Today we celebrated the best daddy in the entire world with a special breakfast and a family hike!!

While the boys took a break to let some horses pass by us on the trail I snapped a quick picture.  Love these boys!!

We were surprised by the number of horses on the trail and spent much of our time watching where we stepped.  As Levi said (repeatedly), “uh-oh, horse make mess, poopie, it ok”.

We stopped for a snack about half way through our hike.  Both boys tired out on the hike and Matt spent much of the time carrying Levi.  Dark clouds started moving in so while Matt carried Levi I carried Nathan out so we could make good time before the storm hit.

And just to prove I took the hike as well…

We are so blessed to have Matt in our lives and treasure him!!  He’s not only a wonderful loving husband but he’s an amazing caring father too! 

Matt and I celebrated our 10th anniversary with a long weekend in Vail, Colorado.  Net and Griz watched the boys from Thursday evening to Sunday while we escaped the duties of parenthood and went back to the good old days when it was just the two of us.

We were welcomed to Vail with an amazing bouquet of flowers and a bottle of wine compliments of Matt’s parents in our two bedroom condo.  Friday we enjoyed the sites of Vail and the Go Pro Games that were hosting many competitions over the weekend.  Watching some slack-lining, kayaking, and bouldering while doing a little shopping was a great way to start the weekend.Vail was beautiful with flowers and trees in bloom and the river raging with all the melting run off.  We walked everywhere so were able to enjoy the beauty of the season in the mountains.There were so many petals that had fallen on the ground from the trees in this picture it almost looked like snow.The Four Seasons had these huge bears made out of wire.  We thought they were quite an interesting art statement and like all tourists we took our picture with them.  :)We enjoyed a wonderful meal by the stream and just cherished the time we had with each other and the fact we were not having to juggle our children.  There’s just something about a meal out with children that can make life slightly miserable.  It was nice to enjoy 3 courses with no interruptions.  :) Saturday we enjoyed breakfast out and a nice several hour hike up to a beautiful waterfall.  Sunday came too soon and we headed toward home but stopped to do a little shopping before meeting the boys at a birthday party.  It was a wonderful weekend and we really enjoyed our time away.  Many thanks to my parents for watching the boys and spoiling them so much that they didn’t want to come back home.  As Nathan said “we didn’t have to do any work just fun, fun, fun!”  Matt and I too had lots of fun, fun, fun!!

Summer activity #1 has started!  Nathan had his first track practice on Tuesday!  He’s been so excited for weeks now and couldn’t wait for Tuesday.  As I called him into the bathroom for bath Monday night here was our conversation

Me: “Nathan, did you put your clothes in the dirty laundry?”

Nathan:  ”Yep, and I got my clothes our for track tomorrow!  I’m all ready!”

Here’s what I found in his room Monday evening.

Tuesday morning, all dressed in his track clothes, Nathan was assigned his team color (purple) and introduced himself to his coaches.  It was adorable to watch him have the nerves to go up to his coaches on his own.  :)

His team only has 2 kids so far as not all kids have finished school yet or couldn’t attend Tuesday morning.  I’m thinking there should be 6-8 kids on his team when all are present.  There were 5-6 different colored teams that the kids were divided among.  The different colored teams all come together to start with doing a group stretch/warm-up, then rotate through various stations with their team, and end with a group game during the hour long practice.  Nathan’s purple teammate, Evan, is very fast and has a natural athletic ability.  Nathan is still developing his athletic skills and the running, jumping, coordination, and throwing practice will be great for him.  I’m hoping he doesn’t loose his excitement and enthusiasm since we won’t be finished until the end of July.  He has three track meets which I’ve heard are extreme organized chaos.  The track program has grown immensely this year and will have about 300 kids (their parents, siblings, and extended family) attending each track meet.

Group warm-up

Resting at their first station with Coach Chase – 50 yard dash.

Baseball toss station

Upping the distance a little to a 100m run. Go, Nathan, Go!

One of the biggest blessings is that track practice is held at Nathan’s school for next year, which means it has a “park” (as Levi calls it) or playground that we can walk over to and play on while I can still keep an eye on Nathan.  Levi and I made several trips from the park to the track.

Last night I decided to capture Levi playing in the water table.  He just loves being outside and watching him play is so enjoyable.  Total boy!!

First, he found an electric bubble blower which he thought needed to be under the tunnel (he eventually tossed the tunnel aside). It’s fun to turn it on and watch the water splash!

Slight distraction…trying to find the airplane in the sky!!

If water is fun and trucks are fun, then trucks in the water must be the most fun! Getting your older brother to help fill up the back of the truck with water is the best!!

Once the truck is full of water we must push the truck on the deck because we all know trucks like to haul things around.

It’s not called a dump truck for nothing.

Every night when putting Levi to sleep to help him stop calling my name asking me to come back to his bed I tell him what we are going to do the next day.  ”Tomorrow, we will go to the park.  You need to go night night so we can go to the park.”   

Last night, not sure of our plans for today, here was our conversation.

Me:  ”Levi, tomorrow we will play so you need to go night night.”

Levi:  ”I go backyard?”

Me:  ”Sure, we can play in the backyard.”

Levi:  In a whisper “I take my pants off backyard.”

Both:  Hysterical laughter as he’s right, the backyard seems to be where Levi plays with no pants the most.  

Running in the yard, playing with (or in, in Levi’s case) the water table, pushing trucks, playing in the sand box, helping daddy with the sprinklers, are all fine times in Levi’s mind to not wear clothes in our backyard.    

You know when something happens and you think to yourself to remember that moment so you can put it on your blog only to forget it by the time you sit down at the computer.  Okay, well most of you may not have a blog but I’m sure you can imagine as it’s the same feeling when you walk into a room and can’t remember why you are there in the first place.  Levi gives me these moments all the time to share but I can never remember them!  Everyday is a blur and these little moments just blend in.  Today I’m trying to recall some moments with Levi so they don’t get too blurry to remember.

Levi is a funny boy, a crazy character, a little pill, and so horribly ornery while being super sweet too!  He is my handful!!  He can count past 10, but I’m not sure how high because he purposely messes up the numbers most of the time!  In moments he doesn’t think I’m listening or watching I will hear him count in order but when I ask him to count he says, “1, 6, 7, 8, 9″.  If I’m counting backwards, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, to make a point and get Nathan to do something before I get to 1 Levi can be heard in the background saying, “6, 7, 8 , 9, 10″.  

He wants to take his clothes and diaper off all the time.  He will disappear to the basement and reappear with only a shirt on!  I’ll tell him “you are a pill” to which I get “I not pill mama”.  

Levi the leaper!  He climbs and he jumps.  Doesn’t matter how high he will think about jumping off of it.  He climbs to the fourth step and jumps from our stairs.  I had to discourage him from trying the fifth and sixth steps the other day.  I painted our patio furniture a few weeks ago and he jumped off each item, including the table, multiple times while they were sitting in the grass.  He hops to get from place to place and thinks it’s a reasonable mode of transportation.  Even this morning he jumps and tell me “mama, that jump big!” after leaping off the ottoman.    

He does the ‘I’m so cute’ look usually with a sly smile attached to his face when he’s doing something he knows he shouldn’t do.  He will look me in the eye, give me the smile, and then do the act which will get him in trouble.  The other day he wanted some more candy at my parents house.  He’d already had enough so my mom told him he could take 4 home to his house and share with Nathan.  He went and got a baggie and together he and my mom counted our the chocolate kisses.  One, two, three, four….this was followed by a slight pause, a glance at mommy, and a quick sly smile before he quickly stuck his hand back in the candy bowl and put two more in his bag.  A pill I tell you!!  

Our biggest problem right now is he is a hitter.  He likes to hit Nathan mostly, daddy sometimes for fun, and mommy to get attention.  He learned really quickly with mommy one evening.  I had put the kid in time out over and over for hitting and one evening when leaving the park while I was buckling him into his carseat he slapped me across the face.  I returned the favor, which I think shocked him to pieces, and since then he’s learned not to hit mommy.  He will hit with his hands, toys, metal trains, etc.  Sometimes his hitting turns into throwing of toys – mainly trains at Nathan.  He doesn’t hit other kids or adults which is a big blessing…and I hope never will!  Poor Nathan takes the brunt of Levi’s arm.  He’s getting better but it’s been a slow process.

I love the talking stage that Levi is in right now.  He copies EVERYTHING Nathan says and it’s fun listening to him put together sentences.  Today in the car he asked to go to my mom’s house.  I explained how he would get to go in two days and play there.  I asked if that sounded ok and he responded with “Oh!  Yea!  Sure!  Great!”  Made me laugh.  :)

What Levi loves most in this world right now:  his ya-ya (blankie), his blanket, his mama, his brother, (and daddy when mommy’s not around), playing outside “back yard”, pointing out things he sees or places he knows (“dare Nathan school” “dare ice cream store” “let go coffee donut”), eating sweets – mainly candy and cake (he had 4 pieces of cake yesterday and 6 mini cinnamon bites at a gathering – the cake was gluten free and made with coconut flour if that helps any), singing songs at bedtime with mommy, nuggling on mommy’s lap watching cartoons (snuggling), fruit, playing trains, jumping, and running away from mommy in public locations but as soon as he sees someone he doesn’t know or mommy is out of sight he gets scared and usually comes back.  :) 

I wish more of these moments stuck with Levi stuck with me.  Maybe it’s my mommy brain forgetting things so quickly, or the fact we are usually moving at 90mph trying to get things done, or that with two kids you just can’t keep up with both of them and all the cute/ornery/funny things they do.  Part of my reason for doing this blog is really for myself and my memories one day.  I know these little moments I may remember now for a few days will eventually blur away as life continues on.  Hopefully this blog will be my reminder of the times that flew by in a blur.  

Look how much Nathan has changed in one year!

First day of preschool – August

Last day of preschool – May

Nathan’s preschool career has been winding down over the past week.  Yesterday was Nathan’s official graduation ceremony at school and today was his last day!  Now he’s ready to “do whatever I want all the time” as we move into summer.  

The graduation ceremony yesterday was cute and adorable.  The kids sang several songs, received their diplomas, and we all watched a photo slideshow that included sappy music hoping to make us all cry.  :)  

My Mother’s Day started out with a beautiful and fun hike up the Castle Rock.  The boys LOVED it and still talk about it everyday and are asking to do it again.

The boys were ready to hike with sunglasses and walking sticks.

The boys enjoyed seeing some birds and a few rabbits on the way up.  Nathan hiked up and down the entire way on his own and Levi only needed to be carried a little bit each direction, usually after a tumble.  The view from the top is always exciting to see.  Nathan loved how the Castle Rock is made up of lots of little tiny rocks stuck together and was continuously pointing out Pikes Peak.

These two little boys have blessed my life and fulfilled one of my biggest dreams of being a mom.  I couldn’t love any two kids more!  I pray that God will continue to lead me to help raise these boys into men who to love and honor Him in all they do.

Matt’s parents came to visit a few weeks ago and brought our awesome nephew Will!  Nathan and will are 9 months apart in age and get along better than any two kids I’ve ever seen!  Not a single fight between the two of the all weekend.  Amazing!!!  

We had lots of fun together!  We took it easy Saturday with library story time, time at the playground, a picnic lunch, and going out to dinner.  Sunday we ventured to the zoo!  The weather was nice but still a little cool for lots of outdoor time.

Will is the easiest kid ever and we always have so much fun having him around.  It means the world to me that he is so excited and willing to come stay with us.  We only see him two or three times a year so it warms my heart that he feels comfortable enough with Matt’s parents and us to make the trek to Colorado for the weekend!!