August 31st

Happy Birthday Poppie!

August was such a busy month for birthdays...now on to September!

25, 50, 75

Those were Kyle's percentages today for weight, head, and height, respectively. Kyle turned 15 months old today and he had his checkup where the doctor said he is doing great. He weighs 23 lbs., 1 oz. (25th percentile) and is 31 3/4" long (75th percentile)...long and lean! He had to get three shots, but he only whimpered a bit after the second one went in. He had his bear to comfort him while the shots were being done. He showed off a bit for the nurse and doctor...when asked developmental questions, such as "does he point at objects?", as if on cue, Kyle pointed at the mobile hanging from the ceiling. When I gave a sampling of some words he knows, such as his new word "dirt", he repeated me and said "dirt" very clearly. The doctor was charmed. Everyone commented on his curls...we are keeping them as long as we can!

Hitting the trails

The bike trailer arrived last week, so this weekend Russ and Kyle hit the Terry Hershey trail for their first of many rides. Kyle loved riding in the trailer, especially since it involved a trip to see the ducks at Ashford Lake each time, and usually ended in a trip to the playground. This morning before the ride, Kyle saw the trailer in the driveway and headed right over to it and began to climb in. Since I am still bikeless, I walked to Ashford Lake this morning and met Russ and Kyle where we all fed the ducks. Kyle decided he'd just feed himself the bread, however. Here are a couple of pics from the weekend.

Happy Birthday lil’ Margie

Today Margaret turns 5 years old. Hard to believe that time has gone by so quickly. At our wedding, we were excited for her arrival the following month. Now as we celebrate her birthday, we are excited about her starting kindergarten at my elementary alma mater, Meadow Wood, next Monday.

Here is a picture of Margaret dressing “fancy” at her party on Sunday.

Julia got fancy, too.

New hobby

Yesterday I watched outside the kitchen window as Russ rode his new bike up and down the driveway. He had just taken the bike out of the car and he was off. When asked what he wanted for his 30th birthday, Russ' reply was a bike and a trailer for Kyle, so yesterday the first part of the combo was bought. The interest began in Hawaii two years ago when we rode down Mount Haleakala in Maui. It was renewed last month on our trip to the northeast where we took the Monuments bike tour in DC. Kyle was strapped in the Burley in the back and we were off to explore DC in a day. Both bike outings were so fun that we figured we can do this at home, too. After some bike adjustments and the purchase of a trailer, the boys will be hitting the trails. I'll have to begin my search for a bike so I'm not left in the dust.

M-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-p-i

This past weekend we went to Mississippi for Russ’ cousin Justin’s wedding in Jackson, where we visited with the Bragg side, then we drove north to Sidon to visit the Gray side. Kyle is lucky enough to get to know his great-grandparents, so we cherish their times together. I attended my first outdoor wedding, then we enjoyed a wonderful meal. The wedding was held at a historic mansion…very Southern. Kyle had fun dancing at the wedding reception…he even has rhythm. Kyle had a short visit with Grandma Dot before we hopped in the car for the drive to Sidon. It is definitely a different way of life there…something I’m not used to. Kyle enjoyed swimming, playing with the water hose (go figure), seeing goats, a fish (where he learned that new word), riding on a lawn tractor, riding on a gator (hunting jeep), and watching the train that passes by Granddaddy’s house. It was so fun to take Kyle at this age…it is what I picture Russ doing when he was little as he went to Mississippi every summer.

Blah, blah, blog

I’ve started the blog I said I would start when we lived in Scotland. 4 years and a baby later, here it is. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing!

Want more? Check out our photos at www.flickr.com/drussgray