Perennials and Pools…

We stopped just inside the North Carolina state line at a rest stop, where the boys enjoyed checking out a perennial garden of daisies, black-eyed susans, day lilies, roses, and purple coneflowers.
When we got to the hotel where we spent the night, Xander kept asking if Tom and I were staying in the room too, if we were going to be at the lake too…sweet precious boy…we had to reassure him over and over again that we would be.
Roman skipped out on his afternoon nap and was asleep within a minute of laying down in his pack and play…I think he slept the best and the longest of all of us. I didn’t sleep that well on towards the morning, but I loved cuddling up with Xander in his bed when he woke up coughing and wanted me to stay with him and with Jonas when he crawled into bed with Tom and I after he woke up.
We all took a quick dip in the hotel pool before we got back on the road to head to the lake house.

Raring to Go…

It was kind of a different road trip morning (we’re headed to NC to spend 10 days at a lake house with Grandma and Grandpa, the Northern Seyfrieds, the Longs, and the Paccassis). Usually, we leave first thing, but this morning Tom had some work to do at the office. So, Roman got his morning nap in, Jonas and Xander ran around the house playing, and Mommy (quite honestly) just tried to hold it all together. By the time Daddy got home, we were all raring to go. Here Jonas and Xander are, checking out their road trip activity bags…Magna Doodles, Color Wonder Travel Totes, Dinosaur Vinyl Sticker Scenes, and road trip binders (drawing paper, colored pencils, and road trip scavenger hunt pages). The hope is that the activity bags plus a pile of paperback books for the big boys, a stack of toys and board books and a first-time forward facing seat for the little boy, and a bag of snacks and a group of DVDs for all of the boys will help wile away the many hours on the road with minimal fussing/whining. We’ll see…

Toy and Car Wash…

While Roman was taking his morning nap, Jonas and Xander and I headed out front with sand toys, sponges, dish washing soap, and towels. We loaded up the sand and water table with soapy water on one side and fresh water on the other, and they went to work washing up the sand toys. Then, Jonas decided to fill up the bucket with suds and wash the van, so Xander and I joined him. It brought me back to being a little girl, washing the car with my daddy…what a sweet memory.

Craft Time with RoRo and JoJo…

Roman was the first to wake up this morning (which is pretty standard but usually Jonas and Xander are right behind him). This morning, though, they both actually slept in a little.
Roman toddled into the kitchen, reached up for Xander’s booster seat, and then pointed to the coloring box and said, “Cuh!” So, I set him up with a piece of paper and some markers (his favorite…especially dot markers), and he had a blast. Jonas joined us soon after, and I couldn’t help but take pictures of the cuteness.

VBS…

Jonas started VBS this week. He and I were both so happy to find out that his group included five of his friends from preschool (four from this year’s class and one from last year’s class) and that his teacher was Mrs. Jenn (our dear friend and next door neighbor)!!! Here he is on his first day with his best friend from preschool, Henry.

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Chamomile Tea…

Jonas and I were toodling around in the backyard this afternoon, watering the garden and checking out the growing things, while Xander and Roman were taking an afternoon nap. I showed him the chamomile that came back from the seeds we planted last year. He was SUPER excited and said, “Like chamomile tea…like Peter Rabbit?” and wanted to know if we could make some chamomile tea. So, we did. He loved cutting the flowers, putting them into the tea infuser, steeping it in a cup of hot water, adding some of MeMe’s spiced apple cider honey, and taking sips over and over again. Who knew I’d have a fellow herbal tea enthusiast in my four and a half year old son? Love it…love him.

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Hanging out with Aunt Heather and Cousin Val…

The boys and I had a real treat this morning and got to meet Aunt Heather and Cousin Val at the park for some play time and bring them back to our house for lunch. I love it when the boys play together, and it was so good for my soul to spend some quality time catching up with my sweet friend and cousin, Heather. Roman was ALL about Val, and Val is so good with him. Here they are at the park with the scooter…so adorable.

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Symphony in the Park…

After singing on the worship team at church tonight, I met Tom and the boys at a neighboring park to hear the symphony play!!! (I use exclamation points because it’s one of my favorite things to do EVER and because I got to share it not only with my husband but with my three little guys.). It was a little wild, as the boys were all over the place and heading towards the whiny side of past their bedtime, but still it was so worth it. Roman just loves music and put his hands in the air and danced and clapped (he also loves people, so he was all up in everybody else’s grill who came out to see the symphony play). Xander started asking to go home, so Tom ended up taking him and Roman home and putting them to bed, while Jonas and I stayed and listened some more. As I was holding Jonas on my lap and looking around, I decided that this is how life is meant to be…set to music. It’s more beautiful that way.

Marionette Show…

I took the boys to the downtown library this morning to see a marionette show. They all loved it at first…Jonas sat up front, Xander stood and watched with wide eyes, and Roman said “woof woof” when he saw the dog and “roar” when he saw the lion. Then, Xander got scared (which I totally understand…he reminds me so much of myself as a child in that way). Roman was already a wiggle fest, so he and Xander and I checked out the brightly painted chairs outside the children’s theater while Jonas finished watching the show. They enjoyed throwing pennies and wishes into the water fountain in the courtyard afterwards and coloring a coloring page of all of their favorite storytime friends when they got home.

Jonas and Waggles…

I love this picture of Jonas in his Superman pajamas, sitting in the treehouse with his good friend, Waggles.
He has gotten to be such a big boy lately (from getting taller to showing more moments of kindness, sharing, and understanding towards his brothers)…all of a sudden almost. Here’s one of his statements to me as he was riding down the hill on his bicycle the other day:
“I have breaks and a helmet mom…there’s nothing to worry about.”

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Snowbird Storytime…

The boys and I went to the library this morning for the summer reading program to see Snowbird and to hear him read some books about penguins. Jonas loved him so much that he started crying before we even left saying he missed Snowbird…it was so precious…hopefully we can catch him again next summer.

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Swim Class…

Jonas is LOVING his swim lessons again this summer. (Xander ended up bowing out this time around, so we’ll try again next summer…I think a year will make all the difference for him.). Here Jonas is with Xander, poolside, on the first day and with his teacher, in the water, having a big time.

Fifteen Months…

In his fifteenth month, Roman is: saying “cah” for “car”, “sh” for “shoe”, “ap” for “apple”, “nana” for “banana”, “hop” for “help”, “huh” for “hug”, “ha” for “hat”, “Pepa” for “Petra”, “ba” for “bath”, and “bah” for “ball”; sleeping through the night FINALLY; letting go of nursing; continuing to be all about bath and books; making such a big mess when he eats that we’ve had to strip him down to his diaper to avoid the great laundry pile up/ruining of clothes; starting to throw tantrums (they’re really actually kind of cute coming from him); and being the happiest little ray of sunshine in all of our lives.

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Thirty-Five Months…

In his thirty-fifth month, Xander is: riding his tricycle like a champ (up and down hills, around the obstacle courses of our driveway and neighborhood trail, etc.); being a total water dog (enjoying any time and every time playing in the sprinkler, water table, and water slide); giving us a run for our money with his almost three year old self (whining, trying to beat on and bite his brothers, etc.); having fun playing Pirate and Big Bad Wolf with Jonas; loving his Tag reader and books; and drawing letters all on his own (A, O, D, P, E, and F)…even on the play room walls.

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Lemonade Stand…

So, the boys piloted their first lemonade stand this morning!!! They decorated the sign, sorted out coins for change, and helped gather up and set out everything they needed. Our dear neighbors, the Bresnahans, responded immediately to my “Do you want to be our first customers?” text and walked down the street, with quarters in hand. (They delighted the boys’ hearts and even wanted to pay for water instead of lemonade and were okay with ice cubes handled by little hands instead of tongs…so sweet.). Jonas made his second sale to a man who stopped to ask us for directions and who gave us his home improvement card “just in case”. He said Jonas was a good little salesman. HaHa!!! The boys tithed a cup to the mailman to thank him for always bringing us our mail before we headed to the library to check out some books.

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