Rock and the 2 "V's"

2 things Rock is not easy going about:

1.  The Vacuum.  It is his pet.  I am not allowed to have a turn.  If I get it out, and he sees it -- he will not let me turn it off, nor will he allow me to use it the way I need to.  He is pretty helpful and vaccuums for a little while, then he will just sit by it lovingly with it roaring next to him.  When I finally put it away (in my mind I can just see our electric meter dial spinning wildly!), he cries and cries! 

2.  The Violin.  If it is time for Elle to play the violin, he comes in a hurry proclaiming with all the energy of body and voice: "my turn! my turn!"  He points under his chin for where I need to put it.  I usually let him try it.  I help him hold it and he actually makes a decent sound!  I get tired of it long before he does.  In fact I have never been able to stand there and hold it long enough... he still wants to play when I am ready to put it away.  The other day, I was busy with Elle and didn't get to him.  He took matters into his own hands.  After we put the violin away, I heard it again somewhere in the house -- I followed the sound and found him on the couch playing it.  Vivaldi in the making?

September.

September.  Some of you may be slipping slowly into that savory season of fall.  But here in Houston, it is still hot-as-heck-fire-summer. 
We are still wading through boxes, and I don't see the end in sight.  But I am just hoping that I can finish the nest before I get too big to nest anymore!  I am filling out into a glorious basketball figure -- and I don't mean as in fitness like an NBA star.  My profile is starting to inspire those great comments from total strangers like:  "Wow!  You sure are cute!"  hmmmmm.  Or "Aren't you just a cute little basketball."  hmmmmm.  I appreciate the old-college-try at a compliment, but I'm pretty sure they are just covering their **gasp**.  Nathan keeps it real: "Man, you look tired."  ummm..... still 9+ weeks left to really fill out.
We like the new house and the very friendly neighbors/neighborhood. 
We love going to the pool through the gate in our backyard fence.
Nathan likes work -- and that says a lot considering how much he is there!  He works hard and long.

First day of school

Elle started school and got glasses!  She loves being in school, making new friends.  She is a brave girl.  She has turned into quite a book worm -- which I love seeing.

Ava will start preschool pretty soon(just 2 days a week)  -- not soon enough for her.  She is always saying "I'm BORED!" 
But we also have lots of funny/fun conversations -- Just this morning she says to me:
Ava: "I just like to smell like clean air, but other people in my family don't smell like that."
Amy: "Oh?  What do I smell like?"
Ava: "Well, you smell like clean air, and dad does, but Elle doesn't."
Amy: "Even after her shower last night?  What does she smell like?"
Ava: "A skunk."
In Elle's defense -- I don't think she smells like a skunk.  But the earnestness of Ava's conversation cracked me up.  I don't know where she gets these little ideas.

Ava and Rock have a lot of time together now.  One of Ava's favorite games to play with him is to ask him questions.  He usually answers happily "uh-huh!" to anything she says.
One day she laughed and laughed because her conversation went like this.
Ava: "Are you a cutie?"
Rock: "Uh-huh!"
Ava: "Are you nice?"
Rock: "Uh-huh!"
Ava: "Are you a chubby?"
Rock: "Uh-huh!"
Ava: "Are you funny?"
Rock: "Uh-huh!"
Ava:  "Do you like blueberries?"
Rock: "Uh-huh!"
Ava -- running out of questions.  Thinks for a second... "Will you be my husband?"
Rock: "No."
Ava laughed herself sick. 

Elle's new glasses which she picked out all by herself, and she found Ava some as well and made her a little case for them since she didn't want Ava to feel sad about not having glasses like her. 

Rock is enough to keep both my hands busy, and my feet in a constant dance.  Yesterday he dumped his water on the floor just to see the splash... while I'm bent over cleaning that up, he walks easily into the kitchen reaches up on the counter to a measuring cup I had just filled with flour and poured that on the floor.  As I swept that up I notice he is heading in for some books -- "Good" I say to myself, "maybe that will keep him busy for a second".  As I'm pouring the flour into the garbage I hear "rrrrrippppp!"  Yep.  He took a few precious pages out in that one second.  Good thing he is so darn cute.  The other morning I heard him singing a duet (High School Musical song "Breakin' Free") with Elle in the Bathroom while she was doing her hair.  He was right there with her... he seriously knows the words (well, the vowels) and tune... and I just stood in the hallway with a huge smile on my face.

So here are a few photos from the past few weeks -- mostly just of the kids doing what they do.  And one of the new house.