Last Day of Pre-K

Friday was Joey's last day of pre-K. He's been going to Kiddie Junction since he was 9 months old, so there are some big changes ahead. The best thing for me, though, is that he went from completely anxious 6 months ago about changing schools to totally excited. Let's hope he keeps it up!

Don't Steal My Sunshine

The boys had a great time playing outside this weekend.
They both love driving around on the tractor. Jacob even lets Joey give him tractor rides, which means they both get to be on at the same time. (Otherwise, it's lots of fussing that one of them wants a turn while the other one is on. We're still working on sharing the big toys.)
Yes, that's a sweatshirt. While it was warm on Saturday (we actually went swimming!), Sunday was decidedly cooler. And as long as Joey wore his, Jacob would keep his on.
Someone loves to drive his tractor!

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my Jacob! And no, I don't know where they got those mouse ears, but how perfect!

In the Garden

The boys had fun this weekend helping Mommy keep her flowers watered.


Jacob also had fun riding around on Joey's tractor. (He's not very good at steering yet, but he knows how to make it go!)

Park Fun

We had a playdate on Saturday, and the boys had fun exploring the new park.

Group Shots

We had a little fun this weekend, and I even managed to get a few pics of myself with the kids. Not that Joey wanted to smile for any of them. But I did get some keepers!

Remote-Control Trucks

Sunday was another gorgeous day. The boys were out playing again, this time with Joey's remote-controlled trucks.



Joey looked so serious. But he had a blast. Eventually we went out front -- it's much easier to drive the trucks on the sidewalk than the grass. He probably would have stayed out for hours, but it was still a little chilly. (But no, there are no pictures of the actual trucks. Maybe next time.)

Backyard Saturdays

The boys have been having a blast playing in the backyard since it's been warmer. They might still have to wear hats, but that isn't stopping them.

Head Shots

One more montage of pictures from Pennsylvania before I come back to the future.

Cupcakes.

Backyard Oasis. (Can't wait for the flowers to come in!)

Fierce. (Or Bibbity-bobbity-boo!)

Snuggle Time

Before we left, Pop-pop and Nana tried to get some last-minute snuggles in. One was slightly more successful than the other. I'll let you guess who that was.

Great-Nanas

We snuck back to Pennsylvania again for a quick visit with my family. For some reason, I never remember to take any pictures until the last day. That means I'm usually missing at least one of the cousins in the pictures I have. Fortunately, though, that included pictures with the Great-Nanas.

Someone of course didn't want to pose in this picture. I have one where he has a nice smile, but then it's blurry. You can't have everything.

Jacob didn't want to pose in this picture, so I had to jump in and hold him. I'm actually not too upset to be in this one. Again, would be better with my other niece, too, but I'll take what I can get. 

(Can someone remind me/remember to take pictures when all four of them are together, please?!?!)

The Ice Men

Saturday morning the boys and I went to visit their cousins Wolfie and Otto. We had some delicious donuts, and then the boys wanted to play outside. There was a giant block of snow and ice on the back patio, so of course we had fun breaking it apart and showing the ice onto the grass.

First up, one of our great helpers, Wolfie, with his blue shovel.

I made all the boys pose for a group pic, then it was back in the house to warm up a bit. (It was probably 40 outside, but after a while, even that's a little chilly.)

Otto wasn't really in a rush to head back inside, so I was able to snap this cute picture of his adorable smile.

After all that hard work, the boys were pooped, so we watched a movie. Any guesses? Cars. So I snapped a few more group shots while I had a captive audience.

As usual, the best one is also the one where my camera either decided to snap the picture too close to the flash going off, or the shutter stayed open too long I tried boosting the color, but it only does so much. I'm going to have to try to figure out another way to get iPhoto to fix these. Or maybe it's time for a better camera. Either way, the boys had a blast together, and can't wait to see their cousins again soon.

Puddles

During the thaw last weekend (and a little the week before), the boys had a great time running through the puddles and generally creating mischief of one kind and another. (Thanks, M Sendak.)

You can start to see here that Joey is already soaked up to his knees. And yes, it was cold enough to require the winter coats. I had to fight Joey to put his on.

Jacob loved running through them just as much as Joey. I think this was close to the last time through, and then home for some hot chocolate and dry clothes. Can't wait until the weather is warm with the puddles. The kids are never going to want to come inside! (It's already a fight with Jacob, even when it's only 20 degrees outside.)

Brotherly Love

Nutella, Anyone?

Any chance Nutella is looking for a new spokesperson? I know someone who would be perfect!

More St Patty's Day Fun

After a hard day at "work," the kids were excited for their Green River floats!
Joey had a sneak preview of the float Sunday night, and said to me, "Mommy, that treat was so delicious." They both enjoyed them tonight as well!

Happy St. Patricks' Day!

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

We spent Christmas eve with Buszi, Grandpa, Uncle John, Aunt Danielle, Wolfie and Otto. The boys love playing with their cousins.

I got them to pose by the tree, but Joey didn't really want to (as you can see from this picture).

Buszi and her babies.

Buszi bought Joey and Wolfie these cute gingerbread houses that they got to put together. Definitely kept them busy and out of trouble. 

Christmas morning, before the kiddos were up. The big "take" was hidden behind the blue rocking chair, which Joey found immediately. 

Here are the boys ripping into their presents. The microphone Jacob had was a last-minute gift from Daddy. Might have been the second-best present of the morning. The favorite, of course, was the electric remote-controlled Lego train Santa brought the boys. (Joey thinks it's his, and Daddy thinks it's his.) 

The boys had fun playing with all their presents. Jacob loves his new push tractor, and Joey loves it, too. Santa is so good :)

It's Still Snowing

I don't even remember which snowstorm these were from. Thursday morning, I think. We got a good 8-10 inches Wednesday night into Thursday, so the kids were home on Thursday. Of course they wanted to be out in the snow.

I finally got Jacob to wear his good mittens. He hated them at first, but I think he has the hang of holding on to things with them now.

You know Joey wanted to be out there. And yes, the snow is from the snow that was actually falling, not from any face-planting or anything.

I did manage to get one decent shot of the two of them. And in case you didn't know, sand toys work extremely well in the snow.

The two loved playing together. They could have played out there all day together, except for the cold. Winters are and are going to be so great with the two of them!