School, gymnastics and a bonfire

We are in full preparation mode right now with only four weeks left before our due date! We prepared the baby's "room" (which is a small walk-in closet), sorted and washed the clothes (we're glad we saved Silas' baby clothes), put together the bassinet, and started to gather the supplies we'll need for the first few weeks. There's still lots to do, but at least the bigger things are coming together.

Meanwhile, Silas is doing pretty well in school. He's had some escapades already, and given his teachers some unexpected opportunities to get exercise, but they are doing their best to work with his challenges. We truly feel blessed by the teachers and therapists he has this year! God worked out his schooling this year knowing exactly what he would need. We just have to praise Him for that!

So right now Silas is staying at school until 2:00, which allows him to go to art, music, PE and library with his class. He also gets in some extra recess time, and eats lunch in the cafeteria with the big kids! In a few weeks we'll tack on the last hour and a half so that he'll be full day! He seems to enjoy himself, and is learning how to spell and write his name. We just ordered some books from Scholastic...I remember how much fun it was as a kid to pick out books from their catalog! And now we're doing it as parents. It's crazy.

Allie just started a gymnastics class last month, and she is a total natural! She hangs, climbs, jumps, bounces, rolls and runs around the gym with the biggest grin on her face. She surprises me with the amount of strength and coordination she has. No matter what the teacher shows them, she will immediately imitate it. She even volunteered on Friday to be a "helper" when the teacher asked for someone. She has no fear when it comes to trying out new moves. It been a delight to see her enjoy herself and learn new things there.

Here's a few recent photos...

On a recent Saturday, Nate and Silas gathered some wood for a bonfire.

Or rather, Nate gathered and Silas followed in his car.

They carried branches for several hours, and burned through a lot of wood!

Allie showing off her church dress.

Silas enjoying some marble action while listening to his therapy music.

Jen's Dad with the kids on the trail––
putting the stroller to the test!

Beach Bums

We called Ocean City our home for about 10 days this summer, and the kids truly became beach bums. They never tired of the beach, sand and surf. In fact, Silas practically became one with the sand––he would literally lie down in it and rub his face in it. Probably some kind of sensory-seeking exercise for him. Allie enjoyed the beach as well, although she didn't wear quite as much sand as Silas did. Whenever we came back to the house we were staying, clean-up was an extensive process.

Besides the beach, we also visited the Cape May Zoo, which was a surprisingly awesome zoo. There were baby snow leopards frolicking around, giraffes, tigers, bears, and many other animals that you could get rather close to. The kids also loved the carousel and playground there. Visiting the zoo will probably become a yearly tradition!

Some other highlights include lots of walks on the boardwalk, going on rides at Pirates Cove and Wonderland Pier, testing out equipment at a local playground, and eating lots and lots of pasta and pizza from the local take-out restaurants!

Pictures can tell more of a story than words, so I'll let them do the rest of the talking.

One of the kids' favorite activities was digging holes in the sand with Nate.

And then, of course, climbing in the hole!

Silas  beginning to cover himself with sand.

Allie trying out monkey bars for the first time.

This is a cool series of Silas with his chair in the water. 

He sat for a long time while the waves splashed over his legs.

The tide gradually rose until...

...Silas was sitting in water. He didn't seem to mind!

Jen put Allie's hair in pigtails for the first time.

Riding the carousel at the Cape May Zoo.

Jen helped the kids make rudimentary sandcastles.

Allie enjoyed the pool that Nate made in front of our spot on the beach.

Cute picture of Silas and Nate.

On a rainy day, we took the kids to Wonderland Pier.

One of many rides the kids rode while it poured outside on the boardwalk.

A Welcome Visit

Silas and Allie had some of their favorite relatives around this past month, and they loved every single minute! Nate's brother Jon and his wife Geri were staying in the area while having repairs done to their car––a lovingly-restored VW Westy. It's a sleeper bus from the 70s that Jon and Geri have poured copious amounts of time and effort into to prepare it for a cross-country trip. (Some of you may have seen it stored in our driveway this winter.)

So as the car got the finishing touches at a specialist mechanic in the city, Jon and Geri were able to visit with us and the kids quite a bit. It was awesome to have them here for so long, and we will miss them! Have a great trip guys!

Holiday in Hershey

There are a lot of things to do to prepare for a baby. For us, one of them was to spend a weekend away!

Nate and I planned a weekend in Hershey for the two of us, leaving both kids at home for the first time. Our parents generously shared the baby-sitting duties. No doubt the kids got lots of doting and attention while we were gone!

Although we were expecting a quiet getaway, there was so much to do in Hershey! We spent a full day seeing the sights, including the Hershey gardens, the Hershey Story museum, and taking a trolley ride through town. We could have easily done more, but the heat and limited time prevented us. As it was, our schedule was pretty ambitious for someone who's 32 weeks pregnant!

The B&B where we stayed boasted beautiful views, great food, and plenty of animals to visit with at the operating horse farm. It's called the Inn at Westwynd, and we would highly recommend it.

Chocolate World's marketplace had huge towers of chocolate!

Hershey Gardens overlooking Hershey Park's many rollercoasters

Overlooking Hershey Park and the Hershey chocolate factory silos

Nate befriended a butterfly at the Hershey Gardens

A pretty pond inside the butterfly garden

We made our own chocolate bars at the Chocolate Lab–yum!

Sunset at the famous Hershey Hotel

Two miniature horses at the B&B's farm

We spent some quiet hours on the porch swing enjoying the view

Silas goes to kindergarten!

Silas' first day of kindergarten was an orientation day, so Allie and Mommy had the privilege of accompanying him to his classrooms and meeting his teachers. Allie got right into the swing of things, exploring the classroom and testing the equipment. I think everything met with her satisfaction!

Silas seemed to enjoy himself as well, and he settled into his two desks with no problem (one in homeroom, and one in his special-ed class where he'll spend most of his time). The next day, he took a school van all by himself for the actual first day, and did a great job of being a big boy! There was a few tears when Jen picked him up, but by the next day he was already doing much better.

Now we're two weeks in, and things are going well. We have Back to School night in a few days, so we'll get to talk with his two teachers and hopefully find out more about his typical day. We're also looking forward to transitioning Silas to a full day over the next few months. He'll get to experience lots of fun stuff, like art, music, gym, and eating lunch in the cafeteria!

Silas at his desk in his special ed class

Meeting his homeroom teacher

Drawing a picture to commemorate his first day

Silas' desk in homeroom

Allie wanted to try out the markers...

...and the scissors!

There was also a big school bus for us to explore.

Fire truck to the rescue!

What is it about a pretend fire truck that gets kids excited? We've visited this playground two times in the last several weeks, and this simple structure has been a hit! It doesn't make noise and there are no buttons to press...you just need an active imagination to power this truck.