Thanks neighbor!

This evening we decided it was time for another tricycle lesson. We were given two great trikes from my aunt and uncle but have barely used them. Zachary can't reach the pedals on either one and neither could Alex when we got them at the beginning of the year. Well, Alex can reach now but will not pedal. I showed him how, daddy showed him how, but he just wants to "walk" with the tricycle. He still had fun.

When our next door neighbors saw us playing outside they came out too. They have kids a little older than Alex & Zachary but they still like to play with us when we see each other. A week or two ago they knocked on our door to give us a toy that they had outgrown and thought we might like. Today they gave us a super cute police car after Zachary ran in their garage and climbed in it. It's perfect for him because it doesn't have pedals. You just walk in it like Fred Fintstone. We have the best neighbors and it will be sad to leave them when our new house is ready.

Playground pals

Today one of my sisters and her teenage boys came over to visit. The big boys and Chris headed out to do big guy things and my sister and I took the little boys to a nearby park. Their favorite part of a playground is always the slide, which they refer to as "wheee". Example: Me - "What do you want to play on first?" Alex - "Wheee". I know exactly what he wants. We first tried to walk to the park. We loaded up the boys in the double stroller and brought along cold drinks for them. There used to be an entrance to the park at the back side of my neighborhood but after walking probably a quarter mile to where it should have been we found out it's been blocked. Granted, we haven't walked there much this summer because it's been so hot but it sure stunk to have to turn around and walk back. When we got back home we jumped in the car and were there within a few minutes. The park was surprising empty for a weekend and we got to enjoy the playground without too many other kids getting in the way. I'll leave you with a few cute pictures.

Don't worry, Aunt Lisa was right beside him.

Wheee!!

Even though you can't see their faces I still like this picture. They are waiting their turn to cross one of those shaky bridges.

Ta da!

Chris didn't have to be at work until noon today so he was able to stop by the new house and take real pictures with an actual camera. Here they are:

This is the house from the road. We are so excited to have trees

This is the front porch. He couldn't get the whole front in the picture because of the trees.

Here is the back of the house & part of the backyard.

I know it's hard to see until we get real walls up but I'm so happy to see anything. I think things will seem to move faster now that something is up. Most of the trees are in the front of the house but there are a few in the back. Chris says that will make it easier to add a pool later. I say much, much later!

Oops

Yesterday as I was getting out of the shower I heard a thud and crying. Not good. I lock the boys in my bedroom with toys and keep the bathroom door open so I can hear them and peek out at them. They usually do O.K. When I jumped out to check on the boys I found Alex on the floor with this on top of him.

It's my stand up jewelry box. As you can see, I already have it turned around backwards because shortly after the boys got home Zachary opened the drawers and pulled out jewelry. O.K. I won't lie - he was actually eating a Christmas light bulb necklace. Somehow when Alex pulled this down on him he turned it around at the same time so that the drawers opened up and all the jewelry inside spilled out on the floor. Alex was fine, I think it scared him more than anything but I had to search for little earrings in the carpet. I guess my next move will be to put it in the closet.

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Today we did nothing exciting. The boys and I stayed home all day and never went outside except to walk to the mailbox at the end of the block and water flowers on the porch. We played catch, we played with babies, and we played with blocks over and over again. Oh, and don't forget doctor. They love to give shots so you'll cry and then they'll rub on your arm and tell you "It's O.K." or bring you a toy. It's funny how they can remember so much and you don't even know. Just like with the comforting you after you get a shot. They were laying their dolls on the couch and covering them up. Then they told the babies "No wake up - night night!" in a very stern voice. Um.....do you think they got that from me?A new thing they've been doing lately is pretending to leave. They get on a toy car or get a little bag of toys and tell me they are going bye bye in the car. Then I have to ask where and they tell me either Mimi & Papa's house, a baseball game, or to Luke's house (our friend). That part they always do. The last few days they've been telling me that they're going to a party at one of the above's houses. Then a minute or two later they come back to me with their arms open wide and tell me that "Alex's home!". Then I get all excited and give them hugs and kisses and tell them how happy I am that they're home. Sometimes they will then tell me that they ate ice cream at the party or some other funny little detail. Alex started this game and Zachary copies him. It is really cute the first few times but Alex will do it over and over all day. Any game repeated over and over gets really old for me but I guess it's still fun for a toddler!

Hives?

From time to time Alex gets a strange looking red bump or two on his face. It doesn't seem to itch and we don't know what it is. I'm wondering if it's a hive. This one from this morning showed up during breakfast and lasted for about an hour. I'm now starting to keep track of when he has them and what (if anything) he was eating or touching. This morning he was eating scrambled eggs which is a common trigger. He eats eggs fairly often though and this doesn't happen every time. We can't figure out the culprit. Also, he only gets one or two bumps and only 2-3 times a month. We go to the doctor next week so I'll ask her about it then.

Progress at last!

On the new house that is. The concrete slab was poured last week and the framing went up yesterday and today. We drove out there this morning to check it out since Chris didn't have to be at work until after lunch. Finally there is something to see! Unfortunately, I forgot the camera at home so I can't post a picture. I did take a few on my phone but I can't figure out how to send it to my email. If I do, I'll post some later.

Mama's day out & other stuff

Today I had a big day out - all alone. Last Christmas Chris gave me a gift card for a 1/2 day at a spa. I've either been too busy to use or just plain forgot until now. Chris is usually home on Monday's so I got it scheduled for today. This was probably only the 2nd time that daddy and the boys were alone for a good part of the day. I had a wonderful relaxing day at the spa getting a facial, massage, pedicure & manicure. I was really pampered. I called Chris afterwards to tell him I was on my way home but he was at the grocery store with the boys and they were giving him a hard time so he couldn't talk. Ahhhh, I'm glad he got to see what that's like. Then I called him back a few minutes later to ask if I needed to bring home some dinner but instead he told me to hurry and meet him at the grocery store because as he was checking out he realized he left his wallet at home! I had to meet him to pay for the groceries. Chris had such a rough day today that he decided he needed the night out and went to play poker at a sports bar. The boys were very excited to see me and Zachary immediately noticed my fancy nail polish.

This morning (before I left) while the four of us were playing and watching T.V. Zachary just couldn't keep him eyes open any more and conked right out. That means that Zachary got an early nap as I was leaving and Alex napped later at his usual time. I do feel bad for Chris that he never got that precious nap time all to himself today.

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Last night the boys were so cute in the bath. If I haven't mentioned it yet, they love to take baths. They (especially Alex) lay on their tummies and declare that they are Nemo, scrub the "dirty" tub toys, and help to wash their hair. Their new favorite things to play with are their water whistles that Aunt Amy gave Zachary for his birthday. The whistles make different sounds depending on how full of water they are. Wow, you should hear them. When daddy gives the bath I'll hear them from downstairs blowing their whistles and beating on the side of the bathtub like a drum.