Sun beams

California for Grams' 95th birthday, Hilton Head, pool trips, and of course, naked trips down the slide. Ahhhhhhh. Another summer.

Notice Mom beaming in

Backyard fire training

Saturday, May 6, marked the grand culmination in our-several-month-long relationship with the Durham Fire Department, as they burned down the old house in our backyard for practice. Practice for them. Old, moldy house permanently gone for us. For months prior to the big day, we'd catch glimpses of fire trucks heading down our driveway to prepare the scene. Talk about a four year old's dream. Sunday morning Will woke up and said, "I want to do that again!" Unfortunately, buddy, that's not a normal Saturday activity. It was truly an unforgettable day.

The whole thing took about 5 hours to burn. We had lots of friends and bystanders.

Over the months of preparation, we befriended two firefighters in particular,
Will and Tyler (or they befriended us). One afternoon, we heard the doorbell
 and found this surprise at the door for Will. So sweet.

Will and Will

Snow boots and shorts

Remember these things.

The kids yelling for waffles in the morning and then fighting over who gets to push the buttons on the toaster.
"More milk, please" and "can I have my own coffee?" (After all, "I just want to do what I see you do, Mom," says Will.)
John's iconic come-here finger and then patting the floor for me to sit.
The sound of John yelling for "Whoa" (Will) and asking for him every time he wakes up.
John gathering up all three puppies from his bed before he'll let me lift him out. And his favorite blue puppy with the indented tail from so much love.
Finding rocks in the bottom of the washing machine and leaving a stick on the hood of the car at church so we can take it home with us.
Will asking to cook something, his cake concoctions and carrot slices and salads that he insists we all eat.
My feeling of apprehension every time Will says, "Ohhh, I have an idea!"
The sound of the power wheels tractors on a warm day.
John yelling "truck" from the back seat persistently louder until I acknowledge it, too.
Cereal snacks, the orange fish spoon from the cereal box, the bowls with the built-in straws.
Snow boots with shorts and hair that sticks up.
John's prayer at dinner: "Daddy. Amen."
"Five minutes" of Curious George before bed, and "will you check?" as I leave Will's room. "And bring water?"
Our 3 am snuggle habit.
Seeing "glitter" on the side of the road (instead of litter) and "gullets" for his toy gun. Too cute to correct.
Tiny pieces of torn-up paper trash all over the house, spillings from Will's garbage trucks.
"What can I do to earn a dollar, mom?"
Fake burps, even from the two year old!


...the mundane life of a mom with little boys. I know I'll yearn for it when they're big. Oh, to remember these things!

Mother's Day 2017

John's birthday bun

I've commented for two years now about how much I loved having an April baby. I love the beginning of warm weather, the flowers, springtime, and Easter. We had an Easter-egg hunt for John's second birthday, and to me, it was full of what birthday parties should be: no major frills, just good fun with family and friends-who-are-family. A happy time.

 

He blew out his candles on a hamburger bun so he didn't spread potential sick
germs on the cake. Bless his heart, he had a sick winter!

Easter

 

Now that he's two, he thinks it's okay to pull his pants down
and take his diaper off whenever and wherever he gets the urge.
Boys!

Will's homemade pinatas

I'd like credit for Will's genetics, but I don't deserve it. He is untiring, optimistic, creative, inventive, imaginative, determined, and incredibly thoughtful. Sounds an awful lot like his wonderful dad. (And maybe he's been watching a little too much Curious George!)

Creative way to feed the birds

Decorating

Creating a town for the birds

Homemade pinatas

I walked into the room one day, and he had paused the tv on this screen
and was drawing the scene on paper....

ta-da

"Look, mom, I made a snowman"

I received gifts like these every day the two weeks
before Mother's Day. Inside were folded pieces of paper.
He said he noticed the bookmarks in my Bible looked worn out
so I needed new ones.

"Let's pretend it's Christmas! I'll make a tree with ornaments
and presents around it."

Keep it up, little boy!

We three kings

I can see how Christmases are all going to run together in my head when I look back years from now. Wonderful things, but nothing necessarily unique. If I had to pick one thing to remember Christmas 2016 by, I'd pick this:

Will singing "We three kings" in a trio during his preschool musical. It was just one verse, but we practiced and practiced, and I might have bribed him with a "shooter" if he sang as loud and proud on stage as he did for me at home. He got up there and nervously swayed back and forth, but he sang loudly and clearly (and earned his shooter). I'll never forget it.

Will, PJ, and Trent. We three kings trio.
(Here he is in mid-swing)

The promised shooter

Christmas 2016, we loved ya!