While the rest of the country is covered in snow...

It was another beautiful, albeit windy, day again. If it weren't for the wind it would have been 60. The plants are all getting buds on them. Yes, this is in a ski resort town all while the rest of the country is covered in snow. However, since it's only mid-February we know that many a frost may still come. All those poor buds. But it's made for some great mid-winter outings and we're taking advantage. We took the bikes to NWX (local neighborhood with great sidewalks for bikes and fun playground for a biking break).

"Mommy, let's play Peek-a-boo"

 "Mooommmm. That's not how you do it. You're supposed to be on the other side."

 A little timid...(yes, it might surprise you, but he does have timid moments)

 Hmm. Still not so sure.

 "Kai, this is how yo do it!"

 Decided to turn around and hold on for dear life on the way down the stairs.

 Ditching the slide to off-road his strider bike instead.

 And every good rider needs a riding break.

 Playing hide-and-seek by bike. "Mommy, you find me right here. Otay?"

 Proof the bushes are budding.

Kadyn's turn.

 Monkey see...

 Monkey do.

 Kai is getting great at balancing.

 When we returned home the kids wanted to put on their new rain boots (we finally found some too Cousin Isak!) and grab their umbrellas. No, it's not raining. In fact, the sun was shining brightly. But who in their right mind would say no to a great photo op?

Hope you're having a nice weekend too!

What do you get when you leave a little boy alone with an ink pen?

After cleaning up the mess we headed to our friend Gracie's (and Elliott) house for a Valentine's Day party. We made our own heart pillows (great idea Stacie!) and had fun with all 17 kids (yes, you read that right. Marina is one brave woman.)

 Very creative don't you think?

 And we all passed out Valentines to one another.

 Thank you for the fun party Gracie!

I am a lucky woman

The following pictures truly show what stage both my kids are in right now. The top is the only picture where Kadyn wasn't closing his eyes during the "Smile nicely this time" photo. These days if I bring out the camera he turns in to a cheese ball. And the bottom picture shows Kai checking to see how his big brother is doing the "Stick your tongue out this time" photo. These days he is doing EVERYTHING his brother is doing. 

Aren't they a handsome bunch? I'm one lucky woman.

Thank you God for the perfect name

The Finnish meaning of Kai is "Rejoice" and the Hebrew meaning of Isaac is "Laughter." Every day we continue to rejoice in his laughter.  (Just don't be the older brother playing with the toy he wants...not so full of smiles then.) This little boy smiles and laughs more than any I've met and I love that he does so with his whole face. Extra special is when both boys are laughing together. Love.

Bikes, boys and jumps...what more could one ask for?

The past week or so has been beautiful. It's been right on par for the end of January week of sun and warmth (50+ degrees). The weather is supposed to change back to cold, typical winter weather in the next couple of days so we made sure to make the most of it this weekend. The boys have been having so much fun on their new bikes that it's usually the first thing they ask to do in the mornings. 

I (Kai) decided that I would like to take a shot at commentating since Kadyn is usually the one to do it. However, I have recently found my voice and have begun speaking in sentences and even paragraphs...so it's due time for ME to tell you about our day. We went down to Shevlin Park with Nana and Papa while Daddy studied. 

 I made sure to collect rocks and sticks on our bike ride because I knew that we'd be throwing them in the river later on.

 After jumping off the tree stump (notice it's bigger than I am) with the stick IN MY HAND, Nana showed me how to throw it to the ground first, and then jump after it.

 Since I'm in to doing everything my brother does these days it was an easy decision to jump off the tree stump after him. However, I had to teach him the proper arms in the air technique.

 Don't forget...arms in the air "Tay-nin!"

 This is how it's done...

 I have already perfected the feet in the air strider ride and Kadyn is doing great on his big boy training wheel bike.

 No Papa, I think this stump might be too high for even the most skilled jumpers like us.

 After Kadyn fell off his bike, I took a turn. I insisted on doing it all by myself, but every once in awhile I had to let Papa give me a push.

 When we were all done riding bikes we went down to the river to throw in the sticks and rocks I collected.

We had such a wonderful day. 

Some funny kid quotes over the past couple of days just so you can all appreciate life with these wonderful boys...

Convo #1:

Kadyn: Kai, can we trade toys in a couple of minutes? 

Kai: What? 

Kadyn: (a bit slower this time) Kai, can we trade toys in a couple of minutes?

Kai: What?

Kadyn: Kai........can we trade toys in a couple of minutes?

Kai: What?

Kadyn:  Kai, you heard me.

Kai: What?

Kadyn: Kai, stop saying what.

Kai: (with a coy, sideways smile on his face) What?

Kadyn: KAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! MOMMY!!!!

Convo #2:

Kadyn: Does it hurt when mommies have babies in their tummies?

Mommy: Sometimes babies stretch out mommies tummies so much that the skin gets tight around the belly button and that does hurt a little bit.

Kadyn: Hmmm. (Stops to think for a bit) But Mommy, when I was a new baby, the only thing that hurt was when you and Daddy would give me a bath to clean my belly button. 

Mommy: (eyes wide...DID HE REALLY JUST SAY THAT?!) Um...wow. Okay. (This child will be in therapy when he's 30 recalling the trauma of being born.)

Every little boy's dream

We have to get creative when it's yucky outside. We're wishing we could have the snow the rest of the country seems to be getting, not rain. Yes, this is INSIDE our house. Ryan hooked up these rings to eyelets he put in our skylights. 

And Santa brought Ryan a helicopter that has brought hours of fun for ALL the boys in the house. 

It's hard to see, but it's about a foot above Boulder's head.

I'm BAAAAAAAACK...

No, I'm not committed to writing 6 days  a week like I was doing, but it sure feels good to write again...

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