Pool Party

We celebrated Dena's birthday on Sunday with a family pool party at Dad's.  Dad and Eileen put in a new in ground pool this spring and this was our first time in.  The pool is awesome and we all had a wonderful time.  It was also Abigail's first time swimming.  She loved the water and was splashing all over the place.

We got Lucas a pair of goggles and there is no stopping him now.  He  was diving for rings, jumping off the side of the pool, and swimming underwater to Daddy all day.  He liked to play the finger game, which is where someone holds up fingers under the water and he goes under and tells us how many he saw.  He also created a new game called jack-in-the-box with Uncle Nathan.  This is where he sits on Nathan's shoulders, pushes his head under water and then cranks and sings until Nathan "pops" back up.  There are some good photos of this game in the slide show.

Adam loves the water too.  He loves to put on his floaties and kick all over the place.  He also loves playing with pool toys.  He threw the toypedo with Papaw and everyone else there over and over again.  He also loved playing Fireman Adam with Aunt Dena.  This is the game where she puts a noodle up to the jet and it sprays like a firehose. 

As you can tell, we are in for a summer of pool fun at Grammy and Papaw's with all of our family. 

Memorial Day Weekend Camping

We went camping this weekend at Harmonie State Park and had a wonderful time. We had about 40 people in our group so there was no shortage of playmates for the boys. It was in the mid-90s all weekend so we spent the majority of our time either swimming or having water fights with balloons and water guns. We also went for some walks, played on the playground, went for a hike and enjoyed smores and sitting around the campfire.

Harmonie has a water slide at the pool and the boys just couldn't get enough.  With the water balloon fights, we went through every pair of clothes I brought for them.  The adults and big kids even joined in the fun and I got some great pictures of the good time had by all. 

On Sunday, we left the campgrounds and headed to my Dad's to celebrate Dena's birthday with a pool party. I have a separate post about that, but combined the photos into one slide show.

The boys are already asking when we are going camping again and we haven't even been home more than a few hours.  It's so nice to get away from the hustle and bustle, cellphones, and household chores to just focus on having fun as a family outdoors for a few days.  I love my family time with Andy and the boys!!

I put his hat on straight and he turns it to the side.  Isn't he just too cool!

Daddy playing water fights with the boys

The boys playing light saber battles with bubbles.

 

Lucas getting ready to pour water on someone!

Adam's Television Debut

Adam had a scare at Grammy's house last week. He fell in her pool. Grammy was right beside him and she was headed in after him, when a man working on their fence jumped in and saved Adam. This man acted quickly and selflessly and we are grateful. Grammy called the man's employer to let them know about the good deed the man had performed and the company decided to present him with a reward and called the news. Adam participated in the interview and it was the lead story on the 10 news. He is adorable in the interview.

The news told the story a little bit more dramatic than it really was, but the intent was to get people's attention regarding pool safety and to spotlight the acts of Mr. Cooper. Here is a link to the story and news video.

News Story

Between Lucas's broken arm and Adam's mishap, I'm a little worried what the rest of the spring/summer will bring with this two rambunctious boys.

Mother's Day Thoughts

As I reflect on Mother's Day this year, I having been thinking about how easy it is to become a whiny mom.  I know I fall into this pattern way more often than I care to admit.  I start to feel weighed down by the needs and demands of the boys and I whine about every little thing they do or don't do.  When I'm in whiny mom mode, I'm much more likely to miss the small moments that make being a mom so totally worth the demands and responsibilities.  I have two fantastic boys, who are full of energy, curiosity, and joy and I fail many times to share this with others and instead I complain about how hard being a mom can be at times.  I'm not advocating lying and pretending that everything is always sunshine and roses, because I believe that is just as much a disservice to motherhood. There are days when it's tough and it sucks. I'm setting a goal to  let those "bad" moments go and not let them take up real estate in my memory in order to save more room for the happy times.

So this Mother's Day, I'm going to focus even more on the ways the boys make me smile and laugh every day.  I'm going to take note of the extra long hugs and the unprompted I love you's. I'm going to praise the boys even more the few times that they listen to me and not complain about the 10 times they didn't. Then after Mother's Day I'm going to try to keep this going, because how much more enjoyable will motherhood be if I can focus on all the ways the boys are amazing instead of the ways they are annoying.  I think if I can successfully live like this, then I am also teaching the boys a great lesson in life: don't let your struggles and frustrations overpower your joy and happiness. 

Being the mom of Lucas and Adam is an honor and a blessing and I want to cherish every moment that I have with them. I love being their Mom and all that comes with it!  Happy Mother's Day!!

Lucas's Preschool Program

Tonight Lucas performed in his first school program.  He sang several songs, did motions (he defined these to me as movements with your hands and body) and played rhythm sticks.  He was very excited and very blessed to have so much family that lives close by and was able to attend.  He had 13 people there to watch him.  He kept telling me that all the Grammies, Papaws, Grandma's, and Pap's of the world were coming.  He came out, got in his seat and then came running to the bleachers to give his Daddy one more kiss before he could perform.  After that crisis was averted, he did a great job!  He participated in about 75% of the program and sat calmly, staring into space for the rest.  He knew most of the words and we could hear him above all the other little voices a few times. Between his mom and dad's loud voices, he has an innate ability to project.  We were very proud of him and can't wait to see many more school programs to come!

Lucas has also been blessed with wonderful teachers, principal, and classmates this year.  We have really enjoyed our first year of "school" and are looking forward to Adam starting next year after a nice summer break!

Gardening

We have started our garden for the year.  Andy thought he was going to keep it simple this year, but Lucas had other plans. Lucas listed about 20 vegetables he wanted to plant.  I think Andy talked him back down to about 8. So we have planted lettuce, carrots, basil (I know it's an herb and not a vegetable), cucumbers, tomatoes, squash and zucchini.  We are still going to plant corn, but haven't go to it yet.  The boys have been helping with the watering and weeding on a daily basis.

Our fruit plants/trees have lots of "baby" apples, peaches, and grapes on them.  We have also been enjoying  strawberries from a small patch we started last year.  The boys eat the strawberries before we can get them in the house, so they must be yummy!