GRIFFIN AT 7 MONTHS

Griffin is now 7 months old and doing great. Not much has changed. He is still not crawling or mobile much. He likes to sit up and is very stable but other than that just lays around on his back which is fine by him. He is still super happy and enjoying his new nanny, Rebeca Cantu, who started in early August when Shauna left for law school. Through a random turn of events, it turned out for both of us to be a good deal for her to move in. So she is now our live-in nanny! It's an adjustment for everyone but going really well. She took our old room after we moved in the new addition and Griffin finally got to take over the guest room and make it his own. So Griffin is home with Rebeca full time and, as of late August, Cal is back to full time day care at My Friend's House (NW Hills Methodist church down the street). It is super convenient and a much smaller program than his old school so we love it. He is still adjusting to all the new faces & places but doing well. We have several good friends with kids in his class which is comforting. So far, so good. We'll keep you posted!

THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH

It's official. We are suckers. The circus came to town at the end of the summer so we bit the bullet and took the boys, not knowing if they would enjoy it or make us really regret the money we spent on tickets. We got lucky and both of them had a ball and were thoroughly entertained the entire time except for the clown skits which Cal had no patience for. So we took a quick break and walked around in the lobby and rode the escalators - "AWESOME, MOMMY!" Here are a couple of video clips that will warm your heart (as much as trained/caged elephants and tigers can....).

MORE VACATION PHOTOS & VIDEO

Cool "feed the dolphin" video here...

WHAT I DID ON MY SUMMER VACATION

Before summer was over, we hit the road to San Antonio for a fiesta. We hit all the highlights - the Alamo, Riverwalk boat tour, Sea World and the Zoo. We also stayed at a hotel that Cal thought was "so fancy!" - the Emily Morgan. Cal loves the new DVD player in dad's car and mom and dad love the headphones which save them from a special form of 101 Dalmations insanity.

BOYS WILL BE BOYS

I'm not sure what else to call these photos and videos but it's a pretty good snapshot of what life is like for Griff and Cal these days. Cal is 25 months and Griff is 7 months old. They absolutely adore each other but it is a daily struggle to prevent Cal from (unintentionally) expressing his love in the form of ripping Griffin's head off. In case you didn't know, the best way to carry a baby is by the ears.

SHAUNA's LAST DAY

All good things must come to an end and the same is true for the summer of Shauna. Our second nanny left us for law school in early August. She deserves the nanny of the year award if there is one. She endured the summer of Cal going to school part-time (which we all agreed by the end was probably not the best use of Cal's energy...) and the final stage of construction on the addition at our house. What a nightmare. She managed to keep Griffin on schedule, well-rested (easier said than done) and fed and Cal entertained & alive, which is all we can really ask at this point. We tried to talk her out of law school and Lubbock (!) but she left any way. Thank you, Shauna, for taking such good care of our boys. Also some good ol' end of summer, fun in the sun photos included here and a great video of Griffin trying to snag Cal's food.