The Learning Family Summer Update!

Wow! It sure has been an exciting Summer around the Learn Mommy Learn house. As the heat started to rise in early June, the Learning Daddy and I finally tied the knot. That's right, after seven and a half years we finally married. Of course, we wanted Bug to play a large role in the festivities. We asked him to be our Ring Bearer, but he refused stating, "I already know how to be a ring bearer, so I don't have to practice anymore." Apparently, being part of my cousin's wedding last year was enough. We finally compromised on Bug being the "Ring Pilot." Instead of carrying a pillow down the aisle our little guy "flew" a hand painted, wooden airplane model for our guests to enjoy. He also insisted on carrying the real rings, so I placed them in a cute pouch and put them in his pocket right before the ceremony started. I just loved how proud he felt of himself for being well behaved and completing such an important role. We had a fabulous day and are enjoying married life.

Then, three weeks after our "I dos" another of my cousins was married to the love of his life. The Learning Daddy, Bug, and myself traveled to Kentucky for their nuptials and other family events. The wedding was held in the quaintest little church in a small town. The bride was as radiant on the outside as she is on the inside, and I am so delighted she is officially part of our extended family now. The reception was enjoyed by all and Bug had a particularly  wonderful time on the dance floor. The food was simple yet wonderfully tasty. I must have eaten three full plates by the time we called it a night.

Having Fun In The Photo Booth At The Reception

While in Kentucky for the wedding my parents took us on a quick train ride through the country side. Bug had never been on a real train before so this was a special treat. We drove to a nearby town (there may or may not have been a stop light there) where we bored the train and rode(very, very slowly) for about twenty minutes.
The first portion of the ride ended at a gas station/  convenience store where Bug, Grandpa, and I exited the train to pick up a few drinks and snacks... and ice cream bars, of course. During the return trip to the station we were amazed to see a  mother deer and her fawn running through an open field. It was a breathtaking site and a wonderful adventure overall.

Bug With His Finished Diorama 

Throughout the warm Summer months we have also enjoyed a number of cool activities indoors. Some of Bug's favorites were our near weekly (sometimes twice per week) visits to our local libraries for special events. We have two libraries we just love, so we try to get to both as often as possible. Bug participated in the nation wide Summer Reading Program and completed his readings logs at BOTH libraries. I was so proud of how much we read in just a few months, and how much he has retained from that reading. The free programs we attended included a reptile show in which Bug was able to pet various animals, a juggling performance, two magic shows, a drum concert and interaction, and many more. Bug even participated in a Lego exhibition for which he constructed a little Lego neighborhood. The turn out for the exhibition was higher than anyone expected, but Bug patiently explained his exhibit each time someone stopped by his table. He did a fantastic job and received so many compliments. He also made a night themed diorama for another library exhibition. Unfortunately, there was only one other participant. His diorama was fantastic and I was so, SO PROUD of all of his hard work! As the weather cools you will still be able to find us exploring the stacks of books and enjoying weekly story times.


Not only did we enjoy programs at the library, but we were inspired by the programs as well. We saw a turtle at the reptile show which gave us the idea to keep a wild turtle we found in our driveway as a pet. Of course, we were very cautious when handling the animal and researched what to feed the particular species. Who knew turtles like bananas? He also enjoyed munching on the meal worms we offered him. He was of course a wild animal and needed to be returned to his habitat. So after a week or so we gave him a full belly of food, then gentle released him in an area of our yard with good ground cover and water access. Learning about the turtle first hand was such a rewarding experience for all of us, and we hope to see more turtles around the neighborhood soon.

Saying Good Bye To The Turtle

The Lego exhibition prompted us to take a day trip to the Legoland Discovery Center in Atlanta. We learned how Legos are formed, worked on fine motor skills while building a Lego car to race, talked about textures and colors, and had an all around fun time.

LegoLand Discovery Center 

On 1st  With Freddie Freeman

 Baseball has also played a large role in our Summer activities. As season   ticket holders we are lucky to attend many, many Atlanta Braves home games during the Spring and Summer (and hopefully post season in the Fall). The Learning Daddy enjoys watching the games and the general camaraderie. Bug cares more about playing in the kids area at the stadium and seeing the "big boys" play. I just like getting outside and enjoying the fresh air in a relaxed environment.

Candy From Eddie Perez

Because of the location of our seats (we totally lucked out picking the best section) Bug has grown up thinking of the relief pitchers and bullpen staff as his buddies. Many of the  staff members have been around since before Bug was born, and a number of the players have been in the bullpen for a number of seasons now. Each game we are greeted by the guys in the bullpen as we take our seats, and I don't know if we have every had a game during which Bug was not given candy, treats, practice or homerun balls, etc. He is one loved, and very spoiled little boy.



Because he has always been around professional baseball (the first time I felt him kick while I was pregnant was actually at a Braves game) he has  gained a true love of the sport. He began playing tee ball in the Spring and enjoyed it very much. After a short Summer break he began Fall ball and is loving practices so far. The Learning Daddy even helps out the team during practices. My guys love sharing those times together. What wonderful memories they are making!

Bug filled the rest of the Summer with playing in the yard, making forts in the house, arts and crafts, sleeping in a tent in his room, growing a garden with mommy and daddy, playing with our dogs, swimming at a friend's house (Bug learned to swim!!!), lots of play dates, spending as much time with Big Brother as possible, and much, much more.

 Pretending To Be Dinosaurs

Along with our wedding we experienced one other major milestone in the family this Summer. Big Brother started college! After taking a year to decide if or where he would continue his education, Bug's half-brother (okay, he is of course a full brother in our hearts...I'm just not willing to claim to be old enough to have a child in college..COLLEGE!!!) decide to enroll at a small school located a few hours from our home, and just less than an hours drive from his mother. We are all very proud of him and I was honored to help him shop for his dorm room supplies and get him situated on move-in day. It was my first real chance to actually play a parental role as an actual step-parent. :-) Obviously, the Learning Daddy is one proud papa, but lets just say he is having a hard time believing his first born is already so grown up. We miss having Brother (yes, Bug actually calls him "Brother") at home everyday and Bug asks to visit him often. However, the busy college student is doing a pretty good job calling to talk to the little one on the phone and keeping us updated on what he is up too. I will say this though, I finally can keep clean plates and forks available. It always amazes me how much Brother can eat, and all of those dirty dishes just wouldn't fit in the dish washer at one time. :-)

Big Brother's Dorm Move-In Day

Well, that about sums it up. The Summer is coming to an end in just a few weeks and we are looking forward to the rest of the year. Of course, there were a few things we missed out on this Summer. Another one of my cousins was married in August, and unfortunately I was not comfortable making the trip alone with Bug  as the Learning Daddy had just begun a new position in his company and was not able to get away. The pictures I saw were amazing though, and we are so happy for the newly weds. If you are keeping track, that makes three cousins married in eight weeks. I wonder who will be getting engaged next ??? (Hint, Hint Learning Uncle!) There were also a few attractions I wanted to get to that just never seemed to work out. And what happened to that weekend beach trip?

However, we have one last hurrah planned before the Fall officially arrives. Our honeymoon! We decided to wait until after all of the craziness of the Summer to take our celebratory trip. And, we figure if you have a child before the wedding he deserves to celebrate in a special way too. So, the three of us will be setting sail on a Disney Cruise in just a number of days. We are very excited for the trip and I can't wait to tell you all about our Caribbean adventures.

Thank you for taking the time to catch up with the Learn Mommy Learn family. I will be back soon with some fun and simple ideas for learning with Disney. Enjoy the last few weeks of Summer, and as always HAPPY LEARNING!!!