A Summer's Day...

Last week, for two whole days, we had summer.  Warm breeze.  Hot sun.  Pink cheeks.  Sweaty boys.  Popsicles and sidewalk chalk in hand.

The  boys interpreted the brief hot spell to mean nothing but running through the sprinklers.  And they would have done it in their skivvies or completely nude had I not been there at the onset - obvs.  :)

So we did.

While the littlest dude slept in the house which was over warm thanks to the sun pouring in the windows...

I stood in the sun and powered up the water and let 'em have their fun.  I love how they run - arms outstretched - feeling alive and enjoying the sensation of frigid water on their hot skin.

And as per the Law of Murphy, soccer Saturday arrived with whipping winds and frigid temps.  Which means little Boone-doggle got bundled up like this:

It's the yin and yang of spring time in the Rockies.  And we aren't "rookies" to it's drastic mood swings...  See what I did there?

We'll wait for the next uptick in Mercury.... swimsuits and snowsuits near by.

My Own...

These boys... I delight in them more than you can imagine.  

In the throes of infertility I cried to RyGar that all I really wanted was a couple of little Dennis the Menace's to call my own.  Turns out my wishes were granted.

The other day Dax dug out his sling shot from the "weapons box"... yes, we have one of those, and it's filled to the brim with little man toy weapons like marshmallow shooters, laser guns and sling shots.  He then came to me with a request for some new "key pants".  "WHAT?"  I asked not sure what he meant.  "I want some key pants -- you know the kind with the little keys that hook to the straps - the kind that has lots of pockets for rocks and sling shots?"  I knew exactly what he meant and you don't have to ask this girl twice.  Off we went to DI to find a pair of overalls.  We came out successful and this little dude has been wearing them with his chucks and toting around his sling shot ever since.  Swoon.

He's basically my spirit animal personified. 

And a couple other "little delights from the weekend"...

Big Brother/Little Brother morning love.  They are my little early risers and they snuggle together in the wee hours of daylight.  Just look at those faces!

My tiny hand shadow puppeteer... 

He's been a beast lately, but when I see him work the sun and the shade and concentrate with those little fingers - it's all forgotten.  :)

All my little gents scrubbed up and combed for church on Sunday.  Can you even get over how big Boone looks?  Suddenly he's just another one of the the boys sporting plaid

with his best "check mates".  :)

 Nah... still a baby.  How 'bout dem lips?  Sigh.  

Yep... this mama delights in her boys more than they can even imagine.

Lizards in the Sky with Diamonds...

That was a lame little "Lucy in the sky with diamonds" attempt - but here's why...

1a.  These diamonds of April Fool's Day pictures make me laugh out loud.  We froze their cereal... sprinkled some fresh on top and added a bit more milk and it looked soooo legit.  Kael was bound and determined to muscle that spoon out of his frigid breakfast.

1b.  The mustaches I drew on their sleeping angel faces?  It's wicked how much enjoyment I got outta that.  Payback for the times they have healthy doses of evil in them, on a day when practical jokes are encouraged, I guess.  :)

2.  Dax's overachieving preschool teacher had Scales and Tails come visit the classroom and Ace was invited to come as well.  My kiddos petted, adored and loved the various lizards and turtles and (shriek) SNAKES the presenter brought. 

 I nearly disowned them for holding "Fuzzy Wuzzy" the boa.  Barf.

3.  Things that leave this mama feeling sky high & singing:

Boys that bake cookies with "the brudders".

Boys that watch their Papa Bear's every move and join in to, "Get Hawg Rider!"

Baby taking in the world around him and becoming more alert and aware.

My little lost boys playing pirates in the sunlight... 

They should never be put to bed because they always wake up a day older...

Postcards from Southern Utah...

The kiddos had spring break last week - which means, we hit the road for a little family togetherness.

You know what I love most about mini-cations with my crew?  The memories.  They talk about the highlights from these little adventures we take together ALL the time.  They love the little parts like "Stopping at the gas station to get a 'Ginger' drink", all the way to the silly parts like, "When Ace had to sleep in the bath tub because he was coughing so loud", to the reverent parts, "When we hiked to the top of that big mountain and saw all the world below us."

On our trips we throw out the day-to-day schedule a bit.  We ignore hygiene a little.  We put aside rules and bed times. We laugh and swim and hang out a lot.  I don't nag them to hurry nearly as often and there is an aura of happiness and lightness in each of us that helps everyone get along and enjoy.  We say yes more than no.  We have few outside distractions and to-do lists and carpools are non-existent.  It's more than the sun and the water, it's the feeling of closeness - both physical and emotional - that makes me love these times.  It's a break from me .vs. them and we are all better for it.  

Family trips are one of our things - they aren't big or flashy - but they're ours and the memories we make together last a lifetime as they are already showing us.

Ace was convinced a giant craw-dad was nibbling on his hot dog.  :)

We visited our Wayne the Wonderful this past week and then spent some time in Moab.  We had one helluva night in a hotel room in Moab where Ace whaled his way to day light with an earache.  We tried out our new razor and our daring Daddy-o taught the boys about "spinning donuts".  We hiked through our favorite geographical feature... red rock.  We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows for dinner twice.  We toted our three-month-old baby Boone bear along to see some of our favorite spots.   The boys were pirates then pilots then power rangers all in one afternoon.  :)

Please, oh please, let them recreate this picture when they are in their twenties!

It was nothing and everything all in the same breath.

You'll have to forgive me, I get very excited about time spent with my boys.  My heart can barely believe this little crew is all mine and these adventures are ours for the taking.

Thanks again, southern Utah.

We'll be creating many more postcards with you in the coming months.

Mister Boone-Doggle...

Boone turned three months old on us this past week! 

 If I had a penny for every time this little lamb smiled at me, I'd be a rich woman.  He is the smiliest little love and he smiles with his eyes, his cheeks, his mouth -- his entire body!  I've said it before, but I'll say it again... it's so cute I want to bash my head into the wall.  A-dorable.

At three months Boone LOVES to be talked to.  He is very aware of his surroundings but is especially in love with people.  All people.  He likes playing under his play mat and is reaching for the toys with his hands and feet.  He loves to be swaddled to sleep.  He still doesn't sleep all the way through the night, but waking once or twice is a vast improvement over what he has been doing.

He is SO adored by his brothers is makes me marvel.  His hair is just starting to thin but he still has quite a healthy mop of it.  He is a guzzler and likes his mama's milk.  He hates running errands in the car but will sleep for long periods of time in his car seat if we hit a freeway on a road trip.

He sings and coos and makes the cutest little baby sounds of all time.  He is a tall drink o' water and wears 6-month clothing. He has a slight dimple in one of his cheeks just like his daddy-o... for which his mama is so grateful!

If you can't tell - we are over the moon for our Boone!  It's his world, folks... we're just living in it!

 Happy 3 Months Our Smiley Boy!