Lawn care

I cannot possibly imagine why we have such an abundance of dandelions on our property.

Photos courtesy of beloved Miss Kristin.

Happy Monday!

Choirs of angels

So, dear friends, Hubs and I are going to see none other than Jimmy Buffett this summer.

In order to prepare for the event, I have been listening to Buffett non-stop.

The kiddos may have noticed.

If that doesn't make you laugh, I don't know what will!

Happy Friday!

If it weren't for my friends

I know for a fact that I don't sing the praises of beloved Miss Kristin nearly enough.

Let's be clear here.

She is not my childcare provider. She is not my nanny or my babysitter.

She is my friend and she is helping Hubs and I raise our children.

She's patient with them, and firm.

She reminds them to say please and thank you.

She limits their TV time, even though they complain vociferously. 


She wipes bums and noses.

She enjoys them. (when they deserve it)

And as if that weren't enough, she occasionally takes unbelievable photos of them, edits them and then nonchalantly sends me an email, "Took some pics of the boys..."

Prepare to have your mind blown.

 She sent me a zip file with six astounding pictures. I'm only sharing one today.

You'll have to wait for the rest.

We love you, Miss Kristin!

Daddy photos

This adorable little sequence of photos came from Daddy's iPhone.

Too cute not to share.

Wee one works on his Elvis impression

Ready for my close up, Daddy!

Meeting of the minds. 

Show me... surprised face! 

Ah-choo!
If the Big Boy's face were any cuter, it might be fatal.

Brothers. 

Rainy and Monday? Fail.

Rainy Monday.

1st day of school vacation week.

Not so fabulous.

Though, I shouldn't complain - usually at this point we are still hovering in the 40's with a bunch of stubborn snow left.

So, a little rain? I guess we'll take it.

Besides, even the smallest puddle is good enough for stomping.

Excellent photography skills. Big Boy caught mid-stomp.

I'm sure there will be lots of time spent reading the same Thomas books over, and over, and over again.

"The end." I say.
"Now you can read it again!" they say. 

And I do hope that lots of good things will come from the oven.

Here's a fun game: guess which batch of muffins are egg-free?

Now you know why eggs are important in baking. 

Dreary Monday - I know it won't slow the boys down, so I better get my butt in gear. 

Friday Moment

Friday Moment with Soule Mama again today.

Hope your moment was better than mine! If so, leave a comment with a link!

My moment occurred last night when I went to the gym to teach my usual Pilates class. They were kicking off a 12 week weight loss program, and when I arrived they were weighing the participants in on this space age scale.

"Hop on!" said cheery, scale-wielding, fellow fitness instructor.
"Sure!" I say, as if getting weighed might be fun.

Getting weighed = not fun.

A print-out was produced.

FAT TO LOSE 5.81lbs
In case you couldn't see the giant print at the bottom.

I have placed the print-out where it will be most effective. 

In front of the M&Ms. 

Have a great weekend! 

Happy Birthday Hubs!

It's Hubs' Birthday!

Last year I wrote about all the things he's taught me.

What to write about this year?

Yesterday I read an article about Dr. Oz in which he made this great statement about marriage,

"I sometimes say that in 27 years of marriage, I've been married to three different women and Lisa's been married to three different men: the student, the surgeon and the talk show host. People do change during  a lifetime, and we should view this as a positive instead of panicking and backing away."

Now, don't be fooled - Hubs is not a man who changes easily or frequently. He is stable and solid as a rock, but time changes us all.

And I can definitively say that I have had the opportunity to be married Hubs-version-1.0 and now Hubs-the-father.

The addition of the boys to our life has, like water running over a stone, slowly made some changes in our beloved Hubs.

Remarkable changes, beautiful changes.

If I know anything for sure, it's that parenting is hard. So hard. But, as with all other things in his life, Hubs tries his very best.

He's a dad, through and through. He's changed his share of diapers, paced with his share of  feverish boys, sung his share of "You are my sunshine".

He's there.

Strong, steady and solid.

He thinks about what we're doing here, how we are raising them - and that, my friends, that is where the wisdom is.

He's off to work today - just like every day. Dependable personified.

Hey Hubs - go out for lunch or something, it's your birthday!

Happy birthday, our dear, beloved Hubs.

We love you so much.