Silly, silly boys!

So I just gotta get this down, because I know there will be many days when I won't believe its possible, but last week the boys actually played-together-without-fighting!

It was FANTASTIC!

It didn't occur to me until I had finished making dinner and realized that I hadn't had to seperate/mediate/correct:) that whole time. Who knew...its actually possible they just might get along after all:)

They put each other "in jail":) The took some suspenders we happen to have and connected themselves together.

I heart this little boy!

I love that he's his own independent person and won't change for anyone. I love that his mood affects EVERYTHING in his world. If he's in a bad mood, regardless of what you ask him, the answer is "bad". And when he's in a good mood, the answer to those same questions is "good". I love that he will sit for HOURS on the couch with nothing but a couple of cars. And I love how much he wants to be just like his big brother. -He now has his own "work".

And I heart this one too!

N made a turtle in preschool and made himself a hat! I love seeing a new creativity come out of him through preschool. I love seeing his compassion for everyone around him. I love that he is addicted to Adventures in Odyssey and Legos. I love the hugs and snuggles he freely gives. And I love that when I'm in the shower after they go to bed he comes in to turn down my bed and leave an animal to keep me company (and I'll admit, I have a hard time handing out consequences for getting out of bed when he's handing out love:))

Visit to the big city

We just got back from a Family Fun day in the big city.

We did have a specific reason for going, but I'll get to that later.

We went the night before and stayed the night at a hotel. And let me tell you...one room for all of us was definitely harder than I thought it would be. By the time we got to the hotel, swam in the hot tub (the pool was like a giant container of refrigerated water...brrr!), showered and got them into bed, it was 10, waaaaay past normal bedtime.

After a long day and all that play in the pool, you would think they'd be out like little lights, right? Wrong! They talked and laughed for quite a while (with us in the next bed over trying to get them to stay quiet) And I think they tossed and turned all night. I was up every hour listening to them. Finally around 4:30, I heard B whisper/shout "I can't sweep!" We are definitely spoiled to all have our own rooms.

I went to help him out and found that N had rolled all the way over to his side of the bed and B had about 5 inches between the edge of the bed and N! No wonder he couldn't 'sweep'!

I don't think any of us slept after 4:30 so after some more tossing and turning, we finally threw in the towel and got up, had breakfast and made it out the door to our appointment.

Why is it that they can't ever give you a real smile?!?!?!

The reason for our visit was really to see a specialist for N. He has a lump on his ribs that our pediatrician was concerned about and because of its location near his lungs and heart, he sent us to a meta-skeletal specialist at a well known Children's hospital.

Thankfully, the news was good that there is nothing to be concerned about. Its just a bone growth in a very rare place and only needs to have it removed if it starts to bother him or make him self-conscious and only when he's much older. Praise God!!

So since we were already in the big city with almost a whole day in front of us, what did we do?

Have some fun, of course!

We went to the Children's Museum and discovered all kinds of new things. Like how to drive a train. B had so much fun driving, we had to pull him away to keep exploring.

Being sized for future race car driving...

Learning how hard it is to be a dinosaur.

Noah, how long do you have to sit on your eggs before they hatch?

Poor B's tail seems to be half his body weight...

But the best part of the trip was getting to see the "robot". They don't know about Transformers yet, but they still thought it was pretty cool.

What we've been doing....

So I've had these waiting to post since before Colorado, but as they are still relevant, I'm still gonna post 'em:) Oh, wait...Noah just told me that he wanted to show you these pics. Take it away, Noah!

Daddy and Mommy brought us back these chef hats. What do you think? I think I'll go make a omlet!

Don't worry. Even though Daddy and Mommy get tired of us fighting all the time, we still love each other.

Typical B. He's always taking my legos. I just hope he doesn't break them anymore.

This is Daddy's friends Jeep. Its cool and fast and has big tires.

Its even Red, my favorite color!

Its awfully boring to sleep the normal way. Gotta mix it up every now and then.

Mama says she's gotta get her snuggles in somehow...

Hey, look! Its Daddy and B. Mom? What are they doing?

Reporting for duty, Captain Mommy, sir!

Silly Bug glasses!!

Celebrating the end of summer

The boys and I have fallen in love with the beach this year. And so, to celebrate the end of summer, we decided one more trip was in order. So we invited some friends, packed up the van and headed off for some sun and sand.

B's ready to jump in!

The boys have discovered how to dig really big holes...lets just hope I can keep from falling into them!

At one point, I looked over to see this. I have no idea how he got the sand up there, but once he discovered it, there was much whining until it was off.

It started raining while we were eating lunch, so what better way to stay dry?

Eating ICE CREAM!

And to finish the day off, we took a walk on the pier. A little heart stopping for this Mama, I will admit, but the boys loved it. They got to be really close to the boats and loved waving to all the captains.

And I saw this pic and love how it shows these 2 are definitely brothers. Maybe not from the front, but definitely from the back!:)

Adventures in Fruit

What do you do when you have an adventureous friend, 4 boys and a love of fresh fruit?

Go for an adventure, of course!

45 minutes north of us, we've discovered this great orchard filled with all kinds of fruits you can pick, primarily peaches and apples.

So, we decided to pack those cuties up and pick to our hearts content.

And boy did we pick! We came away with (ahem) 100 pounds of peaches. And 100 pounds of apples. Yes. You read that right. But in our defense, 4 big buckets and 3 little buckets definitely didn't appear to hold that much. And yes, we've made a note for next year so we'll know not to pick that much. Unless of course, we go through it and get a case of amnesia next summer.

And so, my brave friend and I got to work. How often can you go straight to the fields (or orchards in this case), pick the fruit, prepare the fruit and can the fruit all in one day!?!?!

We did make some rookie mistakes that we've learned upon for next year, but all in all, I'm pretty proud of our new knowledge! And I do have to give my her most of the credit, since she spent the entire evening canning them all for us.

Some how, all these...

Became all of these!!!

Don't they look gorgeous? If you're ever in the neighborhood, stop on by!

Preschool!

Today was the first day of preschool. Wow. It really feels like I was just announcing that we had him and here it is, time for school to start.

People kept asking if I was going to cry but you know what? I think Noah is more than ready for this next chapter (he's really ready to start driving, if he could have his way:)) and I'm excited for him. They said he had a moment when he got pushed and started asking for me, but she said it didn't last long and was back to lovin' every minute.

Look out world because I'm not quite sure you understand whats about to hit you!!:)

Photo ops gone wrong

There's just something about trying to get 2 ACTIVE boys stopped, looking at the camera and smiling all at the same time. Thought you might enjoy seeing all the silly things these 2 do when I point a camera in their direction. (I think they're starting to do it on purpose!!)

Hey, N! The camera's this way.

The camera isn't going to be loud, B. I promise!

We just need 2 other people and we can complete the looking in all directions...

This one made me laugh. I often say that taking care of little kids is like herding cats...ain't gonna happen! (and yes, that is a whoppi cushion on my child's head)

Atleast this shows them doing something together...singing. Uncle Danny-look familiar?!?!?

And well, I thought it was just my own kids, but perhaps its the age:)

Colorado part 4...4 wheeling trip

One of the highlights of our trip for the boys is our trip to the mountains for some 4 wheelings. The weather proved to be gorgeous as normal and it was a very relaxing trip.

Its quite the feat to get 4 4-wheelers and 2 dirtbikes up in one load. But clever as ever, all those boys figured it out.

Isn't she a cutie! I really enjoyed getting to spend some quality time with her.

These 2 were so proud to be sitting up there, waiting to get going to the trails.

I'm one cool dude.

N rode almost the entire time with Poppi and LOVED it. I couldn't believe that Poppi could ride with Noah on some of the rockiest trails, but the harness we use for the boys are very helpful!

We went out on the trails on Wednesday as a whole family (minus Flip who had to work) and that was something we've never had a chance to do before. E spent the whole trip sandwiched between her parents and slept through the better part of the ride. N rode with Poppi, B rode with me and Lolli had her own 4-wheeler (I've never seen her drive on the trails before). He wasn't too fond of spending the trip with a HEAVY helmet on, taking the brunt of the wind and bumps on the front of my 4-wheeler. I think he was actually screaming for a whole hour of the trip.

We finally took his helmet off and he rode with Poppi while N rode with Daddy and that did the trick. Poppi said their ride together was great.

"Yeah, my Dad's pretty awesome"

We rode the same trail we rode last year, but we were finally able to complete the whole loop, which included a quick side trip to the Alpine tunnel and turntable. Its quite amazing that these men were able to accomplish so much with the resources available to them. The boys had fun walking the tracks and even getting to switch the tracks.

Someone I was talking to said they couldn't imagine why riding rocky terrain without being able to talk to each other seemed boring, but I say...How could you pass up these views? Creation at its best!

We had to take our annual stop for pie. Having all three kids along this time made it so much more fun.

The second day, Chicku decided she had had enough and would be staying back with Esha. BUt much to her chagrin, Esha insisted on riding again! Uncle Flip was able to join us and we had a great 1/2 day trip with the entire family. One of the highlights for the kids was being able to throw rocks into the lake. And man were there a lot of rocks right on hand!

Our second full day of riding was even better after making some much needed changes. We moved B in between Aaron and Lolli and he was so much happier. He slept more than 3/4 of the trip, but he was happy when he was awake. And I think Lolli enjoyed all the snuggle time:) And N even took a nap with Poppi on the dirt bike! I thought just riding with N was hard enough, but apparently, N wanted to test Poppi's skills!

Our last day is our relaxing day. We have to get out of the cabin, but after all the work of packing up, we get to spend some time in the pool. And the pool has a slide...kid paradise.

The rest of our trip was spent in a blur, trying to see everyone we could and packing up. But we were able to spend some couple time with our friends J & Mary. And let me tell you...if you ever have a chance to check out the Broadmoor's Sunday Brunch, I highly recommend it!

The trip home was uneventful (thankfully!!) and B even slept through most of the second flight. Which was a nice break for me to rest a bit before jumping back in to normal life.

Colorado is definitely a love our family shares. It helps that all of our family is there, we have tons of friends and extended family there, the mountains are there, the 4 wheelers are there, the dry air is there...

But we are also very thankful for the home God has provided for us here. While we LOVED our time visiting, we are thankful to be home.

And it took them all of 5 minutes home to fully acquaint themselves with their toys again!