Summer Park Fun

We started the summer with twice daily visits to the pool. We've now ventured into twice daily visits to the park, and sometimes even making it to the gym. This was a perfect day when friends came over to play and we walked just a few houses over to the swings. We had so much fun playing tag your it and racing down the dirt path to another one of our neighborhood parks. Wyatt, Jack, Cole, Aaron and Noah -- the boys of summer 2010.

When Boys are Quiet

It was an early summer day when I was interrupted by the sounds of silence. Silence was infrequent and usually meant trouble. I was involved in a task that I didn't want to be taken away from so I allowed the silence to go on for a few minutes. A couple minutes passed and the noise levels returned to normal. So I forgot about the episode of silence.

I returned to their room later that morning to put clean laundry in their closet. It was then when I discovered a wrapper. And another. And then another. How long have they been hiding these wrappers? Apparently my darling sons had been picking at my hidden chocolate pieces for some time. They enjoyed themselves on this summer weekday morning. I'll find a new hiding place for those small pieces of addiction.

"Space" by Noah

A quick funny to share from this morning's adventures (that would be 6 a.m. this morning, on a Saturday).

Noah was making a birthday card for his friend Kai who is turning 5 today. He did it by himself. Chose a pink piece of paper and wrote H A P B T A K I Y (which is pronounced Happy Birthday Kai). Then, needing a few more minutes of sleep, I asked Noah to draw a picture for Kai. He drew a green motorcycle right under the letters even though there is an entire piece of 8 1/2 x 11 paper to fill.

I said that was a good picture but it needed some space between the picture and the letters. My budding space explorer said "But I don't want to draw the sky." I should probably let him know that there is another meaning to the word "space".

The Joys of Boys

I've been working on a small book "the joys of boys" thanks to my two little tykes. Now that they are 5 and 6, I might have to alter the "little" part of that some and call them growing tykes. Either way, it's a work in progress...

I have pictures, and lots of them. I'm a fan of pictures. I think they help us remember those special moments that we might have otherwise forgotten. Adorable outfits, hair nicely trimmed and shiny white brushed teeth are nice to have, but sometimes you just have to snap a shot and forgoe all the fuss. That's what I did this morning. The boys were sleeping. Noah must have woke up in the middle of the night and went to his brother's bed. When I went in to wake the boys up for school, they were cuddled together. Hair a mess, mismatched jammies, no sheets on the bed, or the pillow case. But, it was a snapshot that as a mom I would like to remember. So I took my camera and snapped away. As the flash went off, there was little movement. You can see the various changed positions over a 5 minutes period. About 20 pictures later, there was an eyeball from Noah, then a look from Aaron. They woke. Slowly.

I know, I know.... Now you want to see the pics. They are coming, I promise. I have to figure out how to download them to the blog. Oh, and you can count on me sending more bits of info now that I'm home full time. I'm certain there will be many moments that will warrant an entry. Look for them, and more pics, real soon.

My first day blogging has to be devoted to a recap of my boys -- afterall, the site is intentionally named.

Did you know that Jesus put mud on a man's eyes and then he could see?!?!, Noah said with the enthusiasm only a 4-year-old could give.

It's moments like these that make my heart smile. I am truly blessed to have two amazing boys -- full of life, excitement, energy, and at the moment, pb&j, crackers and pizza. Their favorite subjects in school are snack and lunch, but I'm hopeful that will alter some as they move up in school years.

Aaron is my first grader. When prompted to answer a subject actually studied in the classroom, he shares that he likes math. He's very good at puzzles, patterns and art, and mommy is hopeful he finds a love of reading some time soon, too.

Noah is in pre-K and is ahead of his class in almost all subjects. He's our little smarty pants and truly has a love of learning. Two of his favorite indoor activities: spellingcity.com and starfall.com.

Outside, both boys stay close together and can generally be found digging for worms (yuk!), building mud castles in the backyard or riding their bikes and racing down the street. It's truly a fun journey to be on, and one that promises to bring many more amazing moments to share (and pictures, too!).