"Naked Boy" Super Heroes

Connor and Dylan like nothing more than pretending they're super heroes. It started out that they would pretend they were Spiderman, or Batman, or a Power Ranger... etc.  One day Connor put on a black, zip-up hoodie over his clothes and said he was the black spiderman (from Spiderman 3).  Then, a few days later he put it on without any clothes on underneath and ran around telling us all that he was naked under there! Dylan started calling him "Naked Boy" and so... a new super hero was born!  They came across another zip-up hoodie... so now they are BOTH "Naked Boy."

Tonight, we went outside to play on the tramploline and they asked to wear their "costumes." I agreed...

Yep... naked under there! Although, I do insist they wear underwear. I know, party pooper.

So here is what I know about "Naked Boy" from listening to them play... He spins a lot, he has an invisible forcefield (but it's powerless against other "Naked Boys"), he tackles... and when he does, he says, "whack!"

Here's to hoping they find a new favorite super hero before Halloween.

Connor and Dylan's favorite poem

I have a friend named Larry.
He's eight years old, but hairy.
There's hair on his back.
There's hair up his nose.
Why, he even has hair
Between all his toes.
But he never complains,
or whines or cries.
He can't. There's hair
In his mouth and his eyes.

From Todd and the Talking Pinata Talk Courage
by RH Fuller

Picture fun!

The other morning I was camera happy and just took some fun pictures of the boys throughout the day as they played. They love making silly faces and running to see themselves on the camera. Such fun!

Sam is 11 months now! 

This boy LOVES granola bars... and making messes!

Play time with the giant bean bags.

Silly faces.

This was supposed to be a "mad face", but Connor said, "Well, I'm not mad so I'll just smile."

Happy face!

 Cletus

Bubba

Brotherly love!

Okay, that's enough love - get off.

Strawberry pickin' and jammin'

We went on a field trip to a strawberry farm on Tuesday with our CC group (and just a shout out to my CC family for rescuing me that morning!). It started a little rough, but Connor and Dylan ended up having a wonderful time picking (thank you, Rachel!) and even Sam was very happy (thank you, Chele!). We ended up with a lot of strawberries... and they were so tasty... so we ended up making freezer jam with them.  Here are a few pics:

The strawberry field (part of it anyway):

Connor picking strawberries:

Dylan picking strawberries:

Connor and Dylan crushing the strawberries

Crushed strawberries (after this we added the hot sugar/pectin/water mixture):

Strawberry jam:

Now praying we did it right!

Fun with a hose!

Last week I was watering our veggies and flowers and Connor, Dylan and Evi (my friend's daughter) wanted in on the fun, so I obliged... and I pulled out my phone and made a few videos:

Dylan and Evi:

Evi having fun:

Mommy having fun!

Now everyone's having fun :)

Our little garden

The past couple of years we have grown a few veggies in earth boxes, but we decided to expand just a little and build a couple of raised beds. We started our vegetable plants from seeds this year (we usually just buy plants that are already started) so we're hoping they're successful. We wanted Connor and Dylan to be involved in the whole process so they could see how we get big, beautiful (hopefully) vegetables from tiny seeds and how grand God's design is! They helped us plant the seeds in pellets and we prayed over them. Then they helped us prepare the soil in the beds (and ofcourse their favorite part was worm hunting!). And, then they helped us plant and fertilize the vegetable plants. When the vegetables grow they will help us pick them, store them, and cook them. It's so amazing to see them learn so much!

Here are some pictures from our little garden adventure so far:

 Worm hunting!

 Found some!!

Planting

And fertilizing.

And digging.

Sam chilled.

And ate grass.

And cooed.

And melted my heart!

When Dylan got bored with gardening, he chilled with Sam.

And jumped on the trampoline.

I had to get my hands in the dirt, too.

And done! 

(Molly the dog worked hard, too, apparently)

Resurrection Eggs

One of my favorite tools for teaching our kiddos about Easter is Resurrection Eggs!  I think you can buy them... but we made ours and the kids help fill the eggs with the things that represent different parts of the story leading up to the Resurrection. Then each day during the week leading up to Easter, we retell the story and open each egg at the appropriate time in the story. It really helps them to remember it when they have visual reminders and can touch and feel.

So I thought I'd share it...

I took an egg carton and some scrapbook paper and made a package to keep them in.

Each egg is numbered with the order in which they are to be opened and I made a cheat sheet at the top to help me remember what is in each egg. The kids have a much better memory than I do. :)

In each egg is something to represent each part of the story leading up to and including Jesus' resurrection. I'm also inluding the verses we use, but in a lot of parts I just summarize what's happening in a way they can better understand.

1. A small branch with leaves to represent Palm Sunday - John 12:12-13
2. A small wash cloth to represent Jesus washing the disciples feet - John 13:1-17 (the kids take turns pretend washing each other's feet with the cloth)
3. A dime to represent Judas betraying Jesus - Matthew 26:14-16
4. A cracker to represent Jesus' body (The Last Supper) - Matthew 26:26
5. A small cup to represent Jesus' blood (The Last Supper) - Matthew 26:27-28
6. A rubberband to represent the whips used on Jesus (this one is very delicate and I get the most questions and concerns starting here - we just explain how Jesus knew about this and how all of this was necessary for us to spend eternity with Him in heaven and because He loves us SO much, He was willing to do whatever it took for us to get to be with Him forever) - Luke 22:63-65
7. A branch of only thorns to represent the crown of thorns - Matthew 27:28-30
8. A cross made of sticks to represent the cross on which Jesus was crucified - Mark 15:21-39
9. A piece of gauze to represent the linens Jesus wore - John 19:23
10. A die to represent the soldiers casting lots for His linens - John 19:24
11. A stone to represent the stone in front of the tomb - Matthew 27:59-60
12. Empty... HE IS RISEN! Matthew 28:1-10

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay." Matthew 28:5-6

The beauty of a Saturday with no plans

I love Saturdays. Chris is home and we get to spend time as a family.  I especially love Saturdays when we don't have any plans for the day. We can do whatever, whenever... it's a beautiful thing.  Today was one of those days. It ended up being such a good day!

We started out with a pancake breakfast... Connor and Dylan's favorite! (and mine if I'm being honest)  After breakfast and clean-up, we had some fun with paint.  We made the boys' hand-prints and foot-prints, Connor and Dylan's were quick and easy. I love hearing their laughter as I paint the bottom of their feet. They are both SOOO ticklish! Sam's footprint was easy. But, it took Chris and I both for his hand-print. If you've ever tried to get a baby's hand-print, you know what I mean... unless you wanted a fist-print. That would be much easier!

After that we played with toys for a while and Sam laid down for a nap.  It was one of those really nice, long naps.  Precious boy!!

While Sam was napping, Chris was going out to work on his truck so I took Connor and Dylan out, too. What a BEAUTIFUL morning. It was comfortable out without a jacket.  I put play clothes on them. I gathered a bowl, some spoons, and a couple of pans... and showed them how to make mud pies! They had never made mud pies before and it was REALLY hard to talk them into getting dirty. I guess that's my fault because I know I don't let them go out and get dirty enough! That's going to change now after seeing how hesitant they were to get dirt/mud on them. We are going to be making mud pies on a regular basis... and other dirty stuff!

 Only using spoons at first.

 Finally getting their hands in the mud.

 Their hands are in... but that is where they draw the line! Their clothes stayed mud free. We'll work on that next time! :)

Proud of their pies.

 They wanted trees to "grow" out of them so we broke off limbs from a tree and "planted" them.

When they were finished with their pies they wanted to jump on the trampoline. It's one of their favorite outdoor activities. And I love it, too. They burn LOTS of energy. Sometimes I get in on the jumping fun, too!

Wrestle mania!

Next, we saw Daddy going out to the building so they wanted to go, too. They played in Daddy's ongoing (and going, and going, and going, sigh) project. Connor says it's HIS blue Firebird!

Next, they decided they wanted to play with their "outside" toys. So, they...

Played basketball:

Rode their bikes:

And I have no idea what this game is:

So after all that... it was only noon! So we came upstairs and got Sam. He woke up happy and half naked! How did he do that??

I got lunch ready so we could all eat together. Well, all of us except Dylan. Soon after we came inside, we couldn't find him. I called him a few times and he didn't come. Finally, I checked his room...

I guess all the outdoor fun wore him out! :)

After lunch, while Dylan was napping, Connor wanted to watch a little TV, so I asked him to keep an eye on Sam for me while I did a few things. The next time I passed by, this is what I found:

I love how Connor put his arm around him!

Next, was Sam's bath time.  He has just started taking a bath without crying... and the trick is to let Connor or Dylan or both take a bath with him.  I guess it makes him feel safer to have someone else in there, too.  Connor happily took a bath with Sam and was such a big helper!

But, after I took Sam out, Connor had more manly things to tend to:

And Sam played on my bed for a little while:

Dylan woke up from his nap... after 3 hours!! And Sam went down for another nap. I guess it was a sleepy day! :)

The day ended with an impromptu dinner (from Papa John's no less) and fellowship with dear friends. They brought their 2 boys (both around Connor and Dylan's ages) and they had a great time playing together.

A Saturday with no plans... LOVE IT!