The Beach House

We started our summer off great with a family trip to California with Mark's family. When we were planning the trip we had decided to fly standby with my mom's benefits. However, the night before we were supposed to leave the flights filled up and it didn't look like we would get on. Mark's personality can't handle this uncertainty so he threw that idea out the window. So exhausted at midnight we start looking at other options. At one point Mark was ready to put the boys in the car and just drive. Luckily, I talked him out of it and we were able to book flights for the next morning. 

This trip couldn't have been more perfect for these little cousins! Being able to wake up and walk outside to a ginormous sandbox every morning was a dream come true for Luke, Brody and Emerson. The only problem was they loved it so much that some mornings they were up at 6 am with shovels in hand.

During the day we played on the boogie boards and dug in the sand while Mark went on fish taco runs! My favorite part was when the boys got crabby we could just go right inside for naps and then get right back out in the sand. I loved watching the boys play with their cousins. They had so much fun playing with the babies especially. It was their goal to make Ruby and Anders laugh!

At night we had fun exploring the nearby piers and eats! When we would go down and walk on the pier Brody made it his goal to scare every bird he could spot. We loved watching him chase the birds around screaming and laughing. There were so many fun places to eat and we had a lot of fun searching for a new place to eat each night. 

The beach house had a fire pit that screamed for smores every night! Brody was so excited to roast marshmallows but he didn't quite get the hang of it. He would stick it in the fire for about two seconds and start screaming, "It's done...it's done...I eat it!" Luke on the other hand, took it very serious. He ate so much that I was worried he would puke! 

One night the three boys were dressed alike so Andra and I decided to snap a pic or two at sunset...silly us! Why did we think we could actually get even one decent picture of those three silly boys. I just love the one we got because it totally shows their little personalities!

We had an amazing week and couldn't believe when it was over. I think we were dreading it being over so much that we almost didn't make it to the airport. We were still in the ocean when it came time to head to the airport. I've never seen us rinse off and head to the airport so fast!

Tin Caps

Luke was so excited to start T-Ball for the first time this year! He definitely had a fun season but I think it's safe to that T-Ball isn't the sport for this guy! At one of Luke's first practices a mom said to me, "Um is that kid yours? He's tackling all the kids and stealing the ball from them." Sure enough the coach was calling out their names and tossing the ball to them. Luke had become bored with this and decided to be the star player and tackle each kid to get their ball. T-Ball just didn't have the contact that Luke thrives on in sports! 

Luke had a great season and caught on to the rules very quick. That helped me a lot because this sport required a lot of parent involvement. Mark was rarely able to make it to the games so I would be there alone with Brody trying to help Luke when he was on base or getting the players lined up to bat. I think it was safe to say that Luke was on probably the naughtiest T-Ball team that season. There was always a constant wrestling match going on in the outfield so parent involvement was a must. 

Brody soon became a fan of Luke's T-Ball games when he learned that there was a concession stand. I don't even want to think about how much we spent on popcorn, cotton candy and soda this season. Whenever Luke wasn't on base or up to bat he was over shoveling junk food into his mouth!

I don't know if T-Ball was intense enough for Luke but he sure did have a fun season and I loved watching him play! I love this kid and how serious he takes his sports!

Preschool Graduation

Luke's preschool graduation from Little Scholars Pre-School was quite possibly one of the cutest things ever! They put on a darling program and it was so much fun to watch!

They sang a few songs and my favorite was "What Does the Fox Say." Luke did an amazing job and knew every word to all three songs! However, Luke's favorite part was the reptile show at the end of the graduation. He was right up in the action and wanting to see and learn about every reptile. I was a tad grossed out that he touched every snake or critter he could. You can bet that I had the hand sanitizer ready and waiting for him!

It has been so fun to watch him learn and grow! He has learned so much this year and I am beyond grateful that he was able to have Miss Debra as a teacher. She was loving but also set boundaries which is the exact combo Luke needs. He was also challenged academically and learned so much.

Easter Morning

Since my parents' house is in the middle of a remodel and it was such a warm day we decided to have Easter morning at a park by our new house. The Easter Bunny left the boys a note explaining where their eggs and candy were. Brody was ready to head to the park while Luke was very concerned about the solid chocolate Easter Bunny and who was going to eat him...such a chocolate lover!

There are two parks by our new house so Mark dropped me and the goodies off at the first park and I said I would go see if their stuff was there while they went and checked the other park. Sadly, Luke is a very smart little guy and nothing gets by him. He instantly said, "I know you hid all of this stuff mom while we were at the other park!" It's a good thing that he got distracted by the thrill of the hunt and didn't linger on that thought much longer.

It was so fun to watch them this year. They were both so into it and were trying to collect as many eggs as they possibly could. Luke kept counting them over and over to see if he had found them all. I always think it's so funny how excited they get over finding the eggs and don't really care about their baskets until all the eggs have been found.

There is nothing like a warm spring day and when it falls on Easter it's extra special! Being outside was such a treat for Easter! I love these little egg hunters!

Party Time...Let's Bounce!

The boys did a combined birthday this year and I must say I'm a fan! I hope they are okay doing the combined birthday every year! We decided to do it at Get Air and it was perfect because the little kids and even the adults had a blast. 

We got there a little early so we could setup the party room. Brody wanted nothing to do with preparations and couldn't understand why he wasn't out jumping already. I finally gave up and let him go for it...I hoped they would be forgiving of an unsupervised birthday boy. 

Once everyone arrived the boys were a blur. I hardly got any pictures because they were having so much fun! Luke headed right to the big kids area with his uncles. I loved Brody's little red face! He was definitely jumping and running hard with Dayne and Liam! 

When it was time for cake the boys weren't too happy to take a break from jumping. When it came time for presents they were more than willing to take a break! Brody of course opened his first present and was done...he was content and just wanted to play with his new police car and dinosaur!

It was such a fun night celebrating with all of our family! I love these two boys to pieces and I hope they know how loved they are! I sure hope they had a great party!