Rayleigh turned 2!
Kevin and I can hardly believe that is was over 2 years ago that we welcomed home our baby girl. We celebrated all week with special treats and presents from friends and family.
Since my last wordy post we’ve been thoroughly enjoying our two children this summer. We’ve done two vacations- one to Wellfleet, MA on Cape Cod and the other to Oakhill, NY for Greyfox!

Earlier this spring we had two large pine trees removed from the yard.  Rayleigh enjoyed watching the tree removal service take the trees down and telling them they made “a mess”.

Trees in the yard before:

Trees in the yard during removal:

Later this spring we sifted one of our two compost bins (the collection from 2011).  We had just about enough to fill our garden boxes! A proud moment in this green and crunchy family’s life.

Among the regular summer adventures we also have checked an item off our bucket list- we started a commune! We have welcomed a second family into our home.  Our friends, Jessa and Jesse and their daughter Eily, moved to New York on July 4th.  There are now two little girls running around the house and yard and Dillon is now the little brother to two big sisters.

Additionally, Rayleigh is now a day time potty trained toddler and we recently had her two year check-up.  Her pediatrician confirmed her awesomeness to us and our amazing parenting abilities (okay maybe average parenting but there weren’t any complaints either).  Here’s the appointment by the numbers : 35″ tall- 80th% , 25 lbs, 4 oz – 30%, and 19″ head circumference – 70th%.

This past weekend we spent at the New Jersey Shore with good friends. The weekend was very relaxing and included fresh caught crabs, swimming in the ocean and Rayleigh’s first ride on a Ferris Wheel at the Boardwalk.  Much fun was had by all.

This was a very small glimpse at the past two months.  Feel free to browse the many albums for a more in depth look at our summer adventures, birthday parties, renovations, reorganizations and everyday happenings. Here are some highlight pictures…

Saratoga Sprinkler Park:

Congress Park Adventures:

 

Until next week.  Happy end of August.

Let me count the ways.

Yesterday the kids and I drove to Matamoras, Pa for a playdate with Autumn and her daughters.  We met at Airport Park – the kids playground there is fantastic!

Here’s a look at what they did.

1- Swinging

2. Climbing

3. Riding

4.Sliding

5. Teeter-Tottering

6. Building

7. More Swinging

 

8. More Climbing

9. Exploring

10. Jumping

Dillon also wen to the park, however he enjoyed a more low-key approach of being carried around and sleeping most of the time.  Although he did catch the attention of several other parents at the park.

Today’s weather was perfect (at least in Matamoras) and we three enjoyed the company of friends while Kevin stayed in town to work on his PhD.