What we've been up to.

Summer break isn't even officially here yet, but the kids and I have already started having a blast. Well....we always have fun, but we've kicked it up a notch.

We drained our 55 gallon fish aquarium and turned it into a big hermit crab habitat. The kids and I spent about a week reading alot about hermit crabs and their needs. They drew out pictures and wrote out plans for what our hermit crab home would need. We filled the bottom of the aquarium with a few inches of sand and have lots of climbing rocks, coconut caves, shells, pools, tunnels, sticks, etc. arranged into a neat little village. First we let them each pick out one crab. They named these first 3: Cool Dude, James, and Polk-a-dots. The next week we took them and let them each pick out one more. These are named: Rock, Jaguar, and No Name. So our population is up to 6. We plan to eventually have many more. The kids are having so much fun with this and you couldn't ask for an easier pet!

We have also started reading "The Indian in the Cupboard" (the original). They have really gotten into the book. I love to see Harry (as young as he is) sitting so still just soaking in the story. You can tell he is picturing it in his head. We read a chapter every night. Every night they beg for more. A couple of nights ago we stayed up late and sat on the porch swing reading. We read 3 chapters and then chased lightening bugs around the yard.

This evening we went to a cookout at our neighbors' house. The kids enjoyed running around outside with the other kids in the neighborhood. Harrison is still complaining of being tired alot (which worries me) and today he had a temp. of 99.6 (which I hope doesn't mean he is going to start spiking up high temps again.)

Owen turned 8 months old today. He cut one tooth this week (his first!) and is working on another one. Today he pulled himself to a standing position for the first time. I have no memory of when the other kids did this, but I don't think I'll forget his first time. I was folding towels at the dining room table and he was sitting by his shelf of toy bins by the table. I glanced over and thought "he's pulling up on those" and then I realized he was standing. I said "OWEN! YOU'RE STANDING!!!" and then he fell backwards and I caught him just in time. He looked at me like, "what just happened!?"
He has been having such a hard time sleeping lately. Part of it is the teething and part of it is that he is so close to crawling. He just wants to practice moving around all the time. It wakes him up.

Tommorrow we are going to a cook out at my mom and dad's. The kids are excited. We haven't been to their house since I was pregnant with Owen. Then the next day they are back at school for their last full week.