lucas and amber

More Boys in the Bed

2012-02-16T20:15:00.002-06:00

The boys continue to cuddle up and read books together before bed. My heart is so full.

p.s. Great Grandma and Grandpa Corzine have sent the boys a High-Five subscription for the past few years. They both really, really enjoy getting them.

Big Boy Bed, Round 2

2012-02-16T15:14:00.001-06:00

Milo transitioned out of the crib this week! I snuck in the first night and took this picture. I did the same thing when Levi slept in his bed for the first time.

I wrote a little about it here. He's been quite adorable about the whole thing. He's been doing a great job staying put. It's been a lot easier than when Levi moved to a bed from a crib. The fact that Milo shares a room with Levi has been helpful. Levi doesn't get out of the bed so Milo won't either.

Yesterday during nap time I did find him on the floor playing with some toys. I told him again that when he was in his big bed he had to stay there. Then I put him in his crib for the remainder of nap. He was very sad about that and today stayed right where I put him.

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-15T13:59:00.001-06:00

My three wonderful valentines gave me several special treats throughout the day and that evening we went out for a low-key dinner all together. After the boys went to bed, Luke and I snuggled up with some chocolate and watched a funny movie together.

Do you see that empty container of guacamole? It's fun to watch him grow into taste buds that are similar to mine. But this, this makes me a little sad because now I have to share. I used to get the guacamole all to myself.

Levi took this picture. As he was setting up the shot I said, "Watch out, don't get your fingers on the lense- it'll get all smeared!" I was a bit too late with that advice.

He's so cute sometimes that it makes me squeal.

After dinner we stopped in at Trader Joe's mostly because I wanted to pick up their dark chocolate and caramel with sea salt candy bar. Thanks, Kelly, for getting me hooked on those things.

Earlier in the week I was there with the boys and I let Miles have his own cart for the first time. I spent our entire time in the store laughing while trying to keep him from running into fellow shoppers. It was one of the most amusing things I have ever seen. He would just put his head down and drive that cart as fast as he could until he ran into an obstacle then he'd course correct and push it forward again with mounting passion and purpose.

They had to take turns putting items in their carts. Last week somehow one of them snuck in some gluten-free french rolls. I didn't even notice while we were checking out because I was quite busy convincing Milo that we were done pushing the cart around. Luke tried one of the rolls and couldn't even finish it. Not so tasty.

Eye Doctor

2012-02-13T20:27:00.001-06:00

We had a family outing to the eye doctor this evening. Levi had his first exam and proclaimed, "I love going to the eye doctor!" . He took things very seriously and followed all the doctor's directions exactly. He seemed so grown up. When he was unable to make out one of the symbols on the eye chart he would charmingly say, "uhhhh, that one's a little too tricky." His eyes are fine and he did not need glasses but our insurance covers a pair every year so we got him some frames for sports. Milo was very disappointed that he did not get an eye exam but he did have fun trying on glasses.

Levi was interested in all the equipment in the office.

Doctor, what can you do to help us with these crazy red eyes??

Whenever he was wearing glasses he set his mouth like this.

Levi was spinning around in the swivel chair.

Our eye doctor's office is in the mall so we got to have a couple of rides on the escalator. He was proud to carry out his bag with the glasses in it like a big boy.

This is not an action shot. Milo held this position the whole way up.

First Snow of the Season

2012-02-13T14:05:00.000-06:00

We finally got some snow last night. It's been a warm winter so far and ever since the boys got sleds weeks ago, Levi has been looking every day for snow. He was very excited to wake up to a snow-covered yard.

I hurriedly got them dressed to go out and play for a little bit before we left for MOPS. We could not find Milo's mittens so he ended up wearing socks on his hands.

The expressions on their faces are priceless. About two seconds after I got this picture, Levi enthusiastically gave Milo a push down the small hill in our back yard. He was not pleased to find himself face down in the snow and was more than happy to retreat to the warm, dry indoors.

The snow did not impress Milo. He was content just to watch Levi.

After we got back from our MOPS group, Levi headed outside again. I set Milo up with dry beans to play with.

Here's Levi at noon in his second coat, hat, scarf, and shoes of the day. He's on his third pair of pants in this picture.

As predicted, our little hill was the perfect incline for him. He had SO much fun out there.

I promised him that he could go out later for some more sledding. It looks to get warmer as the week goes on. This might be our only snow this year.

This was the first time this season I pulled out my eskimo boots.

Flashback Friday- Happy Birthday, Marji

2012-02-10T21:31:00.005-06:00

This Flashback Friday is dedicated to my wonderful mother-in-law who celebrated a birthday yesterday. This picture is of her blowing out the candles on her third birthday cake. Isn't it adorable? I love this shot and I love how much Milo looks like her here.

Sous Chef

2012-02-09T12:53:00.001-06:00

The boys have been quite interested in cooking lately. Stirring, using the potato pealer, and helping rinse the dishes off have been their favorite activities. Lately Levi has become curious about chopping. This is probably because cutting and knife use are pretty much forbidden. In light of this, they felt like hot stuff when I gave them both a butter knife, a mushroom, and a cutting board. Their serious faces were so amusing.

check out Milo's war paint. Someone was using the markers on more than just paper.

Monday

2012-02-08T20:15:00.000-06:00

Monday started out chilly but by the afternoon temperatures were much warmer. The boys got to squeeze in some time outside.

Mud Pies

2012-02-07T19:08:00.003-06:00

A little rain and cold temperatures aren't enough to stop two little boys from playing in the mud.

I stripped off their pants as soon as they came in the front door.

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling

2012-02-07T16:05:00.001-06:00

The Past Few Days

2012-02-02T20:08:00.000-06:00

The weather has been amazing. We've enjoyed lots of outdoor time this week.

He got himself up in here all on his own and he was quite proud of that accomplishment, let me tell you.

It was a beautiful day, I had a new magazine and a cup of coffee and the boys were playing so nicely in the sandbox. I took a picture to document such a lovely moment. Those blissful eight minutes, they were amazing.

Somebody is getting brave enough to go down the slides!

From the other room I heard Levi hollering, "TAKE OUR PICTURE! LOOK AT US! TAKE OUR PICTURE. COME TAKE OUR PICTURE!" He just kept yelling like that because he had his ear protection on and couldn't hear me saying, "Ok, I'm coming, Sweetie! I said I'm coming! Yes, give me a sec. OK, STOP YELLING I'M GETTING THE CAMERA I'M COMING!!!"

Lately Milo has become quite intrigued with sleeping in the bed. We've been letting them climb into Levi's together while we sing songs and pray before putting him in his crib. I cannot get over how cute they are all cuddled up together.

Yes, it was still cute the next night. I'm warning you, there are going to be more pictures like this posted.

reading, with their pillow pets, in cuddly pjs!

Snapshots

2012-01-31T21:34:00.002-06:00

Look at him! Who is this big ol' boy? I'm sure when I put him to bed last night he was a toddler.

He's pretending to be Diego spotting an animal in trouble, poised and ready to sled and help rescue it.

And then there's this guy...don't even get me started on this little nugget of cuteness.

I must kiss this face.

He's intrigued by Diego's narrative.

"Give me the camera!"

"It's noisy when Daddy saws things!" Speaking of noises, we had Milo's hearing tested last Friday and the results were fine. It was good to rule that out as a possible reason for his speech delays.

Brother Love

2012-01-29T16:29:00.000-06:00

Flashback Friday- Scowl and Towel

2012-01-27T19:36:00.001-06:00

Little Luke!

Rolling

2012-01-26T20:56:00.000-06:00

Somebody is extremely proud of his new skateboard safety equipment. Thanks Nana and Papa. Both boys will have safe knees, elbows, and wrists.

Don't worry, he fell extremely slowly and on purpose just so he could test them out.

Milo is wearing the elbow pads on his wrists.

Today Levi said to me, "You know what we should get me? A ramp!" I managed to supress a shudder. The last time my Mom was here visiting she whispered to me, "I give him a year to fashion his own ramp."

Wednesday at Union Station

2012-01-25T21:31:00.001-06:00

Today we met up with Kelly and Ben at Union Station with the intention of going to Science City. It was unexpectadly closed, however. Levi had been so excited to go that I was worried he'd be crushed. We were still able to play with Ben, see the model trains, and run around so in the end, Levi was not disappointed in the least.

His face lit up like this because the model train was coming through a tunnel, he was pointing it out to me.

Snack time at the cafe tables. Three at our table had juice boxes and two of us had coffee. I'll let you figure out who had which.

Three energetic boys enjoying the skywalk.

stair steps

Look how proud he is. He was very excited to be able to balance on the skinny lip of the edge angle like the big boys.

Who needs park equipment when you have exposed structural steel?

"I think I can, I think I can."

taking time to smell the roses.

Acrobatics

2012-01-24T13:10:00.000-06:00

The temperatures have been really cold. The other day I took the boys to burn off some energy at the Chik-filay play area. They were quite keen to have me photograph their tricks.

peek-a-boo

one armed "push-ups"

one legged jumping

hand stand

giggle break

Milo trying to imitate Levi. He's attempting to lift his foot off the ground with his own hand.

Do You Need a Laugh?

2012-01-21T22:53:00.002-06:00

The boys added these cold weather accesories all on their own the other day. Milo certainly donned his cap with a jaunty tilt, didn't he? If you look down near his right hand you can see a little bit of the pajama pants that he insisted on wearing as a scarf under his coat. Then he topped off the outside of his coat with another one.

Here Milo is doing the sign for 'help.' He wants his scarf wrapped around his face just like Big Brother's.

That's more like it!

"We're ready to hit the slopes, Mom! Or the grocery store, I guess that would be ok, too."

Happy Day!

2012-01-20T12:48:00.000-06:00

Our newest niece, Amelia Charlotte, was born yesterday afternoon at 2:19 weighing 7#8.5oz and 20" long. We visited last night and were very excited to meet her. She's a little doll. Aundrea and Amelia are both doing well.

Here are some pictures of everyone proudly holding her:

The 'big' kids had a ball together and it would be an understatement to say Alison was in a hugging mood. The boys enjoyed that immensely.

Sunday

2012-01-19T15:38:00.003-06:00

These pictures are from last Sunday and the rest of our visit with Lea and Ryan. It was fun to be togethe but we all were sad that Mom and Dad weren't there. They were to have come as well but an unforeseen work crisis that jumped up at the last moment in the form of a surprise FDA audit derailed their plans. Hopefully they will reschedule soon.

Here's Ben showing Levi how he waters his ant farm. These two are great buds.

Ruby tending to Annabelle's hair.

Though Mom and Dad weren't here with us they sponsored some of the weekend's activities- like new clothes for everyone from an H&M shopping spree. Here Milo looks smashing in his new cardigan. It's got elbow patches. Elbow patches! On a toddler's jersey cardigan. Awesome.

Cute boy!

Another one!

And another one!!

They were doing their best impressions of springs shouting, "Bounce! Bounce! Bounce!"

Joel, the fun Dad that he is, stealthily climbed through one of the tubes to surprise the boys.

As soon as Ben saw that he went around to the back and started to climb in as well. Problem: Joel is a wee bit too big for these kinds of shananigans.

I was worried we'd have to get out the scissors but Ben perservered and climbed out the front which was his plan all along.

Playing games on their iPad.

Boston Visitors

2012-01-19T13:42:00.000-06:00

Friday evening we got to finally have our Christmas present exchange with Lea and Ryan. They were quite generous and thoughtful in their gifts.

Here's Ben embracing his stuffed shark. Ben loves sharks.

Auntie Lea had written all of the kids a letter and asked what they wanted for Christmas. Levi's immediate response was, "a shovel." When I passed on the information to Lea, she asked me to elaborate about what kind of shovel. I didn't have the answer for her.

As it turns out, this was the very shovel Levi had been admiring at Home Depot while on trips there with his Daddy. Lea and Ryan shlepped this shovel all the way from Boston and Levi did not let go of it the entire night. The next morning he went outside to shovel things.

The next day we went to Science City. It was the first trip there for our boys. They loved it.

They tried to get this helicopter off the ground. No one could find the ignition.

Uncle Joel demonstrated one of Newton's law on this 'gravity bike.' We were all impressed with his bravery and amused by his feigning of fear.

Electricity! Yes.

Milo didn't partake much in the peewee golfing but he sure did love carrying around the club.

There was an area for digging for dinosaur bones. They were giving very serious looking goggles and really wimpy shovels. Levi was wishing he had his new one.

They had fun and I loved watching them work in those goggles. Very amusing.

Mr. Crankypants here is expressing that he is quite sure it's his turn to now use the magnet.

We went out for lunch and later all came back to our place for dinner. We put the kids in bed and the grown-ups played games for awhile.

Auntie Lea and Uncle Ryan Visit

2012-01-17T13:55:00.002-06:00

Blogger is giving me trouble these past two days. Sorry, Nana, I could only get this one picture from the weekend uploaded. It keeps crashing when I try to load more. Maybe I'll have better luck tomorrow.I hope everyone is having a good week!

Flashback Friday- Grammie

2012-01-13T21:42:00.000-06:00

Grammie Feerer at age 10. What a cutie. Something about this picture reminds me of cousin Avery.

Our Dusty, Fun, and sometimes Blurry Day

2012-01-11T23:45:00.000-06:00

This week we've had several contractors working at the house. Of course, the boys have been enjoying that immensely. It's made for topsy turvey days with lots of dust BUT lots of progress. Yay!

snack time on a bench, wait, that's a ceiling fan box. Potato, potahto.

A hug so fast it could not be captured without blur.

Here they are both pretending to be puppies. They alternated barking with eating their snack, sans hands, out of the bowls.

The dust! oh, the dust! The electricians have been drilling holes in the kitchen ceiling. Lots of dust. Milo is retrieving a ball that went down the heating vent. Yep, we're living here.

Today the installers came to put in our new front door. The boys, of course, wanted to get right up in their business. I put a stripe of blue painters tape on the floor and told them they could NOT cross the blue line. Here Levi has his foot up off the ground passing into the air space over the blue line. Test boundaries much?

My helpers in the laundry room with me. Levi is wearing my tank top as (in his words) "those things girls wear at weddings" (a veil, I presume) and Milo is wearing his brother's underpants as a (in his words) hhhaaaaatttt" Both of them did this spontaneously. I promise you, I do not model this kind of behavior to them.

Blurry, yet adorable nonetheless.

Hugs. Could I be any more blessed??

Tools of the Trade

2012-01-11T22:58:00.000-06:00

Lucas stripped the carpet and pried the staples off of our main staircase. Last night the boys were helping him take care of a few areas that needed some repairing. Milo decided to concentrate his efforts on the bottom stair.

First he grabbed the tape measure and checked the dimensions.

Next he took the tape measure back to the tool area and grabbed this drywall knife (it's not really a knife knife, don't worry)

Levi was pulling out staples. Milo was scraping to and fro. Scraping what exactly, I do not know, but scrape he did, indeed.

Then it was back to the tools again, this time to return with a paint brush. He brushed here and there and everywhere.

To finish his task he returned with a different scraper. You really cannot scrapes stairs too thoroughly. Just look at his face. He was so intent on his project.

Baby Celebrations

2012-01-09T08:35:00.006-06:00

We spent most of this weekend up at Lynn and Marji's celebrating babies. On Saturday there was a shower for our little niece, Amelia, who will be joining the family any day now. On Sunday, nephew Kosse was dedicated and there was a little meet-and-greet for him in the afternoon.

Cuddling with Gran and Grandpa. Milo was so still and quiet for the longest time. Not a common occurence!

Pinterest was a great resource for the party. Marji and Corrine rounded up some really fun ideas.

Like this punch, for instance.

Levi is really into doing push-ups lately. He will randomly drop to the ground and get at them.

Kosse cuddling up to Aundrea's baby bump.

Somebody is proud to be holding the baby.

I'm so glad he's had this time to bond with the Kosse.

Now of course if Levi does something Milo must have equal opportunity. The baby looks to be in a precarious position here but I promise, Corrine was holding up his head.

Before meal time, praying. I get such a kick out of the sweet way Milo folds his hands. Also, take note that Marji put a special table cloth and battery operated candle at the kids table. I'm hoping this will cancel out all the meals they've eaten at our house next to piles of lumber.

All dressed up in his baby finest.

I don't think there could be a prouder grandfather.

He looks a lot bigger than when we first laid eyes on him 2 weeks ago.

Unseasonably Warm Weather

2012-01-08T20:31:00.000-06:00

It may be January but you would not know it by the weather last week. They boys and I got to enjoy time at the park and in our yard. I continue to get a huge kick out of Milo on the scooter. He's getting pretty speedy on that thing. Levi is also getting faster on the skateboard. How long until I stop being thrilled about their wheeled antics and start covering my eyes in fear?

Playtime in the Playroom

2012-01-05T21:29:00.000-06:00

Can I just say that during the course of my day I talk about construction equipment WAAAAAY more now than I ever did while I was working full-time as a STRUCTURAL ENGINEER.

The boys' first crane. Pretty cool, huh? Well I thought so, too, until it earned the title. "Object Most Guaranteed to Disrupt the Peace". It doesn't appear that there is a way for a 4 year old and a 22 month old to both play harmoniously with a toy crane at the same time.

You can tell Milo is concentrating by the position of his tongue.

Here he was saying, "Nigh-Nigh!!". It was adorable.

Here, Milo wasn't actually saying anything but I imagine that his inner discourse sounded like, "What?? I just put you to bed, Mr. Orange Person! I am displeaed by your insubordination!"

"Hmmm, perhaps someone to keep you company as well as this red block will ensure you stay in bed. Nigh-Nigh, Sir. I said, NIGH-NIGH!"

This is the garage he built for the construction equipment today. I think we might have a Greek Column enthusiast in our midst.

Tuesday

2012-01-03T22:19:00.000-06:00

After their breakfast the boys got down to work on their nail boards. Levi had removed, with his Grandpa's pry bar, most of the nails he had already pounded in. Once they were out the boys were ready to replace them.

Having taken care of the boys thru their breakfast, I sat down to mine: oatmeal, tea, and sudoku.

"hot!" he says while gesturing to my cuppa.

I got smart and gave him brad nails to work with- the smaller nails take more time and effort to hold and maneuver. It's a lot less noisy when he pounds on them as well. Also, you should see how satisfied he looks when he drives it all the way in.

yep, this about sums things up.

Later, in an area of the house that has actual flooring, Levi very proudly built a garage for his construction equipment.

I found a big set of construction toys on an after-Christmas sale. My intention was to set it aside for use at a later date but I couldnt resist giving it to them right away. I think that is Luke's influence on me!

off to work we go.

Visitors

2012-01-02T17:28:00.000-06:00

We had a few visitors for lunch today. Corrine, Kosse, Gran, and Grandpa came by as Corrine had not seen the construction zone yet. The baby was precious as usual and Milo insisted on getting a turn holding him.

The funniest quote of the morning came from Levi. I was holding Kosse who had just awoken and was starting to fuss a little bit and he asked me matter-of-factly, "Uh, Mama? Are you going to feed baby Kosse with your bra?"

Boys at Work

2011-12-31T14:12:00.000-06:00

More Christmas '11- Gran and Grandpa's House

2011-12-30T14:26:00.001-06:00

Yay! More construction equipment. He's been playing with this all week.

A ride-on excavator! This has racked up hours of play this week, too.

The entire time we were opening presents Milo happily walked around with his gyro bowl and snacks. For those who have not seen one, a gyro bowl is a space age snack holder that cannot be spilled. Seriously, if the kid holds it upside down, the inner bowl rotates to remain upright. It cannot be spilled, that is, unless your blonde toddler studies it methodically, then carefully and precisely inserts his finger to jam the rotaters on purpose and turns it upside down, thus spilling his teddy grahams all over the floor.

One of the presents from Gran and Grandpa was a toy air compressor. It's awesome and came with an impact hammer and paint gun.

He's holding up a walkie-talkie on one ear and a container of bubbles to the other. "ALOO??"

hard at work, just like Daddy!

new jammies! size 3T, dogs riding in cars.

new jammies- size 5T- that combine his love of camo and dinosaurs.

They are just so cute when they're asleep! We hope your holiday was relaxing- ours was!

More Christmas

2011-12-29T08:56:00.000-06:00

Lately, to relax, I've been crocheting. Also, I'm really into cowl scarves. The above picture shows the result of these two things. Are you related to me and a female? THERE IS A COWL SCARF IN YOUR FUTURE!

two blonde cuties sharing a rocking chair. you are welcome.

trying to play Grandma Dickson's organ

come on, Mama, let's fire this thing up!

sweet cheeks

opening stockings stuffed by Gran and Grandpa

I wish he kept these on for more than 2 seconds at a time because that is some funniness right there.

playing happily, wearing one of the wristbands from his stocking

Dickson Christmas 2011

2011-12-28T15:46:00.000-06:00

Family Picture- Christmas Eve

2011-12-25T21:46:00.000-06:00

We attended Christmas Eve service with the whole family and ended the evening singing Silent Night by candlelight. We've had a lovely holiday weekend and hope you all did, too.

The Family Picture Out-takes

2011-12-25T21:41:00.000-06:00

Grandpa making faces to get Milo to smile, makes Luke laugh as well. Levi is enthralled with his battery operated candle.

cheeeeeeese. Milo still trying to escape.

this is my personal favorite.

Levi's little face amuses me greatly here, tho obviously I'm not thrilled in the photo *grits teeth*

Christmas Baby

2011-12-24T21:19:00.000-06:00

Today we spent lots of time visiting with Corrine, cuddling on Kosse, and eating all kinds of goodies. The boys had a ball running around Gran and Grandpa's house.
How cute is this baby?????

napping on Grandpa

Levi and Milo both are quite taken with Kosse.

Surprised Kosse

Contemplative Kosse

Bedimpled Kosse

Milo loves his Grandma D. Look how giant he looks compared to the baby!

Gingerbread Night

2011-12-24T14:30:00.000-06:00

We enjoyed a holiday evening with Joel, Kelly, and the kids last night. As usual, hanging out with them was a blast.

We exchanged a few gifts. Luke received a gift certificate from Joel entitling him to a free week's worth of deydrated camping food for their camping trip this summer. They always give such good gifts.

CUTE NEPHEW ALERT!

Milo taking un-wrapping very seriously.

Uncle Joel took care of Milo's house. All Milo really was interested in was sneaking chocolate kisses into his mouth.

He worked very hard peeling off the little pieces of foil. By the time he got it unwrapped, it was a soft melted mess.

It's been awhile since I was a practicing structural engineer and it showed on my house.

Here is Levi and Luke's house.

Levi helping tile the roof.

Ruby's adorable house.

MORE CHOCOLATE!

There was much coaster car riding. Kelly won this particular race but to be honest, she threw some pretty vicious elbows.

another race

Milo loves cousin time.

sweet dreams, everybody!

Advent

2011-12-23T18:56:00.014-06:00

Gran and Grandpa have kept a family tradition going- they present to us in December a big box of advent gifts. There is one to open every day of the month. We all enjoy this and it's so fun to see the boys excitedly picking out a gift for the night. Levi asks several times a day, "Is it time to open the present yet??"

Milo takes present opening seriously.

"I can't seem to get this box open."

"Daddy, will you do it for me?"

"Aha! It's a new phone!" It wasn't a new phone, actually, but a cool glasses/contacts hardshell case for travelling. Milo still held it up to his ear and said, "ALO? ALO?"

The Rolling Toy Fleet Expands

2011-12-22T18:56:00.002-06:00

Nana and Papa are visiting in January but wanted to make sure the boys had presents from them beforehand. In addition to some Christmas monies, they sent these coaster cars. SO FUN!

Their faces sum it up.
p.s. for those curious, that top Levi is wearing is a dress-up knight tunic- it's pretend chain mail, not sequined evening wear.

Traffic jam.

You propel the car by moving the steering mechanism back and forth.

The weight limit on these puppies is 230#. Wheeeeee!

Levi, Lately

2011-12-20T09:28:00.000-06:00

It's been so sweet to overhear Levi praying on his own lately. He's been having trouble occasionally getting scared at night. He comes to us for a hug but also now knows that when he's scared he can sing and pray on his own and will feel better. The other day I overheard this one: "Dear Jesus, please help me not be scared. Also help my cousins and keep them safe, like if they are riding their bike one way and maybe a big kid is riding his bike the other way then I don't want them to fall. And maybe Ben and I can ride bikes together. AMEN"

The renovation and Levi's love of tools is also an influence on his prayers. The other night, shortly after we put him to bed, he came to the top of the stairs and called to us telling us he was afraid. I reassured him and asked him if he had prayed. He said, "Yes, I did, but God was working with his big hammer and he had his ear protection on while he was hammering and so he couldn't hear me praying to him." I managed to keep a mostly straight face and assured him that God could hear him no matter what. I'm still giggling about that one.

Rainy Monday

2011-12-19T13:47:00.000-06:00

The boys had a fun weekend. Saturday they were up at Gran and Granpa's with Lucas. I spent the day around home taking care of Christmas details, a few house tasks, and enjoying a little break from kid duty. I think during the course of the day I was probably asked a dozen questions instead of my usual 200 questions (4 year olds are very curious). The alone time didn't keep me from distraction, however. I managed to lock myself out of the truck while Lucas was up at his soccer game. My wonderful father-in-law cheerfully drove 45min each way to come to my rescue.

Today both boys are a little under the weather. It's not enough to slow them down much though. Thankfully the temperatures have been quite nice so we were able to start our day off at the park. After playing there for just a little bit it started to rain so we headed to the library.

Smiling and sniffling

Digging and Dirtying

Reading and Climbing

Strolling and...OH MY GOODNESS THEY ARE SO CUTE...Smiling

Magnets and Chex Mix

2011-12-18T15:25:00.000-06:00

Hanging out with Alison while visiting Gran and Grandpa this weekend.

Family Time

2011-12-13T18:13:00.000-06:00

This Sunday we spent some more quality family time at Lowes. We ordered our new front door and the ceiling fan for the great room and picked up some supplies for various projects.

There's no kiss quite like a 1 year old's kiss.

Kicking up his feet, enjoying the magic of a swivel chair.

Milo getting to play with the phone. We had run out of fruite snacks at thhis point and were getting low on the patience supply.

Raise the roof for Lowes!

enthralled by the ladder systems.

4 Year Old Fashion

2011-12-13T13:12:00.000-06:00

Last week we got a dusting of snow. Levi was very excited to get out there and play in it.

He was specific as to which scarf, hat, gloves, and coat he wanted to wear.

Sometimes I have to work hard to suppress my giggles.

Levi found his Daddy's camo hat and wanted to hear all about camoflage. He wanted to be a soldier. We were able to outfit him in his own pants and my shirt. Of course, no outfit would be complete without rubber fire fighter boots.

"I'm a sojure fighting bad guys!!"

And sometimes I have to work really, really hard to suppress my giggles. He brought me the blanket earlier and asked that I fix it on him as a cape. Then he came back later and asked that I fix it to be 'like little red riding hood'. After that he added the hat and the fierce expression and I don't really know what is going on here.

Face Painting

2011-12-06T09:38:00.000-06:00

We went to a holiday party this Saturday. There was face painting.

Milo sat in the little chair clutching his empty juice box, perfectly still.

Levi requested a turtle.

Heehee. Milo is showing me his snowman. "It's right here."

He went back to the makeup artists and grunted. She asked if he wanted a snowflake and he presented her his face.

He didn't want her to stop. Look at that tired, serious face. It was naptime at this point.

FESTIVE!!

Boys and Boxes

2011-12-04T14:56:00.000-06:00

Family, you don't have to buy the kids any toys this Christmas. They will be more than happy with some boxes.

I came into the playroom to find this little scene. Levi told me he had made Milo a crib. It was pretty cute. What was funny was Milo laying there so still. He was very tired and just stayed there for the longest time until I put him into his real crib to take a nap.

why did we spend money on a mattress? Just throw some blankets and pillows in a box.

Levi also put in some items to keep Milo occupied: the lid to the lego box, a toy fork lift, books, and some legos with which to cuddle up.

"Laying in my box, being read to...this is the life!"

Elf Yourself

2011-12-01T19:08:00.000-06:00

Have you elfed yourself yet?

The Dicksons as country elves

You've got to see it to believe it.

Here are pics of the boys watching our video. Levi found the whole thing hilarious. Milo's face was one big question mark.

Feeling Crummy

2011-12-01T14:40:00.000-06:00

This little guy's been under the weather. He came back from our trip to Arkansas with a little cold and it's been getting worse since. Today I decided to make him an appointment with our doctor. Unfortunately his doctor and our other-close-second-back-up doctor (Wes, her husband) were both out of the office today. I made an appointment with one of their associates and then took the boys to the library. Guess who we saw there: Wes. He offered to call in a perscription for Milo which was SOOO nice as avoiding the doctor's office is always preferable this time of year.

We usually finish up lunch around 12:30 and the boys amuse themselves in the play room until I lay Milo down for a nap at 1:00. Today I was finishing up some work in the kitchen before coming up to get Milo. I guess he just couldn't wait any longer for me. He arranged himself in this comfortable position and went to sleep.

Rainy Day

2011-12-01T13:42:00.000-06:00

One morning last weekend (I think it was Saturday?) was quite cold and wet. Levi begged to go out in his new rain boots from Nana and Papa. Of course Milo was keen to do whatever his big brother was doing. They both enjoyed themselves for a little while until Milo tripped and fell face first into that big puddle. I went out to retrieve the soggy, crying little guy, imagining one of the neighbors thinking, "Who lets their toddler go out and play on a day like today???"

Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T23:25:00.000-06:00

Our Thanksgiving was a wonderful, wonderful day. We spent it with Joel, Kelly, Ruby, and Ben at the construction zone, I mean, our house. I was going to say something about this being the first and last Thanksgiving dinner served in a dining room without a floor but Luke and I are having a lot of fun with this renovation. It's plausible there might be more plywood-subfloor-holiday-dining-hosting in our future. Consider yourself warned.

Back to Thanksgiving...to sum things up, my heart is full, I have much to be grateful for, and we had a really fun day with our family.

Singing 'Thank You, Father' before our meal.

As soon as we start singing the prayer he folds his hands and joins in with "aaaaaahhhhhh".

Last year Kelly created a Thanksgiving tablecloth and had all her guests sign their names and list what they were thankful for. She brought it to our meal this year and we got to contribute.

Levi is interested in anything his Daddy is doing.

As he was unable to tell us what he is thankful for, we traced Milo's little hand for his contribution. Ruby was able to write out part of her own list this year. Included: my family, kindergarten, my pillow pet, Teddy, Lamby, and Mama. Levi's says he's thankful for playing rescue games, all my toys, my new bike, my suitcase. Ben is thankful for Bobby and his other dogs, crazy dancing, and worms.

Luke's entry.

We took a walk down to the neighborhood park at dusk.

In addition to the wagon we took the scooter and the bike.

Whee! Downhill is much more fun than uphill. Isnt' she adorable?? Ok, and look at her shins- covered in drywall dust from crawling around at our house!

Every so often we'd stop and all the kids would rotate. Milo was content for awhile to stay in the wagon but before too long he made it quite clear that he also wanted a turn on the scooter.

At the park, Kelly going up and over the climbing wall. Didn't know I was going to get a picture of that, didya?

He's getting so big.

Sliding race. I didn't correct the creepy effect the flash had on their eyes. I hope it doesn't cause any nightmares.

Ben had just been entertaining us with some crazy dancing.

After a long walk/scooter/bike ride and some dinner, the kids were pretty tired out.

Joel and Kelly put their kiddos to sleep at our house and the adults stayed up late playing games.

Sleep-Over

2011-11-22T08:40:00.000-06:00

We had a cousins sleep-over while Joel and Kelly took a quick get-away. It was a lot of fun to have Ruby and Ben over. We took them to one of our favorite parks near us.

back at the house, wearing ear protection. LOVE the smooshy cheeks.

Here's your cardboard box, kids! Have at it.

Baby Kosse!

2011-11-19T18:31:00.000-06:00

Our little nephew, Kosse (/Koe-see/), arrived on Thursday evening. Corrine is recovering well and looks wonderful. He surprised everybody by deciding to come over three weeks before his due date but at 6# 14oz and 19.25 inches long is quite healthy. Luke went in to work at 5am on Friday to finish some things up and when he was done with a morning meeting we all loaded up in the car and headed down to Arkansas. We were so happy and delighted to meet this little boy we had been praying for.

He's so adorable and sweet.

I soaked up every second of cuddling.

Super Gran!

Don't I look proud??

He has a lot of dark hair.

Whenever I see Luke holding a baby I melt.

Proud Mama holding Kosse in one of those brief moments that he had his eyes open.

'Kosse' means 'Lion'.

11/11/11

2011-11-14T20:59:00.000-06:00

This Veteran's day the boys and I went with Grandpa D. and Grammie F. to the parade in Leavenworth. It was quite the event. The newspaper estimated that there were over 15,000 people in attendance. There were something like 200 entries and it took 1.5 hours. The boys were so good and were interested the whole time. I was glad for them to see us honor our veterans. They were glad to see up close some of their very favorite things: cars, horses, motorcycles, soldiers, and drums. Also, let's not forget, THE CANDY.

The boys have enjoyed getting to spend time with Grammie while she's visiting.

At 11 everything halted while all the buglers played Taps. I got goosebumps.

The weather was beautiful.

Milo started waving back at the parade participants. It made my heart squeal from the cuteness.

This float was remarkable- soldiers posing as the iconic Iwo Jima photograph.

Milo enjoying his sucker and watching local girl scout troups marching along.

Yay! Parades!

This entry was a dog that rides on the back of a pony. I thought it deserving of a photograph.

More Wedding

2011-11-10T19:56:00.000-06:00

Lea and Ryan sent us some of the pictures their photographer took at the wedding. I thought I'd share a few.

Birthday Party

2011-11-07T21:43:00.000-06:00

We invited the family over for dinner last Saturday to celebrate Levi's birthday. We had 12 adults and 7 kiddos and even though the house is a construction zone, it was fun to be able to fit everyone into our larger space. Last year his birthday party was held at a pavillion at a park. To be quite honest, with the house in its current state, I think this year's party venue might have been more rustic than last years.

Levi, and the rest of us, had a WONDERFUL time. Thank you to all who came and made Levi feel so special.

three blonde cousins

Look at Alison's little angel face! Milo kept bending slightly at the waist and "talking" to Alison in a high pitched voice. Apparently in his head he is very big kid and she is still a baby.

He made this face on purpose when I took out my camera. Of course this picture amuses me to no end. I hope it makes you laugh, too (I'm looking at you, Auntie Lea!!)

For entertainment I brought out several of the cardboard boxes that some of our new appliances came in. We're just fancy that way. Isn't my little niece soooo cute?

Kids table(s). I guess they decided to segregate the sexes.

As soon as Joel lit the candles the crowd managed to sing, "Haaap" before Levi blew them out. We gave him a quick birthday candles tutorial and Joel lit them again.

The second time Levi patiently waited until we finished singing and then blew them out again. He requested that his piece of the cake come from the clowns face.

Joel and crew made this really neat rubbing and framed it for Levi.

He got lots of thoughtful presents including a tennis racket, a mini K-state basketbal, games, puzzles, crafts, and this punching bag. He is a very blessed little boy to have so many people loving on him.

Happy Birthday, Levi!

2011-11-05T21:20:00.000-05:00

Dear Levi,

Happy 4th Birthday, sweet son. Your Daddy and I enjoy you so much. We are very proud of you. There is so much about you that is amazing!

-Your little soul is so sensitive and sweet. You like to lead us in the Lord's prayer and talk about God. If I'm talking on the phone and say, "oh no!" in the course of my conversation, you come over with a concerned look and ask, "What's wrong, Mama?" You are eager to please and are sweet and protective of your little brother and cousins.
-Your mind is sharp and curious. You are memorizing the books I read to you and pointing out letters and numbers on signs. You relish soaking up new information and it's a real pleasure to watch you enjoy these new discoveries.
-You are so imaginative. Not a day passes when I'm not thoroughly amazed and entertained by your play scenarios. Milo certainly loves all the things you come up with, too.
-You are a hard worker. If you are motivated to do something you will work at it even when it is not easy.
-You physical body can sure do a lot of neat things! Scootering, bike riding, skateboarding, and lots of running, jumping, and ball-kicking fill your days. You really like to work on new skills and tricks. I'm amazed at your balance. I'm sure you did not inherit that from me.

I could go on and on but how could I ever sum you up in words? There is no one else anywhere like you, Levi, and God has wonderful plans for you. Your Daddy and I cannot believe how blessed we are that we get to be your parents. We are excited to see what the next year holds.

Love,
Mommy

Cute Boys

2011-11-04T09:58:00.000-05:00

Boo Boo

2011-11-04T09:46:00.000-05:00

While Milo and Levi were messing around in our big swivel chair in the play room there was an incident. I did not see exactly what happened, but Levi described it thus: "I bonked Baby's leg- it was an acccident!!!"

Milo cried just a little bit but several hours later was still unable to put any weight on it. We decided to take him into Urgent Care. His x-ray looked good. They wrapped it in an ace bandage and told us to keep an eye on him. Now a couple of days later he has just a tiny limp. I'm so glad nothing was broken!

More from Nana and Papa's Visit

2011-11-03T15:45:00.000-05:00

Here are the last of the pictures from Mom and Dad's visit last weekend. They are out of order for some reason but I'm battling a migraine and just don't have it in me to mess with any formatting issues at the moment!

Taken at brunch out on Sunday after church. Now this is true love. Milo's sharing his bacon with Daddy.

On Sunday before Mom and Dad left, the kids tried on their Halloween costumes and Levi got his birthday bike a few days early. He was sooo excited.

Here's Levi wearing part of Ben's halloween costume. They are good buddies.

Milo snagged Ruby's slippers and shuffled around in them.

Papa played some music for the kiddos. Wait, where is Levi? He was here a second ago...

...oh, there he is (complete with bike helmet)!

Saturday afternoon both Levi and Luke fell asleep. Levi refused to take off his new sweatshirt, hat, and gloves.

Sunday brunch. Levi volunteered to spread the butter on Nana's pancakes.

More from Nana and Papa's visit

2011-11-01T15:44:00.000-05:00

After the soccer game on Saturday, Mom and Dad took us out for breakfast. They gave the kids each a special halloween book and gift.

Ruby read hers right away.

I love this picture. Milo is trying to wait patiently while Papa gets his coat on so he can be picked up again.

Finally back where he wants to be.

Nana and Papa took the kids to a toy store to pick out a present.

Here we go!

After shopping we hung out at Joel and Kelly's for awhile.

Here's Levi modeling his new super hero cape (and new skinny jeans and superman shirt: size 5T!)

Milo's present from the toy store was a puppet. We've named it 'Construction Worker Bill'

He doesn't say much, but I've got to believe that Construction Worker Bill is not really into open mouth kisses from Milo.

Ruby modeling her Tinkerbell outfit and taking a flying leap.

Cuddles for Papa.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T20:36:00.000-05:00

We had a lot of fun trick-or-treating on our cul-de-sac this evening. The neighbors were generous with their candy and compliments. The boys ate it all up (literally and figuratively respectively),

Just your typical monkey and spiderman duo. Thanks, Nana, for the costumes.

He was adorable and the costume was soooo cuddly. I couldn't help giving him lots of squeezes.

When the door opened, Levi cheerfully said, "Trick-or-treat!" Milo looked serious and grunted.

This was Milo's first experience with Halloween and while I think he was a bit confused as to what was happening, he took to receiving candy very quickly. He didn't really want to put it in his basket instead preferring to carry it in his hands.

Halloween 2010
Halloween 2009
Halloween 2008

Nana and Papa Visit!

2011-10-31T10:55:00.001-05:00

Nana and Papa came for a visit from Rhode Island. We had so much fun with them. They came to the soccer game on Saturday and Nana brought lots of quarters with her. The kids were pretty excited to play the games and get prizes out of the machines.

Levi took this snow mobile ride very seriously. He definitely likes the thrill of speed.

Ruby showing off her rings and bracelet she got out of the prize machine.

Levi took this picture of Nana and Papa.

"Yay! It's time to eat!"

Milo enjoyed time with Nana.

Papa supervised the juiceboxing and fruit snacking.

Papa gave them some billiards lessons.

I included this picture as it's the only time I've seen my Mom holding a pool cue.

The other kids quickly lost interest in pool but Ben thought it was pretty cool. He stuck with it.

What a good team!

Levi 'Reads'

2011-10-30T21:46:00.000-05:00

Dad put this video together of Levi 'reading'. He has portions of his books memorized. It's so much fun watching him develop a deeper enjoyment of reading. He's such a little sponge, soaking up all the words.

Last Trip to the Farm Park

2011-10-30T18:55:00.000-05:00

The 'Farm Park' will be closing for winter tomorrow. Here are a few pictures from our last visit there of the season.

We'll see you next spring, tractors!

"Hmmm. Traffic is kind of heavy but there don't seem to be any commuters."

Last Saturday

2011-10-26T22:18:00.000-05:00

More soccer gaming. The Hawks had a double header last Saturday. Now that is some exercise, I tell ya.

Can't you just feel the longing in his soul? "If only I could go out there!"

This gesture means, "Give me the camera."

Sweet niece Ruby loving on Milo.

This may look like a pile of cute kids but it is actually a menagerie of two dogs, a kitten, and a dinosaur.

Second quarter snack time which I cannot resist photographing.

pumpkin pie

2011-10-25T20:16:00.001-05:00

Marji shot this video during our family get-together at Sheralyn and Nathan's house on Saturday. The footage is dark but the smile on Milo's face after tasting the pumpkin pie makes it worth the watch. The other best part? The last part where Levi quietly shoves half of the slice into his mouth. We love pumpkin pie around these parts.

It's in His Genes

2011-10-24T13:46:00.000-05:00

Milo was quite interested in this two page advertisement full of tools. He got right up next to Luke and gestured quite emphatically at different pictures, grunting and pointing. He's only 19 months old!

Digger

2011-10-23T20:57:00.000-05:00

Marji sent me a clip of Levi working on her front landscaping. Anyone need some shoveling done? Maybe Levi wants to start earning his keep.

Happy Birthday, Kiki

2011-10-19T13:08:00.001-05:00

We offered to watch the kids so Joel could take Kelly out for dinner for her birthday. The kids were bouncy, noisy, and cute. They played with the riding toys in the great room after supper and when things got a bit too crazy we put their pjs on them and watched 'Dora'.

miniature seating for six.

cuddly cousins. Milo didn't stay here too long. He was back down playing before Dora summoned The Map.

Saturday

2011-10-19T09:37:00.002-05:00

The soccer game was very early on Saturday so I watched the kids at Joel and Kelly's house. Milo was feeling the early wake-up.

After lunch I took the kids to Gran and Grandpa's house for naptime. Luke was working on the ceiling at our place and it was going to be noisy. After the kids got up Levi was very excited to be able to help out. They were clearing out lava rock from the front landscaping.

He worked very hard the whole time the men worked.

Milo was not interested in the manual labor. He put his attention to snack time.

goldfish crackers!

Grandpa took the boys on a quick walk while Gran and I started supper. We're so glad for their hospitality.

Rolling Along

2011-10-18T21:08:00.000-05:00

This morning, as usual, we spent some time outside. The boys did their favorite activities: played with their construction toys, kicked the soccer ball around, and oh, what was the other thing... Oh yes, THE SCOOTER and the SKATEBOARD. Their most FAVORITE things EVER.

Levi practiced and practiced in the grass...

...until he mastered his latest trick.

hotstuff!

Milo did some serious scootering. He's only smiling here because Levi was making silly noises behind me. He is engulfed in his brother's 4T coat. The weather took a cold turn and I realized a didn't have a winter coat for Milo yet.

He's helping me pump air into the tires of the jogging stroller.

Hanging with Grandpa

2011-10-18T13:13:00.000-05:00

When Levi saw his Gran and Grandpa on Saturday he proudly showed off his new shoes. "Those are boats!" his Grandpa said, surprised at how big they were. Levi shook his head. "No, Grandpa! They are 12s!"

Silly Grandpa.

Bedtime Reading

2011-10-17T20:07:00.000-05:00

Bedtime reading is usually a very active endeavor. They boys like to wiggle around and try out all the possible seating arrangements. Milo has been very tired lately at bedtime- he's in the middle of a growth spurt. The other night he actually laid back on the pillow and quitely listened to the book. It was so shocking (and cute) I took pictures.

Scooter, Repeat

2011-10-13T22:55:00.000-05:00

Take a look at who figured out how to ride the scooter! He takes it pretty seriously, too. Luckily Levi is obsessed with the skateboard lately so he is willing to share.

On Monday Milo climbed on the scooter for the first time and spent lots of time just standing on it, not going anywhere. On Tuesday he was doing some tentative steps. On Wednesday he was getting brave enough that we went out and got him a helmet. Today he was scootering around the driveway and coasting down its slight incline.

I'm not sure if it's his determined facial expressions or the helmet or how he doesn't really know how to steer or the fact that the handles are at shoulder level but I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH TO YOU HOW CUTE HE IS ON THIS THING!!!!

Swaddle

2011-10-11T13:39:00.000-05:00

Just now as I was getting Levi ready for rest time he asked to hear stories about when he was a baby. He's been interested in this subject lately and listens intently about how he had to wear little bitty clothes and sit in the baby carseat. He likes to point out all the things he could not do as a baby: eat food, talk, ride a scooter. He thinks it's HILARIOUS when I tell him we had to change his stinky diapers.

Just now, I was telling him how we used to wrap him up tight in a swaddle and would call him 'Baby Burrito' He loved hearing that and requested that I swaddle him for rest time. We both were giggling really hard while I did it. Have you ever swaddled a giant almost-4-year-old? Trust me, it's funny.

He's so long I cut his feet off in the picture.

Here's Levi just a few days old in his triple swaddle.

Levi rarely falls asleep in the afternoon anymore. While Milo naps in the bedroom I let Levi play for awhile in the play room then have about an hour of quiet time on the futon. As I was uploading these pictures to post I noticed the playroom was uncharacteristically silent. I went to peek in on Levi and found a very large Burrito Baby still swaddled and fast asleep!

Park Outing

2011-10-09T21:57:00.001-05:00

The weather has been beautiful this week. The boys and I enjoyed a morning at Antioch park.

He spotted someone fishing.

This boy LOVES to ride his scooter.

a Milo sized town

Levi pretending to be a bulldozer. He pushed the mulch a good 15 feet at least. He was absolutely filthy by the time we got home for lunch.

"Haughmmf...exiting this tube is a little more tricky than I though it would be."

He spent several minutes trying to climb this tree. It was adorable. You gotta love that kind of 'can-do' attitude!

Morning Outing

2011-10-05T19:23:00.000-05:00

Milo at the Farm Park. It was a perfect morning to be outside.

He had definitely hit a growth spurt lately. He looks so much older to me lately. Levi is in the background of this picture working diligently.

Feeding the fish.

Levi remarked, "These fish are bigger than Grandpa's!" I have to agree. Grandpa has normal sized gold fish in his pond. These creep me out. Check out the mouths.

Levi wanted to take pictures.

A helicopter captured both of their attention.

My sleepy, sweet faced boy.

Thursday Morning

2011-10-03T14:25:00.000-05:00

Thursday morning we were happy to have some visitors while Kelly ran some errands.

This chair swivels. They were all spinning around and watching Busytown Mysteries on TV.

We took a walk. Levi and Ben were pretending to be a gate blocking our way.

Such a cute gate.

The little ones enjoyed the view from the wagon.

Hanging Out

2011-10-02T20:05:00.000-05:00

Relaxing on Grandpa's hammock. My Momma-in-law was watching us and got up to take some video of me trying to relax amidst the boys being so active. Perhaps in the back of her mind she thought she might get some footage of all three of us flipping off of the hammock and subsequently win a prize on AFV?? When she came over the boys calmed down.

Saturday

2011-09-27T20:05:00.001-05:00

Here are some pictures from our Saturday:

I only had 4 kids to watch during this week's soccer game. We have a schedule the kids like to adhere to: during the second quarter it's juice-box-and-fruit-snack time. I cannot resist photographing them when they are in a pile like this.

It's a bad picture but there is Luke in the blue jersey playing goalie.

Milo watching his Daddy. He was shouting, "DADA!!! (two second pause) DADA??? (two second pause) DADA!!! (two second pause) DADA???"

During the third quarter we go down to the game room. Every week they half-heartedly ask (hoping this week's answer will be different), "Can we have some money for the machines?" The answer is always 'No.'

The fourth quarter we play around behind the bleachers. Here is the face Levi makes when he is pretending to be something fierce. Right now he's a dinosaur. Seconds before they were all puppies.

After the game we met Joel, Kelly, and the kids for brunch. On the way into the restaurant Ruby and Levi held hands. Aren't they sweet? They just walked along happily like this for some time.

Milo managed to kidnap Luke's drink for awhile. He was NOT happy when we made him surrender it. Luke wasn't all that happy with the chewed, slobbery, bent straw he was left with.

Ruby and Ben came up with some kind of game to play with Milo. He thought it was awesome.

"WHHEEEEEEEE!"

He played hard at the game and was pretty tired. Not as tired as the girls, though, there were no female subs so Kelly and the others had to play the whole game.

After rest time we went to Home Depot to return the scaffolding. There was a large cement mixer parked out front and while Lucas took care of the rental details the boys and I studied it. They were pretty impressed with how big the tires were. If you are one of our loyal readers and for some reason have found yourself rendered an amnesiac, let me fill you in on something about my boys: they LOVE anything related to construction. The bigger the better.

He swiped his brother's hat and was very proud to wear it.

You know, he was a really intense baby but has been mellowing. I'm really enjoying this happy-go-lucky side that is emerging.

Hmmm, I guess he wanted to try and look a little more hardcore? You can take the boy out of the suburbs, but you can't take the suburbs out of the boy.

After Home Depot we ate at Chipotle. When I fill up my drink there I always put lots of lemon slices in my coke and then eat them after my drink is finished. On the car ride home, Levi saw me doing this and asked for one. He's got my tolerance for tart tastes and ate most of his. Well, if Levi gets something then Milo INSISTS that he have the same thing.

He doesn't care for the sour stuff so much.

"Why??? Why would you eat these things? I don't understand you people."

Benji Has a Birthday

2011-09-24T22:54:00.000-05:00

Nephew Ben had a birthday this past week. He's 3 now and somehow getting cuter and more adorable with each passing day. We were glad to celebrate him with pizza, cake, and presents. Oh, also LOTS of party noisemakers.

What is the mystery present??

A trampoline! Actually, it's a jumpoline if you ask Ben (that's what Levi used to call them, too.)

There were 9 munchins jumping, 'horning', and consuming sugar.

"so let's see about getting me some cake, whatdoyasay?

Flashback Friday- Teary-eyed edition

2011-09-23T08:20:00.004-05:00

My little sister wrote this for a school assignment in what I'm guessing was junior high. It makes me cry but is also somehow reassuring knowing that my Grandma Rush could be an important influence even after she had passed on. I know she is for me.

Transcript:

If I had the opportunity to interview anyone living or dead I’d definitely (sic) choose my grandma. She was my mom’s mother and died 11 months before I was born. I never got the chance to know her and I can tell that she was a special lady by the way my mom and family miss her and talk about her. I would want to ask her what my mom was like as a kid and if my mom was anything like her. I’d also like to know if she was alive now would she be proud of me and love me. It’s weird. I never knew her, but I still miss her.

Rub a Dub Dub, Two Boys in a Sink

2011-09-21T19:47:00.001-05:00

We have functioning sinks, functioning toliets, a functioning shower, but no functioning bathtub right now. To clean up, the boys get a shower or, their prefered method, a 'sink bath'.

Tonight was the first time we doubled them up. It was funny.

They played with their boats even though there wasn't much water to drive them around in.

They were extra dirty tonight. Milo had honey in his hair and both were covered in sawdust. They've been collecting it into piles- our great room is currently a work shop

soapy faux mo'

Milo's is listing to the side but still super cute.

P.S. Regarding cute little bums sitting in the sink: we do disinfect the sink before and after bath time!

This Happens A Lot

2011-09-21T14:02:00.001-05:00

"Mom! Mom! Don't drive out of the parking lot yet. Let me watch!"

"Ungh! Erg!"

This is what we watched for a good while. Men, hardhats, heavy machinery, noise, drilling...it never gets old for them.

Out at the Park

2011-09-20T20:49:00.000-05:00

We had a really fun morning at the park today. The weather was perfect and the boys were even game to pose for a couple of snapshots.

You love your first born so much and then the second comes along and your heart just expands that much more.

Is it any wonder I'm always trying to land a kiss on their faces??

Milo doesn't say much but does have a handful of non-words he utilizes. For instance there is a strange gutteral noise that he makes when he sees an animal. Also he smacks his lips together when he wants a kiss or sees someone kissing. He has a different kind of lip smack indicating the act of eating. The boys were playing in the mud. Levi was writing his name with a stick and Milo was pretending to write with a different stick. He got his fingers dirty and came over to me holding them up to my face and with an impish expression made his eating-lip- smack sound. He was going to feed me the mud! He grinned so broadly when I said, "Ewwww, yuck!" I think this was his first joke.

Cousin Time

2011-09-20T14:50:00.000-05:00

You know we like spending time with cousins. Saturday evening I took the boys to Joel and Kelly's to hang out with their kids while Joel was helping at our house and Kelly was running some errands.

After Milo woke up from his nap, Ruby hoisted him up on her lap and started reading aloud to him. ADORABLE!

Can you tell he's not quite awake? He sat on her lap for the longest time.

They Ruby read to the big kids. I am so impressed with her skills. She just turned 5 last month and can read 2nd grade level books!

I can't remember what was going on in this shot but he is clearly trying to tell me something.

Just between you and me, I don't think he really knows how to do the rubix cube.

Renovations

2011-09-19T14:17:00.000-05:00

We continue to work busily on our house. I have not been doing very good about updating our other blog but am planning on doing better from here on out. Check in over there on Mondays and Thursdays for updates! I've added a hotlink at the lefthand side under the blogs list.

Enjoying the Weather

2011-09-19T14:14:00.000-05:00

It was a rainy weekend but this morning we had beautiful weather. The boys and I headed to the farm park.

After visiting the playground, digging in the sand, and talking to Olive the cow, Levi requested we sit in on the dairy movie. The cow barn has a small theatre that plays a 10 minute movie on a loop. The boys always want to sit in the very front row.

Don't you love those seats? Where could I get my hands on some antique tractor seats? I'd love to transform them into bar stools.

Outside the cow barn we always have to stop and ring some cowbell. Milo gets so excited by this.

More cowbell!

Flashback Friday- Grandpa Corzine

2011-09-16T23:32:00.000-05:00

I have a vague sense that I've used this picture for Flashback Friday before. Does anybody remember? My record keeping system for this little endevour has broken down and if I want to get this posted before it has to be called Flashback Saturday I won't have time to look back through old posts.

Anyway- this is a picture of my Grandpa Corzine and me. It was taken on the front porch of our house in Atlanta. I think they had come to visit to meet Joel for the first time so I would be about 2.5 years old here.

We've had a productive evening working on the house. There are currently two 12 foot scaffolds here. This weekend's project is putting up a planked ceiling in the great room. I know I've terribly neglected the sugar sugar house blog but I have plans to rectify that and soon.

Milo at 18 Months

2011-09-14T21:58:00.001-05:00

Look at who is now 18 months old! Milo had his well-baby check this morning and all is well. His stats: 34 inches long (91%), 27# 7.5 oz (69%), and 19" head circumference (60%). Levi's stats at this age were nearly identical (34", 27# 10.5oz, 18.75")

Milo has been feeding himself with utensils and using a regular cup, climbing increasingly taller heights, and has really been enjoying books. He loves beeing read to and also spends quite a bit of time just looking thru them on his own. His current favorites were some of the ones Levi loved most, too: Cordoroy's Day, God Made Me, and The Very Busy Spider.

Dr. Hilary is still not concerned with his lack of talking since his hearing is ok, he responds to his name, follows directions, makes eye-contact, and interacts non-verbally. We'll get him a speech evaluation in a couple of months if he doesn't start talking by then.

WHO REPLACED MY BABY WITH THIS BIG BOY???

Hanging out in the doctor's waiting room.

They are excited for the lollipops that await if they make good choices during the visit.

Milo seems to have forgotten (for the moment) that sometimes his visits here culminate with some shots. Thankfully today he only recieved one: the flu vaccine.

Sitting on top of the chairs got boring pretty quickly.