Grassless Yard...

We spent lots of time outside today so we snapped some pictures of our grassless yard...  things are coming along.  The boys kept asking to play in the dirt and we kept telling them that soon we would have grass to play in.  Ben got upset and told me that he doesn't want grass in the yard.  I asked him why and he told me that he just liked the dirt and we should leave it like that!  I told him that we would still get grass and he started crying, telling me "I love playing in the dirt, you know that Mom!" 

Monday Morning...

After a Skype session last night with Nana and Gramps, Conner and Ben really wanted to wash our cars. (Cuz that's what Gramps did!)  We convinced them that we couldn't wash our cars last night because we couldn't put the cars in the driveway yet.  So this morning, Conner immediately informed me that he would be going to Gramps' house to wash cars today.  I said we couldn't go because we had to go to school.  After a lot of pouting, Conner went to his room to get dressed.  I had clothes laid out on his bed, but he came back to my room with a Hawkeye sleeveless jersey and some black shorts because those are good clothes for washing cars!  That kid fought me all morning to be able to go to Nana and Gramps' house but when we got to school, he finally gave up and went to his classroom.  However, the first thing he said to me when I picked him up was "I go to Nana's now?!"

We were ready for school a little early this morning so we snapped a photo while we waited!

Breaking in the Driveway...

Even though we can't technically use our driveway until Tuesday, we decided that the boys could break it in a little bit today....  Outdoor activty was absolutely necessary!  Daddy got their new wheelbarrow together and they took turns with that for a while.  Conner shows it off here...

I had a great time just watching the boys ride their trikes in the driveway!  Eventually they took a break for some juice and then went back to riding their trikes and scooters!  It was a pretty fun day!

Inside...

We did a little bit of everything today....  at least a little bit of everything we could do inside...  I'm not sure how much longer my active little guys will survive without a yard to play in!!!!  Good news is we do actually have a driveway now.  We just have to wait until next week to use it and we still don't have a sidewalk...  but hey, a driveway is good for riding trikes so hopefully that will appease them for a few days next week!

Lefties???

Conner wanted to draw with his pencil this afternoon and I must admit, I love watching him.  He concentrates so hard!  Still trying to figure out if he will be a lefty!  He tends to start out with his left hand but switches to his right a lot....

I asked Ben if he would like to come draw at the table with Conner, and this was his initial response....  He generally needs a bit more coaxing when it comes to any sit down activity!

Eventually Ben did join us and he also started drawing with his left hand....  but switched back and forth between his left and right several times!  Time will tell, I suppose...

Street Riding...

The boys kept themselves busy "cutting" while Dad grilled us some dinner...

After dinner, the boys just had to get back outside....  normally I wouldn't be a fan of riding their bikes in the street, but when you don't have a driveway or sidewalk, your options are limited!

Back to school and work tomorrow...  maybe we will even get a new driveway tomorrow!

Longer Vacation...

I wish Nick's vacation could last just a bit longer...  the boys have loved having Daddy home all week!  Wish we could do this more often....

A Borrowed Yard...

One of the advantages of having an open field, instead of houses, across the street..

...especially when we don't have a yard of our own yet!

Our New Park!

One of the many reasons we love this new neighborhood is because there is a great park nearby.  Nick has taken the boys there a few times this week and I ventured out with them tonight to take some pictures.  I could not believe how they just scaled the monkey bars and climbed right up the biggest slide they've ever been on...  They love their new park and I think it's safe to say that we will be spending a lot of time there in the coming months!

OMG... Ben starts the climb...

I like this one much better... I tried to convince Conner to stay on this slide.  He humored me for a minute and then raced back to the big one...

Dad had to try the new slide too... of course...



Happy Adoption Day!

Today is our Adoption Day!  It snuck up on us a little this year with all the chaos of moving, but we celebrated with huge grilled cheese sandwiches at Applebees and a little shopping trip to get some new toys!  Ben and Con were pretty excited about being able to pick out their own toys and thoroughly enjoyed roaming the toy aisle for the perfect toy.  Predictably, they both wanted a big new car/truck to play with so they got to pick the one they liked the best.  Our trip wasn't complete without some new Hot Wheels and a track to go along with it.  Since last March 12, it has been a crazy year for us since most of it was spent getting our old house ready to sell and building our new one.  The boys have done so great with all the changes and I am so proud that they have put up with all the craziness and are still doing so well.  It has been 3 years since that day at the "courthouse!"  My guys continue to amaze me everyday and I go to sleep every night thankful for all of our continued blessings.   Happy Adoption Day, Benjamin and Conner!  Mom and Dad love you more than anything, more than we could ever tell you... so we will continue to spend our lives trying to show you just how much...  You are truly our two little miracles!  

 

The Garage Project...

Today Nick's parents, grandparents, and cousin came to visit for a while.  Nick's dad volunteered to help Nick start to organize all the stuff in our garage!  It was definitely a productive afternoon and Nick is thrilled that he now has some shelving, a new workbench, and lots of space!!!  The boys enjoyed playing inside for a while and then ended up playing out in the front yard, which is still a huge pile of dirt!  They loved playing in the dirt, of course! 

After everyone left and we hosed off the boys, this is how the rest of the afternoon was spent... (Notice how Daddy is asleep at this point!) 

And this was the scene, when I had dinner made for everyone.  It took us a little while to convince Conner that he needed to stay awake for dinner.  Ben told me to wait a minute and he returned with the desk from his room.  Apparently, he figured it would make a pretty good place to eat his dinner! 

Doughnuts...

This morning is the beginning of Nick's vacation week and he thought he would treat the boys to something different for breakfast.  When the three of them were dressed and ready to go, they went to HyVee and the boys got to pick out a doughnut.  They were pretty excited when they got home!  They both pretty much just ate the chocolate off the tops of their doughnuts and were done!

 

Clever Kiddos...

I took Ben and Con shopping at Daddy's store this morning for the first time in a long time!  Conner helped me put all the groceries away and managed to fit a whole mess of it in the drawers in the fridge.  While I was dealing with our contractor and carpet cleaners around lunchtime, I came back upstairs and Conner had made himself a little picnic on the coffee table.  Milk, Lunchable, grapes, and a whole lot of pudding!  It was pretty cute though, so we had a picnic in the living room so the kids could watch a movie while they ate their lunch!

After I saw Conner's food in the living room, I met up with Ben on his way out of the kitchen holding his own Lunchable.  This is how I found the refrigerator....  apparently it took Ben two step stools to reach what he wanted! 

Such clever kiddos I have....