4th of July Weekend

We had such a wonderful 4th of July weekend. It was jam packed with fun. We started off the weekend on Friday by going on an 'adventure' with Mommy. We had such a great time picking out special things for Cousin Isak (who is going to be a big brother VERY soon), our soon-to-be new little cousin, and our Cousin Carly. We went on a special date and even got to pick something out of our own from the Dollar Store. Mommy even tried to teach us to play baseball; fortunately a very kind passerby showed her how to teach us the proper bat hold. Good thing Daddy came home shortly thereafter to make sure our technique continued in proper form. 

Saturday was kicked off by meeting up with Uncle Brian, Aunt Jen, Cousin Carly, Grammy and Pops at the park. Mommy was nervous that I would be sad that Carly wasn't my age, but we took to each other very quickly. 

 Kai showed off his baseball skills with his new bat and ball (his pick from the Dollar Store).

 And we were very excited that Carly likes to hunt for bugs and play in the dirt.

 Saturday afternoon we threw a late birthday party for Carly. We made sure there were party hats and blow horns.

 And what's better than hunting for bugs with our party hats on?

 Oh, yeah, that's right...running through a sprinkler is better.

 On Sunday we went to the High Desert Museum. Mommy thinks Daddy looks pretty hunky in this picture...Gross.

 And for the 4th of July we decked out our wagon and participated in the Pet Parade--we even took Boulder this year! We had so much fun, even though our expressions didn't change a whole lot...we were on stimulation overload.

 And we took a detour on our way home to swing by Mother's Cafe to grab smoothies.

 That night we went to Nana and Papa's for a bbq. We played lawn games, had too much sugar, and were introduced to our very own fireworks for the very first time. Both of us even got to stay up way past our bedtime to see the fireworks on the butte. The highlight was throwing pop-its at each other's feet. We even saved a box of pop-its for Grandpa and Cousin Isak since they couldn't be here to celebrate with us.

Kai's new stance and walk--hands in his pockets...I LOVE it!

Telling Papa how to properly open the pop-it box.

 Catch if you dare!

Graduations all around

I am now coming out of a fog and what feels like a drunken stupor of the past 2 weeks in which I worked a few hours short of 160 hours within those 2 weeks. There is so much that has happened in the midst of my chaos...

Kadyn finished up his preschool class a couple of weeks ago. His class has spent the last 2 months learning about the human body and they put on an end of year presentation for the parents complete with a dance and a showcase of what they've learned. Very cute. 

Getting his diploma. Even though Kadyn still has another year of preschool I couldn't help but shed a couple of tears. For one, I can hardly believe that he's going to 5 at the end of this year. Where has the time gone?

 For two, his teacher Mrs. Christy, has been amazing. She has gotten him to open up, speak up, and become excited about going to school. She's been a saint in helping us keep an eye on him when we can't be there to protect him from his allergies. We feel so blessed.

Following Kadyn's last day at preschool we drove over to Uncle Anders' Masters graduation. The boys were on their very best behavior and adored being there to celebrate Uncle Anders. 

 So we celebrate 2 graduations...at 2 different extremes: one preschool, one masters. Congratulations boys. The graduates:

As a mom of boys...

As a mom of boys I have come to expect certain things. I will always have to check the toilet seat before I sit down--not just to ensure the seat is down, but also to make sure someone didn't have bad aim. I find myself (though a concrete word like always doesn't fit here...tear) constantly stepping on trucks, trains, rocks, sticks, and other boyish things. Additionally, I have swallowed my fear to take on a new task...I have now become an expert bug, slug, and worm hunter. As a kid I caught salamanders with the best of them and I would even catch garden snakes but somewhere along the lines I developed a phobia of all these things. However, I never want to pass my own fears and dislikes along to my kids so when my son asked me to help him look for slugs and worms I took the task seriously...

After we found this slug and Kadyn insisted on holding him I said to him: "Kadyn, did you know that slugs leave poop on your hand?" And he was all... 

I made sure to tell him it wasn't really poop...it was slime. He thought this was a much better idea.

"Don't you see it mom?!" It's a potato bug!

"See?"

Our finds...

Like I said...expert. And unless you're under the age of 5 I will only charge $100 an hour for my bug, worm and slug hunting services.

And did you know that the film of slime that slugs leave doesn't wash off with soap and water? Nope. You have to scrape said slime with fingernails. Ugh. YUCK. My fee does not include clean up. 

Begging and pleading for nice weather

But making the most of the rain and cold...

Come on summer...we're more than ready for you!