Chalk Family...

Words cannot express how happy we all are to be able to spend the day outside!  We got lots of stuff done and the boys enjoyed some of everything.   They chalked the driveway for a while so I snapped some pictures of their artwork.  I asked Ben what he had drawn and he replied, "My family!" with a sweet smile that made my heart melt.

 

Conner found a nice shady spot and when I asked what he was drawing, he told me "Birds!" Then when he saw Ben's chalk family, he quickly added his own!





















Covered in chalk... happy as can be....

"This is the Life!"

Ben and Conner had lots of fun playing outside today.  We did a little bit of everything!  The boys practiced their soccer skills for a while and then declared that they needed a chair and a drink!  Ben sat down and said, "This is the life!"  Our little men say the funniest things! 

Carnival Time!

The boys enjoyed the Novak Carnival again this year which happened to be tonight!  We got a bit of a late start but we had time for a train ride, the swing ride, and several trips up and down the bouncy slide before it was time to go home! They went up and down the slide so quick it was hard to get good pictures!  Nana and Gramps ended up being in town so they got to enjoy the night with us!  The boys had a great time!  They are pros at this now!

 

Soccer...

The boys started soccer tonight!  They have been so excited for this and they have asked about it 50 times a day for the last two weeks so they were thrilled that they actually got to play tonight.  It was supposed to start last week but with all the rain, it had been postponed.  They worked on some skills tonight and the hardest part proved to be standing in line to wait your turn... No big surprise there.  (Although they were certainly not the only little boys who had a hard time standing in a straight line with 6 other active little boys!)  They had a lot of fun!  Nick and I enjoyed watching them!!! (FYI...Ben has the blue pants and Conner is wearing red!)

Nice and Quiet...

I was folding some laundry in the bedroom and when I came out to the living room, I found Conner putting a puzzle together on the table and Ben playing with the legos on the floor.  The best part was that they were leaving each other alone!  There are so few of these nice quiet moments in our house that I wanted to make sure to document it...

Race Weekend...

Nick's parents spent Saturday and Sunday with us so that Nick and Papa could work on building a bathroom in our basement and so that Mama could do the half marathon this weekend in Marion!  The guys made some good progress on the bathroom so that was a success.  And Mama did so good in her race, we were all very proud of her!  Before we walked up to the high school to see her finish, we made a few signs.  I was making ones that said "Go Mama!" But the boys insisted that they needed to make "Stop" signs for her so she would know when to stop!  So that's what they did!  Thanks for a great weekend Mama and Papa!  (Pay no attention to the date stamps on the pictures, the camera was acting up and I quickly tried to reset the date, but oops... )

 

Consequences...

I made a new "consequence chart" for my boys today, hung it up, and went over it with them so they understood it.  The first thing Ben told me was that he needed to make one for me too!  So he sat down with paper and markers and made his own consequence chart for Mom.  So far, I've done pretty good, I think....

Flowers...

The boys planted some little flowers today.  They have been wanting to do this for a while and we finally got around to it.  We put the little pots in the window and the boys sat there for a while watching.  Finally Ben complained that nothing was happening!  I reminded him that it would take some time for the flower to grow and it would need water and sun.  Of course both Ben and Conner pointed out that there was no sun that day so Conner ran to get their little flashlights to shine on the pots for a while!  So here is Conner trying to get his flower to grow with his flashlight!

Sleeping in the Rain...

The rain (and some sniffles) have made for some long nights around here lately.  A nap was mandatory today, but try explaining that to two five year olds when it's still raining outside.  (They hate sleeping when it is raining... it's the whole thunder and lightning threat...)  Ben slept a little but then woke up saying that he couldn't sleep while it was raining, although he absolutely denies being afraid...  he laid down on the living room couch where I happened to be at the time and fell right back to sleep.  He stayed asleep for two hours.  It was the longest nap that boy has had in a long time!  I guess, sometimes, you just need your mom around... I'm happy for those little moments when they remind me...

Play Day...

Today, Conner and Ben got to participate in the Special Olympics Play Day!  They got to do lots of different activities and they were thrilled when they received their huge green ribbons!  It was a great time for them and for me! 

Kelly Christine!

We received this picture about 8 weeks ago of our nieces and have been waiting patiently for some adoption news...

 

 

Kelly Christine (our 5th niece!) was born on April 11!  For health reasons, she is still in the hospital but Kristin is there with her and she is doing very well!  We are so excited to meet her and hope that Kelly can go home soon so the McLelands can all be together and so that the rest of us can meet our newest little niece and cousin!  She is just beautiful!!!

Spring!

The first car wash of Spring!  Not sure who was more excited, Ben, Conner, or Nick!  (Actually, we all know it was Nick!)

 

Sword Fight...

Conner and Ben had a little sword fight this morning and Conner got a little wound up and hit Ben on the nose with his plastic sword.  It was not pretty....  After a little trip to Urgent Care, to make sure Ben's nose wasn't broken, he is back home and happy as can be.  His face will have plenty of pretty shades of purple on it for the next few days, though!  Boys!!!!!!!

 

Older Girls...

On Thursday, the temperature climbed just enough for the boys to enjoy some bike riding after dinner.  Conner stopped to talk to a couple of neighbor girls who happen to be in middle school.  Pretty soon, Nick told him it was time to go inside to get ready for showers and bedtime.  I had already gone in the house and when Conner came storming in, he was definitely not happy...

Me:  What's wrong Conner?
Con:  I was talking to my girls and Daddy said to come inside.
Me: Yep, it's time to take a shower and get ready for bed.
Con: NO! I was talking to my girls.
Me: Well, we need to get ready for bed so you can go to school tomorrow and see your friends.
Con:  I don't want my girls at school.  I want my other girls.
Me: Your other girls?
Con: No, my older girls.
Me: You want older girls?
Con: Yes!

Hmmm...

Silly...

A little silliness on a Tuesday afternoon...