transformation

besides the gross lack of closets, my major complaint about this house has always been the backyard. in a dream world, I would be able to wash dishes in my kitchen sink while gazing out the window watching the boys frolic in the fenced in backyard. reality check: the only way to get to our backyard is to go out a door on the side of the house.  our kitchen window looks out to the street. a double garage, added many years after the house was built, takes up a good portion of the yard. the walkway and dog kennel that cuts into the yard makes it difficult (at best) to set up a good ball game. so much for my dream world?!

imagine my excitement when nana and papa arrived at miles' birthday party with a brand new swing set in tow! I'm pretty sure this one was as much for mommy as it was for the three year old. good-bye enormous dog kennel, hello human play space! as an added bonus, we are using the left over materials to fence off the property line at the rear of our yard...thereby cutting off access to the river rushing behind our house. that one's for mommy too.

I hired a team of guys to come disassemble the fencing and assemble the swing set. they were fantastic employees. let me know if you need some skilled craftsmen. you can rent the trio any weekend you'd like.

ok, fine.  my little brother and lovely husband put their heads together to get the job done in a timely manner. I bribed them with dinner and cold beverages.

the little guys turned out to be much better spectators than workers.

miles wanted so badly to get his hands dirty.

but that lasted about as long as any three-year-old attention span lasts and he quickly decided to take a rest...

little brother took up residence in the sandbox...big shock.

gotta wash down all that sand

by the time the sun was dipping below the horizon, we had our very own swing set in our very own backyard. crazy.

as is always the case...the box is more fun than the gift!


p.s. for the record...there are 3...count 'em...THREE...closets in our entire house. 'nuf said.

it's rachel

if you're not familiar with the Signing Time video series and you have children, I would highly suggest you check it out here. we were blessed to have these when miles was a baby and I credit them for aiding in both of the boys' early language skills. when miles was around 7-8 months old he signed 'milk' and 'more' for the first time. he soaked up those first videos like a sponge and was soon signing a good 50-75+ signs by the time he was 15 months old. when henry was born, nana and papa bought him the baby signing time dvds (check it out here!) and we fell in love. they are full of music and teach the basic signs for little ones. because of this, the bug has taken to signing like a little pro. he picked it up really easily and it became a regular part of his communication with us at an early age. now, at 16 months old, he says 80+ words, some 2-word phrases, is beginning to count to 10, and still signs when he's unable to say the words he needs.

imagine my excitement when I found out that the rachel coleman, co-creator and star of signing time, would be performing in the twin cities. as an added bonus, she was bringing her daugher, leah, and froggy sidekick, hopkins along for the show. so...six VIP tickets, four hours in the car (round trip), and a couple of autographs later we were home with three very happy boys. thank you, rachel, for helping us teach our sons how to communicate. you rock!

memorial day

for the first year ever we spent memorial day at a ceremony honoring the brave men and women who have and are fighting for our freedom.

the soldiers field memorial is just blocks from our house. it's a place we walk past often, but rarely stop to look around.

kyle's grandfather and my grandfathers all have memorial stones in the walkway that encircles the memorial.

the ceremony was simple and, while it was full of tradition, it had a somewhat understated pomp and circumstance.  I'm always overwhelmed by the sheer number of those who serve in our military. it is such a blessing to be a citizen of this great nation.

I was glad we went and even more glad that we began a tradition with our children in which we use the day to honor their great grandfathers and the others who made/make the sacrifice to keep our country, our children, safe.