Leaf Jumping

The huge oak tree in our backyard has been dropping leaves like crazy the past two weeks, making for some awesome jumping fun. My only hope is that this pile of leaves the boys crawled over, under and through didn't contain more than they bargained for (i.e. Lily poop).

Eli ~ 15 Months

Life with Eli at 15 months...

Starting to balance for 1-2 second intervals.

Walking on Bambi legs while holding onto Mom, Dad or Lucas' hands.

Climbing up and then sliding down the stairs.

Growing teeth (at least one on top and one on the bottom) and drooling.

Climbing on the couch and chairs and coach again.

Drinking a bottle before bed and in the morning (soon we will have to break this habit, but for now it is a calming routine).

Pulling leaves from the trees.

Crawling around the driveway and trying to escape into the road.

Looking and pointing at airplanes.

Hitting when angry (the boy has good aim).

Swinging at the park.

Turning the light switch on and off and on and off and on and off and on and off (and throwing a tantrum when we call it quits).

Starting to use more words (or what we think are the start of words)…potentially hi and thank you.

Waving.

Chasing, giggling, hugging and cuddling.

First Day of School

Just look at those smiles. These two were ready for first grade and pre-kindergarten (being bribed with a quarter to take pictures helped too)! And what a difference a year can make (although funny how some things stay the same). I worked from home so I could get Lucas on the bus but promised I would meet him at Eden Lake and walk him into the school, at his request. How many more years will he want me to do that?! He walked into the school gymnasium, asked where Mrs. Iversen's class was, and walked away without a backward glance…or goodbye. Clearly, he felt good about things.

He opted to go to the YMCA after-school program. It's another stop at night (ugh!), but I get it. He wants to stay and play with his friends. I picked him up pretty early the first day and his response was, "Are you going to pick me up this early every day?" It wasn't said in a 'I want you to pick me up this early every day' way but more like 'that wasn't much time to play with my friends way!' Last year, he was so emotionally spent after day one (he barely made it off the bus). I remember getting home, going into the bedroom and rocking him until he had calmed down. Also, he was exhausted. First grade…not so much! He knows the school, knows the routine, gets the lunchroom chaos, and has established friendships. He may not enjoy the reading and star words practice, but he's got this thing!

William was excited for his first day of pre-kindergarten for a few reasons. He was reunited with his favorite friend, Wyatt. Those two are attached at the hip! Also, he was excited to get a new Primrose backpack. He has the same teachers Lucas had two years ago, and we really enjoy both of them! It's going to be a fun year for our William.

William and His Creepy Crawlies

Leo started digging up some of the dead bushes around our house this weekend. The removal of each bush revealed all sorts of creepy crawlies scurrying around in the dirt. When he heard there were bugs and worms present, William was right on the scene. He captured several worms that are now living in a plastic pail on our front steps. He was very careful to keep them out of the sunlight today and add some water to the dirt to keep it moist. This boy and his creepy crawly pets!

Boys and Their Trucks

It looks like the youngest Loxtercamp is also going to be a fan of the dump truck.