More Summer Fun........

Joshua, Luke & Grandma Nichols

Dear Joshua and Luke,

Summer has been so much fun! The best news is that Grandma Nichols is feeling better each day. Thank goodness. She is home, and back to her apartment and all of her friends. During one of the visits to her in the rehab center, we went to the lunchroom with her. Not surprisingly, Joshua immediately spotted a piano. Daddy got permission for him to play, and the audience loved it! He played several rounds of Love Somebody and Red Balloons. He also played the Star Wars theme song which he mostly learned to play by himself, with a little help from his cousin, Ethan. These are the first songs he has learned to play with two hands. We are so proud of his interest and talent with piano. It is difficult to get him to practice sometimes, but he loves to play the piano most of the time. I think there is an upgraded piano in his future. Not the baby grand piano that he has been asking for, but something bigger and better.

Grammy, Joshua, & Luke at the Amtrak Train Depot

Last week both boys finally got their birthday presents from Grammy and Papa. While you may be thinking, it was a really late present for Luke who turned 4 in March, it was actually very good timing. Luke and Joshua both got an IOU for an Amtrak ride to Chicago with Grammy. Your day started at 4:15 am in order to pick up Grammy and make it to the train station by your 7:15 am departure time. You had lunch in Chicago, a fun afternoon at the Lincoln Park Zoo, dinner in the train car, and a 10:30 pm arrival time back. And you got to visit with Uncle Jose, too. What a fun day for all of you. I know that neither of you will forget this birthday present firm Grammy and Papa. It was very special for both of you.

Uncle Jose, Daddy, Dakota, Joshua, & Luke
at the Lincoln Park Zoo

You have been having playmates, and swimming most every day at the pool. I am amazed at your pool skills. You both have grown so much with swimming this year.

Lunch at Fitz's after a check up with the
allergist and pulmonologist!

A funny Luke story of the week: I was getting after Luke a little seriously because he was not helping to pick up toys in the loft. So.....Luke looks at me very seriously, and says, "Mom, would you be wanting to do all this if you were a kid?". In which I promptly replied that if I was a kid, I would not have gotten the help that he is getting to pick up the toys! Yes, he got a little reaction out of me! What a turkey! I did laugh later on as I was retelling the story to Eric. Gotta love these boys!

I love you both to the moon and back and back again.

Love,

Mama