Beautiful Morning!

What a beautiful morning to be outside!  It has been so long since we have had a day that we can be outside without having to go inside for breaks from the heat!  Ben decided that his car needed some more nature in it this morning.  He told me  "Look Mom, there's a tree growing in my car!"

The boys sang lots of songs outside.  At one point Conner started singing about Scooby Doo!  It was pretty cute...  (Don't mind Ben, who decided to stick some tree branches in his mouth...)

It was almost time for lunch and Conner informed me that he and Mater needed a nap so he laid down on the cement and began snoring!

I would take this weather everyday of the week!  It feels so good to be able to spend so much time outside and be comfortable!!!

Fishing!

This afternoon we got to meet Mama and Papa at Pleasant Creek in Palo for an afternoon of fishing.  Besides the fact that it was crazy hot out on the lake with no breeze AT ALL, the boys still enjoyed fishing in Papa's boat.  Ben and Conner aren't the most patient four year olds when it comes to fishing, but I haven't met too many four year olds who have a huge supply of patience!  Conner was hot, but he loved being out on the lake!

Ben had a wonderful time, as well.  He wanted to catch a big fish, but was very excited when he would lift his pole up and see that there was a worm on there, declaring to us all, "I caught a worm!!!"  There was no talking him out of it!

Thanks for a fun afternoon Mama and Papa!

Tuckered Out...

After our very exciting day yesterday, the guys were still pretty tuckered out this morning.  They kept putting things together to make "beds" to rest on.  It didn't look so comfortable to me...

Fun at the River!

Nick's aunt and uncle have a place in Prairie du Chien by the Mississippi River and we were able to go up there today to have fun on the beach.  The boys were amazing!!!  They both loved the water and they spent the whole day wowing us with their courage and independence.  They even got their very first jet ski ride courtesy of cousin Brandon!  Conner loved the jet ski!

Ben's turn was a little shorter because as soon as Brandon took off, Ben wanted him to stop!

Aunt Jen entertained the troops in the tube and then the boys got to go for a couple of boat rides while the older kids tubed!

We had such a great time!!!  It was amazing to watch the boys have so much fun in the water and be able to just sit on the beach and enjoy the sunshine!  We definitely will have to do that more often!  Thanks Uncle Paul, Aunt Jen and Brandon, Molly, and Austin!  (Plus, it was the easiest bedtime we have ever had with the boys!  They were so exhuasted, we just transferred them from the van to their beds!)

Trains and Bridges

I wanted to illustrate the huge difference between our twins....  Conner spends a long time lining up all the blocks exactly how he wants them and is very proud when he tells me to look at the train he just built.  So proud, in fact, that he has to grab his guitar and sing about it! 

Ben is just interested in a couple blocks at a time so he can make a bridge for his car to go over or under.  A very quick activity filled with action since the bridge either collapses or the car flies off of it, making Ben scream "Mom, my car is flying, look, look, look, look.....  Ben needs a bit more action!

Puzzled...

Conner and Ben got a new puzzle for their birthday, so they enjoyed putting that together this afternoon.  When we got it all done, Ben wanted to do it again, but got all puzzled out pretty quickly after that!  Conner was still interested and really liked doing the puzzle "by myself!" 

Thank You Nana and Gramps!

The boys spent last week with their Nana and Gramps in Bettendorf.  I joined them on Friday (thanks to my sister and brother-in-law who gave me a ride since our car was in the shop needing a whole new engine...grr..) and Nick joined us all on Saturday.  The boys had so much fun and we all had an incredible weekend!  Here are the boys all ready to go to Nana's last Sunday!

Nick and I really tried to take advantage of all of the free time last week!  We were able to go to restaurants that we usually avoid because of loud little ones.  We got to look at lots of houses with our realtor.  We went out to a movie and we even got to go party at our favorite bar.  It was a great time!!!  While we missed our guys a lot, we were so thankful for the (much needed) adult time!!!!

The kids had a lot of fun playing outside with the squirt guns!  On Saturday morning, my brother and brother-in-law ran in the Bix so some of us went down to watch, while the rest of us headed to the Children's Museum!  The boys love that place!  They constantly ask to go to the museum when we are in Bettendorf.  Gramps got a new plane for his birthday so the boys loved playing with that as well!

My mom, dad, brother, sister, and my sons all have July birthdays so some of the weekend was spent celebrating all the birthdays! 

We are so thankful for our Nana and Gramps who always take such good care of Ben and Conner.  I really enjoyed the break, and I was so excited to see them again!  They got to do so many fun things and all they want to do since we've gotten home is go back to Nana's house! 

Thank you, Mom and Dad... I know it's a lot of work to have B and C there all week, but they enjoyed themselves sooooo much!  You make them very happy!  Nick and I really appreciate the fact that you both are always there for us!  Thank you for the week off and the very fun weekend!  We love you so much!