Which one.....

This has to be one of my favorite pictures from the whole summer. My only question is, which one is guilty?

The End of Summer

The end of summer is here, and so my excuse has run out! It is time to give an update on our family adventures of the past couple months. Summer flew by this year. It feels like we just keep running out of time! But we had a wonderful summer with lots of changes. We went to the beach, swimming, almost every park in a 10 mile radius, the zoo, hiking...anything that was outside, we did it. Especially if there was lots of space for running. Stratton became a big, big boy with his 3rd birthday, just check out his muscles!

Dashell is trying as hard as he can to keep up with his high speed brother. He started crawling at right about the 6 month mark in June, and has been picking up speed ever since. He can climb stair, pulls up to stand on everything, tries walking behind his push wagon and shows off a definite feisty side. We have started to call him Mr. Furious. He is either completely laid back and happy, or completely out of control angry. I have never seen such a temper in such a small package. Lucky for us he is happy most of the time. Here is a picture of him showing off how he feels about the dog spraying dirt in his face. You never have to guess how he is feeling- he lets you know loud and clear.

We also went to Idaho to visit the Neibaurs for a couple weeks at the end of July. We had a great time going to the zoo, water skiing, climbing on tractors, looking for huckleberries, and playing outside. Stratton was in heaven. He loved the farm and all the tractors even more this time than last year.

Lucky me, while we were there, I got a nasty case of giardia from water skiing. Unfortunately, I kept thinking I would get better and put off going to the doctor for over a month. On the other hand, giardia can really speed up losing baby weight! But I just finished my antibiotics yesterday and should be in the clear now. How I can have grown up playing in Alaskan lakes every day each summer and not get giardia until now from one water skiing day in Idaho, I can't explain. But it has made the last 6 weeks interesting to say the least. I am looking forward to feeling good again and having enough energy to keep up with the boys!

The boys are already trouble when they are together. Stratton tells me all the time how much he loves his brother. I thought 8 months was a little young to start wrestling, but apparently not. Nothing makes Dash laugh harder than Stratton steam rolling him. After their naps most days, Stratton and Dashell will play in Stratton's room and Stratton will tell me that it is "boy time" so I'm not allowed. I do count my blessings that they get along and love each other, but I can only imagine what chaos they will create together as they get older. They do pretty well individually, so a combined effort should be incredible! Anyways, that is just a quick summary of our last couple of months. Now we are back to life at full speed. We only wish for more hours in the day.

It' Summertime!

 

So I have decided to take a brief hiatus from updating our blog. It's summer, and who wants to spend sunny summer days inside on the computer? Not my boys, that's for sure. Besides, I figure that a picture of all four of us together is such a rare event, it ought to hold for a good while yet. See you on the next rainy day!

Brigg the Wildlife Photographer

Brigg took this shot while we were in Montana. He went out for a walk one evening, and literally almost tripped on this brand new fawn. Isn't is beautiful?

Mountain Man Reunion

We just got back from a Wappett family reunion in Montana. Stratton really got into the spirit of the mountain man theme. He was ready to follow Lewis and Clark! We had a wonderful time seeing everyone and being together for the first time in 2 1/2 years! It is so fun to see all of my nephews and nieces growing up. It seems like the oldest of the bunch should still be toddlers, not 9 years old already! Stratton loved having so many cousins to play with. There are 4 cousins within a year of his birthday, so there was a lot of negotiating turns and sharing, but they loved playing together. Dashell loved being held all the time and being the center of attention. My niece Meridian took especially good care of him. She can come stay with us whenever she wants- she would hold Dashell all day if she could.

This is Stratton taking turns fishing with two of his cousins, Wells and Hannah, in the little creek by the house. I think they could have fished all day. They were always ready to take another turn with the little red fishing pole. Sometimes I wish I could be as unfazed as they were at not catching anything. Although I'm not sure there were very high expectations of catching anything, seeing as the end of the line was a magnet, not a hook. Maybe they could have caught a steelhead.(Bad joke)

Brigg loved being out in the west in the mountains again. Here he is with Dashell showing off how he is still a tough guy. I think he felt like he was proving that he is still a mountain man himself after my sister told him he looked like a dad while we were traveling. Two kids can do that to a person. Good thing he's married to someone who looks like a mom.

Here is Stratton showing off his apple in front of a gorgeous view of the Bitterroot Mountains. It really wasa beautiful part of the country. We loved having the chance to explore, ride horses and spend time with everyone. It is a pity we are all so spread out across the country. Although we seem to be slowly gravitating back to the west, one at a time as we finish school.
Here is Stratton enjoying one of his favorite parts- the horses! The kids got to ride every afternoon, and Stratton did great! He is a natural. When the older kids started trotting while I was leading him on his horse he said, " Mama, my horse is too slow. I need to go faster!" Luckily, a fast walk was enough for now. Maybe in a year or two he can try for a little more speed. Maybe when his legs are long enough to reach the stirrups.

Things I Will Miss

It's that time of year when people start moving on. Brigg is now officially in his final year of dental school, with all that goes with it...you know, yelling "Seniors rule!" and stuffing first years in their lockers. Anyways, realizing that it will be our turn to move on next May, we have started to think about everything we want to enjoy about Cleveland before we go. Wait, enjoy about Cleveland? Cleveland? Really? Actually, we have really enjoyed our time here, and even though we will be excited to move on to the west and more space again, there are a lot of things about living here that we will miss. So in the spirit of really appreciating our remaining time, we have started to make a list of things that we will miss about Cleveland and city living, especially since this will in all likelihood be our last year in a city of any size as well. As for the number of food items that make the list, well, it's clear where my priorities are.
- Maple Syrup- the real stuff. One of our indulgences.
- Tart cherries
- Fresh peaches
- You pick farms for berries of all kinds...there is nothing as therapeutic as a day spent out berry picking.
-Apple picking with Stratton...he has a future in this field, I'm sure of it.
- The Farmer's Market- especially Gray House Pies...that man is a genius.
-Playhouse Square- we've only been able to go a couple of times, but talk about a great date!
- Kirtland, of course
- The zoo, science center, children's museum, etc.... I'm beginning to realize that living in a small town is going to take a lot more creative parenting on my part to keep both boys busy!
- My nurse midwife- she was great for both boys. And who ever wants to find a new ob/gyn?
- Our pediatrician- she has been wonderful
- Horseshoe Lake Park, of course
- Green, green, green and flowering trees. I love the spring here and all the green and flowers.
- Fall colors. It's like driving through a postcard
-Cuyahoga Valley National Park. We've had many happy weekends hiking here.
- Revive- my favorite hole in the wall to browse and encourage my inner hippie
- The Library- this is a big one. I am addicted to the library here. All the books, movies and music I could ask for. Our budget is not big enough to support my reading habit! I will feel so lost without the option of getting whatever I want from the library 1/2 mile from my house.
- Stratton's music class- his teacher and friends have really helped him learn to talk in public...well, at least a little bit if you listen closely!
- Geauga County Fair- if you've been and you've got a little redneck in you, I don't need to explain
- Silk Painting Classes- I've only been able to take a couple short ones, but they have been so much fun and have given me hope for my artistic side
- Anatolia Cafe, mostly for teaching us that we like Turkish food. We would never have known what Turkish food even tasted like without it.
- Outdoor pools- let's be honest with ourselves. Planning to move to Alaska doesn't leave the possibility for too much outdoor swimming in the future.
- On The Rise Bakery- the sweet rolls and chocolate croissants have a special place in my heart, especially when I'm pregnant.
There are lots more, but that's a good start for now. I'll try and add them as I think of them. Cleveland has been good to us, and I think our last year will be the best of all. We are planning to pack each month full!

Kissy Kissy

Today I went in to get Stratton after his nap and went to give him a kiss. He pushed away my lips and said "No kisses Mama. I push away da kisses." If only he is still saying that at 16!