Chesapeake Bay

We drove about an hour and a half into Maryland today! I did a little research and found a beach for the boys to dig and play.
They were in HEAVEN! They loved the sand. They built lots of sandcastles. Lincoln would dig and dump the dirt everywhere....including the cooler! :)
Ethan loved running to the water and getting hit feet wet. You know he eventually was totally wet!
There were lots of horseshoe crabs.
Eventually we were able to get Lincoln away from the sand and into the water. He would get his feet and say...AHHH...wet feet!!!

We will definitely go back! The kids had a BLAST...and so did we!!!

Keeping us on our toes!

Lincoln Harris kept us on our toes all day! He started the morning off as "Dada boy." He ate breakfast with him on the couch. As soon as I busted out the camera, I got the look from both of them!
We went to Ikea to get the furniture we weren't able to get last week, and he literally ran the store! We got a work out by 11:00.
We decided to eat lunch on the deck...which is his FAVORITE thing to do. He was up, and down, and up, and down! He opened the screen door. He closed the screen door. He was a wild man!
We went to Saturday night church because Nate did the reading. When we got him from the nursery, we learned he was the only one in there. He was so crazy he fell and got a fat lip.
We went to eat Mexican tonight and I had the bright idea of trying a booster with him. NOT my best idea today! Again, he was up and down, and wiggly, and giggly! He wore us out today!

Chapel

So, I have brought Ethan with me to school on a couple of Fridays to go on nature walks with a class of mine. This morning, Ethan says, "Hey mom, I am not going to school with you today because I have chapel. I need to get those kids to pray for me today." I was confused and asked if he was going to say the prayer. He quickly explained to me that he was going to ask them to pray for him. SO, I asked, "What do you want them to pray for?" He tells me it's a secret and he can't tell me. Being the crafy mom I am, I tell him it's ok to tell moms your secrets. So, he says, "You know how I have been burping a lot. I am going to get them to pray for my burbs." He has been burping a lot. I think he has figured out he can swallow air and make himself burp. So, I have been telling him to stop burping quite a bit lately. I tell him, "You know we can pray for that at home. You don't have to do it at chapel." He looks very seriously at me and says, "No. I need those kids to pray for me." So, just in case those kids at school don't pray for him, you can add him to your prayer list! He's such a goofball! :)

I swear that the boys grew five pounds and three inches each the few days that the boys were gone. Ethan decided to become a Speech Therapist and teach Link a few things. Before they left, Link was saying Mama and Dada. Ethan taught him to say Mommy and Daddy while he was gone. Who knows maybe he will be a Speech Therapist???

We have a few plastic tractors that they boys love to play with. Now, they have become Pappy's tractor. Their little men fit perfectly in them.

The boys are back in town

My fruity boys are back home! ALL OF THEM! Nate drove to his parents house last night and brought them home this morning. For dinner, we ate one of the pineapples that Nate brought back from Hawaii! YUMMY!
This past weekend, we ordered a big boy bed for Link. In the meantime, he is sleeping on the full size mattress from downstairs. He's not sure about it. He lays in one spot, but cries, and cries, and cries!!!

Memorial Day chores

Nate and I saved today to get most of our chores done. We both slept in and got a late start. Our washing machine started spewing water onto the floor last week, so we knew we needed to go to the Laundromat today. We were able to get FOUR loads done in an hour. Impressive!!
Next, we headed to Woodbridge, VA. My dresser drawer broke for the umpteenth time and we decided to get a new one. We also wanted to get Link a big boy bed. We stopped off and bought him a mattress, then drove to IKEA. We ate lunch and started the search. We found a dresser, a wardrobe, and Link's bed. When we went down the the pickup area, we heard the downpour of rain. I thought maybe it's a quick shower. HA! There was only one bed (and it was open). The dresser was out of stock. We didn't even look for the wardrobe. There was no way this rain was letting up. Neither of us felt like spending hundreds of dollars on furniture and then having it rain on the furniture for half an hour. So, we drove back to Alexandria to get an oil change. Jiffy Lube and every other lube place was closed. We bought groceries and called it a day.
Nate is still napping and is going to head to PA tonight to get the boys. Memaw and Pappy said that they have worn them out! They did something special with them everyday. They took them to a play, an amusement park, Nan and Paps, and to see some local animals. Pappy took them for so many tractor rides that when we called last night he was having to fill up the tractor with gas. Link has started teasing Memaw by telling her that he is PapPap's boy. Ethan told Memaw that today was going to be a sad day because he was going to have to leave. Thankfully, Memaw was able to tell him that he didn't have to leave until tomorrow, so he could enjoy today!
Nate's off for the next two days. It's back to the old grind for me tomorrow. Thankfully, I will have my husband and kids to come home to!

Reunited

Nate made it back from sunny Hawaii yesterday about 11:30. We napped the afternoon away and headed into DC for a fancy dinner alone! We dined at Equinox. It was about a block from the White House. When we turned onto the street, we saw Marine One Helicopter landing at the White House. We were super excited. We thought maybe Obama was coming home from somewhere. We quickly learned that was not the case. For the next hour, the helicopter took off and landed....over and over and over again. I hope the Obama's were not home because that would have driven anyone crazy! Dinner was fabulous! We did some shopping after dinner and then headed home.
This morning we made it to church and then headed back into DC to try out another nice restaurant, Matchbox. This restaurant was in Chinatown. So, after lunch we walked down to the Newseum. We see this museum everytime we head towards the Capitol. It looks amazing and we always wanted to try it out. I was super glad we did this one minus the kids. We were exhausted and ready for another nap after the Newseum, so we started home. This weekend there was a biker rally on the Mall. Traffic was diverted and it took us FOREVER to get home. We took a quick nap, headed back out to dinner at Guapos, and then to the movies. We saw Night at the Museum. This was definitely a DC weekend all around! We have enjoyed every minute so far! Tomorrow we are going to look for Link a big boy bed!! AND...I am sure we will get a few more meals out! :)

New Tenants

My babies left 5449 Summer Leaf Lane yesterday, but these two babies peaked their heads out today. It's a bummer that the boys didn't get to see them. I have been waiting to see them for about a week now, but they decided to say hello today!

Home Alone

For the past thirteen days these little men have been my entire life! I have done everything for them.....EVERYTHING!!! I have been looking forward to Memaw and Pappy taking them for the weekend. When they got in their carseats to leave, my heart sunk. NOOOO....you can't take them. WHAT THE HECK WAS I THINKING???? It's hilarious that I am feeling this. We all could use the break from each other! I know they will have the best time! Nate comes home Saturday and we are going to have a great time by ourselves this weekend.

number shirts

Ethan is OBSESSED with number shirts. This morning we had a knock down drag out over a SHIRT. Link's shirt had a number on it and Ethan's didn't. I actually threatened to throw every number shirt we own into the trash! I think that did the trick for now!
Just some loving before bed.

Torturing your little brother

I have to admit that I egged this on a little bit. The first time (before video) this happened, I laughed at Lincoln's little scream. Of course, Ethan had to continue to try to make me laugh.

Big Decisions

In my effort to "sneak" more veggies into the kids diet, I spent an hour cooking these yummy things. It's puff pastry, sauted diced veggies, and cream cheese. The veggies were chopped up in food processor and cooked. You seriously could not see the veggies. I told them if they did not eat these they would not get these chocolate chip cookie brownies.
Lincoln wouldn't even taste it. I offered both of them a sandwich as an alternate with the understanding that there would be NO brownies. Lincoln took me up on the offer. Ethan declined, but cried, screamed, gagged, and finally got one down. He really, really, wanted those brownies!

I like to move it, move it!

Movie NIGHT!!!

Nighttime Routine

Since Nate has been gone, I have changed the nighttime routine. After baths, we get dressed in Ethan's room. Once everyone is dressed, the boys pick five books, put them in order, and snuggle up for reading! Movie time is gone. I was afraid if I snuggled up for a movie we would all be asleep in my bed!

This little bag was a gift to myself for the week I have been having. I found it here on etsy. This latest bit of distress I have been having happened this morning about an hour after I got to work. Daycare called. Apparently when they told me Lincoln needed diapers it meant NOW. They told me I needed to bring him diapers...so I said I would be there by 11:00. NO...they said. He needs them NOW. I actually had to leave work and take them diapers. I am baffled at this. I mean they couldn't borrow a diaper from someone until I got there at 11:00. CRAZY...as you can tell I am NOT happy about this at all.
The evening was great...with the exception of another dog pee mess. The weather was gorgeous and we played outstide for about an hour. They are worn out! Tomorrow is our last swim night. In one week, Marsha will be here...HURRY WEEK!! :)

Expect the unexpected.

After ten seasons of watching Big Brother, I know to expect the unexpected! I really, really, really do, but it seems this week, with Nate gone, the unexpected is kicking my butt! Hunter is the straw that breaks the camel's back. Day one, two, three, and four he peed on the floor. Day one and two, he got into the trash. Yesterday he got into the pantry. This morning, I checked and double checked the trash, the gates, and the pantry. We came home and he was perfect!!! We left for swimming lessons and I forgot to shut the upstairs gate. TRASH and dirty DIAPERS....everywhere! UGHHHHHH.....just when I thought today was the day!!

This is the cut on Ethan's head from Sunday night. Another example of expecting the unexpected. I did get to work on time today! HURRAH! I had to lay some guilt on Ethan. I told him I was late yesterday and they had snack without me at school. When we were in the car on the way to school (after praising them for hurrying), Ethan says, "Mom...now you won't miss anything today!"
As my Granny says, (in her southern accent) "I haven't seen a Daddy do as much as Nate." BOY IS THAT THE TRUTH!!! We sure do miss him!

Stop...Enjoy

Tonight I MADE myself stop and enjoy them. We had grill cheese, chips, and fruit (their favorites) for dinner in the living room while watching Cars. Last night about 5:00, our next door neighbor invited us over to play with her cats. The boys LOVE them! They got so excited they started running and going wild. Ethan started running up and down the stairs. He hit his head on the bannister and cut it. I debated taking him to the ER...but decided it wasn't bad enough. Why is it this stuff happens when Nate's gone??? This morning when he woke up he had crusty blood all in his hair. We spent thirty minutes cleaning his head off. For some reason their energy from Ms. Cat's house carried over into this morning. They were wild this morning, too! I can't put into words how frustrating they were to get ready for school. I woke up at 5:30 and didn't get to work until almost 8:30. SO, I told myself tonight was going to be fun! Hopefully tomorrow morning will go much, much, much better!!!

Happy Mother's Day to me...

The boys slept until 7:00, which was a WONDERFUL present to me! I debated all week about going to church this morning. This morning I decided I needed that hour to myself! So, I got the boys ready and realized I had not even told Ethan that today was Mother's Day. I told him and he said, "Well, you are the best Mommy. You should bake yourself a cake." Smart boy! After church, Shelley and Josh met us at Chuck E. Cheese. The boys had been looking forward to it all weekend. They had a blast! Josh was super happy he didn't have to climb up the jungle gym and rescue one of the boys!
I have been opening the sliding door outside to let some fresh air in and to let Hunter chill out there. Link has learned how to open the screen and go out there. Earlier, both boys wanted a snack, so I put Hunter out on the balcony. He likes to eat their snacks. Link finished first and went into the toy room. A few minutes later, I see Hunter in the house...so I peaked outside and this is what I saw. He was just relaxing!
Nate is in Hawaii for work. He's there two weeks. He was lucky enough to have a good friend from college stationed there. He has basically spent his entire weekend taking Nate EVERYWHERE! I am so jealous!

Yesterday, they drove the entire Main Island. Today, they went to Diamond Head. He said, it's GORGEOUS!

Playing and Picnicing

"Lincoln, say cheese for Mama.""Ethan, smile!"
"Guys, put your drinks down and smile for me."

You would think that the drinking photos happened AFTER the playground...but no! The picnic started with a gulp...a BIG gulp. I warned them SEVERAL times to save some for after they played, but as usual...they didn't listen.
I tried really, really hard to take it easy and stay home today. I couldn't do it! We had a picnic at the playground today. The boys played and played and played together. No fits were thrown when it was time to leave. I thought the trip home would be nice and quiet. (I took them to an awesome park in Maryland-a half hour away) BUT...they didn't have a drink and I couldn't find a gas station before the interstate...so LINK screamed MILK the whole way home! I chose this park because it had a HUGE playground, a carousel, and TRAIN. I thought this would be great...but they only wanted the playground. Neither of them cared about the train or the carousel. You never know!
*For those of you who are curious about Nate's trip...he got in fine. He met a friend who is taking him around Hawaii today and to a Luau tonight. He took my backup camera and told me he would upload some pictures to snapfish tonight. He was really feeling guilty about going. I tried to tell him I wouldn't be guilty one bit! I think actually being there has helped with the guilt!

Preschool with Mommy

I took Ethan to school this morning with me for a preschool nature walk. He was SO excited to see all my kid friends. He played in the classroom for a while and then we headed out on our walk.
This is so sad, but I have been working here for nine months and I had no idea that there was a Nature Preserve literally down the hill from us! It was GORGEOUS! We saw ducks.We saw caterpillars, worms, and turtles. The kids had a blast. Shelley and I took him back to school at noon. I seriously thought he was going to fall asleep in car!

I'm gonna miss.....

Nate's leaving for a couple weeks tomorrow. We played a game tonight at dinner to talk about him leaving. We each took turns saying, "I'm gonna miss _________'s _________." Some of the things we are gonna miss about Daddy are his eyes, nose, red hair, snuggles, and cleaning!! He's gonna miss our laughs, hugs, kisses, and snuggles! Hurry home Daddy O'Dee!
We also had swimming lessons tonight! Ethan was FABULOUS! He is getting so brave and trying so many things. He became so brave that he thought he could swim by himself. He told me to let go and he could do it. I got him all the way to the edge. He was semi-swimming and I let go. He went under to his eyes and I pulled him up. He just coughed and that was it...NO SCREAMING!!! YEAH!!! In six short lessons he has gone from clinging on me for dear life to swimming with a life jacket! PROGRESS!!

Final Countdown

What do you do with scrapbook supplies you haven't used in almost a year??? You make countdown cards. We do countdowns for lots of things....family member's visits, birthdays, Christmas, etc. Tonight we made countdown cards up to 13. I ran out of ones! Lucky for us, Memaw's visit is in thirteen days!!

Hiding

Quote from Nate: "This hiding thing is funny about one out of five times!"
They have definitely become a team. When it's time to brush their teeth, they run and hide together. When it's time to get in the bathtub, they run and hide together. When it's time to clean up, the run and hide together. See the pattern here?

Two minutes before church

Every Sunday before church, it seems we only have two minutes to take a quick picture. This morning they went to the card basket (yes we have a basket filled with music cards from Marilyn). They sat on the steps and had both going simultaneously. I begged them to look at the camera and say cheese. This is how it went.



There's always next Sunday.