The White White House: Magnitudinous Craziness

We've experienced some bizarre weather/acts of nature occurrences within the last seven days. First, it was the five waterspouts spotted on and around Carolina Beach. Second, it was the earthquake that we felt while sitting in the playroom. Ironically, I was following the coverage of the approaching hurricane, Irene, when we felt the shake. And it happened on August 23, Webb's 39th birthday! A magnitude 5.8 quake shook most of us in North Carolina, something I've never experienced. What a week! I just hope that Irene stays off of the coast.

Jackson had his first scrimmage of the Fall baseball season on Saturday. We returned home from the beach and had about an hour or so to unpack before heading out. Coach Webb is doing a great job and hopefully, it will be a great season as well.

On Sunday, we celebrated Bennett's fifth birthday at Marbles Museum. Jackson played with Anderson while Sawyer tried to keep up with Cole and Addison some. It was very busy at Marbles that day but it seemed like everyone had a wonderful time.

On Monday, I took Sawyer to WILD, Wilbourn Infant Lab at Duke for a brief study/observation. We did something similar with Jackson. The students had called since last year, asking if I would participate so finally, I obliged. I regretted it on Monday morning as I was rushing to get out of the door to get to Durham on time. Sawyer is not a traveler and he took two naps that morning before we'd even left, which meant he was way off with his nap schedule. Those two things just made the situation a little more stressful. I still had not recuperated from the long vacation; I usually need a few days to unpack and to get back into the swing of things again.

Jackson still has about another week of summer break. We've been practicing math facts and reading. We've done less than I planned. We usually don't get back into the routine until the Tuesday after Labor Day and that's right around the corner. We're trying to make the most of the last days.

Everyday is fun to Sawyer. I doubt he worries about anything. If he's fed, rested, and changed, he's happy. He's especially happy if all of those needs are met and he's outside! He's mimicking a lot these days. We may not always understand him but he certainly knows what he's saying. He also does a lot of pointing so he really doesn't have to talk too much. Ha! He loves to look at pictures in board books but doesn't necessarily want us to read to him. His favorite book is one that belonged to Jackson, Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear. He gets this excited look on his face when I pull it out for nap and bed times. Also, Aunt Laura gave him this LeapPad toy frog that plays bedtime music. He loves the first song, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and even "sings" along. We are learning his likes and dislikes. Something we've known for awhile is that he REALLY likes tasting EVERYTHING! In the past seven days, he's eaten sand, chalk, mulch, potting soil, a birthday candle, crayons, and more chalk. He's certainly a typical toddler! We really try to keep things out of his mouth but it's inevitable.

The days are getting shorter and most schools are back in session as of today. I really hate to see summer come to an end. On the bright side, with Fall comes some of our favorite things such as football, cooler temperatures, and granddaddy's wonderful grapes. Yummm! There's always a silver lining.