what's been going on around our house lately...

Our beloved "Duckie" has sat its last days in the warm, clear waters of the upstairs tub. (An undetected hole slowly promises to take the last bit of air out of our yellow friend.)

We have enjoyed many a nights splishing and splashing, laughing and babbling in our floaty friend.

Picture taken of  Cooper in July 2011

Before handing Duckie over to the garbage, the boys are having one last hoorah with their little friend. Over the last 4 days, Duckie has acted as a recliner, a boat, and a storage container for race cars just to name a few.

In other news, this little tike --who does not seem very little anymore-- is as usual, getting into anything and everything his curious hands want to get into. I definitely need more childproof locks for this house.

A few weeks ago, Cooper started walking with his riding toys.
...but mostly, I just wanted to post this picture because of his dimples and the monkey outfit that totally reminds me of his personality. :)

I Spy...something that does not fit in this picture....besides the terrible landscaping

Yep. That would be a bottle in a tree in our front yard. (some of the best afternoons are spent outdoors, with a Tball set, a soccer ball, a bottle, and sidewalk chalk. Usually when the bottle is in the tree that means hard core kickball time... :))

This is what a typical night looks for us around 7:30pm. For fun this summer, I picked up this fabulous game for Parker and all of us to play together around a campfire. Though we did not actually get it out near a bonfire and smores, we have enjoyed many nights before bathtime of the Camp boardgame. I look for it to be one we play together for many years. GREAT gift idea for little boys!

...some fun (and entertaining) storytimes before bedtime

And even a little couponing after the boys go to bed.

The days of summer are gone and we are starting to transition our closets and drawers into fall/winter items. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Fall? (It's what comes after it that I am not so fond of!) The weekend after Labor Day I put out my fall decorations; every day it makes me smile to see the vibrant reds, the muted yellows and the aged orange colors in my house. Pictures of home decor will be posted soon...I say this to remind myself to actually take some pictures :) Have a Happy Day!!!