Antietam

Last fall we went to Gettysburg. This year we went to Antietam. Antietam was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after twelve hours of combat on September 17, 1862. The Battle of Antietam ended the Confederate Army's first Northern invasion and led to Abraham Lincoln's issuance of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.

My experience, and I've been to WWI battlegrounds in Europe as well as a few Civil War battlegrounds in United States, is that the battlefields are strangely peaceful, beautiful, and still, sometimes eerily so. Antietam was no exception.

We visited Antietam at approximately the same time of year as when the battle took place. We learned how some of the fighting took place in the corn fields that were fully grown and almost ready to harvest.

Beckett is walking away from Dunker Church. It was surrounded by a large group of Confederate soldiers.

Near the battlefield is Mumma Cemetery. The first person to be buried here died in 1797.

This path is known as the Bloody Lane Trail.

Antietam has a really cool observation tower.

This is how Beckett smiles now. Yeah, we've reached the goofy-fake-smile milestone.

We got out of the car and took a little walk when we reached the Lower Bridge, otherwise known as Burnside Bridge.

This is where General Burnside's troops fought. (Yes, he's the man to whom we owe the term sideburn. Do you want to see why?)

Battlegrounds like Gettysburg and Antietam are nice to visit with a young family like ours because most of the touring can take place in your car. You can drive to the sites and then get out and do a little walk when you want to. We walked over Burnside bridge.

It was a little rainy. Beckett liked using the umbrella.

We took some pictures by the wildflowers.

Here's the site of the final attack.

Our last stop was at the Antietam National Cemetery.

More Ocean {City}

We made one more trip to the beach before the end of the summer. It was a trip of highs and lows.

The view from our balcony.

The first day it rained for most of the day. See that picture above? There are no people on the beach because it was raining. And this was not just some little drizzle; it was major thunder and lightning that shut down all the outdoor attractions and pools.

So, we went to the boardwalk and did the indoor rides. Why is it so fun to put your child on rides? We had such a good time. Beckett got to ride a little train, a car, a boat, and the carousel.

Beckett really, really wanted to ride the adult bumper cars. When he found out he was way too little he wept.

 I really loved the carousel. The animals were so interesting and gorgeous. Beckett rode a cat.

 

 Felix watched Beckett ride the rides.

The next day the sun came out, and it was a perfect day at the beach. The last time we went to the beach Beckett couldn't get enough. "More ocean." This time, bizarrely, he wanted very little to do with the beach. He didn't want to touch the sand. He didn't want to touch the water. He wanted to go back to the hotel and "get dry." (translation: remove all the sand from his skin.) Here he is running back to the hotel. The whims of a three-year-old?

In order to get him to stay on the beach (and not run back tot he hotel), we had to give him the iPad. How sad is that? We must have looked like the lamest parents in the world, but it was either iPading on the beach or running, screaming back to the hotel.

After lunch Beckett perked up and started having fun. We brought out a couple cars, and he drove them around the sand. We built a lot of sand castles (some with tunnels) and dug deep holes and watched them get swept away by the water. We played all afternoon in the sand and then went swimming in the hotel's pool. So, I think, in the end, the beach regained its charm.

Preschool

Beckett's going to preschool this year! When I registered him for his little preschool in February it seemed so far away, and I couldn't imagine that he'd be ready, but by the time preschool started we (he and I both) were definitely ready.

 First day of school shots

 Backpack modeling

Circle Time

Playground time

Beckett doesn't seem to being having much difficultly adjusting to the preschool. On the mornings he goes he runs right in and says, "bye mom. bye mom." He can't get rid of me fast enough.

It was my turn to help at the school on Friday, and I had such a good time. Beckett's in a class with a whole bunch of really cute kids. The teachers are lots of fun, and the classroom is so cute. I'm really pleased with my choice of preschools. I think that Beckett is going to have a great year. They have lots of fun activities to do, and he's learning to follow directions.

Yesterday they talked about families at preschool, so on the way home Beckett and I were talking about our family. I asked him who was the smallest and the biggest. Then I asked him what all the members of our family like to do:

Me: "Beckett, what does Daddy like to do?"
B: "Daddy likes to play parachute with Felix and Beckett."
Me: "What does Mommy like to do?" 
B: "Um... um.... um... Mommy likes to take a shower."

Showing me his art project. They do an art project at school everyday. What will I do with them all?

I think it's going to be a great school year.

Half A Year

Felix is 6 months old. It doesn't seem possible that he is already that old, but at the same time it feels like he's been around for a long time.

Felix is a big boy. He weighs 19 pounds. I think I tell him, "Felix, you are so heavy" everyday. He's a lot to lug around.

At 6 months Felix is a lot of fun. I think the most exciting development is that he can sit all by himself! I feel like he's a pretty young sitter. Beckett couldn't sit this young. Felix and I practiced regularly until he could do it on his own. The other night he wowed all the neighbors at the park with his sitting skills. He still has daily crashes, so he is often surrounded by pillows. Sitting gives Felix more playtime options.

Felix is also eating baby food. He is not very good at it. He isn't really grasping the fact that if you want to eat food you have to open your mouth.

Felix can sleep for a really long time. We've had a couple of nights where he's slept from 9pm to 5am or 9pm to 6am and even 9pm to 7:30am. We also have plenty of nights where Felix wakes up at 1am. (Hopefully those are getting fewer.) Felix tends to be an early riser, especially if he skips the 1am feeding. When he sleeps all night and wakes up at 6am (or 5am), he is up for the day. This picture is from the one time that he fell asleep on the floor in the wee hours of the morning.

 Felix is celebrating Halloween a little early. I guess that's what happens when you wear hand-me-downs.

Felix has two teeth, and he's had those two teeth for quite awhile, over a month. We brought the teeth home with us from Colorado.

Beckett is crazy about his brother. He tells me all the time that he is going to play with Felix. The boys play a game they call parachute. It involves Nate floating a sheet over their heads. The other night Felix and I were at the grocery store, and when we got home Beckett came tearing down the stairs to get Felix so that he could play too. He says, "Fegitx wants to play parachute, and Beckett wants to play parachute too!" The other day when I picked Beckett up from school, he said, "hi mom. hi mom," and then came running over to Felix's stroller. He got down on his knees and said, "Oh, baby Fegitx. You're the cutest baby."

Felix continues to be the smiliest baby. Everywhere we go people comment on how smiley and friendly he is. Felix loves people. I think he'd be happiest if I always had a whole bunch of friends over. He loves church because there are so many people to talk to him.

Family Photos

While we were in Colorado, we did mini-photo shoot with my family. Perhaps this is becoming traditional?

Here are my favorites:

 The Whole Crew

The Stephens

 The Gillespies

 The Funks

The Boys

(this picture is so funny)

 

Grammy and Grandpa with Beckett and Felix

The Grandparents and Grandkids

 

All of us who lived in this house.

And with this post, my vacation posts are officially complete. You will now be subjected to things like B's first day of preschool and Felix's half-birthday.