mother's day 2012

kyle delivered on the mother's day gift this year with the precious gift of a new baby.  he can't begin to top that one.  a sweet new baby, a bubbly toddler, and a spunky preschooler make life so much more exciting and fulfilling.  there truly is no greater gift than that of motherhood. that being said, I'd like to report that I have an amazing photo of my babies and I on this mother's day 2012.  fact is, the one picture I do have is nothing short of hideous of myself.  so, no, it is not making the blog.  I can, however, offer up this picture of my amazing mom and her SEVEN grandbabies.  seven in less than four years.  not too shabby huh?

anyone who knows my mom and dad know that they are in their glory. I know I have quite a biased opinion, but who wouldn't be proud of this adorable bunch of towheads?

we celebrated mother's day with a trip to a local park with some of our extended family.  even though we all live relatively close to one another, we don't see each other nearly enough.  it was great to catch up and share a yummy potluck meal together.

one more of the two newborn baby boys. precious.

happy mother's day to all of the great moms out there.

the final countdown

our family of four is just about five.  before the big day arrives, daddy has a race to run.  the Fetzer 20K has become an annual event for kyle and this year was no different.  except for maybe the weather.

what a gorgeous day for a run.  not that I would know.  I admire all of you who can get out the and pound the pavement. I'm fully convinced that you're either bitten by the running bug or you're not. I clearly have a great race bug repellant. kyle, on the other hand, has got this running thing down. his motto is "go fast or go home." clearly evidenced by this year's race results.  two years ago I tried hard to make it to the park before the time that kyle estimated he would run by...we didn't make it. last year we walked there with jen and baby callan in the crispy, cold weather.  this year, we drove.  I figured that at 39 weeks pregnant, I deserved it.

kyle came cruising by just a shade past his "scheduled" time. not his fastest race, but we still thought he did great!

lucky for the little guys, the race is just across the river from one of our favorite parks. so naturally we stopped to play. man I love these two.

there are just mere hours until our two sweet boys...

...become big brothers.

it's march...really?

the weather this month has been crazy beautiful and unseasonable.  we are taking full advantage of it and have been outdoors as much as possible. I should note that late winter/early spring isn't my favorite season (insert mental picture of mud, brown grass, and cold temperatures), so imagine my delight with the endless 60-70 degree days and bright sunshine.  l.o.v.e.
hello picnics in march:

bring on the bikes!

apparently this one was in need of some repairs...

I love watching my two boys play together.  they are true "boys" and light up when they can be running around and burning off some of their endless energy.  they have recently perfected the art of brotherly love and sneaking a good whap! in on each other every now and then.  I have to admit that there are some days when it's quite draining and that time out corner gets plenty of use.  but most of the time I am captured by those bright blue eyes and I'm reminded of their sweet spirits.

miles is definitely a first born.  he likes things in order, is imaginative, has a gentle soul, loves to read, is cautious and shy in new situations, takes the lead when he's comfortable, and he's a natural teacher. henry is energetic, silly, adventurous, cuddly, stubborn, funny, athletic, and sweet.sweet.sweet. despite their differences, they have both inherited their dad's love of baseball.

all of this beautiful weather brought about the first of MANY trips to the parks in our neighborhood. cousins nick, ellie, and josiah made an appearance for this inaugural visit.

snack break:

you're never too old to run around at the park...right scott?

if march's weather is any indication of the rest of this spring, then I'll toast a good non-alcoholic beverage to that...cheers!

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!

buds

there is something about the newness of spring. the way that the grass comes back to life after lying dormant all winter, the plump green buds on the ends of delicate twigs that are ready to burst; everywhere you turn there is new life springing up.

in many ways, this newness transfers to my soul. it rejuvenates me and makes me want to bust out into my best "downward facing dog" yoga move that has become a thing of the past for me, but a thing of the present for the bug.

I'm happy to finally shed the heavy blanket that is the post-christmas/pre-spring season. the sun is rising earlier, staying up later and so are we. we are ready for the sunshine, ready for the backyard baseball games, ready for the park, we are ready.

this year we have taken advantage of the safe harbor in my sister and her husband's backyard. the kiddos can run around freely and I don't have to have a coronary every time they wander too far back. let me just stress that it's a well deserved freak out session. I'm certain I am not the only momma who would worry about the river that runs behind our house...didn't think so. my sister's, on the other hand, is fully fenced in and allows for the mommies and daddies to relax on the deck whilst we take in the activity of our little boys. bliss.

we picked our first batch of rhubarb with beth and seth. it's encouraging to see our boys learning to grow things and see how it becomes food for our family. clearly this particular food will need a substantial addition of sugar.

josiah opted for popcorn. henry opted for sand.

occasionally there are nights when we play longer than planned, build one too many sand castles, and manage to smear a fair amount of ketchup into our hair. all of which require a quick dip in the bathtub and a borrowed set of clean clothes. this works out beautifully for henry, but results in quite the fashion statement for miles. (hat and sandals = ours, pjs and coat = definitely NOT)

it is the magical evening light spilling in through the windows that makes me remember why spring is so important. it brings with it a sense of hope and wonder - a little sneak peek at the summer that is just around the corner. oh how we love babies in bathing suits, the smell of sunscreen on soft little cheeks, and get-aways with the ones we love.

but for now we relish in this season of budding. and at this house we celebrate a budding artist.

it surely is a celebration, as he is the one who would rarely pick up a crayon, let alone color on his own. after many pleas of "you do it mommy" and me encouraging him to "try it," he took to the smell of crayola like a moth to the flame. finding it necessary to tear every last bit of paper off the crayon and then stop to twirl it around in his fingers and comment on how pretty it was.

check out the green crayon...that's an "H" baby...for henry, of course!

which, of course, was promptly followed by tears when it easily snapped in two. that's what wrappers are for, big guy. oh well!? I am happy to see him branching out and feeling confident enough to be creative. he's a gentle, shy, smart little boy and he's gonna do great things.

(there's a tangent I didn't expect to break off into...more about our first born and his big day soon)

I'll leave you with these images from our recent day at the park. spring has definitely sprung.