The house wife gets out!

So, I am still terribly behind, but I can't help post all of these fun pictures of when Nana and Papa Lauri were here almost a month ago. They definitely helped this house wife get out of the house. I guess I am just a homebody. Having them here made me wonder why Sam and I don't do these things more often, or at all :)

Andi's first time in the baby pool. Kai was there to distract her from her nervousness.

We haven't been to the zoo for a couple of years. The boys LOVED it. It really wasn't too bad. I might be able to do it on my own. Well, we bought a season pass, so I better be able to. I welcome any invitations for company to the zoo. I need a little encouragement!

Andi's experience at the zoo was limited mostly to the bike trailer. I thought she did pretty well, considering. I think she must have been looking up at the monkeys here. I'd like to think so anyway.

We had a blast out in the back yard having a water fight, which I haven't done in years, and playing on the slip n slide. Super fun.

On their last day here we went up to Cascade Springs and to Deer Creek. The boys had so much fun, and Andi, well she was a good sport. We had such a great time with Nancy and Lauri. We love you guys. Thanks for coming and getting this house wife out!

T-Ball, Jerry, and 2 fingers

Wasn't quite sure what to call this, as I will be playing blog catch up for the next few days. So this will have to do.

Dane played T-ball in June and Sam was lucky enough to be his coach :) It was a bit painful for me as a parent, but I think Dane had fun.

His favorite part was running the bases. As you can see, he never watched where the ball went when he hit it, he was only focused on 1st base.

Sam wanted to grow a mustache to see if he looked like his dad. I told him he could grow a goatee (yes, I googled it to see how to spell it) and after it was long enough he could shave and see how it looks. Here is the result. Just as I expected, he looks so much like his dad, Jerry, who passed away almost 3 years ago. Oh, we miss him. It was fun to see Sam like this, but I couldn't stand it for too long. It was way to strange, and I am not a mustache kind of lady. He shave a few minutes later.

I just have to give a cheer for the 2 fingers. They are a lifesaver. I had to take of picture of this. Andi has been sucking on her 2 fingers of her right hand since she was about 2 months old. She almost always does it to go to sleep, and since she has started eating, she likes to follow up her bites with the 2 fingers. It helps the food go down I guess. So cute. I am sure I will hate it when she starts going to nursery. I am kind of a germaphobe. I guess I will enjoy it for now though.

Andi loves our big Kai Kai and he is so sweet with her. We love having our Kai. As I am writing this, the boys have built a fort for them and the dog and he actually quite likes it. He is laying in there chewing a bone while they have a little picnic in there. I love boys!

It isn't about the candy!

I shouldn't say anything cause I will probably ruin everything, but I must give major credit where credit is due. Our boys have been so amazing lately. They have been playing together so well. Hours go by, the two of them playing and I don't hear a single peep. I must be the luckiest mom ever. It makes me so happy to see them love each other and love playing together. These pics were taken about a week ago one day when they decided to play "pinata" with a milk box from Costco. You know, come to find out, it isn't about the candy! It is all about breaking things with a bat! They were not happy until that milk box was in 20 pieces. They had so much fun. I am too lazy to load up the video I took, and I didn't get any pics of them in the act. Anyway, my handsome boys.

I had to bribe Peter with a popsicle to let me take pictures of him. This is Dane teaching him how to smile. UGH! Dane's picture smile was so bad (by that I mean fake) back when he was 3, that I told him to smile with his mouth closed. Big mistake. Now that is all he will do, and he his teaching it to his little brother.

Today Sam sat Andi down on the grass and she just sat there! For quite a while she sat up. I think she really enjoyed it. This is the first time she has done this for more than a few seconds. She will be 5 months in a couple of days. CRAZY!

Oops! Good thing Daddy was there.

It's done!

Our piles of dirt and rocks are gone forever! This corner of our property has been such an eyesore for so long and I can finally say it is done, sort of. I love this picture of my boys. Sam is looking at the gravel in the truck wondering if it is ever going to be gone. Peter has quickly turned his back to the camera as always lately, and Dane is just being his happy helpful, smiley self. I must say our boys were big “helpers” through this whole process.

Andi and Dane in her crib. Dane looks so little in this picture. Maybe that is why I love it so much.

A fun FHE activity for all. Dane's new legos have provided a lot of entertainment for all of us. I think my favorite was Sam's snowboarding robot in blue and white. Clever.

Andi won't take a bottle, so Peter has been been exploring some options. She's not to fond of much but Mama's milk.

We had Ben, my parents dog, over for a playdate one day while they were out of town. He spent the day hiding in my bishop's weed under a bush, and then, my favorite, in the sandboat. Our dog, Kai, spent his time standing next to the sandboat begging Ben to come out and play. Sad I didn't get a picture of that.

Squishy baby

Sam always gives Andi a hard time for being immodest. That dress is just the closest thing to play with. Besides, she has to show off those squishy legs.

Bushel of sweetness

I was using this old apple bushel basket while I was weeding this morning and it made the perfect little seat for Andi to keep her upright. I just had to take some pics. It was getting close to nap time, obviously :)

Busy May

Time is FLYING! I can't believe May has come and gone. I apologize for the massive post, but this is more for me than anyone else right? Anyway, here are some pics of our May highlights.

My only picture of Andi this time. I can't believe my baby is 4 months old! This was her at 3 1/2 months. She has found her voice the last couple weeks. Boy does this girl know how to scream. I figured she couldn't stay perfect forever!

Dane's preschool graduation. So cute. Wow, I am going to have a kindergartener. Weird.

This is when he said he wanted to be a doctor when he grows up. I tried to get him to tell me why today, but his answer was beyond my comprehension. Something to do with his imaginary games I think.

Dane with Miss Chez. We love you Chez!

My big Daner is 5! Wow!

Thanks to Martha Stewart. Stop and Goo birthday cake for our little friend party.

I can't believe how old he looks in this picture. I feel like he aged a full year in one day.

Our first family camping trip. We bought an old tent trailer a couple weeks ago and took it out for the first time up to Strawberry. It was so beautiful up there. We had such a great time. It was a great success, except for the fact it was 40 degrees that night and poor little Andi froze. We learned a few things that trip, most importantly that we need a little heater! She recovered and we can't wait for our next trip!

A bit of humor at 1:00 in the morning

So, I admit, I am addicted to The Biggest Loser. We kind of are as a family, especially me and Dane. He has come up with some funny comments over the last few months as he has been introduced to the world of overweights. Anyway, last night was the funniest. I hear him at 1:00 in the morning crying. So I go in to check on him and after much prodding, "What's wrong!" etc... He says in tears, "I just really want to lose weight." I have ruined my child. I tried to reassure him that he didn't need to and finally, with Daddy's help, he went back to sleep. This is the one TV show we allow ourselves to watch each week, and it is taking over our lives! It took me awhile to fall asleep after that. I couldn't stop chuckling in bed.

So, a little apology to my boys. I know I have posted way more pictures of Andi but...

I guess this excludes Dane, but Peter's stubborn side has come to an all time peak lately. This is me trying to get a picture of him this morning to include in my post. His non-compliance with anything lately is driving me up the wall.

Anyway, I was feeling bad posting another darling picture of Andi without anything of the boys, but I just can't help it. She is so fun to take pictures of, and she isn't old enough to have an attitude about it. So here we go. This is Andi at 3 months.

And this is this morning, at about 3 1/2 months. So sweet.

The BIG 3

I can't believe my little Peter is 3 years old. Time is flying and it is seriously terrifying. Before I know it my babies are going to be having their own babies.
Our little Peter has been so fun today. We tried to wake him up this morning with a Haas rendition of "Happy Birthday" and he slept right through it. It took a bit of nudging by Dane and more singing to get him to wake up, which he finally did, happily. The big scores of the day have been the new "running shoes" from Nana and Papa Lauri and the GeoAir set from us. The boys have been having so much fun all day. Peter wore those shoes the entire day, inside and out. I had to convince him that he wasn't old enough to go running out on the road like mom. He was pretty upset about that.
He is just such a big boy. Yesterday he got a special birthday date with Grandma. It just made me realize how big he is getting. He had such a great time, one on one with Grandma. Last night they came over with cake and he was so serious/shy through the whole song and when it came time he gave a quick little puff and all the candles were out. Hard to describe, but it was so funny. He's a natural.
Anyway, sweet Pete. I love you!

A little help from Dad. Ooo... got it!

"Nacho" average Easter

Extremely corny, I know, but I was trying to figure out how to combine these two posts. So, I'm not particularly proud to say that my kids have watched the movie "Nacho Libre". Not that it is really bad, it just has some WWF type fighting in it. It is one of those so so stupid movies that it is funny. Not funny enough for me to watch more than once though. Anyway, the other morning Dane got up and said. "Mom, I want a mask just like Nacho's". So, here is our version of Nacho Libre. They have had many battles, which have resulted in the masks having to be taken away unfortunately, but it has provided some good entertainment.

Here are some pics of Easter day at our house and with the Downs cousins. So fun.