lucky

one of my most cherished childhood memories is spending oodles of time with my extended family. we all went to church together and met up for pizza on sunday nights. there was a birthday party monthly and frequent impromptu game nights.  my cousins were like little brothers and sisters to me. we knew each other inside and out. we knew which buttons to push. so we fought a little, but mostly we were close. I prayed that when I grew up and had a family of my own that we would be able to somehow recreate that tight extended family for our own children. we have.  both of kyle's brothers and all of my brothers and sisters (except the one who is college bound) have settled down in the same city.  the allure of living in a new city with more to do is always there.  kyle and I first began our living together in the twin cities and we loved the constant flow of activity.  we quickly realized that when we had a family, we wanted our children to grow up surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles...and cousins.

it is happening. the boys are forming a brotherly bond with one another. we fuel that fire. oh, yeah, we do. we plan get-togethers-a-plenty. it's not unusual for one of us to call another and ask what's up for dinner?...on a week night. 

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once in a while we get the privilege of having one of the boys all to ourselves. josiah had his first "sweep over" at our house.

it was like a little glimpse into the future. I can totally see the cousins all lined up in their sleeping bags, giggling instead of falling asleep, and appearing (late) to the breakfast table all tousle-haired the next morning. I can't wait...except I can. they are growing so fast. I'm more than content to go slowly through each stage, soak it in, and make sure we take lots of pictures. I want to remember these days forever and be able to pull out the albums in 20 years and say, "remember when..."

baby callan and his mommy and daddy live just a few blocks from us. it's not unusual for either us or them to stop by during an evening walk to say hello. miles runs all the way to their house. his little feet pound along the black top and then he darts behind a tree and hollers "can you see me daddy?" occasionally, callan hangs out with us while his parents are at work. (insert love of part-time employment here) he's a sweet baby with the bluest eyes.

little brother adores him.

the feet get me everytime.

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uncle brian and auntie blair invited us all over one evening and we were super jazzed when we arrived and found this lovely aquatic paradise on the deck. c'mon, who doesn't love a good pool party? apparently miles. he would appreciate if nobody got him wet.  sorry charlie, it's a proven fact that if you're in the pool you're bound to get splashed.

henry was convinced that he was sitting in an enormous glass of drinking water. eew.

swimsuits optional.

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occasionally our summer fun gets rained on. we just move the party indoors. VOILA! s'mores a la electric cooktop.

delish.

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ranger rides are miles' new fave. uncle clayt is extra cautious for this nervous nellie momma. thanks much! you can hear them giggling over the sound of the roaring engine. priceless.

in the words of the buggy, "I un ride!" [translate: I want a ride!]

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is sacrificing an exciting metropolitan life for the comfort of family worth it? you bet. I wouldn't trade this for anything.

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.