Birthday cupcakes...

Brody's party isn't officially until this Saturday, but we had to do a little celebrating on the actual day! The daycare kids and I made cupcakes and they got to decorate their own for snack. In the end I had sprinkles and chocolate everywhere, but they had a great time!

Toolbox Night!

Brody had a preschool night last night where they got to create a toolbox with their dads... Josh ended up being called out of town for work, so Grandpa Carl stepped up to the plate. They had a lot of fun and Brody got to come home with his very own toolbox - which he is now busily decorating...

Heat for the winter...

After a near mishap this winter with our very old indoor wood stove (Josh caught a chimney fire as it was starting...) we decided that we needed to get a new stove and that it was definitely going to be an outdoor one! So, after a bit of financing (I can't believe how expensive those buggers are!) and a lot of haggling on Josh's part - we came home with this baby... The boys love it, hopefully they will not climb in when we are actually using it... :) Just kidding, I hope they are smarter then that!

Gardening Fun!

We started our summer garden the other night and it was so much fun to get the kids involved. They lasted for a few minutes and then ran off to play, but they are getting to see where our food comes from and will get to see the hard work that goes into growing it! I forsee weeding in their futures! :) Brody had my camera at one point, so a few of the pictures are his! We also made homemade garden markers that turned out great, so I had to get a picture of them in there also!

Bella and the grilled cheese...

So, we had grilled cheese and spaghettios for lunch yesterday and Bella had a good time with it... I figured that she would be covered in spaghettios - I just wasn't counting on the grilled cheese. I looked over at one point during lunch and she was patting her sandwich into her hair... Nice, Nice! It took some doing, but the big clump of cheese that you see in the front of her hair did come out! That's my girl -so ladylike!

Potty Training Success

So, I hope that I don't jinx it with this post, but Beau has been doing awesome with the potty training! We had a few days of wonderfulness, but backtracked for a while so we started over with the backpack - moving quicker backwards rather then forwards... Then something clicked! For the past 4-5 days, Beau has been rocking the potty! He has been keeping his undies dry and we are celebrating like mad! So, yesterday we made it to the end of the backpack incentive chart and he got a new backpack... I wish I had captured his face when he saw that backpack - I think that it lit up the entire room! YAY FOR BEAU!! Of course this morning he thought that he should get to go to school, so I need to hold him off a little bit for that! :)


Big brother also has to get in on the excitement! WE MATCH...

So excited about his backpack that he asked immediately if he could sleep with it... Break my heart!!

Big girl helper!

Bella took a long morning nap this morning, so she is not down for her afternoon nap yet... She decided that she needed to help Josh install our new dishwasher! You can imagine how well that was working! :)

Little Stinker!!

Bella's newest trick is to steal all the remotes and phones around the house and take off running. She is getting pretty fast, but mommy can still catch her... I just love her little expression in this picture!

Bella's new clothes...

Bella got a couple new outfits from her aunties and uncles for her birthday, so we had to of course take some pictures of her looking so cute!

1st Campfire of the Season

Josh and I spent last weekend cleaning up the yard and getting ready for spring... We got the fire pit ready, so we had to have some people over for a small fire before bedtime... The kids had fun playing and we had fun chatting! We can't wait for summer!
Beau checking out the fire...

Parker "well protected" while he is watching the fire...

My Baby!

Okay, so I know that I am not the first to get one of these, but I almost died when I got it. I opened the mail on the way up the driveway and a big smile along with a tug of tears immediately broke out... My baby is going to kindergarten!! It doesn't seem so long ago that he was as little as Bella and even though he has been going to preschool the past two years, rides his bike to school on his own and can even tie his shoes, Kindergarten just seems so much BIGGER!! If I am crying while I write this post how am I ever going to make it through the first day of school! :)

Brody - 2 years old...

Brody - now...

Helping Daddy...

Josh got home early from work today and had to wash his truck, so of course the boys donned their mud boots immediately and started to help him! Bella spent a while watching them through the windows and then snuck out the back door to the deck to get a better view...
Helping daddy and having fun in the water!


But mom, I want to be down there with the boys!! (Please ignore the one Christmas decoration that we missed taking down!)

I know, I know - so not baby safe! As soon as we get the money for a new deck, it will no longer be the 1980's version of "up to code"... Of course this will probably come when all the kids are too old to slip through the slats!!

Potty Training - 2nd go round...

We have been working with Beau on using the potty throughout the winter... He has shown practically no interest, even with his cousin Ellie potty training super early and wanting to "show" him all her accomplishments! :) (Rox thought this was gross, but I was all for whatever worked to get Beau rolling too! :) So, my newest tactic has been talking about preschool next year and how he can't go if he doesn't go potty on the potty. Well, this has obviously all of a sudden sunk in... Yesterday he got up, walked straight past me in the kitchen and headed for the bathroom. He walked out, night diaper and pajama pants in hand and said "me go pee on the potty, me go to school!" All right! We can work with that! So, we started a chart - that would be the teacher in me coming through! When he gets to the end, he gets a backpack for school... Man the excitement is overwhelming and he wants to move his guy all the time! Now if I can get him to stop peeing everywhere - on the driveway, in the garage, etc... Find a tree boy! :)

Brotherly love!

Last night Josh got home a bit late, so I waited to have supper with him. I gave the boys cereal and told them if they got their jammies on by themselves they could watch a movie. Beau was having a bit of a time doing this, so Brody jumped in to help. I almost peed my pants watching them...

Easter Sunday activities...

Sunday was a busy day for our family... Starting with church and breakfast at 7:00, we ran over to mom's for "fruit snack hunting". Josh did a quick oil change for a customer (5th Street Auto is now open and is already somewhat busy - especially when he is trying to fit in jobs with his regular work...) and then we headed out to my aunt and uncle's for egg hunting for the kids, basket hunting for the adults and dinner. The weather was once again gorgeous and we spent the majority of the day outside playing games and watching the kids run wild. When we got home the boys got to hunt for their eggs at our house and then finally baths and to bed. I don't know who was more tired, the kids or us? :)

Dying Eggs...

The weather has been so beautiful this week that we were able to go on the deck and dye our eggs this year...

Resurrection Rolls

I found this great activity online and I just had to try it with the kids this year for Easter... I thought that it was a great concrete way to explain what happened to Jesus, but then when we were done we were cleaning up and some of the marshamallow had stuck to the pan. Brody yells "yes, there is some Jesus left" and starts to pick the marshmallow off the pan. Whoops - didn't quite get that part I guess! :)
annointing "Jesus" in "oils"...

the "incense"...

laying "Jesus" in the tomb...

and the tomb was empty...

Tyce's Birthday...

We had a busy weekend with all the Easter activities, but April is also a busy month for our family - for birthdays! So, we usually have to throw a birthday party in wherever we can... Saturday afternoon we had my nephew Tyce's birthday party and the weather turned out so perfect that we ended up extending the party and just hanging out for a long time outside!

Teacher Gifts

I couldn't resist posting these... I am trying to be a wonderful parent to Brody's teachers, like the parents at Ashland Ranch were to me. So, for Easter this year I found the cutest idea from rootsandwingsco.blogspot.com and I had to make them for Brody's teachers. I love being able to do stuff for them, but I definitely won't miss him having 2 teachers and 4 helpers in his room! Didn't they turn out so adorable though!! I love them...:)

FRED

Brody's preschool class has a FRED (Fathers Read Every Day) night every few months during the school year and tonights was spent with the Easter bunny, doing activities, reading and having fun with the dads... Beau actually got to go with Brody and Josh tonight and they had a lot of fun together!