Pool Time with Grandpa

One of the boys favorite things at my parent's house is the pool.  Early April was a little too cold for the pool, but Grandpa will always heat up the spa to swim in. Adam has always LOVED the water.  Even last Summer he would be content just splashing for hours.  This year was no different.  Adam was the most happy when he was splashing himself and everyone around him.

Tyler still remembered his swimming skills.  We sure will miss our community pool from our old house.  This little boy is quite a fish!

Sweet Adam just as happy as can be.  Just a funny note- Adam is wearing the same swimsuit that Jacob wore just last summer!  He is a little chunk :)

Jacob woke up from his nap and decided to join in on the fun.  We need to teach this cute boy how to swim this year.  He insists on both the ring and the arm floaties when we're at Grandpa's pool.  When it's just me he's usually fine with just one or the other.

Of course Tyler enjoys putting on a show for attention so he thought he would be silly and put on both rings and both sets of floaties.  This sweet boy was eating up the extra attention from Grandma and Grandpa.

Early April and the Beginning of our CA Trip

I can't believe time has gone so quick!  We have been in the new place for nearly 5 months already and we're settling in a little more each day. The boys definitely enjoy the space we have here and love having a place to get out all their toys.  One of their favorite things to play lately is "packing for Granny's or Grandma and Grandpa's" where they put as many toys as they can in a box or my laundry hamper or a bag.  They were just getting excited to go visit my parents in California for the first week in April.

  My dad has a conference in Vegas for work around the end of March each year.  This year was no exception and it happened to work out nicely that the end of his conference lined up with the beginning of Tyler's spring break from preschool. So we picked up my dad from his conference, got together with the cousins for dinner that night and then drove to California with grandpa in tow!

Adam @ 13 months.  He is getting around well, just not walking yet. He loves to go and play whatever he sees his brothers playing with and definitely has his own ideas now.  He is still a sweetheart most of the time and has a great smile!

Love this little face.  He is so patient and I feel like he gets overlooked still because he is generally good at going with the flow.  He definitely has a special place in our family and I love the sweet bond that he has with his big brothers already.

On to California!  We made it to California with only a few stops.  My dad is way too nice to the boys (or he got sick of listening to the whining) and let the boys get out twice if I remember right.  Jacob whined the whole way there.  It was funny to see how much more they whined because they could reach me.  I sat in back with them and my dad drove.  The boys were MUCH more needy when they knew I was within reach instead of just driving the car.  We even let Jacob switch over to his big boy booster seat early to see if that would help him be more comfortable- it didn't work.  I think Adam enjoyed the ride though because he got to face forward finally.

All three boys loving the hotwheels at Grandma and Grandpa's after a long car trip. Tyler and Jake love building the track and yelling at Adam for ruining it.  Adam loved the sound of stirring the cars in the box and would be happy just throwing them all over the room.  I love that they want to be around each other and I hope that doesn't change anytime soon.

The first night in California the boys all wanted their hair cut. We were going to do it at home but they begged to wait to do it in Grandma and Grandpa's backyard.  Adam needed a haircut badly!  He would get such terrible rats' nest in the back of his hair and he is a hot little boy like my other two so it was just time for a summer buzz cut.


Adam's lovely locks before his first real buzz.  It was getting a little long for my boy!

Tuesday, while we were in California, we met up with Granny, Aunt Sarah, Alexis and Kayla.  We went to a fun place called pump it up where they have inflatable slides, obstacle courses, and bounce houses.  It was a blast! I took my camera but rarely got it out because I was usually chasing at least two boys at once in opposite directions.  The bounce places by us are way more calm.  I was shocked with how rude kids were being there and ended up having to yell at a kid who kept hitting Adam and Jacob while the kid's mom stood less than 10 feet away.  It was an eye opener!  I haven't encountered the same degree of disrespect and rudeness here...yet.  I hope it stays that way.  The boys were none-the-wiser and enjoyed their time with their cousins, Aunt, and Granny.

Can you see Tyler up there ready to slide?  He LOVES places like this!  We go to one by our house with friends from church.

Happy boy enjoying pump it up!

Not the best picture of Jake- but the only one I got while we were there!  I'll have to ask Aunt Sarah if she got any better pictures :) Jacob doesn't wander too far from me but he still has a good time.

Even Adam gets in on the action!  Adam and I do a few slides together and other than that he just crawls all over the nasty floors and flirts with all the moms.  We did a few slides with all three boys and me.  So glad Aunt Sarah recommended it. Such a fun day.


After Pump It Up we met Popa at a park by his house and had pizza, juice, and some awesome cookie pops that Sarah made for my birthday. The boys were excited because we got to surprise Granny with her birthday present early. Tyler and Jacob loved giving Granny her present just as much as they liked getting their Easter gift from her. Granny got the boys the movie "Hop" and they've enjoyed it since. Unfortunately, they are now a little too versed in the Easter Bunny and expected a pretty extravagant Easter that weekend :)

Happy St. Patty's Day!

too many cooks in the kitchen

Jacob is blanching the asparagus, Tyler is stirring the cream sauce, and Adam is keeping an eye on the bacon (in the oven)

Sunday afternoon in the dirt

Friday Morning Donuts with Dad

We have been lucky enough to go get donuts with Ryan a few times on Friday morning.  Ryan gets home from work around 6:15am and the boys are usually awake and in my room already.  We get dressed and head to a local donut shop.  The boys are taking after their father with their donut choices.  Both boys picked HUGE donuts this last week.  Adam is still just getting donut holes (I can't believe I let my 1 year old eat donuts...all that healthy sugar...) The boys love their special time with dad when we can squeeze it in.

Tyler's choice is basically a chocolate bar with melted chocolate chips inside and mini chocolate chips on top.  I think it took him over two days to actually finish the thing.

Sweet Adam chows down on his donut holes.  It is kind of funny to see him eat so intentionally.  I just hope he will eat broccoli with the same excitement :)

Jacob picked a bear claw. The thing was probably as big as his head.  But he just had to have it. I think he ate about  1/5 of the donut.

Boys being Boys

Tyler got these sweet glasses at a birthday party a few weeks ago.  He and Jake think they are pretty funny when they go around wearing them... because, well, they are funny.  Tyler has even played computer games with the glasses on.

When did Adam get so blond?  It must have just been the lighting because his hair really isn't quite this blond.  He and Jake really are little twinners though.  The thought makes me nervous because Jacob has turned into quite the stubborn child :)

The boys have been doing a good job playing more.  My favorite game they have come up with is playing superheros on the swingset.  The recently re-discovered their capes and will put them on and just run around and climb on the swings.  It is refreshing to see kids be kids sometimes.

Super Brothers!