Sneak peak

This picture makes me laugh because in an attempt to "stage" a cute picture, I asked A & C to both kiss Mamie on the count of 3 and they turned and kissed one another instead!

Happy, happy birthday Mamie! Thank you for sharing your celebration with us! oxo

Christopher was helping escapee Kameron who ran away chasing a tractor. He took his hand and attempted to bring him back. So cute.

The smile on Kameron's face is priceless. Meanwhile A & C have learned well to totally ignore Momma when she has the camera in her hand.

The Hopkins & Locke Gang at Stanley Park enjoying some perfect, gorgeous weather!

Chris at Northwest Park. Deep in thought. Looking for airplanes.

Aiden trying to explain what we need to do to fix the world. He takes his job seriously.

Loved the trees behind this picture of Chris. Northwest Park is beautiful this time of year.

Chris shows his new fear of heights.

Aiden meanwhile says "higher Momma!"

This is the tractor that Aiden thought he owned. I guess we need to work on the concept of ownership a bit more. "No Momma, mine" won't work for everything.

A sneak peak of our new project and the boys new hiding place! I have had no luck with videos in the past but Ill try to post a cute video tomorrow.

Wow - So much fun and so many great pictures to post that I just can't wait until tomorrow to share it all!

The weather has been such a breath of fresh air, literally- does it get any better than this?!? Thursday we were thrilled to spend the day with Baby Ashley. It is always so fun spending time with such a special little girl and of course, I never complain about a little extra snuggle time. Thursday night was a Home Depot run. We are almost finished with the final touches of the special project we have been working on. We have been working fast and furiously to create built in bookcases surrounding our fireplace. I am in LOVE with them! Having storage in a room that previously had none is going to be heavenly. I'll be sure to post before and after pictures in case you're curious.

Friday was too nice to stay at home and certainly too nice to stay inside so I decided to brave Northwest Park for the morning by myself with the boys. I say "brave it" because you never know how the day is going to go. At times they both wanted to be held and at other times they were heading in opposite directions but we truly had a blast. There were several school field trips there that day and A & C had their own little side show as all of the high school girls "oohh'd and ahh'd" over them. They were in their glory with all of the attention and were surprisingly talkative. They loved seeing the animals, even though Chris was convinced that the minature donkey was going to eat him. They also loved the freedom of running around, playing on the playground (even with Chris's newly emerging fear of heights) and of course, the tractors that were on the grounds were a HIT. I am pretty sure Aiden thought he owned one of them. We spent the rest of the afternoon outside and burned some much needed energy!

This morning Mike and I got brave. We went for our first run outside. A family run actually. We kept it short and sweet and did 2 miles, pushing A & C in a stroller must count for an additional 500 calorie burn, right? We were thrilled to be out and so happy to attempting to get in shape for summer. After our run, Mike and I switched rolls and he spent some time with Aiden and Chris while I happily mowed or should I say hayed the lawn. Our grass was high enough that they boys were noticing and saying "Daddy, mow lawn!" I love the exercise and I think Mike enjoyed having some extra time with the boys. We also enjoyed our very first picnic lunch of the season. Peanutbutter and fluff - yum! After lunch and early naps, we were so excited to meet our friends, the Lockes, at Stanley Park in Westfield. The playground was an absolute hit and the kids stayed busy running around and playing while we chased them down and chatted. It was such a nice day to be outside and we couldn't have asked for better company. The swings, slides, snacks and ducks were enjoyed by all! After the park we stopped at Mamie and Grandpa's for a birthday celebration for Mamie! We had a delicious dinner and loved seeing everyone. Aiden and Chris were in their glory and were happily the official present opening helpers. Mamie looks great for 40 and we were thrilled to be able to share her special day with her. Happy, happy birthday Mamie! We love you! Tonight it was home and back to some chores and prep work for our March for Babies walk tomorrow morning. Yes, I prep and yes, I am a dork. I'll be back tomorrow night with more pictures.