Saturday Squirt Guns & Picnic

Fun at the Park

The weather has been so good lately we've spent a lot of time at the park! The kids are loving the fact that it's finally summer around here!

Itty Bitty Soccer--Videos

This is his "cool new thumbs up" ;-)


This video shows how he spends some of his time on the field...cloud watching, wandering, and cheering along the others from afar or running along side them! Not exactly a MVP but definitely a good sport!


Here's the big guy actually getting in on some action!

Itty Bitty Soccer--Spring Season 2010

This boy is so funny at soccer. He has a GREAT time...but he rarely ever contributes to the game!! He gets his turn to kick the ball in, and he splits the rest of his time on the field running with the pack, taking a kick at the ball here and there and being the social butterfly and gazing at the clouds! He has learned a lot about teamwork, taking turns, following his coach's instructions, and playing kindly with others and that is exactly why we enrolled him in the program!! He is so excited to be out there that he gives the thumbs up for EVERYTHING and giving everybody a high five for every goal that is made...even when it's the other team!

An Afternoon at the Lake

Summer Buzz Cuts

Well, we've done it. We've buzzed the boys for the summer! I was hesitant about doing Sammy's, but Ryan put his foot down. I do like it, but I really hope his wavy locks do come back in the fall!! It will make haircuts easier this summer and the boys like the feel of it. They just look soooooo grown up now--when did my babies grow up so fast???





Oh, and here's a recap on the germies around here. Ryan is fully recovered and feeling fine. Alex is also fully recovered and (though he threw up 20 times last week) he is asking for food every 30 min so we know he is back to normal!! I thought that I might be catching the respiratory part of the virus a few days ago, but Praise God it seems to be skimming over me. Sam got pretty bad last Saturday and is still dealing with the cough, though he's not letting it bother him too very much. He is on antibiotics and a nebulizer breathing treatment 3 times a day and that is really helping him. Thanks for your prayers, we seem to be finally getting better!

Germies Again

Well, folks, somehow we caught the flu bug again. This time it started with a bad cough and ended in throwing up. It has been exhausting, but we are hoping that we are coming to the end of it. Alex has been sick the longest and the hardest, since 5am Saturday morning. Ryan has had it pretty bad too, and Sam just a touch. Praise the Lord I have not felt even the slightest bit ill--somebody has to hold down the fort around here! If you think of us, we could use a little more prayer that this would pass quickly and all would be feeling well again!

So there's been a lot of sleeping (forgive the ugly couches--the covers are in the wash--you can guess why!).

and resting...

and resting...

and chillin' on the couch...

or anywhere else that feels comfy!

Itty Bitty Soccer--Spring Season

Here's a pic Ryan took on his phone tonight of Alex at soccer practice. He was so excited about his new soccer shirt and his shin guards and had a really fun time at the practice. Looks like he has a better chance of actually kicking the ball during a game this year as he had a great practice tonight!! More pics to come later!

Our New (to us) Family Hauler!

We are so excited to be the owners of this 2007 Chevy Uplander. Considering our old paint-chipped Lumina that we drove (and it served us well) for over 8 years, you know what a step up this is for us! We needed a minivan for our growing family, and God has provided again!
We like that this van has more of an SUV look to it. (and I love the color)

It's nice to be so high up, too!

This is the view I will have as I reach back to break up fights and pick up thrown sippy cups!

Alex knows that when baby comes his seat will be moved to the back row "where big boys sit" so he wanted his picture taken back there!

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We like that this van has more of an SUV look to it. (and I love the color)

The front dash. I finally have a CD player. Welcome to the modern world, I guess!

Yep, we're family haulin' now!

Our First Morning Back at the Park!

Our First Niece!!

Penelope Rose is Here!!!

Just want to tell Matt & Amy congrats from the whole fam on the birth of their little Penny this morning, March 18th, at 6:30am. She is 8lbs 13oz and 20in long. I heard she was nice to her Mommy and only took about 5 hours of labor to make her appearance! We are all so excited to have her in the family and love her to pieces already!! Alex saw her picture and said, "She's So Cute!" Well that about sums it up!

Stuff....

Here's a clip of a typical family playtime around our house!
This is from about a month ago, so Sam has a lot more words he can say, and does say mommy more now, thankfully.

Hang Time with Daddy

Daddy is our favorite dude around here! We're all missing him today because he is on a trip with the school and left before the boys got up (I got up and saw him off at 4:45am but went back to bed directly!!) and won't be home until after they are in bed. Here's a few fun facts about daddy around here!
1. If Ryan comes home and does not acknowledge Sam's presence within the first few seconds the little guy gets really offended! He wants Daddy to come right to him and play!!
2. Both boys have started a little ritual when Ryan leaves for work of walking him to the back door and standing there waving, yelling bye, and blowing kisses until he is out of sight. It's really cute.
3. Alex rarely refers to Ryan as just "Daddy" anymore when he's not in his presence--it's "MY Daddy." Especially if he's mad at me or gets into trouble (I know shocking!) he will say, "I want my daddy!" Or he'll tell me, "I miss my daddy at work!"

The Children's Museum

This winter one of the best things that happened to us was being pointed in the direction of the small children's museum in town. And when I say small...I'm talking itty bitty. But, it is packed with stuff the kids love and has really helped us with this ginormous bout of Cabin Fever that has settled in!! The boys' fave things to do at the CM are: the Thomas Trains, of course, the little grocery store, the keyboard, the face paints (just recently Alex got brave enough to let me do his face like Bolt--or a version thereof...Sam is still opposed), the dinosaur landscape, and the puzzles/brain games they have. I purchased a membership for us last fall and we have probably gone 10+ times since then, so we definitely got our money's worth! The kids love it and you would be amazed at how fast the toys get cleaned up when I say we can go to the CM as soon as the house is tidy!! Here are some pics from one of our last outings to the CM.

Stories...

A few Alex quotes of late:
--When naming some of his dinosaurs he told me his scariest one was named "Mommy!"
--Yesterday out of the blue Alex said, "Mommy, today is I Love Mommy Day!"
--When sitting on my lap watching some Olympic figure skaters do some triple jumps on the internet Alex shrugged his shoulders and said, "I can do that at home!"
--A little while ago Alex walked into the kitchen and proclaimed, "Daddy, I'm Danger!"
--A lady at church was teasing Alex about playing in the snow with him and she asked him if she could throw him into a snow bank. He thought really hard and said, "No not today, come back tomorrow!"
--Almost every day now Alex has to put his head on my tummy to hear the baby "talking" to him. We tell him not to worry, he'll be hearing baby loud and clear soon enough--he doesn't seem to get that yet!!

Some Sam Stories:
--a while ago I could hear Sammy fussing in the livingroom, but I couldn't see him anywhere. I searched all over and was starting to get that panicky feeling in my stomach when I saw the curtains behind the couch wiggle a little. I went over there and the poor kid had wedged himself behind the couch and the wall and couldn't move. Just his little head was sticking out!
--Sam spends a lot of time playing around in his bedroom before he falls asleep at naptime. The other day I went in there and he had piled all the pillows from Alex's bed (Alex naps in our room), all the stuffed animals, and the bean bag chair in his bed. There was almost no room for him in there!
--I'm sitting in the livingroom with Alex when I hear struggling noises coming my way. I look up to see Sam carrying an entire jug of milk in to me and smiling. Guess that meant he wanted some milk??? ;-)