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Monday, March 31, 2008

spring break begins

Did we even have winter? Here in good ol' FL one season just blurs into the next. I heard a radio dj experiencing euphoria over the new "spring" green popping up all over FL...what? As opposed to the 110 other shades of green that have been present for the last...oh, I don't know all year! I apologize! We are beginning to get hints of the summer to come and as many of you know, humidity and intense heat are not my friends. But I digress.

We've had a fun start to Spring Break. We're planning on laying low and staying out of all of the vacation destination spots. J and B decided they should hook up the old bike trailer to J's bike so he could pull B. Two determined little boys.





It took only two trips up and down the driveway to wear poor J out. B is no small 3 year old...he holds his own in the weight department. I'm thinking about hiring J out to run rickshaws during BikeWeek festivities next year?




It did rain this afternoon, however, not enough to leave sufficient puddles for endless hours of enjoyment. We therefore, had to pull out the sprinkler for entertainment between rainbursts.






And a few fun faces:




We'll be back with more from our adventures over Spring Break!

Thursday, March 27, 2008

robots

The latest and greatest attraction for the boys are robots....not any certain type of robots...more or less anything they construct from whatever "stuff" they can find out of mommy and daddy's "stash" and are allowed to drag off.
Here are the drawings...
J's

B's

Sunday, March 23, 2008

He is risen...He is risen indeed!


Happy Easter to all! It's been a busy weekend...so here are some photo highlights:

-the boys riding friend's toy 4wheeler...

- bounty after the hunt...

- J performs...

- ending the day with a walk to get the wiggles out

Well, the mommy has more pictures...but she is very tired and needs to get her beauty rest...seeing that she is over the age of 40 and has two young children....sweet dreams!

Saturday, March 22, 2008

busy days

It's been abusy couple of days...I haven't had much time to post...we've been having a great time with celebrations leading up to Easter. I'll have to post pictures tomorrow night...let's just say that today there was plenty of candy, cake, games, puppets and all round fun...the boys are snug as a bug in a rug...fast asleep.

Quick reflection on comments from the boys today:

B on seeing mommy dressed in her "woman at the tomb" costume," Mommy you're Jesus!"

Conversation with J on growing up and becoming a daddy (becoming a daddy is when a person grows up..I don't think it has anything to do with actually having children...I'm still trying to figure this one out):

J, "Mommy, I'm going to miss you when I become a daddy."

Mommy, "I will miss you too, but we will see each other and we will always love each other." (I proceeded to give him several examples of children growing up and still being in relationship with their parents, i.e. daddy and grandma, mommy and Mama J and Papa J)

J, "I think I don't want to be a daddy...I think I only want to be six!"

You're right buddy....let's just take it one step at a time! xoxoxoxoxox Mommy

Sunday, March 16, 2008

and they're off!

wow! My "babies" are growing up at a fierce speed. This past Friday, J rode his bicycle with no training wheels!The thing is...it took him two seconds to get it. Mommy was desperately trying to keep up to speed with his pedaling by running (don't laugh...it really wasn't pretty) I took about 10 paces and then let go out of sheer necessity. He glanced back to tell me not to let go, I yelled, "keep pedaling!" and that is the end of story. The look of accomplishment on his sweet face...what incredible joy it brings to my heart to see them accomplish something new! He's been off and riding all weekend long. I'm in awe seeing this kid ride his bike up the drive like a professional bmx biker (I see a few future sport addictions forming!)

B was right behind him wanting to try the bike with the training wheels. This evening daddy got the wheels straightened out and B was off...a little tentative at first but then...again, no stopping him!

Earlier this evening they decided to roll around and be silly in the weeds. J made the comment that, "the weeds have flowers...so they can make everything beautiful!" After dinner we enjoyed some time outside riding bikes and being silly.

Great news! Pappa J is home from the hospital! We love you very much Pappa and are glad you are doing so well. God is good all the time! Here is a picture from J:

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

kids say the darndest things

My boys honestly keep me in stitches. Last week I told J we were going to play "hookey" from school because Bike Week would be in full swing. (Wednesday is the scheduled day for the famous coleslaw wrestling at the Cabbage Patch...don't even ask...it is as bad as it seems) During this time there are several thousand "motorcycle enthusiasts" who rumble into town for a week of motorcycle fun and frivolity. On the said Wednesday they all seem to be in our "neck of the woods". The traffic is horrendous....thousands of bikes and a 4-way stop at the intersection make for less than desireable driving conditions. Anyhooo....we skipped school to stay out of the frey.
Jump ahead to yesterday. J says to me, "Mom I want to play hockey". My response, "What?" (There is no ice within at least a 1000 miles) J replies, "Hockey, you know like we did last week and I stayed home from school." Silly I know, but he was so serious I couldn't help but smile. So if you ever need a real excuse as to why you couldn't make it in to work...just say you were playing "hockey"!

Monday, March 10, 2008

it starts young

The boys and I were discussing who would be joining us for lunch today at the local fastfood/playland spot. There would be two little girls joining us L & M. J wasn't clear as to M's initial identity so I elaborated on how we knew her and from where. The following is the dialogue between B and J about M:


B says, "she's so cute!"


J glances at B and responds very seriously, "No, B, she's beautiful"


My heart skipped a beat, I got a knot in my throat and I thought....I am in soooooo much trouble!

It really does start early!

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

houston, we have lift off

What a thrill! What joy! I've waited so long for this day. I thought it woulld never happen. I truly had given up hope. But joy of all joys...B pooped on the potty....free of bribing, force, tantrums....of his own accord...entirely self-motivated! He's growing up! (Please note: for a mother with small children this is a monumental occasion....only to be surpassed in awesomness by the actual birth of the child! Perhaps some of you have forgotten or have yet to experience this emotional rollercoaster.) I decided against posting any graphic photos. What I will post is a picture of B's friend who sat on his own potty while B did his business on the big potty.

Keep your fingers crossed ... that B and bunny continue to do their business on the potty.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

camping!

We've just returned from our weekend camping trip to Golden Head Branch State Park. What a great time. 11 kids, 10 adults, one dog, 7lbs of bacon, and 3 pots of coffee each morning .
Highlights:
- J kyaking by himself (he's growing up fast!)
- B climbing trees

- making new friends

- campfires

- being together
We've decided to pack up again and head out, just our family, for yet another adventure in the Florida wilderness this month. The boy's are in the tub...I've got to go get a photo of the ring that's going to be left behind! later fellow campers!