High Five

The boys relax on the hot 100 degree weater today... They're not sure what else to do with themselves! Aiden (L) and Chris (R)



Aunt Lynda with Chris and Grammie Hopkins with Aiden - Checking out the roosters and hens at Northwest Park.



Aiden thought it was pretty funny to wear his pants on his head!



Chris says "Look mama, no more jello!"



Aiden has fun playing with his jello!



Chris now smiles on command and gives the cheesiest grins.. gotta love it! I sure do!


As some of you know, I am now 364 days away from being the big 3-0! Yikes... I have one more year to enjoy feeling young, chasing around my favorite two boys. While no one likes getting older, I am loving where my life brings me as I age. Never would I have guessed that as 29 I would have married my best friend, owned a home that we got to re-do and make our own and have not just one but TWO amazingly fun and energetic 15 month olds. Could life be any better?

Needless to say, I had a truly wonderful birthday! I had great company all day and as such had two very happy campers (A & C). Grammie Hopkins and Aunt Lynda joined us on an adventure to Northwest Park yesterday morning. The boys LOVED the playground and were in love with the animals. There favorite thing was the freedom that walking has afforded them. They were so happy running up and down the walkway in the barn, stopping to let the sheep, goats and chickens lick their fingers as they pleased. Later in the afternoon we headed to Sunrise Park with Grammie Pt. Since it was so toasty out, we went to the town beach there and dipped our feet in the lake. The boys also got a second dose of swinging and were in their element. Of course, two happy toddlers = one VERY happy momma!

And yes, the day continued to get better as Mike arrived home early from work with two birthday surprises. Finger paints and supplies for the ultimate gift... hand prints! I had been asking for hand prints of the boys at every given opportunity and Daddy got the hint! Mike then told me that Grammie Hopkins was on her way back over to watch the boys so that we could go to dinner. We tried out a restaurant down the street from our house, Tunix, which was a new venue for us and it was delicious! What a special treat and what an amazing birthday!

So enough about me... What else have we been up to? This is the boys final week of playschool which is bittersweet. They will miss the company and new toys and I will miss the break mid-morning. I probably don't have to state the obvious but the boys and I have been loving the sunshine! We have been spending our time between the backyard and inside, trying to keep cool. The boys love being outside and always do a good job of finding trouble wherever they can! We are starting a garden for the first time this year and Dziadz Pt has been helping us to set it up. We are very excited to have some fresh fruits and veggies in our own yard!

The boys love wagon rides, piggy back rides, playgrounds and swings. They love teddy bears and are very good at snuggling with their teddies and have a special interest in animals, especially doggies (one of the few words they are saying), trucks, tractors and books. They love the outdoors and have been doing GREAT at sleeping through the night. I have almost forgotten what its like to get up in the middle of the night! Food is still not on their list of favorites but we are working on hat everyday! They are both superb walkers now and say Momma, Dadda, ouch (on occasion), doggie, turtle, kitty, what and a few other words that we are working on trying to decipher still. They will do anything to make you laugh and once they ge you laughing they keep you laughing. Aiden has 6 teeth and Chris is currently getting in his 5th & 6th teeth. They have very different personalities which is neat to see. Aiden loves to cuddle and be close by while Chris is very independent. Both are little monkeys and love to climb. Aiden tends to find the trouble but Chris being smaller usually has more luck at making the trouble. Mike and I actually look forward to hearing the boys waking in the morning now, yes partially because it is at 5:45/6 am now rather than 4 am but also because we they try so hard to entertain us from the moment they wake up! We have so, so, so much fun! They are truly the funniest non-verbal little men that I have ever met!