool fort, dude.
Miles learns to hack.
Definitely the best way to watch TV
Pile on Mike!
Frankie brought home some big lollipops from vacation.
Just hangin' on some ropes.
These guys and their lollipops, right?
First day of soccer class...
Score! Score! Score!
This ended pretty much how you'd guess it would.
Pile on daddy!
Two effective goalies.
Dribbling, but not the usual kind!
I enjoy a cute beer!
And play at secret Insubordination Fest!
Miles crashed a pre-school party at the park, and scored a free face paint.
How can I be expected to go to sleep when I can see the grass growing out there?
It's Colleen here this month. Lucas is getting a month off of blog updating. I'm in the last two terms of my doctoral program and I'm feeling a little lighter in my heart. Although, I feel like I've learned so much and have improved my practice immensely, I'm due to finish the program in December and I'm pretty excited. I have a countdown timer on my phone listing the number of days left!
We just got back from a little weekend away to Southern Maryland, on the coast of the Chesapeake Bay. It was kind of a perfect weekend away. Lots of swimming. Miles is so good in the water these days. He was in the water with Lucas and getting knocked down by waves and jumping through waves and just incredibly psyched about life!
Miles' imagination is out of control recently. He makes up entire stories between two characters that he voices. He wants us to pretend all day, every day. Pretending is one of my least favorite things to do. Luckily, Lucas is masterful at it. I steer Miles' activities to things like gardening and cooking and puzzles.
As far as weight and eating goes (because that is something we still worry about), we've found big changes since he turned three. Lucas and I decided to eliminate the three fortified milk bottles he has daily. We cut it back to once in the morning (with some strawberry flavoring to encourage him to drink it). Since that change, he's hungrier, he's getting better at using forks and spoons (because he's motivated), and meals often aren't as much of a struggle. You know what the best part is? He barely vomits. I would have said never, but after swallowing a belly full of brackish bay water this weekend while getting knocked down by waves, who wouldn't need to vomit? His weight? It's hard to tell. He FEELS heavier. But on our home scale we're not seeing much improvement. Despite that, we still prefer this life to the one we've been living over the last two years or so.
Here's your monthly dose of the littlest Carscadden:
First Face Painting - Fourth of July Festivities
So Patriotic
Spiderman navigating the playground spider web
Having no official nap time...
... means that unofficial couch naps happen.
It's a little odd that we've never had a pig photo of Miles...
... but this month, we have two!
Zoo, penguin area, window waterfall.
He's a box troll! (It's a movie; watch it on Netflix)
Boxtroll hiding in his box.
Lucas and Miles went to Artscape.
I think this is the first time I missed it in 9 years.
Schoolwork is so lame!
Artscape - Ferris Wheel
Artscape - So hot you've got to get your hair wet
Artscape - Miles watches dancers
Artscape - Kids section - Making molecules
Artscape - Jellyfish
(His drawing is getting so much better)
Artscape - Sound tent
Artscape - Pile of blue balloons
Artscape - So hot that misting is necessary
Artscape - Alternative drumming
Artscape - HELLO BALTIMORE!
Sometimes on vacation, you have to lie down to eat your burrito
