snow day monday

1. I love snow days. I love watching the fat flakes float down and cover everything in white. I love watching the boys excitement as they play in the snow and have a whole day off from school. Hooray!!

2. My sweet nephew with the white/blond hair and big blue eyes learned how to crawl this week. A cute video captured the moment and proud parents shared it with us!

3. I started a new blog today. It's a blog about our adventures in food. I'm really excited about it and hope it will be a creative outlet for me. I have only written one post, but you can read it here.

I'm joining in on the miscellany Monday fun at lowercase letters.

I hope everyone has a great week!

snow day

We have on our hats

and coats

and scarves


and mittens

and we are still cold!!!

today is the first snow day of the season. I see hot cocoa with mini-marshmallows in our future:)

I see blokus and SORRY! and UNO too.

What games do you like to play when you are snowed in?

First Day of School!!!

This morning started like any other. Soft little boy limbs tucked under fuzzy blankets as they lounge on the couch in the living room and rub the sleep from their eyes. This has been our morning routine all summer. There is one thing that I have learned as a mom and it is that kids love the sameness of routine. The family rituals that are performed everyday make them feel safe and loved and help them have a sense of belonging. But today is officially not summer. It’s the first day of school!

There is an excitement in the air. An energy. An anticipation. There will be so much to do, to explore, and to learn!

At least that’s how my day looks, I don’t know about the boys;)!

The morning routine rolled by without a hitch; clothes, shoes and backpacks were laid out the night before. School lunches were at the ready in the fridge.
I have been waiting for this day with equal parts excitement and dread since the boys were just toddlers… since the boys were just a thought in my head and a dream in my heart. This is the start of a new chapter in our lives. Their first day of all day school. How will we manage it? Will they be worn out and too tired to play in the evening? Evening time is all we will have now. Will we be able to squeeze all the family fun and togetherness into a block of time from 4-8? It seems too restrictive. Too limiting. Not enough “mama/little boy cuddle time.” Will they remember how much I love them?

I hope that I have helped them gain the confidence and self-assurance to make friends with their peers and listen to their teachers and speak out in class and stand up for themselves and stand up for others. All. On. Their. Own. I want them to hear about how bright and funny and good they are from someone that isn’t related to them.

This is my hope for them, my prayer.

We will embrace this new routine and make it our own.

(I couldn't get a decent shot to save my life, or their's!)

(What a proud boy!)

(M looks worried...or constipated!)

Picture Perfect?!

Don't throw the grass M!

Please just put the grass down!

Can you guys be still and pose?



Pretty please?!



A complete loss of control.

I will give you each a piece of gum if you will just pose for this picture!

awww, look at those well behaved boys:)!!

Good Monday morning to everyone! I'm linking up with Peanut Gallery...exit here today!

Amelia

Afternoon with the boys

M called it pink moss

This afternoon we have been playing variations of trampoline kickball/dodge ball/soccer with a small nerf ball that has a big chunk of foam bitten out of it from when N was two and used to eat everything but the food on his plate. I am sweaty and tired and still have dinner and soccer practice to deal with…but I saw this view of our red bud tree from my vantage point on the trampoline and thought SWEET SHOT!

I'm linking up at Sweet Shot Tuesday

Boys!

This is how different my boys are!

Spring is in the air!

N in a nutshell

N: you know the story about the tortuous and the hare Mommy?
Me: yes N I've heard it.
N: slow and steady wins the race.
Me: so I've heard
N: I want to win the race Mommy.
Me: good.
N: but I want to go FAST!!

I think he missed the moral of the story somewhere along the way, but thats my N in a nutshell!

Sweet Boys!

The other night I went over to a girlfriends house and got back home around 9pm. My husband had already put the boys to bed so I went in their room to check on them and kiss them good night. M was still awake and he asked me if I would play with him.

N was sound asleep and my husband went for a run so I said: Sure, I'll play with you!

We snuggled under a blanket and talked about his day and how excited he was about getting to go to Disney World. It was such a special time and we had so much fun together. It's rare that I get one on one time with M because N is always there.

At one point he yawned and told me he was tired.

Anyway, when my husband got back home he put M back to bed. When he came out of the bedroom he told me that M had asked him if he would pray with him.

Ohh! That's what he asked me to do!

He asked me to pray and I heard play!

I think that God knew that we needed that time together!

Conversation with N:

Mommy why did God make Ticks?

I don't know N

Why did God make wasps?

I don't know, we will have to ask him when we get to heaven

Okay.

Summer Recap

What a busy summer we had! We started the summer off with N's birthday in June. He was so excited and it was such a special day that we got to share with my sister and her kids who live in Colorado but have actually been at N's birthday party two years in a row. I can't believe my baby is four! He is so full of energy, engaging and talkative! He can be very sweet and loves to hug and kiss and cuddle. He is also very stubborn which is a trait that I know will serve him well in life.

We spent several days at White Water in Branson which is not that far away. We actually got season tickets this year because we live so close now, and we have gotten our money's worth. But it was such a mild summer that we didn't go as much as we were planning too.

We finished off the summer with a camping trip with friends and M's birthday party all rolled into one weekend!

M turned six this year, lost his two bottom teeth and started Kindergarten all in a span of two weeks! Needless to say I was a little emotional! I am so proud of him, he is growing into such a smart, funny kid! He is kind and caring and sensitive of other peoples feelings. What a good kid. And he always tells me how pretty I am!

Cute

My sister Becca showed me how to make my pics big! Thanks Becca

Strong willed child!

After the ice storm of last week and all the bitterly cold weather that has accompanied it. The boys and I have felt a bit couped up (to put it mildly). So yesterday when the temperature rose to 58 degrees I was giddy with excitement! Yes!! Boys we are getting out of this house!
Well, I have one child who is everything that is agreeable. He never questions my clothing, shoes, jacket choices for him, he just assumes that (rightly) mom knows best. And since he is the oldest I just figured that if I had any more kiddos that they would be just like him!
Then along came N! I knew at 8 months when he refused to let me feed him apple sauce that I had a strong willed child. I would have to scoop up the apple sauce and lay the spoon on the high chair table then he would pick up the spoon and feed himself. Yes! That is N.
So yesterday when I mentioned that we should go outside and play I knew that I would meet with some resistance from my youngest. Nothing is simple, nothing easy. Sure enough, as soon as I mentioned the great outdoors he started to complain! I didn't understand him at first so I asked for clarification. So my three year old stood up and yelled: I don't need vitamin D Momma, I'm already strong and healthy!

Summer Dreamin'

Dreaming of warm Summer days!


Today is one of those days I used to hate as a child. It looks beautiful outside, sunny with blue skies and big white fluffy clouds. But guess what the temperature is: 18 degrees! Oh, I cannot wait until Spring! It looks like its going to be a fun day of block building and play dough sculpting. Maybe the boys and I could bake cookies. I think that statement clarifies why I always gain weight in the Winter!

Let me think of some good no calorie options:

1. The Library

2. Air hockey (at the Community Center)

3. Roller skating (at the Community Center)

4. Swimming (at the Community Center)

It sounds like it is going to be the Community Center!

Conversations of Heaven-- A three-year olds perspective

N was talking to me about Baby Jesus in the Manger tonight and he said:

"the cattle were mooing, and woke Jesus up" N

"then what happened?" Me

"God said: No crying!" N

Then he said that God was up in Heaven and we are on Earth.

"what do you think Heaven is like?" Me

"I don't know mom" N (with the eye-rolling sarcasm of a teenager)

Then he went on to say that Jesus probably got a present for Christmas and guess what He got? A yellow dump truck!

Hangin' with the Boys!

We are just hanging out at our house. Staying close to the fire and trying to stay warm!

The boys can't share anything today, not even camera space!

But they sure are good at being silly!


By the looks on their faces you know they gave me a run for my money today!!

If these walls could talk they would say that we had popcorn for supper and stayed in our pajamas all day. But it was soo cold outside!

Jump into your imagination!

We have a small table in our living room which is actually my favorite piece of furniture because it used to belong to my Grandmother. On the table is a framed picture of a little cottage surrounded by trees and flowers. A stream is running through and there are fat, white clouds hanging in the sky.
The boys are intrigued by this little picture and talk excitedly about their desire to jump into it! Is it a hot day with the sun shining bright? Are there flowers in the grass that we can pick? Can we catch fish in the stream?
The answers vary according to mood. Tonight it was cold and winter but in three weeks it will be summer and we can swim in the stream (says M). Doesn't that sound like fun?
I remember playing this game is a little girl. We had a picture in our living room hanging over our couch. There was something about the colors which were muted blues and greens that just captured me and pulled me in.
I asked my husband if he could jump into a picture where would he go? He said that he would take me to Paris so we could dine on champagne and pastries in a snooty french restaurant. Oh, that sounds good!
If you could jump in a picture, where would you go?

Hide and Seek

Yesterday M and N decided they wanted to play Hide and Seek.


This is how it went:

"You count Mommy" (both boys)
I start counting slowly, and as I say "10"
"I'm in your bedroom Mommy!" N yells from my bedroom.

I begin counting again and as I reach "10"
N comes running down the hallway "I was in your bedroom!!"
After about the 5-6th time he would just yell "ta da!"

M's favorite hiding places were under the blankets on his bed and inside the refrigerator with the door halfway open (hum, I wonder where he is?!).

These pictures aren't from yesterday but I wanted to show some action shots, and N is King of the slow motion run (so cute)!

Little Boy, Big Words!

Yesterday N started his morning by telling me he wanted to wear his beautiful pants. "Your what N?" "My beautiful pants Mommy; I want to wear them!" Later that day his hot chocolate was not just "good" it was "delicious!" and his waffle was "wonderful" It was like he read the book "Big words for little toddlers who want to be taken seriously!"
N talks from the moment he wakes in the morning until his head touches the pillow at night (much like his father)! It is funny to see him excitedly talking to M in the morning and Mason will just drink his juice and look at him and not say a word. My husband and I often joke that juice is M's coffee!

These were taken a few weeks ago on the University Campus. One of the last warm weekends we had and we took advantage of it! The boys loved playing in the leaves and it was a new experience for them since we only have one tree at home and I don't think it has grown in the last five years that we have lived here (and it shed its two leaves months ago).



Busy boys!
Having fun with Daddy! M insisted upon collecting the best looking leaves and taking them home with us. When we got home he put them out in the backyard!

N wears his red cap every day. He is very picky and high maintenance about his clothing but that is a story for another time.