July was a fun, busy month. There were forts to be made . . .
stories to be shared . . .
And an annual train ride to Portland to visit the Oregon Zoo with Grandma and Papa Weatherspoon.
The boys always love the train.
The trip from Salem to Portland was just about the right length for busy boys, because between snacks and looking out the window, we were there in no time.
Timothy slept the entire trip, in Moby-wrap heaven.
We had to see how big we had grown.
The otters are always a favorite.
And two of my monkeys were lucky enough to bring home some monkey friends of their own.
I really do live in a house full of monkeys.
This is a demonstration of how to turn a regular stroller into a double stroller. Recline the seat, and pretend you are in a clown car. Easy.
Timothy trying not to be disturbed. Moby wrap, where have you been all my (child-bearing) life?
Then there were days filled with artwork. Fredrick is our artist in residence, as our walls/furniture/clothes/anysurfaceyoucanthinkof can attest.
Wesley trying out a new style with a statement piece of the double-hat.
Too cute for words.
Wesley drew this for me while I was in a doctors appointment with Timothy. Timothy is represented in the bottom left in his carrier, and I'm the dubious figure in the middle. I love his artwork.
We took a trip up to Washington while Karl was there with his girls, and Lance was there with his family. We drove straight up to SafeCo field for a Mariners game. It was a gorgeous day.
It was fun to meet Ben and Casey's family there, along with Grandma Johnson and Ethan.
My boys love baseball!
One of Wesley's top favorite people in the world is his cousin Molly. He was so excited to spend time with her, and she was a really good sport letting him tag along. She had just had a birthday, so we were able to join in some celebratory ice-cream at one of the best ice cream shops I've ever been to. Can we just say, toasted coconut ice cream? Heaven.
Ben and Casey were generous enough to put up with us for a night since Grandma and Grandpa Johnson had a house full to the brim, and we got to see their lovely new house. Seriously, my boys never wanted to leave. They loved the yard and their cousins so much! Thank you to Molly, William, Henry, and Addie for being such good friends to my boys.
Timothy is just a delight whatever is going on.
The last night we were up there, we were able to go watch King Felix pitch for the Mariners. It was such a fun night. When we walked in the stadium, we were approached by some T-Mobile reps who upgraded the group of us to some amazing, expensive seats along the first base line. We were given gift bags filled with gift cards, t-shirts, and hats. Definitely made up for the fact that the M's lost in extra innings!
Us in our T-Mobile gear :o)
If I haven't made it clear already, my boys adore their cousins. If they could, they would live next door to all of them, because they have so much fun together. There are so many of them relatively close in age, and they are all such nice kids. I really love this picture, it captures so well the utter glee they experienced the whole time they were there.
Timothy and Ellie just chilled inside while the older boys played.
We had some warm weather, and so Timothy napped in his diaper. The sweetest baby named Timothy ever invented! Love those kissable cheeks.
The end of the month is Daddy's half birthday. As always, the boys were right there to assist in any present opening. They are very good helpers!
They quickly absconded with the loot and modeled it :)
