June and July: BBQs and Water Fun

Zenith's new Akubra hat...straight from Australia!

This little guy has so much personality

...and forehead...

Trying to be like Daddy

One Sunday we went to my parents house for a cookout with my sister Jess and her family.  Summers out here are hot and what better way to deal with the heat than a slip n' slide!  Dad made up his own sprinkler "entrance" for the top, making it much more fun!

Not to be outdone by the kids, Bumpa jumped right in!

And not to be outdone by his father-in-law...here comes Chris!

Homerun!

Oh uh...Mr. Competitive not to be outdone by ANYONE

Just look at that determination!

And Mr. Cautious scooting along nice and safely

Off for a walk with Nana and Bumpa

Fourth of July we all headed over to Kaite and Dan's for a BBQ.  Unfortunately Mom, and some of Jess and Chris' kids were sick so they all had to miss out on the festivities. :-(

William is ALL about cowboys lately and takes every opportunity to dress up like one

Cousin fun

Dominic chilling in the pool

More slip n' slide fun!

And there goes the man...look out kids, you might get bowled over!

Then they decided to race...

...and that didn't end so well...

Kaite and Dan's pool is the perfect size for William and he LOVED swimming in here all day!  

William pushing Emma

Not much else going on...hanging inside mostly to keep cool.  My little Dominic isn't so little anymore...9 months old!  He sits up and does the leopard crawl now, scooting into all sorts of mischief.  He just cut his first tooth and we've been loosing lots of sleep over it so hopefully that'll feel better for him because he generally doesn't fuss about much.  He loves to follow his brothers around and try to be part of the "gang."  

It's been so fun watching William and Marcellus hit a new stage where they get along better and actually play together.  William is old enough now to have conversations with and doesn't throw in the nonsense phrases he used to use.  We've officially entered the "why" stage where he's curious about EVERYTHING and wants to know whats what and how it all works.  It's surprising how much he "gets" and how many hard questions he asks, especially about religion.  He is a deep thinker for sure.  He's also a great help around the house.  Both boys have their own chores like wiping down the table and chairs after meals, sweeping the floor, helping to wash dishes, and of course fetching me this and that.  William also helps me put breakfast together...each small thing is a big help especially when I feel like I'm constantly being pulled in a million directions.  

William is working on his alphabet...knows all this letters and is working on perfecting writing down his letters independently.  We've also been working on numbers and of course Catechism. Marcellus is working on shapes and colors and not all that interested haha.  But it's motivating when your brother is doing "school" so he sits down and puts up with it for about 10 minutes before he's on to the next thing.  

Marcellus constantly has a sparkle in his eye, wanting to keep up with all the other kids while at the same time being somewhat reserved.  He's confident but impulsive and it's tough to keep up with him.  With proper guidance this kid is going to make an excellent leader.  

Time to wrap it up for now.  Hope you all have a good week!

~Lindsay