Catching up

The man and I recently took a long vacation to Europe without the kiddos. So of course I am far behind on updating photos of the boys. I'll start way back on May 3rd, when we attended a Spiderman birthday party for our neighbor who turned 3. This was the jumping castle:



and the masks:



and the pinata:



After the party we went to a wedding. The boys attended the ceremony, which was a big mistake. Nick basically walked around the church screeching and laughing as loud as he could. Here he is, pleased with himself:



and the bride and groom, less pleased with him:



A few days later the boys went swimming in the new whale pool our neighbor got for the summer season. Here is a video of their complicated running and screaming game:



and a few photos:



And yes, they are wearing matching outfits.



Nick doesn't really like swimming as much as the bigger boys. He prefers to watch from afar:



Or just get in his towel and rest:



Our next big outing was to see the butterflies at the Desert Botanical Gardens. They leave for the summer, so this was our last opportunity to see them. There was a lot of pointing going on:







And just some general viewing of butterflies:





Some socializing:



construction equipment:



a little juice:



and a fountain:



That's as far as I've gotten in the editing of photos. We have more to put up from our trip to the zoo and our Memorial Weekend party.

Haircuts!

I can't remember how long it has been since the boys had a haircut. Taking two toddlers to a salon is not necessarily high on my list of fun springtime outings, but they were really starting to look a little rough around the edges. We started with Jack, who was well behaved, calm, and had no problem with the process:









So then it was on to Nick, who was less than pleased about the idea of a strange woman approaching him with scissors.

At first, he was merely aprehensive:



Then the spray bottle came out:



He really didn't like the cape, so we took that off:



But alas, his mood did not improve:







At one point, all three of us were trying to hold him still enough to cut his hair. We don't have pictures of that because no one could hold the camera! Needless to say, Nick was not a fan of the haircut.

We have a big day ahead of us - our neighbor is turning 3 and our cousin is getting married. Fun photos to be had for sure!

Happy May!

I honestly can't believe it is May already. This year is zipping by, with no indication of slowing down. The boys are enjoying the last of the nice weather by playing in the yard as much as possible. I know it seems like all we do is play on the swingset, but they really love it out there. Here they are swinging together:



And here is Nick, who was excited to be on a real swing all by himself:





He even learned the leaning back trick:



and he's trying to figure out how to use the stool to get up:



Soon it will be boiling hot out there and we'll be trapped in the house doing crafty things.

Jack is in the process of trying to decide if he needs a nap or not. Some days he doesn't have one, some days he sleeps for hours, and other days he falls asleep on the couch:



I came out to find him like this, scooted him down so he was flat, and when I came back he was sitting up again, completely asleep. I'm sure he'll completely give up the nap soon enough!

We have a lot going on this weekend - a birthday party, a wedding, and the boys are going to visit Grandma and Grandpa. Hopefully we'll have some good photos to share.

For once, a blog about something else

We went out to a music festival yesterday. We left in the middle of the afternoon, and we didn't return until late at night. Or ten p.m., which is late depending upon who you ask. Here we are enjoying our time away, listening to good music, and having fun:



Don't we look like normal people? Too bad we don't feel normal half the time, but no matter. Here is the stage at the festival:



and my parents, who got us the great VIP passes:



The first band was the Wailers, the band that used to have Bob Marley, and now has this guy:



and this other guy:



See what a fan I am? I actually love this type of music, but I never listen to it on my own. After they left the stage, we had a bite to eat, wandered around the booths, bid on an auction item (a Lou Holtz signed "Play Like A Champion Today" poster, of course), and returned in time for Blues Traveler. Here they are:



I only knew two of their songs from the radio, but let me tell you, that guy can sure play the harmonica. It was great, and we were right up close to the stage. We both remembered how much we like live music, and what a shame it is we never go out like this anymore. Now that the boys are getting bigger and are easier to leave, maybe we'll have a chance get out again.

Next time I promise photos of the boys. I forgot to take the camera to the birthday party we attended yesterday, but maybe I can steal some pictures from the mom.

Back to Normal, whatever that is

We are finally over the stomach bug that hit us last week. It was incredibly contagious and every member of the family suffered, including my poor mom who offered to watch the boys for me while I was recovering. In an effort to entertain us, I took the boys to our favorite fast food joint, In and Out Burger. Here is Jack enjoying his lemonade:



and Nick, just enjoying the atmosphere:



On Sunday, when the man returned home and was hit with the flu, I gathered the boys and got them out of the house. Of course we went to Pallatte again, because it is my favorite place. Here is Jack emptying the rocks from his shoe:



And me sitting with the boys, waiting for my parents to meet us:



And Nick, looking cute:



Other than that, we've spent a lot of time on the swing set:









And I even took a few funny videos of them interacting:





As you can see, Nick can now climb to the top of the slide by himself. He rarely slides down by himself, but he loves to climb up.

I have a few more videos to share, but I'll save them for my next post.

yuck

Last night, almost immediately after I pressed "Post" on my last blog entry, Nick started to cry. It was 8:30 - he never cries at that time of night. I waited a bit and went in to check, only to find him screaming and covered in vomit. Great. I got him cleaned up and sat on the couch with him while he continued to get sick into various towels I brought over for him.

Then about 10:30, Jack came out. "Mom! I threw up!" Indeed he did. With him it was all at once, so I got him showered off, his bed changed, and sat out on the couch watching tv until I could settle him back down.

The funny thing? This is how they looked:



Hardly the photo of illness. I look worse than they do - although no need for photographic evidence.