Role Models

I had several role models to look up to as a kid.  One of them was the family I grew up next to.  Bev was like a second mom to me and her daughter, Karen, was my big sister.  I have so many happy memories from my childhood that include Bev, and I'm so sad that she passed away yesterday. 

We knew it was coming, she had been in hospice care for a little over a week.  I was lucky to be able to visit with her several times. 

During one of my visits the chaplain from hospice stopped by.  He was a wonderful man and he talked to Bev so kindly.  She introduced me to him and told him that I have three sweet little boys and that my husband and I are very family oriented.  Thinking of Bev describing me this way brings tears to my eyes. 

I learned so much about being a family from her.  She and her husband loved thier kids with all thier being.  They took family vacations and spent so much time together.  Bev made every outing an adventure.  She would call me when I was home alone in the summers and ask if I wanted to go 'bummin' with her and Karen.  I lived for those phone calls.  We would run errands and I loved every minute I spent with them.  

I'm so lucky to have known Bev and I'm glad my boys got to know her too.  Thanks to her I do my best to make running errands fun and I try to make the most of every moment I get to spend with my family. This morning we went on a family adventure to our new favorite park.  The kids had a great time playing on the playground, but the highlight was the path to the pond.  They fed the fish and turtles in the pond and loved every minute.  I couldn't help but think that Bev was looking down and she was happy with what she saw. 

I'm so proud to have been her friend and I'm even more proud that she saw me as a family oriented mom.  Hopfully I'm half the mom she was.

Happy Fourth!

Yesterday was such a great holiday!  We packed up early and headed to the parade.  Some of my favorite memories from being little include parades and I'm so excited to share them with my boys.  I have to admit that the parade was actually a bit lame.  The convenience of a small community parade - you know where you can park five feet from where you sit - outweighed my desire to see the big city parade.  Maybe when the kids are older we can do the big one. 

 Will was his typical silly little self.  I told him not to go in the street and he pushed the limit by hovering on the curb :)  He cracks us up.  Max was too worried about when the tootsie rolls would be thrown to pose for any pictures. 

This sweet little guy takes the cake for cutest moment of the day.  While Will was hanging out with Daddy in the shade Jack tried out his chair - and he loved it!!!  He looked so darn cute.  He was all smiles and you could tell that  was just so proud of himself.  Unfortunately as soon as I turned my back I heard crying.  Poor Jack was sprawled on the sidewalk with the chair on top of him.  Luckily he recovered quickly.  He took his job of watching the parade very seriously.  I think he clapped and waved the entire hour we watched.  It was adorable!

We finished off the day with a great bbq at Uncle Mason and Aunt Josie's new house.  It really couldn't' have been a better holiday!

Botanical Garden

Mother Nature has blessed us with more beautiful weather.  We took advantage on Thursday and headed to the Botanical Garden with Nonna and cousin Carissa.  It was amazing.  They currently have a Lego exhibit in the climatron.  Our little Lego man was very excited about it.  He was even more excited because near each display there was a sign telling us how many Lego's it took to build.  The butterfly was over 60,000  - Max was officially impressed.

 

After the Legos we explored more of the Garden.  Max was happy to tell us where to go - after all he had a map :)

Before we knew it the time had come for us to get in line for the tram.  We rode this for the first time last year and its a really nice way to see the garden.  Of course, it's close enough to a train to make the boys' day.  While we waited Nonna had a great time playing with Jack and Will.  Jack is getting so close to walking.  I think it will happen very soon and he was happy to get out of his stroller and practice his skills.

Will had a great time too.  He thought it was pretty great when he could run around and he loved his time playing with Nonna and a hanging fern.  It was a great outing and I can't wait to head back!

Most Beautiful July 2nd Ever!

 I really don't think July has ever started out this amazing!  I can't believe how gorgeous it is outside!  We had to take advantage of mother nature's generosity and play at the park.  I finally feel somewhat comfortable managing all three boys at the park by myself.  Max has no fear and climbs on everything - and most of the time he makes a new friend whom he ends up running around with. 

Will didn't used to like the slide.  Wow has that changed!  He couldn't get enough of this super fast, super steep slide today.  He just kept climbing up and sliding down - over and over and over.  At least I knew where he was :)  Jack loves the park too.  He likes hanging out in the swing and he loves it when Max helps him slide down the slide.  Since this park doesn't have mulch I let him crawl around and explore bit.  He loved it! 

I hope tomorrow is just as gorgeous because we are heading to the Botanical Garden!

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.

• 
  
   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!