Daddy's Boy

Thane has also grown up quite a bit over the past summer.  The biggest breakthrough was that he finally decided that moving into a big boy bed (and staying in it!!) was infinitely better than getting punished for escaping out of it over and over and over and over and over and, well, you get the picture!  The entire family is breathing one big, collective sigh of relief now that bedtime is a lot less dramatic.  

So, with that under our belts, we decided it was time to let Thane enjoy some big boy activities, like watching the fireworks.  We're not quite sure which was more entertaining - the pyrotechnic display or Thane's roars of delight. 

Like Annabel, Thane also took swimming lessons this past summer - only he got to be in the "Pollywog" class, which meant that I, too, got the privilege of being a (decidedly LARGE) pollywog.   Thane adored swimming, but his patience at having to stay close to his Mom and not dive off the deep end of the pool wore off somewhere around the second half of the first lesson.  You should have seen the look of relief on our swimming instructor's face when Thane passed and she discovered she would not be teaching him next summer!

Now that fall is here, Thane is starting another first:  hunting and fishing with Daddy.  While too young to do the actual hunting, Thane is THRILLED to be heading up the mountain or down to the lake with the other men.  He faithfully practices "bow hunting" (hey, his technic may be found wanting, but his enthusiasm knows no bounds),

and he actually helped spot one of the grouse Jordan shot on his second hunting trip of the season.

 

I used the grouse to make a nice, warm chili for dinner the following evening. For once, I didn't have to coax either one of the kids to finish their dinner.  That's what I'd call success all around!