Summer Fun

Look at this big guy!! Wow!! Love that bedhead. Howie decided he wants to grow his hair long and it seems to have a mind of its own like Daddy's.

Justice eating Cocoa Krispies (just one of many indulgences at Grandma's!!)

Howie modeling his birthday present from Aunt Martha and Uncle Glenn... watch out ladies- here's the fireman of the future

Howie prepares to blow out his candles on his birthday- I made a strawberry dream cake for his birthday and it was truly dreamy!! Although ironically Howie didn't take even one bite of his own cake.

Lightning McQueen has been one of the themes of our summer. "QUEEN!!" has been one of Justy's most common utterances.

Howie enjoyed VBS at the church we've been attending this summer- he's here in the second row at the closing performance. It's the honest truth that he didn't sing one word!! But he stood up there bravely!!

Howie, Pax, and Justice enjoy Lou's, a Peoria tradition!! It's a drive-in that serves the world's best rootbeer and most buttery popcorn. No joke.

Justice climbs on the table in search of pepper. He's become obsessed with the idea of pepper, although he ate some the other day and was mad when his tongue was on fire.

POOL TIME!!

Playing on Grandma and Grandpa's swingset- pretty awesome

Aunt Jennie took Howie to the pool on one of the hottest days EVER. No kidding. They had a blast!!

Watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse- enough has been said about this already...

Hanging out with Pax in Aunt Marnie and Uncle Chris's car... pretty awesome

Howie back at Lou's- sitting next to some high school baseball players and trying to hang with the guys

Another theme of the summer- blue ice cream from the Spotted Cow (another Peoria favorite)... few things taste as good as blue ice cream. What does it taste like? Blue.

Justice eats a donut. What were we saying about indulgences at Grandma's??? YUM!

Grandma on the porch swing with the Desch boys and Welch cousins! So much fun! We're so enjoying our summer here!

And Now He's Throwing Croutons

Howie, Justice, and I went to have lunch with my grandma today at her retirement home. We love going to have lunch with her- it's always lots of fun, but unfortunately today Justice was at his Dennis the Menace-y best. Usually the hostess brings a high chair for him, and I'm always grateful, not because he needs it necessarily, but because it is basically a failsafe way of containment. The last thing he needs is to run around and trip residents just trying to have a quiet lunch. Once that high chair tray is slapped on, he can't get out easily (though I'm sure he would find a way given enough time). Today we entered the cafeteria and to my dismay, the normal high chair was missing. Replaced with a booster seat. Right away sirens went off in my mind. I just knew this was going to be bad. We went through the line to get lunch- I tried to get all of Justy's favorites that they had- and sat down at a table. Justice rejected the booster seat immediately so I took it away and he knelt on the chair (which thankfully had arm rests). He wasn't very interested in eating but did discover plenty of other ways to pass the time during lunch.

1. Standing on the chair and looking around at all of the people.
2. Trying to stand on the arm rests and somehow find a way onto my lap (he's not comfortable with much more than a 2 inch distance between us. He keeps me on a very short leash).
3. Picking up his and my knife and saying loudly "Cut! Cut!" Then he proceeded to put the knife in his mouth and bang it on his teeth. I could feel the judgment raining down on me from those sitting nearby.
4. Banging his spoon and fork onto his saucer to make as much noise as possible, then trying to find something else loud once I moved the saucer.
5. Telling Great-Grandma about Elmo, Mickey Mouse, and Minnie Mouse.
6. Grabbing the salt and pepper shakers and trying to shake them onto his plate.
7. Then this one took the cake... he took some croutons off of my salad and, after biting a couple, started gleefully throwing them at the lady sitting behind us. Thankfully he only managed to hit her chair and the floor. At this point I almost melted into the floor and removed all croutons from his reach.

That's about it. Howie actually ate politely and socialized with Great-Grandma. Imagine that.

You Know You're Watching Too Much Mickey Mouse Clubhouse When...

This summer at Grandma and Grandpa's one of the boys' favorite things to do is watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Justice talks about Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pete like they're his best friends. This morning that was taken to a new high (or actually low)... this is what transpired.

(To appreciate this exchange you have to know that Josh has been working hard on the Children's Catechism with Howie, and Justice has been around for this, so he can proudly answer the first question "who made you?" correctly. But this morning that went wrong.)

Daddy: Justice, who made you?
Justice: Mickey Mouse.

He continued to insist the right answer was Mickey Mouse. Oh dear.

Harry Potter 7 Part 2, and Returning to My 18 Year Old Self

That's right, folks, Josh and I saw Harry Potter 7 Part 2 last night at 12:01 AM with my sister Marnie and brother-in-law Chris. Although we thought it was fitting, perhaps expected, that we should don wizard cloaks and take a stick as a wand, we went normally clothed. It's probably fair to say that we were among the minority on several counts: age, choice to attend in muggle clothing, and having responsibility in the morning. It was really something to see the entire theater flooded with Harry Potter enthusiasts. I've read all 7 books and thoroughly enjoyed them, but for most of these kids it seemed to be more than a casual enjoyment. Harry Potter was a lifestyle. I thought the movie was fabulous- it's been 4 years since I read the book (and if you're a faithful blog reader you'll remember that we were called out of Harry Potter 7 part 1 due to Justice deciding to freak out on our dear babysitter), but from what I remembered it seemed to be a faithful rendering of the book and I really enjoyed it.

Well, we resumed the responsibility of our true age this morning bright and early when the boys awoke well-rested and ready to attack the day, despite our 18 year-old late night. Though I'm slightly envious of 99% of the other attendants who are still in bed until noon, I'm glad we went- it's not every day that you watch a movie with a jillion kids who clap when someone throws a good spell.