Flowers make me happy!!!

We went to a greenhouse on Saturday to get vegetables for my garden. They were giving away pansies for free, and Will loved helping me pick the best. He helped take them out of the car and then asked me to take his picture. I think he wanted to pose. Or maybe he was remembering a photo from last year that we have on the fridge of him holding last year's flower bounty! I have yet to get the annuals this year--it's been a late Spring. Maybe next weekend. Anyway, here are some sweet smiley pics of Will.

Will's favorite things

Will is 2 years, 10 months old (exactly, as of 5-28-11). Here are his current favorite things:

His "bike"

He has been worked very hard to learn to pedal this thing properly. Props for sticking with it, Will! Such determination! (And he'll even ride in his pajamas!)

"Driving" the car. Any time we have to shuffle cars in the driveway, Will wants to help. :-)

Bike rides in the bike trailer...especially when a playground is the destination!

Riding on the boat, preferably with food. :-)

Check in soon for Patrick's favorite things!

Daddy's boat

We could not have asked for a more perfect Memorial Day Monday. Wow! Clear and 83 degrees, with low humidity. A perfect day for a boat ride! Well, after a morning/afternoon filled with other fun--a trip to the shoe store, playing in the yard, a bike ride, the playground....THEN came dinner on the boat. What a peaceful way to end our day. Both boys love the boat and don't seem to fear it at all. They have a healthy fear of the water (they never try to climb out, thank goodness), but the motion/sound of the boat seems soothing to them, actually. They love to stand at the side and are small enough to do so safely, and they rest their heads on the ledge. I could not get a picture of that, as I was sitting on the floor with them holding onto their life jackets--just in case! Here are some photos of today's trip. Next time I'll get some exterior shots! :-)

Justin's in "the zone"!

Will needed a quick nap when we first started out. :-)

I had to be right next to Will for his little nap in the bow.

Hmm...a nap is a good idea!

Co-pilots!

I love this time of day!

Patrick's new shoes are perfect for the boat!

Dinner time=happy time, especially on the boat! Grilled chicken salad and fresh fruit. Yum!

The cat's out of the bag!

Literally. :-) Peso climbed in the bag, which Will thought was HILARIOUS! :-) He said, "Mommy, I have groceries!" and tried to pick up the bag. No luck--Peso is too heavy, or "hebby," as Will would say. Fun times!

Hee hee hee...the kitty's in the bag!

I had to lighten this picture so you could see Peso in there--he was hard to see!

At school...

I took Will and Patrick to see the chicks in my classroom last Friday afternoon. They were SO excited about the chicks, but there was no way I could get pictures of them with the chicks...Patrick was just TOO into them and wanted to pick them up and would not sit still (of course). I was so afraid he'd sit or step on one of them. I couldn't take my eyes off of him for even a moment to get my camera. They both got so upset when I put them back in the tank that I had to distract them by putting Bob the Builder on the big screen--the Smartboard in my classroom. It worked! :-) I guess the annual chick visit for this year goes undocumented. That's OK. There are plenty of years to come!

The distraction worked!

Recovering from the disappointment of me putting the chicks back in the tank. :-(

This was actually a different day, different school. Will LOVES playgrounds now and it's all he wants to do! He is getting brave too!

Daddy, can you hear me? 

Mr. Techie

Will really loves computers, and, as you can see here, his keyboarding form is quite good already! He likes to say he's "doing work" or "looking for boats" whenever he's at the computer. I guess they really do absorb all we say! :-)

A few from Mother's Day, 2011

Mother's Day was a great day for me--exactly one week after my birthday, and a very sunny and warm Sunday. I spent enough money on myself during our trip to Florida to cover gifts for both my b-day and Mother's Day, so all I wanted from Justin was a reprieve from changing diapers. I got my diaper-free day, and more! I was totally spoiled, from having breakfast and dinner prepared for me, to deciding the agenda for the day (which was to just enjoy the outdoors together and relax). Our walk to our neighborhood plateau and beach was my favorite part of the day. The water in Lake Champlain was at it's highest point in over 100 years that day (and it is still quite high--like 3 feet above normal level), so we probably won't have a beach this summer, but we'll still have lake access...a few feet closer, even! Yikes! The flooding in the Champlain Valley in May 2011 is one for the history books, which is why I mention it here, for posterity. Our house has been fine, thank goodness, but there is A LOT of terrible damage everywhere around us. 

Anyway, enjoy a few pics from Mother's Day 2011!

Brothers

Some mornings, I try very hard to get the boys to sleep a little longer by snuggling in bed with me. The photos below were taken the morning after we got back from Florida. We all did sleep a little later that morning, but I wanted just 30 minutes more! That didn't happen in the photos below, and it usually doesn't, especially with BOTH boys. But they surprised me on this particular morning, because they were so loving with each other! It's so nice to see this happening more often. It's almost as if they've both just realized that they don't always have to compete for our attention--they can give each other attention and let Mommy and Daddy have some peace every now and then. :-) I was happy I had my phone next to the bed to capture these looks...

More brotherly love :-)

Will and Patrick had a tickle-fest in our kitchen a few weeks ago! Patrick actually started this one, by lying down right next to Will, nudging him, and starting to giggle. Will started tickling him and saying, "Tickle, tickle, tickle" over and over. It then turned to trying to blow raspberries on his tummy, which didn't work too well through the pajamas! I love when they get along. Perhaps these moments will become more common the older they get? Please tell me yes, they will be! :-)