Outside

Here are some pictures of the kids enjoying being outside in the past few weeks. It has been very rainy here lately, so whenever it's nice we enjoy it!

My little climber!

Enjoying the swings.

Wyatt really enjoys this little plastic slide. He can walk all around it and climb on it. And it's outside, what could be better?

A double rainbow we saw one evening after it rained.

One morning we got to play with a friend while his parents (and Ben) worked on a Habitat for Humanity project. During Wyatt's nap, Lila and Evan played outside.

Lila wanted to pull him in the wagon.

But the basketball was the big hit!

Triathlon #2

I've fallen behind in my posts once again but I thought I'd post a few pictures of Ben's second triathlon... yes, I think this is becoming a hobby! This one was in McKinney so we didn't have to drive far at all, and we got to sleep in our own beds! I took both kids to watch Daddy do this one. Good thing we had donuts to eat and acorns to gather :)

Here's Ben lined up and waiting his turn to jump into the cold lake water!

Here they are swimming in the lake. Can you tell which one is Ben? I couldn't either.

Waiting for Daddy... little did we know at the time but Ben had a flat tire on his bike and was having a difficult time changing it! It added about 40 minutes to his race.

But finally here he comes into the transition area, ready to park his bike and start his run. I don't have a picture of him finishing his swim because I was dealing with the kids and I couldn't see which swimmer he was anyway.

Starting the run, a 5K.

Finishing the race!

There were lots of acorns on the ground near the finish line, so Lila had a grand time gathering as many as she could (we put them back before we left!).

I am super proud of Ben for finishing, despite his unplanned flat tire and added time. I am not sure I would have continued on after that - but he did, and now he's ready to try another one!

Sunny Skies

The past couple of weeks it has been SO nice here! The highs have been in the mid-80s, somedays only the high 70s. And it has been sunny too. We have gone to the nearby park to feed the ducks and play on the playground...

Lila LOVES to feed the ducks. She has no fear of them at all.

There is a large rock at the playground (made for climbing) and this fall is the first time Lila has wanted to climb it. She climbed all the way to the top too!

Wyatt loves to swing... that is the only reason that his (oh-so-cute-in-my-opinion) hat is still on his head. He doesn't really like to wear hats.

Going down the curvy slide.

We had so much fun, we decided to bring Daddy with us on another day for a picnic (courtesy of McDonald's!).

And of course, we had to feed the ducks again too!

Kitchen Help?

One thing that Wyatt LOVES is the dishwasher. If he hears us clinking dishes as we load or unload the dishwasher, he makes a beeline for the kitchen!

See how happy it makes him? I wish I found this much delight in the dishwasher - but maybe that's because I have to deal with the actual dishes.

Perhaps if I could do THIS, I would also take great joy in the kitchen appliances! (of course, he gets told 'no, no' and taken down, but that won't stop him from trying it again... and again) If I have the rack pulled out, he also likes to "help" me unload the silverware :)

I forgot to mention in my previous post that Wyatt has also started standing on his own for a little bit. Here he is standing and clapping.

11 Months

Wyatt

Lila

Well, it's hard for me to believe that my little boy will be ONE in two weeks!! This year seems to have gone by so quickly. When I look at Lila's 11 month picture, I realize that they really don't look that much alike. Her eyes were (and still are) a much more vivid blue than his. His are a hazel blue. Her hair also looked lighter than what his is now, so maybe he won't be a blondie like she is. He also has a lot fuller head of hair than she did. And his skin tone is not as pale as hers. Of course their personalities are much different as well. Wyatt is stubborn... getting told "no, no" doesn't faze him at all. In fact, I think he just thinks of it as a challenge - when can I get to this later when Mom isn't looking? He is so easy to smile and usually pretty happy. He is also a climber - more pictures to come on this. I thought he would maybe skip crawling all together but just in the past week he has started to crawl short distances. He can cruise along furniture pretty quickly and of course, he still "swims" across open floors. He's also eating like a champ, some nights better than Lila! We are starting to see more sibling squabbles between the two of them. Wyatt has figured out he has a voice and can protest having a toy taken away - or being sat on by his big sister. :)

I'm hoping to get more pictures posted today, and in just a few weeks I'll have some 1 year pics to put up too.

Labor Day Visit

We went to Wichita to visit family over Labor Day weekend. The weather was beautiful and the rain held out for us until Tuesday when we drove home. We got to spend time with Ben's parents and his brother's family as well as some extended family. We had a great time!

Riding bikes at cousin Rachel's house.

Lila playing in the sand at the park.

Rachel playing in the sand at the park.

Wyatt LOVES to swing!

Especially if Lila or Rachel (seen here) is pushing him!

Wyatt and Grandpa

Grandma helps the girls cut paper. This was one of Rachel's favorite activities while we were there. After a little bit, Lila gave up on the scissors and just tore the paper - it was faster!

Here's cousin David pushing a little "bike".

Here he is pointing at Grandpa's car. He LOVES cars!

Here are Wyatt (10 mos.) and David (15 mos.) next to each other. Next time we get together, they might actually play together!

Lila's Dentist Appointment

Here are some pictures from Lila's 2nd dentist appointment. I forgot to take any at her first one. The pediatric dentist is awesome... their whole staff is super friendly, and Lila did great getting her teeth cleaned.

Here she is with Mary, the same dental hygienist she saw last time, picking out her toothpaste flavor.

Putting on some sunglasses (which they provide) so the light won't shine in her eyes.

Getting her teeth cleaned.

Feeling her clean teeth while we wait for the dentist to come over and take a look. That went pretty quick and then we were done. I took these pictures on my cell phone so sorry the quality isn't as great.