Before school prep!

Out for a haircut, some new clothes ... And Starbucks goodies. Only a few more days till she officially starts preschool. New school, new teacher ... And five days a week!

First (City) Bus Ride

The kids got a major thrill when they went on a bus for the first time. Both kids were actually nervous! Seeing and talking about busses for so long built up some sort of larger-than-life expectation.

Once their fear subsided, both kids had a blast. Just wait till they get their first train ride ;)

The End of Summer Is Looming

Summer is winding to an end and so we tried to pack this weekend full of warm-weather fun. There was a little disappointment when the rain started late Sunday afternoon (and never stopped) and a whole lot of disappointment (including tears) when the weekend came to an end. Regardless, we had a great weekend with all of activities Summer can bring.

Ice cream ...of course!

Playing in the sand...

Posing in PJs

Skipping (aka throwing) rocks

The Beach Chair Buddy Squish

Self Portraits: Everyone Is Doing It

Self Portraits

Great Grandparents

I have fond memories of my (maternal) Great Grandparents and hope that Brooke and Ryan will be able to remember theirs as well.


Last week they got to have dinner with Great Grandpa Schneider, who was visiting from Florida. Although Brooke was disappointed that he didnt bring along his golf cart, both she and Ryan appreciated having a new audience member for their nightly silly show.



Today Brooke and Ryan had opportunity to celebrate their Great-Grandma Kundo's 90th birthday! Hopefully there will be many more celebrations to come ...

Sunday He Said / She Said

Regarding a digital photo she took

"Oh man! It's all bloody!"

(She meant it was all blurry)


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Mom: Ryan, sing a song!

Ryan: Baby, Baby, Baby, Oh!

(Singing Beiber)


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In the car...

Ryan: Uh oh!

Mom: Whats wrong?

Ryan: Brooke night-night!

(He refuses to allow his sister to fall asleep in the car)


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Dressed up man walking down the street ...

"He looks like he is going to a party"


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Regarding the Air & Water Show

"I don't love the airplanes, only the white stuff they make."


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Trouble Brewing

Ryan is always on the lookout for trouble, and is becoming increasingly rebellious. This is a bit surprising to us, as I don't think we heard the word "no" out of Brooke's mouth until she was three.


Mealtimes have become chaotic as he now refuses to sit in his high chair, and actually refuses to even sit at all during a meal. When he is at the table, he is throwing food, feeding the dog under the table, trying to touch his sister with his dirty silverware and standing up to look out the window.


We say no, he says yes.

We tell him to put something down, he takes it an runs.

He intentionally taunts us while doing something bad, going as far as sticking out his tongue to mock us.

He refuses to share with us or his sister. He grabs stuff out of our hands and growls (yes, GROWLS) at us if we try to take it back.



Today he:

- Threw all his lunch on the floor. When I told him not to, he threw some more.

- Found out he can reach the buttons on the water dispenser on the refrigerator. Luckily I remembered there is a child-lock on it.

- Started the microwave with nothing on it. (My fail for not having the child lock set.)




But he also:

- Gave his sister a huge bedtime hug.

- High-fived me after a goal in soccer and after getting something correct in a game.

- Cuddled on the couch with me for about an hour.

- Said goodnight to the pictures of the "babies" in the hallway.


He is totally unlike his sister in almost every way. They do have a few commonalities though. Both are smart, independent, and awfully stubborn. Both of them also know how to drive us crazy and simultaneously fill our lives with so much joy and laughter. I dread the day when the two realize they can accomplish more as a team than they can on their own ... I'm pretty sure once they join forces they'll officially rule this roost.

Beach Bash

We went to a Summer party, that involved a day-long list of activities and ended up with two kids, up late at night, boogying on a dance floor.


It started off with lunch. Brooke and Ryan both hopped on their favorite cousins laps and consumed chips (with a bit of hot dog on the side). Brooke kept it clean with Fritos, but Ryan (of course) had to dig into a bag of Cheetos.





After lunch there were some kids games including the limbo and a couple different races. They also did a tug-of-war, which the little guy thought he'd be a part of until I yanked him away. He thought everyone was just holding onto a rope ... but I'm pretty sure he had no clue what was gonna happen next!

Brooke actually didnt have a clue either. The people organizing the games made sure the little kids really werent trampled when one side "won" by making sure to congratulate everyone as soon as the flag crossed the center (versus waiting until one side was a pile). Brooke got slightly upset when she got knocked down, but I managed to distract her by praising her "huge muscles".

The games ended with a treasure hunt ... a bunch of coins buried in the sand. Most of the kids dug in and went crazy. Brooke sat down on the sand and gently combed through the sand with her pointer fingers. Occasionally she would get up, brush all of the sand off clothes and hands, then sit back. The organizers obviously planned for a kid like her, and kept tossing coins into her vicinity. Cousin Jillian also used her feet to push around sand as she stood on the sideline, and then casually pushed the coins towards her. Together Brooke ended up with 15 coins, and I think she maybe found 1 without a bit of outside assistance ;)

Our evening wrapped with dinner and some music played by a live band. Brooke and Ryan could not stop themselves from shaking and grooving all over the place. Each time a song would end Ryan would yell "more music!" Eventually we had to drag them away. Neither one of them was slowing down and they could have partied all night. Mom & Dad, on the other hand, were ready to call it a night ;)

Sunday She Said

Mom: You are so beautiful today Brooke!
Brooke: I know.

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At the grocery store ...

Mom: Maybe we can get that next time.
Brooke: Sweet!

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On a play/pretend phone

"Delivery? I'd like to order a delivery. I'd like something really fancy. Its for a birthday party. For my friends. You can come any day. Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday. How about Saturday. Ok, I'll see you Saturday."

Olympics 2024: Training Has Begun

Starting off with some drills ... to work her into shape






Then playing a game of "splat" to start learning some racket skills.

Sunday She Said

Mom: Do you love Wrigley?
Brooke: Yes
Mom: Do you love Ryan?
Brooke: Not as much as Wrigley.
Mom: Do you love Daddy?
Brooke: Not as much as Ryan. (Pause) I don't really love you as much as Wrigley.