Summer has come and gone in a flash!

Well, it's that time of year again. Summer days are finally getting HOT around here (93 here today! bleh!) and it's just about time for school to start. Hard to believe the summer has come and gone so incredibly fast! Even harder to believe that last year at this time I was confined to a hospital bed not sure exactly when Bitty was going to come. She'll be 1 yr. old on the 22nd and I honestly can't believe that so much time has seemed to literally just fly by. We must be busier than I thought for so much time to go by so fast. Just since the little update I put on the blog it has been a whirlwind of activity around here:

* The Monday after I put up the mini-update I wound up visiting the ER. Heather had come over to spend the afternoon before she left for her new job in Houston that Wednesday. Instead of spending the afternoon together she wound up keeping Bitty company while I took an ambulance ride to the ER. I found out i had a kidney stone was given some fantastic painkillers and sent on my way.....(although I must say that they also gave me a shot of dilaudid which was the best EVER!!!....I've had it before while in labor but when you're in labor sometimes you don't exactly get to appreciate the amazing feeling painkillers can give you because so much other stuff is going on.....)

*Phil and Carrie and their boys visited with us TWICE this summer; once on their way out to visit family in Iowa and once on the way back home. The boys have all grown up so much since we last saw them. Next time they're gonna be tall as trees. Bug and Bitty had a fantastic time with them and I know the boys were enamoured with the girls. (who wouldn't be? they can be unbelievably adorable sometimes.....) ON their return trip we went to COSI for the day and Bug got to see some of the monster farm equipment up close. If I figure out how I'll take a few of the pictures of her standing in the wheel well of the combine(sp?) off of my phone and put them up although i can't guarantee that they will be of any good quality. They look great on my little 1.5 x 1.5 inch screen on my phone but I have no idea how they'll turn out on a 15 or 17in (or greater for those of you who I know have them) computer screen. (I have to admit I'm not 100% enthused with COSI anymore....I just remember it being more fun when i was a kid) I had forgotten how much growing boys could eat though! Although I did come across a worthy opponent should there ever need to be an eating competition.... (see below)

*Lara and her two girls and Lara's mom; Grandma Soebbing (I've always called her Ma so it comes natural for us to call her Grandma Soebbing....) came for about 4 days this past week and I barely saw Bug during most of that time. She and Anja were very busy excluding Miss V and Bitty from everything the way proper big sisters are supposed to; and spent most of their time pulling every conceivable ponyville pony playset and accessory out onto the floor of Bug's room. It was as if they had laid out hundreds of tiny little land mines on the floor for big people feet to find. Miss V spent the entire 4 days in the tinkerbell costume we have in the dress up box. Both David and i agreed that in hindsight we should have just sent it home with her. :) It helped that her sister Anja had given her a very short haircut not too terribly long ago so she looked just like the mischievous little pixie as she ran around the house. Miss V could also take on Carrie's boys in an eating competition. She literally had 4 bowls of cereal one morning until we cut her off. My guess is she's about ready to shoot up about 4 inches in the near future. :) I honestly don't know how David was able to survive for 4 days with so much extra estrogen in the house. It helped that he vacated to the CDC during the day for work while we hung out around the house. (although he's now using Bug's "Hello Kitty" notebook to jot down notes for work so i don't know....I guess that's when you know you're the father of two little girls....)

*We went to the fair with Lara and her girls, grandma Soebbing, Dee Dee, Auntie Cole and Gr'auntie Judy. Talk about fun! There's nothing like going through the horse barn with a horsey person!!! (for those who don't know Lara owns two horses of her own) The Belgians and other draft horses were showing that day so we didn't just see average sized horses; we saw the BIG horses. (Bitty's eyes nearly popped out of her head when one of them whinied but she LOVED it!) Lara showed Bug how to approach and pet the horses the proper way and was able to give commentary as we sat and watched them show while we ate lunch. WE also were able to see a lamb about 45 minutes after it had been born, (so cute!!) and a few calves that were less than a week old. Lara, her mom and her girls had to leave early from the fair for their LONG 9 hour drive home but the rest of us hung around for a few more hours. Judy gobbled at the turkeys like she normally does and they in turn responded. I recorded a little bit of it on my phone and again if I'm able to get that transferred that will definitely be posted! :) Bug also got a bunch of marbles while we were at the fair and she now keeps them in a "Crown Royal" bag. (we are the awesomest parents!!!) And Mommy was the most bestest because I took Bug through the giant bulk candy area in the Bricker building. Think about every conceivable kind of candy (including old fashioned ones....) that that is out there and imagine you're three and a half. It's the most awesomest thing ever right?!?!?! We all came home completely exhausted but we had a blast!

*Bug will be starting preschool in September and we are looking forward to that. I think she got a good dose of learning about sharing this past week while Anja and Miss V were here. (sharing with her sister is NOT an option at this moment in time.....grrrr) The social aspect of school will be good for her as well. I don't know who the first day is going to be harder on Bug or David and I..... she had to be potty trained to be able to start school and it finally clicked for her earlier this summer. We're about 95% of the way there. (she isn't nighttime/sleep trained yet...but i know that comes later)

*Bitty has been walking for over a month now. When Phil and Carrie had first come through she was just starting to take some steps and by the time they came back through two weeks later she was an old pro. Bug is not exactly pleased about this because it means that Bitty can now go wherever she goes. (for the most part that is) Bitty wants to be everywhere Bug is all the time; and Bug doesn't want to share anything with Bitty. Bitty also tends to pull Bug's hair without meaning to; she just wants to see Bug's barrettes and her hair happens to be IN those barrettes. Bug has to take everything Bitty decides to play with away from her. WE have constant battles over who gets to play in the peddle car. Bitty just wants to it in it and push the "horn" (it plays "London Bridge") and Bug just wants it because Bitty has it, or touches it, or looks at it..... *eyeroll*

*Bitty was baptized June 17th so everyone can breathe a collective sigh of relief now. She was able to wear the same baptism gown that Bug wore which actually happens to be MY baptism outfit. :) I love traditional stuff like that. I plan on hand embroidering all our names on the hem of the dress. (I have special silk thread I'm going to use too.......)

*we were blessed with a young bluebird couple again this year which i was thrilled with; especially since I've kinda been neglecting them. I still make sure no sparrows nest and/or breed in any of the houses....I had to destroy three nests this year with five eggs each!!! damnned house sparrows....grrr.... Remember they are pests and one pair of house sparrows can produce up to 2000 descendants in two years time whereas a bluebird pair is lucky to result in 200 descendants in two years time....If i ever get the opportunity to go back in time I plan on using that chance to go back and beat some sense into the idiots who introduced house sparrows and starlings into this country.....rant over.....

Well I guess that sums everything up for now. I'll work on getting pictures put up soon. I'm not sure if I'll do it here or at a picture site.