Old King Cole takes the throne

After it took forever with Chase, I was in no rush to potty-train Cole. But once he moved into the 2 year old class at school and was using the potty there, I thought maybe we should give him a shot at home. Nana bought him his new "throne". It has a sensor, and when he potties, it plays one of several royal tunes. The first night, Cole sat on it, he peed, music played, we danced, etc. It's been 2 days since, and nothing. He's content to just sit on it and read books, so I guess that's good enough for now.

Final T-Ball Game

3 in a Chair

John came over yesterday to play with Chase and Cole. After a somewhat bumpy start (Chase and Cole were still napping when John got here and weren't really ready to wake up and socialize), they had a great time.

Visiting Nana & Papa

A few pics from our weekend at Nana & Papa's house:

Cole driving Papa's tractor


Chase loading his rubber band gun

Chase swinging

Cole riding his bike, complete with his new horn and airplane on the handlebars

Chase showing off the pocketwatch he found with his metal detector

Gardening

A few plant pics:

Dynamite Crape Myrtle (we planted 2) -- should be smaller than most other varieties -- I think 15 feet tall at most -- and a slower grower. Blooms are a deep blood-red and some of the leaves are burgandy.

My yellow hibiscus finally started blooming again after a 3 week hiatus.

FINALLY our agapanthus started blooming!

Apparently it really does make a difference if you add a little fertilizer every now and then. Who knew?

Cole dresses himself

I went outside to do something and found Cole like this when I came back in:


These are Chase's Mickey Mouse crocs, not Cole's. He thought it was hilarious that he was wearing his brother's shoes.

Chapter Books, Summer Camp, and Moving on Up

Chase finished his first chapter book yesterday (before starting Kindergarten!). It was "Minnie and Moo Go to the Moon" and he was very proud of himself. He really is doing very well with his reading. Now he's working on "Minnie and Moo: The Case of the Missing Jelly Donut." He has made himself several bookmarks now that he's reading chapter books and is very serious about making sure he doesn't lose his place. I'm going to make him an opthalmologist appointment soon, though, because I noticed him covering one eye while reading. It's been 2 years since his last eye exam, so he's probably due anyway.
Today was his first day of summer camp. He was pretty excited about going (mostly about the 2 recesses they have), but when we got there they kind of rushed him in and he looked a little apprehensive, so I'm not sure how that's going to go. He has a friend from school and her little sister who will also be there, but I could only see the little sister when I peeked into the class. I think he would have felt better if he'd had one person he recognized in his class with him.
Today is also a big day for Cole -- his first day in the 2 year old class at school. He should have moved back in March, but today was the first day they had an opening in the class for him. I think he'll be excited to move into the "big class" with all the cool toys, but I think he'll miss his old teacher around naptime.
So anyway, big day today for the boys. I'll try to post an update later after I pick them up.

Today's Biking Adventures

We took Chase and Cole for a bike ride around the neighborhood today. Here's a few pictures of us getting ready to head out.