July/August 2014

Summer has been busy. I've been working a lot. Miles and Lucas have had their share of adventures. The weather has been amazing. We're making incremental progress on the potty training. We're going on vacation at the end of the month to Massachusetts and Maine. And I've decided to start a doctoral program in the Fall (what am I thinking?).

Here are some highlights of the last month:

Frankie and Miles

Someone (Lucas) was very proud of his train track creations this month.

It's the train at the zoo!

Pile Of Dudes

Miles and Frankie again

Someone figured out how to draw on themselves.

Summertime is for swimming and cupcakes.

And snoballs - shaved ice and flavored syrup.

He went to outer space (at the science museum).

He wore astronaut gloves.

Two dudes, in bed.

Our little dude climbs everywhere now.

Everywhere.
Look at that little monkey.

Taking care of business while taking care of business.

King of the Freezie Pop.

Zoo visits

Train ride at the zoo.

Playing the "GIT TAO"

Playing in a local stream

This picture was supposed to be of Liam and Miles.
Miles left.

You have to click on this picture. There are bubbles!

Tiara

And fairy wings

Painting

Picking berries

Strolling, hand in hand.

A mom and her kid

He's quite silly!

June/July 2014

Potty Training!

We're doing it. Well, I should say, Lucas and I have mastered the art of using the toilet some years ago. Miles, on the other hand... He now has peeing down to a science. He can hold his urine for an absurdly long time. Absurdly. Like, 12 hours. He often wakes up dry overnight and one day he refused to use the potty for about 8 or 10 hours. But we've got a rhythm down and now he goes almost as soon as he sits on the toilet. And we sit him on the toilet at certain times during the day: first thing in the morning, before going out of the house, before and after naps, and before bed.

This does not hold true for the other end of things, though. Who knows when it will click for him. Everyone says poop training is harder and even though we've only been at it for a little more than a week, it seems like he'll never get it. We just get daily poops in his underwear. I never thought I'd prefer diapers. For poop, I certainly do. But we're not going back! We're not going back! One part of the problem is that the opportunity for learning is so infrequent. How can he learn if it happens only once a day? I'm sure he'll get it, but right now we're totally hating the number 2.

And now that I've updated you on the ins and outs (ha ha, outs) of our son's bladder and bowels, here are our pictures and video from this month:

Just hanging with this turtle

Cutie pie

Someone loves stickers

Miles' friend at sing along

Future archaeologist

Ladybug boy. The science museum is fun!

All you need to be an astronaut is this flimsy cloth helmet.

We spy on our kid as he sleeps.
It's creepy.

We went to Camden yards. Miles found this Oriole.

Little kid. Big field.

He's two. And he climbed up there by himself.

Let me tell you a story!

FUN!

Pretending to sleep

Gramps has a hammock!

Spring 2014

We have a lot of pictures to catch up on because May's update was just a letter to Miles with one picture!

Here is April, May and some of June's pictures:

Easter Happened.

Silliness happened.

Miles climbed into a dinosaur footprint.

He made things happen

He observed bubbles

He was dwarfed by a dinosaur

We saw the aftermath of the landslide a few blocks from our house

It rained a lot. And made big puddles.

Train watching with neighbors.

Climbing through a tunnel. A favorite activity.

Sitting with friends, sitting on friends.

Stacking train cars. 

He and Rutherford the turtle looking outside.

Hugs.

Snacking on cheese

Rainbow!

Double rainbow!!

Corralling 2 year olds into a tub.
Neighborhood 2 year old birthday party.

Birthday boy on a rocking horse.

Three generations of Carscaddens.

Birthday party!

Lucas leading sing-along.

Eating Ice Cream

Ice cream face

New train set. So excited.

I'll hold the ketchup. You hold the mustard.

"Help"
I'll just take this picture first.

Lucas was so proud to have used all the pieces.

Watching diggers.
Then the foreman came over and kicked them out.

Neighbors. Babies.

He's so proud to have "paper hair."

Jump on Mike!

Pool party

Bath-time mohawk.

More train watching. Different friend this time.

I'm going to drop this stick on your head.

Towels as a shirt. Because he asked for a towel shirt.

Bounce house.

Bounce house.

Cool kid.

Hot kid. As in feverish.

Still feverish. His shirt was made into a tank top.

Thursday night: superhero and pizza night.

Cape!

"Towel pants." "Towel hair."
Okay.

Friends.

Relaxing in bed. 

We went on vacation to Dewey Beach.
A woman spent 16 hours over two days making a sand car.
If we let him, Miles would have destroyed it in five minutes.

He wanted to ride each of these on the boardwalk.

Beach bum.

It poured rain. Miles got to ride kiddie rides at an indoor funhouse.

Freezie pops.

Freezie pops for everyone. Including Pops over there.

On our way home from the beach we took a steam engine train ride in Wilmington, DE.

He loved the train.

Really loved it.

The seats were stuffed wicker.

Riding the train.

He wouldn't stay still to be in a picture with the engine.

Our little boy is a big boy now. Big boy bed!