Two wheelin’
Grayson decided Saturday morning that he wanted to ride without his training wheels. Yeah! The first step was to get him practicing on two-wheeled balance. This picture was our favorite. Check out that expression!
First days
Well, it finally happened. We drove to school yesterday morning and left BOTH boys there. Wow. They were so excited with their lunch boxes and back packs. In fact, Evan was so excited packing his lunch Tuesday morning, that he pretty much packed his lunch as well as Ben’s and Grayson’s! Wednesday morning, Grayson packed his own, thank you very much. 
They came home clamboring to be the first to tell me about their day. Evan said, “This was the best day of school ever!” Grayson couldn’t really tell me much about what they did, but he was feeling good and ready to go again the next day.
They decided on matching shirts at the last minute.
All loaded down and feeling good!
We tried to catch the expression, but couldn’t quite. Here we are almost to Grayson’s classroom and he was so excited!
Crepe Myrtle
The boys and I have been noticing the blossoming crepe myrtle trees around town and the different colors they display. After seeing some in a parking lot that were a beautiful shade of red, I said, “I think the dark red ones are my favorites!”
Grayson: I know which ones you should like the best.
Andrea: Which ones?
Grayson: The ones growing in your yard!
Andrea: You are so right.
Blueberries!
This past weekend, we drove up to Ashe County to our favorite patch to pick blueberries. It is a good drive from Winston, but also a good excuse to visit with family. My granny lives about five minutes away and we picnic with her after getting the berries and before driving home.
First picks
This year, we set up three square foot gardens. Two are 4X4 and one is 3X3. We planted some early seeds about a month ago: spinach, lettuce, carrots, chard and peas. This past Sunday night, we harvested our first baby spinach!!
Grayson has been keeping a close watch on these leaves and was convinced it was time to bring some in. We showed him how to pinch off the leaves, and he went right to work.
I was very excited that we would have such fresh leaves for our green breakfast smoothie the next morning.
Aren’t they beautiful? 
Five already?
It just doesn’t seem possible, but Grayson turned five a couple of weeks ago. He’ll be in kindergarten this fall! It seems like he has always been a part of our family. Here are some current highlights on our littlest one:
Favorite color: red
Favorite snack: apple slices with peanut butter
Spends time: building with legos, kapla blocks, Lincoln Logs, exploring EVERYTHING outside, gardening (even dries his own seeds and keeps them to plant!)
Favorite books: Franklin books and The Berenstein Bears
Often walks/skips when out and about. Likes to talk when Evan is trying to fall asleep at night and drive his older brother to distraction. Still shy enough to hide behind me when people we meet speak to him. Speaks in similies “I’m as full as a mouse!” Greets almost every breakfast smoothie with “This is the yummiest yummiest smoothie in the whole whole world!!”
Makes us smile…
Grayson always asks for a birthday cake and then doesn’t eat it. This go-around, he has a strawberry “cake” and he ate every single bite!
Grandma and Grandpa Robert got Grayson a lego pirate ship for his birthday! He was practically jumping off the walls in excitement. He has put more than half of it together himself, but now he is ready for some of his dad’s help.
My dad came with his family to visit us and to celebrate Grayson’s birthday! Here we are with his other grandsons Josh on the left and Brandon on the right. It was nice for everyone to have time to visit.
One gift that arrived in the mail and caused a lot of excitement was Grayson’s very own cookbook from his Aunt Katie. It is called Pretend Soup and is just right for a preschooler, with simple pictures showing each step. Our first choice was the oatmeal recipe. Yummy!
Hippie Day
The elementary school has been having spirit Fridays this month. Today is hippie day!
The Snow Child
Miss Julia to the Rescue: A Novel
The Dressmaker: A Novel
Anticancer
To Say Nothing of the Dog
The World Is Open: How Web Technology Is Revolutionizing Education
Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life
Simply Complexity: A Clear Guide to Complexity Theory
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