Rain boots

There are several things that I would have once thought frivolous that now seem necessary with boys:
 - Rain boots: they do not absorb mud or sand and can be easily hosed off.  Necessary for my sanity and the life of their shoes.
 - Stools: for reaching things, washing hands, using the bathroom, and all sorts of other very strange ideas.
 - Handheld vacuum that actually works: for the aforementioned sand and dirt... all over the house.
 - Rain boots for me: because I cannot escape the fact that fun is to be had in the mud, and these boys sometimes need redirecting while in the mud. (ie: please do not eat the mud (Caleb), we do not drop big blobs of mud on other children's heads (both boys), and so on)

Anyone with regularly very clean children want to come over and play?  We'll surely corrupt that cleanliness.

Sleeping with a Hat

Jonathan rarely sleeps during "quiet time" but on occasion he is tired enough to do so.  I found him like this the other day.  The "hat" is a swaddle blanket that we found in a box from Caleb's infanthood.  He likened it to a hat good for sleeping.

2 for 2

I am 2 for 2 in the motherhood department.  For stitches.  Caleb was the lucky winner this time as he took a  little tumble on a friends' train table.  Little tumble turned into big owie as he knocked his face on a corner of the table and ended up with 5 stitches along his right jawline/cheek on Friday night.

However, I was a little wiser this time and we took Caleb to the Children's Hospital.  The difference in experience was at least a 20 fold improvement.  No jabbing needles, no drape over the face, none of a lot of other bad things.  Just a "numbing bandage" and a "child life specialist" who brings toys to distract.  Note to self: Waiting for the Children's Hospital service is worth it.  Makes me feel kind of bad that J-man had to suffer the other experience.  Thankfully, he seems no worse for the wear and was quite anxious to see Caleb's battle wound.  He was quick to point out that Caleb had to get 5 stitches but he only had to have 3.

As you can clearly see, Caleb recovered quickly from the trauma.  I still do not like that curved needle.  Hoping not to see it again for a good, long while.

Waterfall

They turned on the waterfall at the park near to our house... there was no keeping these two mud hounds away from the fun.  All clothes and shoes have to be washed after each trip to this park.

Take Me Out

to the ballgame... give me lots of snacks... and can we please go home?  The familiar tune was not quite the same to our 2 year old and 4 year old when we took them to their first baseball game.  Our "cheap" seats were up quite high, therefore, the players were not easily visible.  The interest in the game waned quickly after the first inning.  But, we happened to see our barber sitting right near us, and he engaged our boys with their first taste of cotton candy :+)

Although the boys weren't enthralled with the game, we had a lovely time enjoying beautiful weather and an evening together.

Up The Hill

This was the view for Caleb and I as we made the trek back up this enormous hill to our rental house.  The park at the bottom of the hill was worth the trek but J-man couldn't manage to ride the bike up the hill by himself.  Note the stellar attire on the boy: moose socks pulled up to his knees, "comfy shoes" that resemble loafers, and his "running shorts".  Looking like a fashion statement, as usual.

Landscaping?

Is this landscaping or a sandbox?  My boys seem to think sandbox as is indicated by the dirt strew all over the driveway of our (now former) rental house.  We managed to get all "landscaping" back in place before we moved.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow we move into our house.  Movers arrive bright and early.  We have been working this week to move all of the "little" things so as to not have to perfectly box and pack everything, again.  Jamie's parents have been here since Tuesday and thus far, things have moved smoothly.

Waiting to exhale after a long ten months of transition...

Planting Seeds

We planted watermelon, sunflower, tomato and daisy seeds in pots to get them started.  Not surprisingly... my boys loved the soil and water combination!!