Construction Play Box

The other day I finally bought some beans and completed our construction box.  I figured this would be a new fun and inexpensive idea (and it was...thanks Pinterest!).  And I figured it would easily entertain Gavin for a bit while I cleaned the house (and it did...only not in the way I expected).  

It began like this.  Using the construction vehicles to move the beans around, he was busy digging and dumping and working his machines.

When I came back a little later it had turned into this.  A nice cozy spot to rest apparently.  There were construction vehicles, beans, and flip flops OUTSIDE the box.  Gavin was INSIDE the box.

I carried on with my work for a bit more until I heard Gavin say from the next room, "C'mon blankie.  Let's go in the bean box."  I peeked my head in again to see this.   

To each his own.  I should have expected the clothes would come off.  They always do. 

*Shortly after this incident Gavin and I made a mutual agreement to wear clothing in the bean box.  Pulling beans out of one's crack is no fun for him or me!

I Heart Gavin Too

I meant to write a special post about Gavin back in February when I wrote about Owen.  And it turns out I had no photos of Gavin to share.  None!  How sad is that?  The post just fell by the wayside.  But my love for Gavin has not.  So I'll finally say a few things about Gavin the Great.

He's fashionable.  He likes to hang out around the house in items found in anyone's closet but his own.

He's naked.  A lot.  I try to keep him clothed, I really do.  But inevitably the pants come off.  He even showed up in the buff while the neighbors were swimming with us last weekend.  I put his swim trunks back on him no less than four times that day.  But he's just more comfortable naked.  Who can blame him.

He's lazy.  When asked to pick up toys he sweetly replies, "No thanks Mom" or "I can't".  It's kind of cute, until I find myself picking things up over and over.  We're working on it.

He's silly.  I'm not sure if he means to be all the time.  But he is.  Look, there's his little head hiding in my piles of laundry.  Just doing his thing.

He's slightly out of control.  For instance in this video, you're not sure if he's gonna pull off a sweet move or accidentally run into a wall.

And he's independent.  A couple months ago we were potty training and I let him wear underwear to pick up Owen from school.  We were making our way off campus with a group of kids and parents, when all of a sudden I lost sight of Gavin.  I looked behind me and couldn't see him.  So I began walking back a few steps.  Suddenly I spotted him behind a bush, next to a classroom wall.  Pants down...peeing.  Right there in front of the school!  My first reaction was absolute horror!  All those people sitting in the pickup line must have been judging.  But then I realized, he's a pro.  He didn't need me.  I should be proud of my two-year old who needed to use the bathroom, didn't see one in sight, didn't want to wet his pants, discovered a bush (thank goodness for that), and proceeded to take care of business.  Pretty awesome.  Now, let's not let that happen again.

A Happy Easter

The boys dressed in their Easter Sunday best

Evidence of our awesome glow-in-the-dark egg hunt with the neighbors.  

We filled about 250 plastic eggs with glow sticks and goodies!  The kids LOVED it!

And our little spring seedlings sprouted in time for Easter

 (thanks Grandpa Solomon for buying them for us!) 

Raiders Football

The season ended weeks ago, but I am finally sitting down to post a few highlights from flag football.  This was Owen's first attempt at the sport and, true to form, he was slow to warm up to the idea.  But with each practice and game he gained more confidence and ended up loving it!

 I was amazed to see the growth of Owen and really all the boys on the team.  Most of them had very little experience playing, and were clueless as to the rules/positions of the game.  But by the season's end they were completing all sorts of plays.  It was so much fun to watch!

Owen loved playing quarterback the first half of the season because he could hand off the ball to a teammate and avoid getting his flags pulled.  But eventually he got comfortable running the ball and even scored a few touchdowns.  

Another team, another trophy.  I don't think it ever gets old for Owen.  It was a great season with mild weather, fun coaches, and energetic boys.  Flag football was a good experience.  I'm a fan!

 

Bahamas in February

After a lot of talk, much waiting, and an insurmountable amount of coordinating...we finally did it!  We managed to get away on a couples retreat!  And I'm so glad we did.  We met up with our Boston friends and our Bountiful friends to cruise to the Bahamas.

This was my second cruise, and it was decidedly different than the first.  Smaller boat + shorter distance + cheaper price + spring season = party cruise.  Without our bikinis and booze, we seemed to fit in best with the older set; preferring card games and shuffleboard, to pool parties and bar tabs.  But really, we were there to hang out with our friends and relax...and that's just what we did.

(The whole group "awkward family photo" style....the girlies hanging out after hours....and us)

(Our ship...shuffleboard with the guys...gettin' crazy with cards)

We spent  our first stop at Cococay Island.  Cococay consisted of lounging on the beach, taking a nature walk, searching for shells and small sea creatures, and taking shelter in a cabana during a  rainstorm.  The island felt a little overcrowded with fellow cruisers.  But once we discovered the other side, with a beautiful remote beach, it was just perfect.

(Two things...why didn't I get a spray tan before the trip?...and what is Mark doing in the plants?)

Our second destination was Nassau, Bahamas.  We chose to spend our day at the Atlantis Resort.  It's actually been on my list of places I would love to go on a family vacation.  And after spending the day there, I am positive my boys would love it.  The place is massive.  I'm talking water slides and activities, pool after pool, private beaches and aquariums.  Seriously, the aquariums were amazing...mostly because of how you could view the sea life.  Glass tunnels and underground walkways.  So much fun!

(Look at the size of that Manta Ray!!!)

Back on the ship I have to say we had the most fun while dining.  How can you go wrong with food, friends, and a waiter like Sina?  He dazzled us with his magic tricks and kept us on our toes with his rich Philippino accent.  Sina made everything better.

And what's a cruise without towel pets?  It was always a fun surprise to see how the towel would come to life each night.  Our room attendant gifted us with these.

(Note: I really must learn how to make these for my house guests.)

 After we arrived back at our port in Florida, we had some time to kill before flying back home.  So we took an air boat ride through the everglades in search of alligators.  I was amazed at how the air boat maneuvered through tall plants and marshy areas with ease.  We got to see a handful of gators on our ride and even got to take turns holding a small one that was 4 years old.  (Another activity my boys would have loved.)  

We were so thankful to Mark's family for taking good care of our boys while we were away.  They loved having Grandpa, Grandma, Krissy and baby Calvin around for the week.  Whadda you say we pencil you in for another stay in three years from now? 

Happy Valentine's Day

There are so many fun and clever Valentine ideas out there.  Every time I pick up a magazine or look online I find another idea that is cuter than the last.  Valentine treats.  Valentine sweets.  Valentine cards.  Valentine food.  Valentine TOMS (would LOVE a pair!).

Anyway, I thought I would share a couple Valentines we've made.  Last year we used an idea I found online, and it worked perfectly for preschool because it didn't require any writing.  Owen simply helped me cut the slits in the photo paper and insert the lollipops. 

And here are the valentine cards we made for Owen to pass out this year in kindergarten.  Again, we took a photograph but gave it a new spin.  (Go ahead...burst my bubble.  I hope your Valentine's Day is bursting with fun!).  I love the way it's boyish and cute all at the same time.  Owen wrote out all the names and we stapled each card to a pack of bubble gum.  

Hope you have a LOVEly Valentine's Day!

I Heart Owen

Three things about Owen that make me smile.

This picture:

                                (I love you. I am sorry Gavin. You are my best friend.)


This video:

This story:
First, you must know that Owen requires A LOT of bathroom breaks when we're on roadtrips. So to avoid a number of stops we have been known to let Owen pee in a bottle once or twice. (Too much information? Well just wait.) So on our most recent trip home from Southern California we made use of an empty Gatorade bottle to take care of Owen's business. And somehow the bottle got left in the car after we unloaded our things.
The next day I picked Owen up from school and headed inside the house with Gavin. Owen lingered in the car for a moment or two, then bounded through the front door and made a beeline to the kitchen saying, "I need a drink of water!"
Okay, I thought. He must be really thirsty. It didn't even hit me until about a half hour later when Owen hesitantly said, "Mom, I drank my own pee."

San Diego in January

We recently took a weekend trip to San Diego. I love to go to San Diego any time of year, but it was especially fun to be there for my brother's wedding this time. (Side Story: My brother and most of my family almost didn't make it to the wedding because of a crazy ice storm in Seattle. After a series of cancelled flights and alternative arrangements, though, it all worked out.)

Here are some highlights of the long weekend:

We spent a morning at Mission Beach walking the pier and watching the surfers. We also spotted several dolphins swimming nearby. But a highlight for the kids was watching the water splash down below us. At one point, we looked like this.

We spent the afternoon exploring Balboa Park then headed to Little Italy for the evening. We found some great places to eat! We settled on Filippi's Pizza Grotto for dinner. I have to say, having been to Italy, this place was very authentic Italian. Good food and good for kids. Then, we made a special stop at a second restaurant....just for dessert! That's my kind of place! Every dessert looked better than the next, and all the desserts we ordered were amazing. The ambience was amazing, the sweets were amazing...I MUST go there next time I'm in town.

Then there was the wedding. Sadly I don't have a single picture of the bride and groom. But they looked adorable and in love and it was a beautiful experience. I did manage to get a shot of Owen with his cousin Will. The two are super buddies.

And a shot of Mark and Gavin off to the side having one of many "talks" about acceptable behavior.

And then we spent a day at Sea World with all the cousins. Here's Owen with cousin Alice.

And a picture (of a picture) of us on the Sky Tram.

We ate at yet another super fun place after Sea World, though I don't have any pics. It was called the Corvette Diner and it was awesome. Burgers, shakes, dancing servers, balloon animals, arcade, and straw hairdos. Look it up, it was a great all-ages place.

And finally, before saying goodbye to the cousins and family, we had lunch at one last amazing eatery. Goodness, I should have titled this post "Where to eat in San Diego". We met up and ate at Lucha Libre Taco Shop. I'm serious, this place was DE-LICOUS. I have been craving the tacos I ordered ever since. The boys picked up a couple of Luche Libre masks as souvenirs.

Great January trip. Now, where should I go in February? Hmmmm.

December...in a Single Post

It's so late to be posting this. I told myself to just forget it and move on to 2012...but I can't. December was crazy. It was fast. But it was fun. And I don't want to forget all the fun things we did. Here are some highlights:

I created an activity advent for the boys this year. And one of our first activities was to write letters to Santa.

Then there was the decorating. We almost didn't put up the Christmas tree since we were leaving for the holidays. But I'm so glad we did. I wish we had Christmas lights up all year long. They're so magical.

We also decorated a gingerbread house...made of real homemade gingerbread! This was so much fun that I think we'll make a haunted one for Halloween as well.

On the last day of school Owen had a Polar Express Party. We watched the class sing and dance and share their highlights of 2011. Owen's favorites were his "best friend Luke" and his "crazy brother Gavin". The whole party was so much fun.

Owen's teacher is seriously amazing. She had read the Polar Express book to the class earlier in December, and they knew the story well. They all wore their pajamas and had hot chocolate with marshmallows. But the best part of all was watching the kids get a special delivery from the North Pole. They were SO excited to receive their very own Polar Express ticket. They were to place the ticket under their pillow on Christmas Eve and if the train came to their house that night, they would use their ticket to ride. So fun! This picture almost captures the joyous moment perfectly.

And the fun continued as we traveled to Utah to spend the holiday with family. We took the boys to see the lights on Temple Square and made it extra fun by riding the light rail there and back. Truly a highlight for the boys, who kept asking if we could ride it again.

Then on Christmas Eve we had a special family dinner. Mark's mom prepared a wonderful Christmas message using lights to tell the story of Christ. And we ended it by lighting Sky Lanterns and sending them off into the night sky. I think we should do this every year!

Owen made the final Christmas Eve preparations and then we were off to bed.

Here are the boys on Christmas day...in their Sunday best.

We had such a good time staying at Grandma's and Grandpa's house and visiting with our cousins. We also squeezed in a visit with our good friends...and made our kids take a picture together. Because, after all, they will be lifelong friends too.

There were a lot of highlights in December. But my very favorite happened one Sunday afternoon, a couple weeks before Christmas. Owen was in the next room looking through a holiday book about the nativity story. On the last page you press a button to turn on bright lights around the baby Jesus and play the tune Silent Night. After looking through this book Owen came into the room crying. Mark asked him what was wrong. And he replied that the book made him cry. He said he just had a good feeling while reading it, and they were happy tears.

I know he felt the Christmas Spirit--the true meaning of Christmas. I hope he always remembers that feeling. And I hope I can too as I step into 2012.