When Daddy's away....the kids still play!

 Ben has been out in Wyoming this week shooting at prairie dogs.  Yes, prairie dogs.  I was going to post a picture here of a prairie dog, but they were just too cute.  Ben likes to say they are rodents and carry diseases and destroy ranches...so I'll skip the picture and think of them as giant rats.
Anyway, while Ben has been using rodents for target practice we have been enjoying a bit of summer.  This is a long time for Ben to be away so we escaped to the south...Massachusetts that is.  
It was a great week with my parents and made Ben being gone a little less lonely.

Monday we went to the beach...and it was a perfect beach day.

My dad took this picture of Tobi...and this is just how I feel about the beach!

Tuesday we went to Parlee farms to pick strawberries...but by the time we got there they had closed the fields for the day.  So instead we visited the animals, got some ice cream and bought some already picked strawberries.  (Truth be told that was probably better than chasing a tired toddler through the fields anyway.)

Thursday we made a trip to the state forest behind my parents home and discovered this great splash park.

Gardening, taking walks, coloring, reading books, playing Polly Pockets, eating outside, painting, doing puzzles...these are just a few of the things we've been doing over the past few days.

Tobi fell asleep in her car seat less than 2 minutes after we left...and we all may sleep well into next week!  We missed Ben so much...so glad he is coming home a day early (RIP little prairie dogs).  Thanks so much to Grandma & Grandpa for helping the week go by so quickly!

4 months of Axel Baby

 Hey!  This guy is four months old now.

 

He is one social guy.  A little flirt...he'll smile, coo and laugh at most people.  We spend a lot of our days trying to get the baby belly giggle out of him.  I think Tobi might be the best at it.  He really seems to think she is pretty great (blissfully unaware that he has had more near accidental injuries at her hands than I can even count.) 

Now that he's gained some serious head and neck control there are all kinds of new things to try out.  He loves to "play" with the baby toys while laying on his stomach.  Unlike his sister at this age he LOVES to be on his belly.  I think he might be quick to learn to crawl.  He is really eager to move and he does, but mostly in a circle.  He is rolling over like crazy.  He hardly will stay on his back...which makes changing diapers a challenge.  The exersaucer made its way down from the attic and so far it seems like a hit as long as he is not too tired.
We also got the Bumbo seat (or as Tobi calls it the "Bumbaloo chair") out.  He really likes sitting up like a big shot!

 

 But his favorite things to play with are still his hands. 

 

His 4 month well baby check up was today and he's looking good.  Long and lean the doctor said -16 lbs 4 oz (50%) & 26 1/2 inches (90%).  He might be lean but he's got plenty of chub in all the right places.  Definitely squeezable, kissable and almost edible! 

Axel meets the Ocean

 Today we were running barefoot at the beach.

 This is Axel's first time to touch ocean water. 

 He was relatively indifferent...even though the water was quite chilly.

This girl is no stranger to the ocean.  I think she was about 2 weeks old the first time we took her to the beach.  She was born in July so she didn't have much of a choice. 

Even so, she didn't think she wanted to go to the ocean today (she thought we were going to the lake beach) until she got there and remembered what it was....then she never wanted to leave.

I kind of felt the same way...

 but eventually even beach days must end and we had to say "peace out" to the beach....

I'd say it was a very good day...