Out of Doors

We have had some really nice weather here lately!  Although... side note... I took this picture as I drove to the gym one morning last week...

Yes, that is blowing snow and snow on the ground.  Yuck!

But we have had some great weather here and there this month, so we've taken advantage of every nice day we've had and played outside.  It is so nice to sit in a lawn chair in the driveway when the sun is so warm on my shoulders and watch the boys ride bikes and play outside!  Here they took a break to enjoy some popsicles Nana bought last summer.  Still good!  :)

Emmett came out of his room after a nap the other day with no pants on and wearing these 3-D glasses.  He said hello and walked right outside to look around.  Cracked us up!

A few weekends ago we went up to a lake near our house to ride bikes and play in the water.  It was such a nice family day.  It's so beautiful up there!  Here I was trying to get us all to take a picture with Mt. McLaughlin in the background.

After we rode for a while we ate our pack lunch down by the lake.  The boys loved throwing rocks in the lake and Emmett, of course, jumped in and got soaked even though the water was super cold.  He would fall down on purpose and "swim" around and then get out and stand there shivering and shaking.  Then I'd wrap him in a towel and snuggle him for a few minutes and he would run right back in for more.  Reid also wanted to get in and we had to hold onto him tight!  Here's E getting warm and saying a lackluster, "Cheese."

Reid is obsessed with these squirty yogurts...

Phil was trying to hold the yogurt up to get Reid to look at the camera, but he only had eyes for that yogurt...

Jackson was content to just throw rocks and sticks in the lake.  He wanted no part of the cold water!  :)

A few days ago we went to a park we had never been to before...

And after three years my lilac bush finally bloomed this year!!

And a video of trampoline fun...

Yay for Spring!!

Messy Babies

I used to feel all proud at how clean my house usually was with three boys.  Well, that was obviously when they were all younger and I could control their movements a little more!  Now they are so busy and all over the place all the time and it gets harder and harder to keep up with all of the little messes!  But I guess the messes mean they are having fun and being boys.  :)  One of my friends who also has three boys said last summer that she was trying to just let her boys be messy and have fun and be boys more instead of trying to always keep them clean and I've been trying to do that lately, too.  Here are a few "messy" pics...

Emmett after a smoothie... :) 

Emmett filling buckets with water and sand and getting SOAKED and sandy!  :)

Oh, and Reid... he's the messiest of them all!  :)  Food ends up all over him when he eats.  This was actually a fairly clean meal!

And he loooooves to play in and especially EAT sand.  I just loved these next pics so I posted a bunch...

And milk!  He is a very drippy milk drinker.  Remember when he used to spit up all the time?  Well, that is gone now (thankfully), but he still drips milk out of his mouth all of the time.  :)

Guess who's the only one who's very rarely dirty or messy?  This one!  :)

He's very good about wiping his hands and washing his hands and doesn't like to get super dirty.  But he still has fun!  :)  

Loving Daddy

I know my boys love me a lot, but there is just something about Daddy that they all just adore.  Maybe it's because he's more patient than me, or because he's not here all day, everyday with them like I am, or because he always does fun rough-and-tumble boyish things with them, but they all really have a special bond with Daddy.  He really is the best!  And I'm so thankful that our boys have such a positive, loving role model to look up to.  Here are some "fun with Daddy" pics...

Playing baseball in the hallway after work...

All good catchers need flashlights...

... and sweet dance moves.  :)

I think poor Reid has a constant lump and bruise in the middle of his forehead!  He is pretty fearless.

On Mother's Day Phil took the boys out and about for the morning and they all got to ride in the Jeep for the first time.  You can imagine how much they loved that!

Phil went to Jackson's school for career day and brought an old helmet from home... then the boys had a great time playing with it for the rest of the day.  And yes, Emmett loves big sunglasses just like his Mommy.  And yes, he has a pacifier in.  Judge away!  :)

The boys absolutely love when Phil mows the lawn.  It almost puts them in a trance or something just watching him and being so interested in it.  This time Emmett got the toy lawnmower and helped out.

Jackson kept on riding his bike but would stop every time it was time to dump the grass clippings and run over to watch Phil do that.  :)

Okay, so maybe it's only Reid that really gets in a trance, but he does stare at the mower the whole time!

I know these swim trunks are really big, but I haven't been motivated to dig out the summer clothes yet (it snowed this morning... hence my lack of motivation) and these were the first ones I found.  :)