Let's Give Tzedakah

We had our friend's, the Brauners, over for Shabbat dinner on Friday night and we were so thrilled to have a full house for giving Tzedakah. Sam, Tyler, Carly and Jacob really enjoyed Shabbat together and giving Tzedakah made it so much more meaningful.

Tyler Practicing His Walking

Tyler's newest skill is being able to stand up without holding onto anything. He gets very frustrated when he has difficulty doing it, but he eagerly asks for help when needed. Now we just need to find him some shoes that fit so that he can really be on his way.

Sam, the Helpful Big Brother

Here is big brother, Sam, trying to help Tyler up onto the couch. Tyler is very adept at getting up there himself now, but I think Sam just wanted to feel useful.

Tyler's First Playdate

Tyler invited his good buddy, Eli, over on Thursday. Martha kindly agreed to watch everyone. It sounds like both boys did great, although Tyler needs to work a bit on his sharing. Eli even liked Martha's chicken lunch (turns out he rarely eats chicken in his own house)! Tyler even taught Eli a word or two, apparently Eli walked out of the house saying, "No, no, no..." Good job, Tyler. Tyler cannot wait to have Eli over again.

Sam's Many Faces

We have a game called the Silly Faces Game and Sam has decided that he, alone, can transform himself into the Silly Faces Boy. Here you can see the full range of his facial expressions, most of them are just slight variations on the one before, but the thought is certainly there.

Falling for One Another

Sam still doesn't know his own strength. Here in a rare moment of closeness and love, Sam and Tyler find themselves in a heap on the floor. So much for hugs and gentle touches.

ARBUS!!! Аръуэ

These boys love arbus (watermelon)! For those of you who know my traumatic watermelon story as a child, you can understand why I needed to have an entire entry on eating watermelon. Truthfully, I just don't that these children are mine! I mean the zest and zeal that goes into getting each piece of watermelon off of the rind is truly impressive. Let's just say that my refrigerator is stocked with arbus!

Fun Times at the Pool

The boys went to the gym pool today. Thought we would take a field trip to a big pool, equipped with a water slide (that Sam loved). Tyler really enjoyed the beachfront entry.

Balloon!

Sam and Tyler were playing a bit with a balloon prior to going out for a swim (Tyler is not usually shirtless), and Tyler busted out with a new word, "balloon".

Tyler in the Tunnel

Tyler managed to get himself through the tunnel at the park today by judging his ability or inability to get through going forwards. He was very proud of himself.

Fun at the Park

Sam and Tyler enjoyed a moment at the park and a reprieve from the 100+degree temperatures this weekend. Sam taught Tyler how to crawl up the slide, how to rock climb and how to throw sticks, thanks, Sam.

Tyler Discovers the Keys

Tyler is into everything these days. He is especially fond of doing whatever his big brother tells him to do, like looking out the window at our resident cardinal, or getting him a toy, or giving him the last piece of dessert...

More Music Classes for Tyler

Here is Tyler again enjoying his favorite activity, making lots of noise!

Sam's Side Stroke

Sam came home from camp the other day and jumped into the pool to show me some new tricks. I could not believe it, but he started to do the side stroke! He had no idea he was doing a new stroke, but he told me about picking the apples from the tree and putting it into the basket...just like I taught my kids during my swimming instructor days. I was so proud!

Tyler and His Spoon

Tyler is finally starting to use his spoon...great job, Tyler!

July 4th Parade

Here are some action shots of the actual parade. Due to my participation in the parade, some of the video is a bit wobbly, so please watch with caution.

Tyler Walking Some More

Here is Tyler taking a few more steps. He is very tenuous at this point but is still trying and collapses in fits of giggles when he finally falls to his knees.

Tyler's Music Class

Here is Tyler at his music class enjoying some drumming, throwing scarves and dancing about. Prior to the music class, Sam and Tyler were enjoying sharing cereal with one another at the craft table.

July 4th Parade

We joined our friends, the Mets, for a bike parade in their neighborhood. Sam was able to decorate his bike and he and his friends rode around the neighborhood to cheers and waves. After the parade, they shared some watermelon and all jumped into the pool with their clothes on.

More Shots of Tyler, 15 months and Sam, 3 3/4 years

Tyler has taken to Sam's art table and he enjoys being silly on the chairs, drawing and doing dot-dots. Sam is our fish, here he is just about to jump in, goggles and all.

Tyler and Sam, 15 months

Here are some new shots of Tyler and Sam playing around the house. As you can see they are really having a blast!

Playing on the Slide

Here are some shots of Sam and Tyler on our way to the park in our neighborhood. Once there, Tyler enjoyed going down the slide backwards and Sam enjoyed playing in the sandbox with very large sticks.