Blackham Update (August 2006)

Well, summer is over ... school started today. I’m actually going to miss my boys, Landon and Callahan have both been big helpers lately.

We had a great summer, lots of family fun. July was really busy, in fact Gray only worked about 14 days the whole month, the rest he was with us.

• We camped over at Pineview reservoir and had a great day at the beach ~ Gray got very sunburned.
• Gray took off a couple days and went up to scout camp with Landon.
•  Mom and Dad invited our family out for a party at New Haven and the boys had a great time on the big, inflatable toys there.
• We went to Portland (already wrote about that)
• We went to Lagoon, camping over night in our trailer so we were there bright and early. We also escaped back to the trailer mid-day to cool down, nap and change (as the boys got soaked in the fountain). The boys had a blast, Landon is getting so big he and Daddy went on several of the biggest rides.
• The boys and I have gotten out swimming at Mom and Dad’s a few times. The bigger boys are little fish, loving staying in the water. Colton likes the water too, but Cooper ... “no swim!” I even got in a game of tennis with Dad ... he whomped me but it was a lot of fun!
• We went to the drive-in movie (Cars). Callahan fell asleep shortly after we got there, Keaton fell asleep too, Colton slept the whole time. Cooper did NOT sleep and was running around. I think Landon may have actually watched the show. Our car battery didn’t make it through the movie, but luckily we were able to get a jump and get home after the movie ended. 
• We made homemade icecream, (a first time for our family ... but not the last time). It was yummy and the boys thought it was great fun.
• Gray has resumed his “Daddy dates” with the boys where he takes them out one-on-one. It’s fun for Daddy and the boys. Gray and I have also been getting in quite a few dates together.

Colton is on the move, he has mastered crawling and climbing and is into everything, keeping Mommy hopping! He always pulls on the long phone cord in the kitchen, pulling it down (hasn’t hit himself on the head yet luckily). He loves all cords, always finding and pulling on any he can get his hands on. We’ve started closing the gate to keep him from falling down the stairs. Gray and I bought a high chair the other day (the old one broke) and it is much easier to feed him now without having to chase him around. He loves rice cereal, and peas ... getting used to the fruits, still likes Mommy milk.

Cooper has been very cute, talking more and more. I put on a Wiggles CD and he was singing along with the music. He’s also been carrying around a notebook and crayon and playing “Blue’s Clues” with himself and anyone else he can. He is very possessive of his toys and won’t let the baby touch anything that is his.

Keaton has a  favorite babysitter, one who knows how to play Gamecube with him (and get him further in his game). We actually had her over THREE times this last week, and Keaton asked yesterday “When can Madison babysit again?”

Callahan has been entranced by the Disney movie “High School Musical” which his Aunt Olivia game him for a gift (which was nice as he kept stealing my Ipod to watch it). The whole family actually sings along to it, and Daddy even does a silly dance that makes everyone laugh. Because there is basketball in the movie, Callahan’s resumed his interest in that as well, although he bemoans the fact that he isn’t very good (“I only made 10 baskets”) ... but he still wanted Daddy to come out and see his “skills” (a very Napoleon Dynamite statement).

In preparation for school, all the boys got haircuts (or short-cuts as we call them). Colton is now a bald little baby boy again. A few little neighbor boys have gotten similar cuts (one because his mom goofed and got it too short, and another because his brother tried being a hairstylist) and both families commented that their boys looked like a Blackham (but we have enough boys thank you).

We’ve all been sleeping in during the summer (well, not Gray of course, he’s up and at it really early every morning) so I wasn’t sure about how it would go on the first day of school. I went ahead and got up with Gray (around 5:30) and Landon popped up shortly after. Callahan rushed out of the room around 6:00 looking stressed saying he had forgotten it was a school day. I reassured him that he had plenty of time to get ready. Colton woke around 6:00 as well, but Landon watched him as I went down to work out. Keaton will start kindergarten next Monday.

Well that’s pretty much the going on at the Blackham house.  Hope all is well with all of you.

Jen and da boys