Zoo Adventures

 There aren't too many things that are more fun than heading to the zoo with the boys.  Max doesn't have any planned activities this week, so I'm making our own plans.  Today's plans included this cute little elephant in the background.

 With three boys the double stroller comes in pretty handy.  Especially when the temps are as high as there were today.

 The River's Edge is always one of the boys' favorite parts of the zoo.  Max always wants to see the rhinos and the hippos.  We were pretty lucky because they just opened three new exhibits.  The boys had so much fun watching this Andean Bear.  He eventuntualy jumped into the water right in front of the boys.  They loved it!

 I had to drag Will away from the hippo tank.  He would have happily sat there all day.  Even I have to admit that it was pretty great to be that close to these amazing animals.

We were even lucky enough to have Great Aunt Carmelina join us.  There are some things that I'm able to muster with all three boys on my own, but for the zoo I needed reinforcements.  She was pretty great and the kids loved having her along. 

This little cutie had so much fun!  The big brothers took turns riding with him in the stroller and he loved the attention.  He couldn't take his eyes off the fish in the hippo tank, no matter how many times I tried to get him to smile at the camera.

What I Love . . .

There are so many things that I love about the boys right now and I just want to make sure I document it . . . you know for the days when they make me crazy :)

What I love about Max. . . .

• His heart - he is so kind especially when he is dealing with Jack.  He is constantly telling me that he taught Jack something new and he is so proud of himself.  

His friendships . . . a few times a week we meet up with some of Max's buddies at the pool.  It is so fun to watch him with his friends.  A little positive peer pressure has helped all of the kids to improve their swimming skills.

His ever growing vocabulary. . . sometimes the things that come out of his mouth crack me up.  I'm at a loss to think of a quote right now, but trust me he is funny.

His ability to plan . . . he  is always a man with a plan.  Several times a day I hear "Hey Mom, I have an idea we should. . . "  Usually it involved going outside to play or out to dinner.

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   What I love about Will . . .

His soulful brown eyes and those lashes that go on forever.  While I wish he was smiling I n this picture I still love it because of his eyes.

His love of the outdoors. . . You have never seen a child more excited that Will when he finds out we are going outside.  He really can't contain himself if the outdoor adventure includes a park or the pool

His independence. . . Will really is ready to sprout some wings.  This past week we had vacation bible school at church.  Since I volunteered he was able to join the three and four year old group.  He did such a great job!  He had fun with his leaders and the other kids.  On the last day he didn't want it to end.  He is going to do so well when he starts preschool in the fall.

His passion for everything . . .  Will doesn't do anything halfway.  He loves with his whole heart, hugs with his entire body, and is just plain adorable.  I love how he get so excited about things that are just typical everyday things to me.  Every day Will reminds me just how wondrous and amazing our world is.


What I love about Jack . . .

Watching him discover the world . . . there is so much to learn when you are just over a year old.  Every day Jack seems to discover something new.  This weekend it has been the ability to perch on his hand and feet with his head hanging upside down.  He loves this new view of the world.

His hair. . . I love his straight as a board, baby fine little locks.  I know that he really needs a haircut, but I keep putting it off.  I know once he gets his first haircut he won't look like my baby anymore - he will look like a big boy.  This momma just isn't quite ready for that yet.

His voice . . . Jack is beginning to use a few words and there isn't much that could be cuter.  He can say ball, mama, dada, and nonna.  He cracks me up when he hears his nonna on the phone.  He gets so excited and he would crawl through the phone to get her if he could.

His big blue eyes . . . I mean look at those baby blues.   can't get enough!

Our Little Ballplayer

We signed Max up for tball through our church this spring.  We tried it last year thought the local parks and rec department and it was okay, but there was a ton of down time and he wasn't super excited when Saturday mornings rolled around.  This year was a totally different story!  It was so well run and there were practices as well as games.  He seemed to really learn some good fundamental skills and he had a great time doing it.

 

There were still lots of times when he took after mommy and picked grass when he should have been paying attention, but over all he did a great job.  And I can't help but smile when I see him in his little baseball pants.  He just looked too darn cute!I'm not sure if it was the tball or the slushies from the concession stand afterwards, but Max was a bit sad to see the season come to an end.  He is looking forward to playing soccer in August!

Happy Father's Day

Wow, June is just flying past us.  I thought things would be crazy with all three boys home, and three weeks in I htink I can say that crazy is an understatement.  We are loving our summer schedule and the weather has been beautiful for the past few days - which is nice considering it ahs been rainy and cold!

Last night Brian and I were able to go out while Nonno and Nonna watched the boys.  THey had lots of fun exploring in the woods and I wish I would havve thought to get a Father's Day pic of hte boys with their Nonno.

Today I was more on top of things.  We went over to Grandpa and Grandma's house for lunch and the kids were their usual wild little selves.  They did take a few minutes out of running around, rolling balls, and chasing cats to pose for a couple pictures.   I love watching our boys with their Daddy.  They are just so cute together.  They love their Daddy so much - I do too!

 We got another pictures with Grandpa Jack in on the action.  Trying to get five men to look at the camera proved to be a little bit impossible :)

And here is one more with Great Grandpa Ray.  He man handled those two little boys like it was his job.  I guess that what comes from raising twins.

We hope everyone had a wonderful day celebrating all of the fathers in their lives.  We look forward to many more celebrations to come!