Growing Up...

Yesterday, I was in the throes of making dinner and Ace came down from the playroom and gleefully exclaimed,

"I see a RAINBOW Everybody!"  

Oh man, if there is anything that stops my heart it's one of my little people noticing the world around them and making us all stop and take note too. Tiny humans who press the pause button on life make me giddy.  I stopped chopping.  They all scurried down the stairs to see the beauty in the sky.  We scrambled outside quickly and for a few minutes we just took it all in.  The rain had just stopped.  There, in the gray skies off in the distance, was a rainbow.  And then in an embarrassing show of riches - there were two.  I can probably count on one hand how many times I've seen a double rainbow, and I came from a mama who stopped and took notice of the world around her.  There is something magical and lucky about a giant prism in the sky is what. 

You know what else is kind of miraculous and magical?

Growing things.

The hands of my boys planted our garden for the third year in a row and it makes me feel such a sense of Mama pride.  I'm talking Mother Earth/Mama Bear/Tiny Littles/Planting wee green things and watching it all grow symbiotically.  It's a heavy sense of duty being met and it makes me deliciously happy.  I may be growing some little dudes in the 'burbs, but there's more than a little bit country in them and I love that.

We planted tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, squash and pumpkins.  We're hoping with the good luck that a double rainbow brings, and these little hands to administer TLC, we'll have a rich harvest of sweet things we grew ourselves.  

And somewhere in all of this is a life sermon on growing up good boys, in rich soil, with lots of sun and a little luck and some TLC.

Amen, Preacher.

Little Snippets of Spring...

Our adventures this week found us at the "Ditch Park" yet again.  My kiddos wait for the water to come flowing every single year and it never disappoints.  I feel like every kid needs a river, a stream, a ditch, a canal - some type of running water - in their childhood and it gives me an embarrassing amount of pleasure that my kiddos have found theirs here in our hood, and that they traipse through it with buddies for hours on end.

We also ran through the sprinklers this week.  It wasn't the first time, but it was the first time since the lawn turned green and the scent of the lilacs tickled my nose while I watched them.

 I wasn't mad about it one bit. 

Probably the biggest news in the house is this little Q-Ball.  I cut off Booner's thinning, straggly remnants of newborn hair and opened Pandora's box of parenthood opinions on baby hair.  Sheesh!  Here was the before pic that spurned my action... Look at those sparse tresses!

Cute brother picture, but oh, that straggly hair!

And here is my little round circle head baby that I snuggle on all the live long day.  

Have I shared the story of the round circle head baby?  Long story short - I was tiny - I asked Santa for a "Round Circle Head Baby" - Santa thought that title was literal and searched the world over in a profuse sweat in search of said baby doll - Christmas morning Santa produced a baby with a bald round head - Tiny Amber was in round circle head baby heaven. 

Fast forward thirty years - Amber is still in round circle head baby heaven.

And I'm not mad about it one bit.

We have also been enjoying the return of the Ninjas thanks to a birthday gift from Aunt Nett which included two Ninja Turtle Walkie Talkies.  I die at the way they go all "deep throat" and utter manly things into their walkies like, "Do you Copy?" and "10-4 Good Buddy".

 Nobody puts baby in a corner - but we do put baby on the trampoline in the shade to hear the birds and see the spring green leaves and smell the lilacs.

And he's not mad about it one bit.

:)

Dax is Six...

Our little Dax Man turned SIX this weekend!

He was a little concerned that his big day was on Sunday AND that this was a year for a

 "family party" - can you say, double whammy??  So we made sure to have our birthday game faces on and we celebrated all weekend long!  Dax is something worth celebrating for three consecutive days, after all.  Such a little dream boat of a boy 98% if the time.  :)

Friday he invited a friend home from Preschool and we went to Arctic Circle for lunch and colored our hair because we don't care!  It still cracks me up to listen to them play together.  The little shiz they deem worthy of digging out of treasure boxes to show "the outsider" and the canned reaction from the brothers that sets the obvious tone the "guest" should be utilizing in his amazed reaction.

There was also an afternoon wrestling tournament on the trampoline and that night we met Ryan's family at "Ri Manchito" - more commonly known as, Mi Ranchito, for Dax's beloved "orange rice".

Saturday morning we had soccer games all in a row.  P.S. it's worth noting that we deserve some sort of endurance award.  Because while watching little dudes figure out soccer is somewhat endearing and cute... it's also somewhat exhausting and frustrating.  

The weather was better than it has been for Saturday soccer but still cold and windy.  Soooo, once we wrapped that up we took him to the fun center for arcade games and "Driving the Go Carts" which was high on his list of priorities until we walked in and little feller got sucked right into a Jurassic park shooting game.  Whoa.  Wouldn't you know, when he finally nodded the OK to move outside to the go cart track they were shutting it down due to rain.  Whoopsie.

He was a trooper and recovered quickly when he saw the "Pirates of the Caribbean" shooting game and then it was time to collect prizes!  If there was a hall of fame for "collectors of tiny useless shit" - my boys would be in it.  Somehow they had amassed hundreds of points which ended up buying them each a foam oversized dice, keychains, mini plastic animals, a Sheriff's star badge and several "special" bouncy balls.  Just exactly what we need and what "they've always wanted"....Sigh.

Sunday he woke up - or rather he was woken up - in the wee morning hours because some brother was SO excited for Dax's presents!  

A bike, a remote control robot tarantula (yep), a rubber band gun, some Minion trading cards (you say that Mindian BT-Dubs) and of course, roller blades.  Boys are totally random and rad.

Judge not my filthy glass doors, OK?  I have a dog and five boys... the struggle is real.

After church we had a family party with cake and ice cream.  And then, my little genius of a birthday boy had suggested instead of giving him birthday spanks, we just spray him with silly string "just like the Jazz Bear does".  So we lined up and made his very last wish come true.

I think our little six-year-old is on to a new Birthday tradition....

We love you Dax.  

You're the most thorough prayer giver of all time.  You're quick to laugh and make a joke.  You're a great little peace maker in our home.  You're sweet and smart and a little sassy when you get fired up.  You're fast as lightning unless we ask you to put away your clean clothes or weed... :)

But mostly you're one cool customer.  

Hope this year is full of epic play dates and more awesome tiny crap in your pockets....

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...