So....what have the littles really been up to?

Cade:

- Creating art and displaying it. All over the place. I've had to bite my tongue and just let him create and showcase. It's cute, really, even if he uses up all the scotch tape. Hopefully soon we can get some cork installed on the insides of his closet and he can hang all he wants up inside there. I don't want to stifle creativity. Perhaps just stifle where he displays it.  He made a mural that was about 5 feet long and about 15 inches tall that he put at Ruby's eye level in his room. He made it so she would "have something to look at and enjoy." So sweet. For unknown reasons I saw it in the trash yesterday. Bummer. I was hoping to get a picture of it. I'm sure he'll have his 2nd edition mural up soon.

- Expanding Lego City. So much, in fact, that we are officially out of Legos.

- Tying shoes. At last! On May 28th... He was getting ready for his baseball game and put  his Nike's on and one of them needed to be tied. He'd mastered the art of keeping shoes tied and still getting them on his feet. Whenever he did this, it looked like he is dancing the minuet. I always teased him and ask him if he was. He happens to know what the minuet is because his 1st grade teacher taught it to him for a special presentation.I next had the thought, Whoah. he's 7, he's in first grade. he still doesn't tie his own shoes! I remember learning as a kindergartener at the kitchen table-- how could I not have taught my son yet?! Sure his tennis shoes are slip on and in the summer he lives in Crocs and even his church shoes are slip on, but COME ON! I mentioned to Cade we needed to have him tying his shoes before first grade was over. The next thing I knew, I came running to the kitchen to report he had figured it out all by himself. Just like that. It was a pretty cool moment to be honest.

- Playing in baseball games. As of this past Saturday, the season is officially over. Not sure if I'll he'll do it again next year. His coach was great and I really enjoyed watching the games and how much each of the children progressed through the season. However Cade has expressed a lot of interest in doing swim team next year so I may put forth my efforts there and forget baseball.

- Learning about the Wild West. Cade is enrolled in a 10-day enrichment program at a local elementary school(his former school in Lindon, actually). He spends a few hours in the morning learning about life before the West was Won...or something like that. He comes home with the most clever/hilarious/interesting art projects. Yesterday he made a wanted poster with Savannah's name on it. From clay pots, to corn husk dolls, he's thoroughly enjoying himself. Today he got to take a train ride and he told me he saw a train robber. It was a pretend one, he reassured me. 

- Protecting Ruby. He's very aware of any potential dangers there might be and he makes sure she is safe. Sometimes he gets a little high strung about it, but I'm just glad he's on that end of the extreme.

- Losing more teeth! He lost one on July 2nd, at Melody's house the day of the Stadium of Fire. He was brave while Aunt Dee yanked it out. He was so thrilled. Ironically, Last year at Melody's before the Stadium of Fire, Jon pulled out a tooth for him.

- Reading. He's enjoying the Ramona series right now. He read all of the Magic Treehouse books, so he needed a new one. I'm hoping he'll get into the Little House series next.  

Savannah

- enjoying BYU preschool immensely. 

- wishing her hair would grow

- wishing she had more dresses in her closet

- wishing she had sparkly shoes

- wishing she didn't have to take naps

- loving helping in the kitchen preparing meals

- hating to clean up her room

- wanting a two wheeler

- smiling and bouncing around the house full throttle

- earning a bruise and scratch on a different limb each day from riding her scooter

- coloring

- leaving little "notes" for myself or Cade around the house with her new "S" pad Kyle brought her the last time he visited
- coming up with little games to play as a family

Ruby

- kissing

- clapping

- crawling all over the house. She loves to explore. Her favorite venues: the scale in my bathroom and the shower door.

- standing up on furniture

- laughing

- cooing that sweet squeaky coo

- hanging out in her crib sometimes bc mom hasn'r realized that she's awake. oops.

- being blonde and blue just like Cade. She's a clone of him.
-spitting baby food all over mom when she's actually dressed for the day in something not resembling a t-shirt and sweats.