Halfway around the world...

Well my trip is finally upon us. Tomorrow I leave for 8 1/2 days to go to Asia. I am absolutely excited for the opportunity to travel to a part of the world I probably would not have gone to otherwise, but I definitely bittersweet to leave my boys (including Kurt) for this long. I've never been away for more than 4 nights and that was still domestic where I could at least talk to them on the phone more easily. I am really going to miss them and I hope that the time goes really fast. I know Kurt wishes that too. :) If only there was an easy way to stowe them in my luggage...

All that "wimming"...

can wear a little boy out. Today we decided to let Luke skip his nap (for the record he did sleep in this morning) and we headed down to the pool after lunch. We were there for about 3 1/2 hours and the boys played/swam pretty hard. Soon after we got home, Luke went to crawl up on the couch to watch a Mickey and never even made it to the sitting up position. He fell asleep like this and like any mother and father would do...we took a picture.

This is what summer is all about...

To say we love our pool would be an understatement. We L-O-V-E it. Not just the fact that we can swim in it, but it provides so much entertainment to us and has allowed us to hang out with our lovely new neighbors and build new friendships all summer. And I wouldn't be a girl if I didn't say I LOVE getting to work on my tan!!! Blake has been getting so much practice at swimming and Luke is just a little fish waiting to be let out of his tank. We got him a little floatie suit and he has found fins! I love watching their confidence build every time we go down there. The boys also associate the pool with snack time. They are like Pavlov's dog. I think if they even see a pool now they get hungry. No worries, we always come with the cooler well stocked...for the boys and for us.

Happy Birthday May May...

Sorry Molly, I don't even have a new picture to post of you, but we wanted you to know how much we love you and that we wish you a happy HAPPY 9th birthday. You have brought so many smiles to our lives in the last 9 years and we couldn't imagine life without you. If I tried I could imagine what it would be like to not have a few of the stains you have put on our new carpet, but I guess they are just character builders to this new house. Love you our dear sweet May May!!

Blake's 1st Sleepover...

Blake had his first sleepover last weekend and we were so happy that the honor could go to none other than his awesome cousins Jacob and Maddie. They drove all the way from Indiana to do the honors! Just kidding...we were so happy that we could be the last leg of their vacation out west. Blake really enjoyed having a sleepover in his bedroom with Jacob and Maddie. And he got to try out his new Toy Story sleeping bag that he got for his birthday. We had so much fun just hanging out at home, chillin' by the pool, taking a spin through Cabela's, teaching Jacob how to play pool, eating a yummy dinner at Rush Creek, playing pirate and "Dash", and dance party. We were so glad they could visit and hope they can come again!!

Buddies

Blake helping Jacob up after the big stunt.

"Dash" jumping over Jacob! Look at the air under there!

Luke wanting in on the action.

Don't mess with this pirate!

Luke was trying to save Jacob from the fierce pirate.

Davey Crockett...don't think so. Though he's mean enough to take on that bear!

Getting a little fire arms training from Maddie and Jacob.

Note to self - do not ask your kids to tell you what a lion says when you are trying to take their picture. :)

Me and my sister Jill. Love you!

Jacob's got some moves and he's not afraid to use them!

More dance party...

No dance party is complete without Blake breaking out his new move "shake your tail feathers." You really have to see it in person to get the full effect. :)

Such a natural.

Movies at the Park!

A week ago Friday we had a date with our buddies Chloe and Jonny to go see a movie at the park. The newly opened Maple Grove Town Greene Ampitheater started doing music and movies this summer. We had a good time going to the inaugural outdoor movie, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," though in hindsight we probably should have arrived quite a bit earlier. We didn't end up with that great of seats so it was nearly impossible to keep three 4 year olds and a 2 year old content. They mostly had fun running around being silly and playing with the free glow bracelets that we scored. It was still a fun evening and a good chance for the boys to play with their buddies...who they won't be seeing daily anymore. :(

Time to Celebrate!

We had fun celebrating our little Luke's birthday today. We started the day with donuts for breakfast (that may have been more for mom and dad than the boys) - yummy! Then after Luke woke up from his nap we had our neighbors over for cake and some play time. Luke also enjoyed getting some new toys today...and then constantly defending them all afternoon. Blake was having a little difficulty understanding why he couldn't be in control of Luke's new things and seemed to have trouble remembering that he refuses to let Luke play with any of his new birthday toys. Sharing is always an opportunity in this house. So here are some shots from his big day. It was clear that he had a lot of fun and was such a cutie pie today!

The boys showing off the new lawn mower and wheel barrow that have turned into another "piano". This time I did almost buy 2 of each and then I thought, "why, what kid can push a lawn mower and a wheel barrow at the same time?" Well ours can. And one can even ride his 4-wheeler and carry a wheel barrow, a new lawn mower and the old lawn mower all at once if it means keeping it away from the intended recipient. As a matter of fact he just got out of bed to come downstairs and get them so he can sleep with them.

Luke putting his new bugs in his new bug keeper. He really liked this too.

Blake opening Luke's only wrapped present. It is this really cool bath toy that you put on the side of the tub and it has a motor and a spout so that you can have "running water" and not have to actually run the water. Our boys have always loved to fill cups and play with running water while in the tub so this little gadget is AWESOME! And we have already tried it out tonight and successfully had a bathtime without producing tears and tantrums when the faucet was turned off.

Hearing Happy Birthday sung to him by his friends Addison and Kennedy and getting ready to blow out his candle. He isn't used to being the center of attention. I'm glad he was today.

Licking his fingers after a quick icing taste test!

Sneaking a finger or two into the icing.

Blowing out his candle...he really did it all by himself!

Good job Luke!!

Sad that Mommy took the candle away.

Trying to sneak a kiss from Addison...good thing Kennedy wasn't looking!

Thinking "I can't believe they actually gave me this big of a piece!"

Yummy!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Luke!

Happy birthday little guy. I am pinching myself right now trying to believe that my little Louie is 2! Where in the world did 2 whole years go? This time 2 years ago I was wishing time to pass quickly so that I could meet you...that little person that had become my buddy for 9ish months. And I guess so the pain of your 8lb, 6oz delivery would be over. ;) All I wanted was a healthy, happy baby to complete our family and looking back today I got so much more. You have absolutely rounded out our family and we couldn't love you more. There are so many facets of Lukey that I can't begin to describe, as you have added so much fun and personality to our home. Your smile, your eyes/eyelashes, your heckle, your belly, your funny ear, your love of the word "no", your kisses ("other cheek"), your ability to take down your brother and push all of his buttons, your undeniable love and admiration for your brother, your constant concern over where everyone is ("daddy/Blakey go?"), your AWESOME ability to sleep like a champ, your dislike for the car (yes, still), your great appetite, your adorable run, your independence, your newfound swimming skills ("one, two, twee"), your singing, your firey tantrums, your nukkie and blaylee, your little frown, your perfectly time "cheese" when a camera is around, your "uppy", your love of swings and on and on.

There have been so many milestones in the past year. You learned to walk, talk, climb, run, jump and have just come into your own. You moved into a new house, switched rooms at school, made new friends, quit the bottle, went to 1 nap, learned to go down the slide all by yourself, discovered sand at school (thanks SBS for having sand on the playground...my mudroom loves it!), rode a tractor, got MRSA, got hand/foot/mouth, finished out your first set of teeth, got your first haircut, first 4-wheeler ride, first trip down the big sledding hill at French Park, rode the Twinkle Bus, first Easter egg hunt and so much more!

Your personality has started to really shine through and we have so much fun every day figuring you out! And there are definitely days where it can be a challenge to figure you out! For some reason I thought parenthood the second time around was going to be a breeze...we learned everything with Blake right? Wrong! Every child is as unique as a snowflake and so often we forget that. Even about ourselves. You (and your brother) are the most special and unique beings in our world and I am constantly thankful and grateful that I have been so lucky to have you in our lives.

Oh my little Luke, from the moment I laid eyes on you I was smitten. I don't know how I could possibly love you more. And on this day, your 2nd birthday, I hope you know that. (Don't worry, I intend to tell him this in person). Happy Birthday Lou Bug.

Birthday Fun

Today we helped our sweet Chloe celebrate her 4th birthday. Blake, Luke and I went to her "Cars" party this morning which was held at the newly open "Town Green" in Maple Grove. It was right by the new library and outdoor ampitheater that look really nice. We had fun making paper airplanes, doing an egg race, racing hula hoops and playing with our friends. Oh and cupcakes and fruit snacks...who could forget that! We adore our buddy Chloe and were so happy we could help her celebrate!

And a little bit of chicken fried...

cold beer on a Friday night; a pair of jeans that fit just right! Check! We finally made it! We have lived here 10 years - all of which have been on the "west side" - and this was the first time we went to the Hamel Rodeo! Friday night we headed out to the 30th annual Hamel Rodeo (located in Corcoran - go figure). It is literally a mile from our house so we had NO excuses any more. And we have 2 boys, they are supposed to like this stuff right? Well as a matter of fact, yes, they do. And we liked it too. It was really fun and a great way to spend a Friday night during the summer. I just wish my sweet, cowboy loving nephew, Jacob would have been here one weekend earlier to enjoy it! Blake enjoyed a pony ride and both boys enjoyed seeing all the horsey's, cows and cowboys. There were a lot of questions and a little concern over the bulls and why they had to "catch"/rope the calves, but in the end, both boys had a great time and I think we will definitely go back. Maybe next time we will even hire a babysitter and head out to "in K-hoots" for the Rodeo Dance...

In all seriousness though, these guys and gals do some pretty amazing things for the sake of entertainment and we are grateful for that.