Simon @ 21 months

One of the highlights of Simon's 21st month included our last-minute trip to Traverse City. We felt like summer was quickly disappearing so we escaped up north for a long weekend. We did nothing but eat and play in water and it was awesome! Simon had a great time playing with his big brother not only at the hotel pool but at various beaches and lighthouses in and around Traverse City. Each morning, they also had breakfast together. It was great to see them happy and playing peacefully with each other.

The boys also had a great time when we dusted off my old Wrangler and took the top down. We drive it a couple of times each week but we haven't taken the top down in YEARS. We thought, though, that the boys would love it so we drove, open air, to our favorite ice cream place (Mickey's Dairy Twist) in Saline. They had a great time and now Simon can't walk by the Wrangler without yelling out "Jeep, Jeep!"

This past month, Simon also made his first trip to the Big House! We made a donation to C.S. Mott Children's Hospital back in the spring and part of it was four tickets to a fall scrimmage. The scrimmage was the same day as the Dream Cruise so Harmon went with my parents (and had a GREAT time) and Simon came with us. It was rainy and we weren't allowed to take Simon's water, Cheerios, etc. with us (lame stadium rules in effect) but it turned out OK. It was great to see the team up close and personal and it was awesome to walk Simon through that historic tunnel (he loves tunnels)!

The only bummer of the past month was that Simon go bit AGAIN at school. This was the third time - once on the arm and two on the back (one on each shoulder blade). Evidently, there are two serial biters in his class that are now being "shadowed." Here's hoping there's no more biting in the coming weeks, months, etc.

Swimming!

Harmon just finished his third set of swim classes and he is already clammoring for more! His first class was a Tot & Parent Swim class with Kevin back in March and April (March 8 through April 5). It was five weeks long and the whole point of the course was really just to get him used to being in the water so that, in the next class, he would be able to do it without Kevin.

In mid-April, he started the Pre-School Swim class and that one ran for seven weeks (April 19 through May 31). He was without Kevin and he did a great job! In fact, all parents were ordered away from the pool deck so the instructors could do their jobs without distraction. Kevin and I alternated taking him to class and would watch him having so much from the observation deck. And, after each class, we started a tradition of getting him ice cream from McDonald's!

In June, he started his third class - the Low Beginner Swim - and it ran for another seven weeks (June 21 through Aug. 9). This class was all about kicking, strokes and getting the kids' faces in the water. Harmon did great on all but the last part - he's not too crazy about having his face submerged! He finished on Aug. 9 and, unfortunately, he can't move on to the next level until he turns 5. So, we might just tackle that in the new year. All his classes so far have been through Pittsfield Township Parks and Recreation at the Washtenaw County Recreation Pool. He loves it but, when we do start up again in the new year, we might try to move him to Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation or the Ann Arbor YMCA. Both places seem to have a lot more available times, instructors, etc. Whatever we decide to do, Harmon is all in. We can't drive by the pool without him yelling "there's my swim class!"

Summer of (no) power!

This summer has been terrible, when it came to the severe weather. It was hot as hell and it seemed there was a thunderstorm every other night. We lost power on three different occassions - all day on May 31, June 18-20 and July 28-29. Having a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old with no power is, quite frankly, no fun. They have NO idea what's going on and it's hard to keep them entertained without TV, radio, computers, etc., especially when the sun goes down. One good side affect of these power outtages, though, is Harmon's new fascination with the weather. One way for us to explain things to him during these storms was to let him see the weather map on my iPhone. Since then, he can't get enough of the Weather Channel and keeping us updated on any upcoming storms!