Catching up with any pics on my phone

April 19, 2014. Easter Egg Coloring. I got several fancy coloring kits, and we basically just dyed the eggs one color each.

Alex is trying some egg paint.

Look at the concentration on Nick's face!

Nana and Pop-pop help them out a lot.

It was fun! And I'm pretty sure more egg dye ended up on my hands than the egg I colored!

April 19, 2014 Nick and I did our first fun run this morning. 

It was at Homestead Park, and it was cold!! It was about 46 degrees, which isn't too terrible, but very cold to stand around and wait. But we still had fun!

Nick giving me bunny ears before the race.

Running!

Finishing!

Finished!! With a finisher's medal, no less! I think this was the first time Nick ever tried to run a mile, and we did a lot of sprinting, then walking, then sprinting, then walking. Before the race, we talked about how slow and steady wins the race, but that didn't quite sink in. Perhaps next time. It was a lot of fun, and Nick was super proud of himself. In the car on the way home he asked, "Mom, why do I feel so great?" It was pretty awesome! 

Nick snuggling with Squeaky after the race.

April 17, 2014 - picture day! Alex on the left, Nick on the right.

Best. Picture. Ever!!!!

April 13, 2013 - Michael's birthday party at Dave and Buster's. The kids had a blast! That's Michael and Alex playing Mariocart.

Nick playing

Micheal and the cake

April 12, 2014 - Michael was pretty excited about his amazon gift cards. I haven't seen him light up like that in a while!

March, 2014 Cub Scouts Pine box Derby. This was a big deal, and unfortunately I didn't realize it until too late. The boys' cars were ok, but we didn't try to weight them as we should have. As a result...

Neither child earned one of these. And there was much disappointment. This was what inspired Nick to do the fun run in April so that he might be able to get a medal. And he did!

They still had a pretty good time.

And even more fun playing before it started!

March, 2014 - the boys checking out Dave Ramsey's website on my computer.

 March 16, 2014 "The Star Factor" at church. The boys practiced their songs and danced for month, and they put on a great performance!

They were part of "the band."

The child who normally played the shepherd didn't show up for the night performance, so they asked Nick to play his part. He did great!

March, 2015 Pop- pop, Alex and Nick playing "in the middle."

Darby Creek Conservatory

June, 2013 Alex checking out some facts on the local flora.

BUFFALO!!!

Rock Garden

Nick is funny and two year old Christmas presents

May, 2013 - at Frisch's, Nick drew a "fake-uh mustache-io" on himself. 

In turquoise pen.

May, 2013 - after a shopping extravaganza at Target.  "Mommy, take my picture!!"

Yes, that's a flying fish! Aunt Jenn and Uncle Ryan got the boys these giant things that you fill with helium and they are remote controlled, so you can fly them around. Their tails move like a fish to propel them forward. They are really cool! 

Aikido

May 28, 2013 Alex and Nick have earned their yellow belts!

Nick has his partner pinned.

And so does Alex!

Sitting in circle after the testing is over. They love circle time because Sensei Bill always thanks the class for listening and "most importantly, thank you for not breaking the paper wall" which they all shout in unison with him.

They really have enjoyed Aikido! I like it because it is a defensive martial art (so theoretically, as long as no one is starting a fight at home, it shouldn't be used at home, right??). They've been studying it since February, going twice a week. They've really come a long way with it. It has been fun to watch them improve and start to take it more seriously as time goes on. Nick is very diligent and yet playful. Alex often has one hand in his pocket and comes home to create new defensive moves that he practices on his large, stuffed Spider-Man. Poor Spidey! He spends most of his time airborne or with both hands pinned behind his back.

So proud of these boys!

It's been a long time!!

A lot has happened in the past couple of years! The boys have grown, and they continue to amaze and enchant me every single day.  Last year, I gave them each a hard covered printed book of this blog, and they love it!  They have used it to learn the history of their early years, and it is funny at how they "remember" the stories for which they've seen pictures and read blog posts. That, along with the fact that my laptop crashed last night, and I'm physically sick at the thought that I might have lost the last two years of pics, has made me acutely aware of how important this blog is! It's our history! And, it's a backup!!!

February 26, 2013 - H.R.H. Nick and his Edible Arrangement from Aunt Jenn, Uncle Ryan, Michael and Cassie. 

Nick had an inguinal hernia repaired at Nationwide Children's.  It was an exhausting day, but he did wonderfully and within a few days was his usually bouncy self. Nick is, by nature, incredibly bouncy. Watching him play Wii is like watching a basketball being dribbled. We were worried about how he'd do with the surgery and recovery - well, he did great!  He had been worried about the surgery, too, as it approached, but he was excited about getting to be "King for the Day."  I told him that he would get to do anything he wanted to do, and go anywhere he wanted to go, and eat anything he wanted to eat once the surgery was over.  It took a few hours before he was up for it.  His requests were very reasonable, but he did get a trip to Target and a Lego set out of it.

And the bonus was that Cassie and Michael got to stop by and deliver it (and eat some of it, too)!

Lots-O-Birthdays

After Christmas, we celebrate 3 birthdays within a week. Christmas wish lists have to be extra long in our family.

January 2, 2010 – Nana’s Birthday. Nana had a lot of help blowing out her candles on her pineapple upside down cake!

December 31, 2009 – Uncle Ryan’s Birthday. Chocolate fondue was all the cake Uncle Ryan wanted. The bad thing about blogging 9 months after the event is that I have no idea why Michael was half naked. I’m sure there was a good reason. :-)

December 26, 2009 – Pop-pop’s Birthday!

Christmas!

Seriously, is anything better than Christmas morning? Alex loves his pop up fire truck.

They had a wonderful time opening their presents from Santa, Mommy, and Daddy.  Nick had just opened his stocking and was determined to open up the M&Ms to have them for breakfast.

They loved it when Nana and Pop-pop showed up, too!

After a fun filled morning, the kids had time to play and relax.  Then we were off to Aunt Barb and Uncle Hugo’s house for more fun.  It was a great, wonderful day!