It’s been HOT HOT HOT this July, so we haven’t been doing too much out doors. We found some new indoor stuff to keep us entertained. I got a Kindle (which I’m totally in LOVE with), the boys got some new books and Pillow Pets, and we discovered the awesomeness of NetFlix with streaming video. Needless to say we’ve been spending a lot of time inside watching all kinds of stuff and introducing the boys to cartoons from our childhood, like “The Littles” and “The Super Mario Brothers Super Show”.

I do have a lot to share, so hopefully I can find the time to post soon. My camera is in the shop (YEAH!) so we’ve been putting the point & shoot to work. I have pictures of Owen’s first time miniature golfing with Daddy, some pictures of Splash Day in our back yard, and a trip to the PA State Museum.

But for now, here is one picture of the boys playing in the back yard this week. Whenever I water the flowers they want me to spray them with the hose. They love it. So here are my drenched cutie pies actually being nice to one another. I think a few minutes before this they were bickering about who is oldest and Benny was upset that he can only be 2nd oldest. Sorry buddy – no way to change that.

When we found out the boys’ school was having an outing to a baseball game for our local minor league team, we were excited. The boys had never been to a baseball game before and this was the perfect opportunity. The stadium was new, it was a great deal on tickets, and they could see their friends at the game too.

Mike, the boys and I, along with Uncle Phil, all headed out to game. The only bad part was the heat! It was HOT & HUMID. There was a section of empty seats a few rows up from ours that were in the shade, so we moved on up. Thank goodness. It made watching the game tolerable.

We only made it to the 6th inning then we had to get up and move around. We decided to explore the new stadium and it was awesome. A big play section for kids, an area where you can walk up and be ground level with the field to peek in on the action, and a direct look into the bull pen for the for the visiting team.

After we took our tour, we headed to the gift shop, got the boys a little something, took a walk on the bridge over the river, then headed home to cool off.

All in all it was a great family outing which I will definitely do again this summer, just not when it’s so stinkin’ hot!

PS – while at the game, Benny found his blankie in my bag. He just had to cuddle with it. Only my child would want his blankie is the 97 degree heat.

All wrapped up in the most adorable packages of 2 and 4 year old little boys.

And I guess I got more pictures of Benny during our photo shoot than I thought. Here are two more that make me smile.

1. Even though it’s VERY hot this summer, I love summer time.
2. Sitting on the deck, grilling, taking walks with the boys, playing in the back yard… yeah…it’s grand.
3. This summer has been much hotter than last summer, with most days in the high 80’s or low to mid 90’s. Because of the heat, the boys have been thoroughly enjoying their water activities for the back yard.

   

4. Hey neighbors with in ground pools…who needs one when you have a hose, sprinkler and the best Buzz Lightyear slip and slide $5 can buy! =)

   

   
5. Yes, I’m bitter. The one thing I dislike about summer is hearing my neighbors (all 3 sets of them) enjoying their pools while I sit on my deck and stare at grass. Oh well… maybe some day.
6. The one thing we look forward to each summer is the local Emergency Service’s Carnival. It’s super nice, good games, yummy food and fun rides. We took the boys on Friday. Owen was looking forward to it all week. Everyday he’d tell his teachers he was going to the carnival on Friday.

   

   

   

7. The highlight of the carnival was Owen playing the squirt gun game. Daddy helped him out and he beat all the others and came in first place. The look on his face when he realized he won was priceless. Total shock mixed with giddy excitement. His eyes got so big.

   

8. Since he won, Owen was able to pick from all kinds of prizes, but he chose a big stuffed BANANNA! Whatever makes him happy.

   

9. The other night after our “photo shoot” we went to our favorite park to let the boys play. I took my camera in (of course…it’s me you’re talking about) and I was able to get this picture of Benny climbing, or at least trying to, the rope ladder. Look at his sparkling eyes! Love them.

   

10. And to end this week’s Ten on Tuesday, here is a funny out take from the photo shoot. Brotherly love, right?!?!

    
    

It’s official… there is no more trace of a nursery in our house. The boys are in a full fledge big boy room now. The bunk beds are up, the new bedding is on, and the Toy Story décor is in action.

I must say… I love it. It turned out so cute. I took a wild stab when I picked out the bunk beds sight unseen, but they match the wood to the furniture in the room perfectly. It was like they were meant to be a set. And, the bunks are the perfect height. They aren’t as tall as normal bunk beds, so Owen’s not too far up in the air and has plenty of room above his head. And the bottom bunk is like Benny’s own secret cave. An adult can’t sit straight up, but he can. They are perfect for their age group.

The room is 99% done. I just need to get a bin for books to put next to the little chair for their reading nook. The book shelf is at max capacity.

The boys love it too. Owen loves to hang out in his bed. He was so proud of it, he had to take a picture with his camera. And whenever Benny comes in the room, he likes to point to the sign on the wall and he starts to sing “You’ve got a friend in me..”.

Speaking of that sign… I got it from an Etsy seller, KidsCorner, who was WONDERFUL to work with. It was a custom order and she made it even better than I envisioned. Check out her store!

Here is their room… isn’t it just ideal for 2 & 4 year old boys!!

PS – the colors may be slightly off… with the room being only 9×11, only having one window, and having blue bedding & rugby stripes green walls … well… it was a struggle.

I haven’t really taken “nice” photos of the boys since the fall. I have a lot of Owen because I can get him to cooperate for a few minutes to get some keepers, but Benny, that’s a different story. It’s not that he doesn’t like the camera (OK, well maybe he doesn’t). He just doesn’t take direction well and would rather do his own thing. Because of that, I don’t have many good recent pictures of him.

We decided to try to go to the park and have a “photo shoot” last night. It wasn’t perfect, but I did get some decent keepers… mostly of Owen, go figure. I might try again next weekend, we’ll see. Last night also let me know that I need to brush up on my photography skills. I always feel like I almost “got it”, then I don’t have time to really take pictures and I lose my momentum.

I still haven’t sent my camera in to get serviced and it needs it bad. I will get that around this week and send it in after the 4th (you readers need to hold me to it). When I get it back I’m going to try to get better at this hobby of mine…AGAIN.

OK – so with out further ado, here are a few pictures of my handsome boys.

1. I have so much blogging to do. We did a lot over the last few weeks, I’ve just been so busy and tired at the end of the day that I haven’t had the time to blog. Time to play catch up!
2. Earlier this month my mom, sister, and I took Owen and Alex to Washington DC for the weekend. Here is a teaser with a few pics. I’ll try to post more about the trip sometime soon.
   

   

   

3. Last week I went with Benny to his first field trip. The place was a really neat indoor play area for kids that I never knew existed. It’s called Curiosity Connection. His class had a great time. Benny and I will have to take Owen and Daddy sometime so they can check it out too.

   

   

4. We had a nice Father’s Day weekend. It started off with an ice cream social for Dads and Grandpas at the boy’s school. It was nice that my Dad was able to come over and celebrate with the boys. They were so excited to see him. It was heart warming to see the love just ooze out of their cute smiles for their PeePaw Park.

   

5. Next we headed to NJ to see Mike’s family. It was a little reunion of him, his sister from Boston and his Brother from Ohio. We even were able to sneak in a picture of the 3 kiddos together.

   

6. The highlight of the weekend though was taking Owen to see Toy Story 3. Not only did Owen like it, his Mommy, Daddy and Aunt Susan loved it too. I think it’s my favorite of all 3 movies.
7. Speaking of Toy Story, I just realized I never posted that we moved Benny from his crib to a Toddler Bed back in the beginning of May. The crib and the ABC/Animal decor came down to make room for Toy Story. I almost had the room finished, but after several weeks, we realized that the toddler bed wasn’t going to cut it for Benny Boo. He’s too big. So, we just got bunk beds for the boys that can be 2 single beds or stacked. Once we get the room done, I’ll post pictures.
8. I’m still in shock that there is no longer a crib set up in our house and that the “baby” phase is over already. It was hard for ME to finally make the move, but Benny did awesome. He just got right in and went to sleep like he’s always been in a bed w/o sides. He likes his brother’s bigger bed better, so I know he’ll be super excited for the bunks!

   

9. We recently had parent teacher conferences and apparently, Benny is the life of his class. He’s doing really well. The only bad thing his teacher had to say was that he won’t eat fruits and veggies (nothing shocking as he doesn’t eat them at home either). He also must be playing really hard on the playground in the morning b/c he’s been falling asleep at the lunch table. We’ve even been putting him to bed earlier, but he’s still falling asleep. Silly boy.
10. Owen’s doing OK in school. He’s really excelling in reading, letters, numbers, etc. , but he’s still struggling in some areas that his teacher and us are trying to work on him with. Luckily, his teachers are great and a wonderful resource of information and support. I’m thankful for the fact they love and care for the kids so much and really work with the parents to overcome some obstacles. I truly know these boys are in excellent hands.

Last Friday, Owen had his first BIG field trip with his preschool class. It was a big deal because he even had to take a school bus there, yes, a big yellow school bus (kids his age are fascinated by them). He thought that was the coolest thing, especially since we got to sit in the very back. I was so happy to join him on this first field trip adventure as his chaperone.

The preschool class went to Lake Tobias. What a NEAT place. It’s a 200+ acre wild life park. They have all kinds of animals. Some roam free on the property and you can see them by taking the Safari bus tour. The tour is in an old school bus with the top cut off. It drives right through the fields and the animals come right up to greet you on the bus. The rest of the animals are in exhibits or the petting zoo.

It’s such a beautiful, peaceful place. We had a wonderful time. We will definitely go back this summer so Owen and I can show Daddy & Benny what they missed! I’m sure they will love it too!

Mike took Owen to the driving range for the first time tonight. He even got Owen his own hybrid club and because he’s so tall, he had to get a club for 6 years old +. Owen’s a decent natural for being 4. He really enjoys golf. I see a lot of father/son outings in their future.

Our family of four joined Uncle Phil today for a Memorial Day cook out at his place, then we all went swimming at the pool in his apartment complex. Our boys just love water, especially Benny. He had no fear. With his life jacket on he wanted to swim by himself and you had to watch him like a hawk b/c he didn’t realize that the pool wasn’t the same depth all the way around and he’d just step off into the deep water and you’d have to catch him.

Owen liked to swim along the rope in the middle of the pool and Benny liked to swim to the numbers along the side and tell you what they were. He’s really into counting right now.

I think we’re going to be spending a lot of time at Uncle Phil’s pool this summer. With our two little fish who love the water, this will be a new favorite spot. Makes me wish we had our own pool… but I better keep on dreaming.