Priceless...

I was putting Peter down for a nap today, and at the end of the book that we read, there were pictures of several different animals. So, this led to a game of "what does the animal say?" I love to play this with Peter because ever since he went to see a rodeo/bull riding with Aaron, he insists that horses say "Yeehaw." I love it, and refuse to correct him...I'm sure by first grade he'll figure it out.

And so our game went on....What does a frog say? What does a sheep say? What does an elephant say? and on and on and on....

Then I asked, "What does a chicken say?"

Peter replied, "Hey, you...gimme back my egg!"

PRICELESS!

The Great Outdoors....

True confession....Until last week, our children had never slept in a tent.

For some reason that seems odd to me. Not that Aaron and I are avid campers or anything. Honestly, I didn't start camping until I was just out of college. And by "camping" I mean Aaron and I, in a 3-room, 8 +person tent (no joke.) Did I also mention that when we camped, "someone" (my SAINT of a dad) had a porta-potty delivered directly to our campsite and it was serviced at least every other day. So, as I reflect, maybe it's not so surprising that our children haven't been camping.

Don't get me wrong, we like to camp and can't wait to do it more when our kids grow a bit. I'll know the time is right when I don't have to wonder if a pack-n-play will fit in our tent. Which of course it would...actually, Natalie could have her own room. But, I digress.

All of this to say that Aaron and the boys set up a tent and slept outside last weekend. The boys L-O-V-E-D it and spent most of the evening begging to go to bed. They fell asleep easily and made it through the whole night. We even had some excitement around 11pm when our resident baby raccoons came to take a peek. The "incident" mostly involved me trying to scare them away, which just made them more curious. The boys snored through it. And, much to our delight, the boys slept until 6:30 am.

We (I mean Aaron) can't wait to do it again.

Someone's proud... (click on the picture and check out Peter's face)

Getting ready. The boys thought they'd be warm enough in their inflatable Thomas beds. Luckily I added their warmer sleeping bags after they fell asleep. Also, you can see the "snugly" that Peter brought to sleep with...his Spiderman 4-wheeler is tucked down beside his bed.

Here's a video too...

Super Duper Day....

We had a super-duper day (as Peter would say.)

Peter is learning to ride his scooter....

And he's loving it. What a sweet face!

Superman! Luke wore this costume for a good portion of the day...including the plastic hair.

The plastic hair even went under his bike helmet.

Even super heroes make bad choices once in awhile and have to sit in time-out. Today, when I asked Luke to sit down he pleaded, "Super heroes don't sit in time out." Sorry buddy.

Natalie's day wasn't exactly "super duper." Check out her smashed finger...ouch! She pulled a scooter over and it fell right on her finger.

But, in true Natty-style, it didn't slow her down a bit!

Real Life...

Here's a scene that played out today....

Peter comes running to me and tells me that Luke hit him. I asked him to go talk to his brother and say, "Luke, please don't hit me." I've been trying to get them to talk to each other not just tattle. I heard Peter run back to the playroom and say, "Luke, mommy says NO HITTING you STINKY HEAD."

I think we have a little more work ahead of us!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Peter!

Happy 3rd Birthday to our Sweet Pete!

What a big year this has been for Peter! He's becoming a big (little) boy! This year he moved to a big boy bed, became a big brother, started preschool, learned to ride his bike, and has continued to grow in every way.

At three years old, Peter is the "boyest" boy I know. He adores anything that has to do with danger...monster trucks, motorcycles, jet skis, etc. He continues to love all sports, balls, and especially wrestling with dad. He is a big fan of Spiderman, Superman, and Batman. His favorite color is green, and last weekend he pitched a huge tantrum because I tried to give him some pink juice. Through the screaming and crying, he informed me that it was a "girly color" and he refused to drink it. I had a hard time keeping a straight face...this was clearly a big problem for him!

Along with the very active and boyish parts of Peter is a soft-hearted little guy. Peter loves to snuggle, is extremely protective of his sister, and likes to be with mom and dad. His quiet prayers and songs to Jesus bring tears to my eyes. My favorite thing he says lately is "for goodness steaks."

He is a smart, funny, sweet boy who we adore and are very proud of. God has blessed us with this amazing little guy.

Here's his birthday video...

Fourth of July...

We had 4 great days at the Lake with the Stewart family. We are used to the cold, rainy 4th of July that we usually have here in WA. But, this weekend was hot and sunny.

Our nephew Caleb (11) and niece Jenna (15) were visiting from Pennsylvania and we had a wonderful visit with them. Our kids adored them, and they provided endless entertainment. We spent hours playing on the beach and in the water. And the boys named one of the upstairs rooms the "wrestling room." Not really sure what they did up there, but nothing was broken and no one was injured!

The fireworks around the lake were AMAZING! We had a neighbor that literally spent thousands of dollars, and provided us with a professional quality 20-30 minute show. There were huge fireworks all around the lake, and Aaron and Caleb put on a great show for us as well. We sat on the deck and enjoyed. Being the safety-freak that I am...I'm just thankful for another year with no injuries.

Here are a bunch of pictures of our fun...

Caleb let Peter and I take his row boat out for spin.

Aaron and Luke on the waverunner. Luke said, "okay dad, let's go fast. How 'bout 15 mph?" Getting braver every year.

Peter's 3rd birthday is next week, so we had a party for him.

What's cuter...the adorable swimsuit or the round tummy? It's a toss up!

Luke loved floating around. He really liked it when two adults would push him back and forth on this tube.

Peter spent hours on the beach digging, moving rocks, throwing rocks, and playing in the water.

When you've got it, flaunt it!

Peter thought the smores were too sticky. He abandoned the smore and just went for the chocolate.

Luke loved the smores. He said, "mom, can I have just one more?" I asked how many he'd had...the answer..."2 already...well 4 marshmallows..you know, 2 in each smore."

4th of July boys

Three amazing guys!

Side note...isn't the pool in the background adorable. Sara got it for Natalie to play in. She loved it.

Getting ready for the fireworks

Peter did NOT like the "big booms." This was his first year getting to watch the fireworks.

When the big ones started going off, I looked over and saw Peter pulling the blanket over his head. It wasn't long before he asked to go in and go to bed. Poor little guy...maybe next year will be more fun.

The weather was amazing. We had several days of 80+ degree weather. Here is sunset on the 4th of July.

Luke started a water fight with Mema. She was a great sport and got into it. Peter joined in too...playing on both teams. They were soaked when it was over, but the smiles were huge!

We adore these three little ones!

Here are two reasons I fear the day these boys are old enough to drive the waverunner!