Thursday, September 1, 2011

Amick Summer Wrap-Up

Summer here has been long.

And hot.

And did I mention long?

Matthew's been traveling quite a bit lately, and I've been home alone with the three boys. It's just too hot to play outside, and it's nearly always too difficult to get out of the house when I'm so outnumbered.

Andrew starts kindergarten this fall, and Benjamin continues special-ed preschool. Andrew goes five full days a week, and Benjamin goes M-Thurs in the mornings.

School was *supposed* to start August 11, but because of the tornado that hit our town in April, the school calendar got bumped 3.5 weeks to allow more rebuilding time for the middle and high schools.

So now the first day of school is the Tuesday after Labor Day. Most people in the community were thrilled about this change, especially my teacher friends.

But as you can imagine, I am chomping at the bit to get school started.

I'm trying not to wish my life away, you know, "you'regonnamissthis" and all that schtuff.

So this post is a small snapshot into the lives of the five Amicks, summer 2011.

Can you spot Thomas's favorite toy? 
He's 17 months now.
He's been spending his summer walking all over the place, squealing like a girl,
and not talking. Yep. Still no words.
Mama doesn't like that.
Oh, and he's cutting molars now, so he's very pleasant to be around. :(


This is one of Benjamin's favorite pasttimes--combing my hair with a play fork.
He is almost 3.5.
He still has no consistent words and two consistent signs ("more" and "cracker").
But he is starting to feed himself with a spoon when he wants to.
And lately, when he goes up the stairs, he chooses the handrail instead
of crawling on his hands and feet.
School will be great for him, though I'm scared to death of another
winter full of sickness. I hate, hate, hate that part.


The view from here

Benjamin is obsessed with closing doors. If there is a door open anywhere
in sight, even if it has people entering or exiting, he runs
to close it. Thankfully, he has not yet discovered how to open doors.

For a few weeks this summer, he dropped his nap.
But he's been napping every day for almost a week, so we're good.
And, honestly? School will wear him out, so I'm not worried.


My big almost-a-kindergartner boy still loves baked goods of any variety.
His behavior has been great lately, and one thing is for sure:
It is never quiet around that boy.


He loves to build things.


And he's actually shown an interest in coloring for the
first time in his life. (As you can see, his new
favorite show is "Peep and the Big Wide World."
If you've never seen it, check your local PBS listings.
It's super cute and not annoying at all.)


But the best thing to happen this summer where
Andrew is concerned is that he realized that
he has siblings.
And as long as they do what he wants, he's happy to
grace them with his presence. :)




Matthew, other than working, has been running a lot.
And eating cereal. He came home yesterday with $37 worth of cereal from Ingles.
This won't last very long, I assure you.


And believe it or not, Matthew read a book. And he's reading
the second one. I'm almost halfway through the third.
It's an excellent series if you need a recommendation.

Other than watching the boys, cleaning, shopping, & 
cooking (which I rarely do but hope to start soon), this is
what I do: laundry.
During nap time.
With the DVR.
I'm looking forward to the fall TV shows b/c the well?
It is dry.


I, too, have been running, and have actually lost all of my
baby weight from all three of my babies.
I am down to about 175 (on a good day), and hope
to get down to about 160.
But that doesn't mean I don't impulse shop
at Wal-mart.
yum


Speaking of yummy food, for four days in August,
Matthew and I went to Vegas with my
mother and her husband.
The Bellagio buffet was outstanding.

We're not big gamblers; we each lost $6 in the slots.


Walking in and out of the casinos yielded our most beautiful pictures.




Riding the bus was fun. It was very hot in Vegas,
with highs of 105-108 each day.
But is really is true what they say about
the humidity. :)


So there you are. Our last summer days before our world is flipped upside down.

I can't wait.

4 comments:

JILL said...

It is so weird to have the twins in kindergarten now. Joyously weird.

Oh man... the coloring! They color a ton at school. In only 4 days of school, I have seen visible changes in the work they bring home. I think the theachers are making them "color the right way" and it is bugging me.

Today, Carl was home sick already and Gretchen brought home the coloring sheet for Carl to do here! Ack!

JILL again said...

Oh yeah... congrats on the weight loss! I still think running is crazy, though. :-)

Kara said...

WTG on the weight loss! I need to lose weight so badly!!

I can't believe you lost $6!! Heavy gamblers I tell you!!! EEK!! ;)

Jenna said...

Hi
My name is Jenna and i came across your site. Benjamin is an amazing, courageous, strong and determined fighter. He is a brave warrior, smilen champ and an inspirational hero. Wow that is so much Cereal, I would never eat that much. Benjamin and Thomas are adoreble and have cute smiles. How does Andrew like Kindergarten? He is a handsome young boy with a great smile. I was born with a rare life threatening disease, and love it when people sign my guestbook. www.miraclechamp.webs.com