An Escapee, and trying to beat the heat

I was at Target yesterday (of course) and Dave texted me with, "Guess who can get out of the crib?" Yep, Ben went overboard during nap time yesterday. He is ok, but he was pretty scared-- so was I! Mairead is still in a crib at almost 3 years old and has never tried to escape. 15 months, and Ben hit the deck. Dave was listening on the monitor when he heard a loud 'thump,' so he ran upstairs to find Ben toddling toward him with a very scared look on his face. We are lucky that he wasn't hurt-- I really can't believe he did it. I mean, I knew he would do it, I just didn't think he would do it at this age!

Dave took the boys out immediately after naps to invest in a crib tent for the little devil. Dave has been great about caring for the kids, taking them for walks, and taking them on little outings. I love having him home with us! The kids definitely do, too. The only problem is that now the twins have realized that we could go someplace if we wanted, so they are constantly pointing out the windows or turning the doorknob saying, "more bye-bye, go bye bye," in hopes of heading out.


Mairead had hippotherapy on Wednesday and loved it. She really does well and even put her helmet away when she was done. What a good kid!

On Monday, it was 94 degrees, humid, and thunderstorms threatened all day... not a good weather forecast when you have three toddlers and no central air. So, we planned a little trip to the mall. We had lunch there, walked around, looked at the animals in the pet store, and went to the indoor play area that they have. It's just a small little area with some climbing structures, tunnels, ect, and it is designed just for the little ones. They all loved it!

We did have one incident-- an adorable little girl about two years old ran over to Ben and hugged him with all her might. It looked more like she was tackling him and they both fell to the ground with her on top of him. He was scared, but he was ok. The little girl's mom told her to be gentle so she later came back and petted Ben on the head. I guess he is just irresistible.

We headed home just in time for naps (the kids have a/c in their bedrooms), so we were able to keep cool pretty much all day!

These are all cell-phone pictures so they are not that clear.

One last one of Mairead on the horse.

She has been making some amazing strides lately, not the least of which is being able to say, "I love you" in return when we say it to her at night. I can't tell you how much this means to me-- we have been waiting a long time for those three little words!

She is also asking more specifically for what she wants, and letting us know if she is hungry or cold- this is new for her. If we ask, "Who lives in the purple house?" she can tell us. Her therapists have commented that lately some things just seem to be clicking for her, which is awesome. I just wish that all of these amazing services did not have to end when she turns 3.

The boys are doing really well, too. They are saying new words and trying to color and do puzzles. They are also into climbing. Everything. All the time. It's a good thing Dave is home because we have to be super vigilant with them. I know everyone says it, but right now, they really ARE double trouble!