Auto Museum

Mommy had a morning with her girlfriends and Daddy decided to take the boys to the Antique Auto Museum. From all the stories I heard, the boys had a great time. I love the pictures of Matty climbing out of the car. His face/smile crack me up!!!

Space drawings

I gave Tyler a few books and his etch-a-sketch for quiet time because he wasn't taking a nap and did need some down time. I went back upstairs to get him and was sitting there so nicely just hanging out in the crib. He said he drew a picture for me. "Oh nice, can you tell me about it?" "Yes, Mommy its a map of the solar system and...." he proceeded to give me all these details about some planets and comets and other impressive space knowledge. It was fun listening to his imagination and how much detail he provided from what appeared to be a sketch about scribbles. What do I know?!

When Matty woke up from his nap, both boys were in a good mood and we played on the rocking chair for a good 30 minutes. I love when the boys are together and playing the same thing. And ANY time Tyler gives Matty attention, Matty's face lights up with so much happiness. It's so sweet!

Cornwall Winter Festival

We decided to have some fun at the annual Winter Festival again this year. The boys played lots of games including bingo, pumpkin throwing, plinko, potato golf, lollipop picking, and soccer. For the very first time ever, Tyler was super excited to get his face painted. There were lots of things to pick from and when he was waiting with me in line he decided to have a peace sign. I was talking with another teacher as he was getting it done and when he came running over to me, I was surprised he had a rainbow on his face. I asked him what made him change his mind and he said "because it has a heart and a pretty rainbow and even a cloud". Then later he said that "God makes the rainbow and the heart stands for God's love." I was so moved but not at all shocked at his reasoning because he's always finding these moments that remind him about God. (proof that going to church and our praying is having some impact.)



Something about that rainbow just kept making me smile and I'd look at Adam and know he was thinking some of the same things too. At the end of the day, Tyler picked an art set "to make lots of valentines" and Matty picked a big bouncy ball (thanks to Daddy). I love my boys and differences in all of them.

Tonight Adam and I FINALLY have a date. Whooo hooo!!!

Hands-on-House Family Night

I've been wanting to visit the Hands-on-House Museum for a long time now. I was on the website this week and saw that Friday after 4:00 children are free. We didn't have any plans and figure it would be a perfect time to check it out.
After getting Tyler from his nap, I explained where we were going and he started jumping up and down and said that he dreamed about it. And then he said "Mommy you are making my dreams come true!" It was precious. It took us about 35 minutes to get there and probably every 5 minutes Tyler asked if we're there yet. When we finally reached the museum he ran right in and was thrilled to check it all out that he was practically doing his potty dancing by rocking back and forth the whole time.

The mini grocery store was really impressive. The boys went "shopping" and then Ty pretended to check out the shoppers (Matty).

One of the most fascinating exhibits for Adam was the magnetic wall where you could make a path for the ball to travel from the top to the bottom. All three boys were playing with it for a long time. I love the following pictures because they created a path and everyone is watching Daddy drop the ball....

and then following the ball all the way to the bottom. It was a successful path!

There was an egg sorter, race track, tree house, farming area with a pig (that was one of T's favorites), and a dress up area with a pirate ship. There were lots of kiddos running around the museum and a fun time for the four of us. I'm glad we found a good opportunity to go and that we were all together experiencing it for the first time.

Sunday sweetness

I was upstairs getting ready for church and when I came downstairs I thought to myself 'what could be more adorable?' All three of my boys just hanging out, looking handsome, and being sweet as always. Love it!

Irish dancing

Tonight was some really unexpected fun. We met up with Willa and Pat at the Irish Pub in town because they had their live Irish music from 5-7. I've only gone once in the past and thought it was so unique and was thrilled that I could take all the boys back. Patrick got there first and found a table right in the front which worked out well because it was easy access to the pool table (which Ty enjoyed) and the ramp to another hang out room. The pub became crowded with lots of other families and the music was just fantastic! I LOVE Irish music and to hear it coming from a live band makes it even better. It's also so neat because the "band" is pretty much a group of friends who are having a bit of a jam session and we get to benefit from it. Everyone is laughing and the entire place feels like a big family. People were playing with Tyler and Matty, the food was good, and it was such a unique experience for us. By far the most exciting part of the night was right after two girls did some great Irish dancing, Tyler popped on stage and wanted to dance too. At first I wasn't sure if he was allowed but then everyone was smiling and cheering for him and clapping along to the music. Maybe a year ago he would have gotten too shy and run off stage, but the more people were cheering him on the more he smiled and danced. It was hilarious and the most precious few minutes. He was dancing all around and moving his head this way and that and at the end of the song he took a bow and it just cracked me up. Adam seemed to especially enjoy himself and couldn't believe something like this is in Lebanon and that it's taken us this long to come and enjoy it. I have a feeling we'll be back for some more fun times and hopefully dancing.

instant smile

Daddy was telling us a story at the dinner table about a student and her having a great smile. When he was finished telling the story Tyler looked at me and said "Mommy, you have the best smile in the whole world." Okay, seriously?! I love that child! My heart melted and gave him my biggest smile and told him how much I loved him and how nice it was for him to say such a nice thing. Honestly, the way he said it and the way he looked at me. Ahh. These are the moments I cherish and want to pause. Obviously I can't do that, but hope and know there will be plenty more moments of joy these two little guys will bring us.

back packs

Tyler always takes his little LL Bean book bag to school and upon our return, Matty always takes it and drags it along the floor for a few minutes. It's something he almost always does and for some reason just cracks both Ty and I up. Maybe that's why he keeps doing it. After dinner tonight, he found the bag and was playing with it again. So Adam decided to put it on him. Oh my gosh did he love this.
You could tell he instantly felt older and cooler like his big brother.

And it made us laugh because the bag was HUGE on him! Look at that smile!

Tyler was seeing us laugh so much and wanted to join in on the fun (because he's always trying to make us laugh and asks us "was that funny"!). He put on the backpack and gave me one of his better smiles and then proceeded to run around the house too!

Some good, innocent fun tonight.

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's already been such a special day and it's only 3:00. Adam and I greeted the boys with a "Happy Valentine's Day" song and then had a surprise waiting for them at the breakfast bar. It made the rush of a Monday morning way more bearable. We had speech this morning and stopped for Daddy's special card on the way home because we couldn't find it at another store last week. On the way to the store, I thought it would be fun to surprise Daddy with his very favorite sub from Rocco's! Awe yeah! What was even more cute was watching Tyler carry it to him and yell "Happy Valentine's Day, Daddy!" and giving him a big squeeze. Then watching Matty run into his arms as well. Adam had a huge smile on his face and we surprised him at the perfect time (just before the next class was about to arrive). We played for a few minutes and then Tyler did the laps with the kindergarten class (which was hysterical watching him keep up with the "big kids"!) and even did a forward roll demonstration with a bow at the end! Priceless! We came home, recorded the card which took about 10 trial runs, and played a few minutes before we decided to make Daddy a heart cake. Tyler was really into it and help way more than he ever has before. He dumped every single ingredient and whisked/beat all the batter. And was rewarded with a big spoon full of batter. It took a few minutes to clean and as I was doing it decided it was time to clean the floors. For whatever reason, both boys were also really into sweeping with me to the point where they were practically fighting over the broom. Then Ty became a "front loader" and held the dust pan for me and quickly turned into a dump truck and hauled it away to the dump. That kid is hilarious and I'll pretend anything he wants if it means helping me with cleaning. We all got 5 extra minutes of play time for all the help they gave me. Now, both kids are napping, the floors are spotless, I tried a bite of cake, Adam's present is wrapped, and it's only going to get better tonight!

Giant Birthday Party

Today was Gaven's big 5th birthday party! He's really into hockey and takes lessons and the Schreier's did it up this year. They rented out the entire Giant Center for almost 2 hours. The picture below is of Gaven decked out in his hockey gear feeling really good!
This was the very first moment Tyler has ever tried ice skating. He was laughing and having a good time...

but then he wanted to hold onto the wall for a few minutes a take a break. It was so cute.

I decided to take Matty on the ice without either of us wearing skates. I figured this would probably be the safest way to handle him! From the very first moment, he was LOVING it in a major way.

Adam then took Matty around on his skates. They were zipping all over the place and the faster Adam went the louder Matty would laugh. Adam would stop for a moment to give his back a break and within seconds Matty was communicating quite well that he wanted to keep doing it.

Mike Schreier was so sweet to Tyler. He whisked him away and they were shooting goals for a while and it was definitely the most relaxed Ty was. He was really enjoying himself and loving the help and attention from Mike.

Both boys had a really fun time, but it was clear that Matty was particularly enjoying himself. I wouldn't be surprised if we find ourselves around the ice hockey rink more often in our future. We stayed on the ice for an hour and then went back to one of the locker rooms for lunch and cupcakes. It really was one of the coolest birthday parties and a wonderful new experience for our family.

Star gazing

Today was as close to a perfect day as it could get. I first made Saturday morning pancakes for the gang and then my girlfriends at the Inn at 422 for a nice brunch. We shared some good laughs and great news (Meghann is having a girl!!!). I returned home to the boys finishing their lunch and then eventually naps. I snuck out for a good run while they slept and Adam was doing some things around the house. We then headed to Pat and Willa's place for a great dinner and lots of play time. The cousins were starting to really play with each other which is so much fun to watch. It was so relaxing and nice to be able to have these spontaneous nights with them just down the street.

Tyler has recently gotten very interested in outer space and the stars. I had a Library meeting this past Thursday and came home with a bunch of books that have sparked his interest even more. When we got home from Pat and Willa's house around 7:30, Adam and Tyler took a few extra minutes to do some star gazing because the night sky was so clear. What a precious site and what a heart-warming way to end an incredibly loving day.
Adam is such a wonderful, hands-on Daddy. Hearing the two of them was precious. Tyler got so excited because he could see Orion's belt and then apparently made up his own constellation, Orion's firetruck (of course!). It was about 20 degrees outside, so the star gazing didn't last that long, but long enough to make an impression on a 3-year old!

playdate at the Cassel Home

It ended up being a fun, relaxed morning at the Cassel home. We arrived around 10:00 and stayed until just before noon. It gave the kids some great time to hang out with each other and for Ty and Matty to play with some "new" toys. It was so much fun because Aubrey, Luke, and Kristene Drysdale made the drive from their new home. It's been since the summer that we've seen them and the kids have grown so much. The three older kids played well together and enjoyed spending a lot of time in the kitchen. Matty and Luke even played near each other once in a while and Matty loved pushing the vacuum around the basement. Bumble and Willa made it to the house to play too. All the kids were so well behaved and the Moms actually had some opportunities to talk with each other. It was a nice, easy, fun morning and now I'm enjoying a few minutes to myself while the kiddos take a nap! Happy Friday!

Valentine Painting

girlfriend already?!?

I picked Tyler up at school today and he was in another great mood. As he was getting his jacket on, I was standing next to another mommy. I told her that Tyler doesn't say much about many of the students but will typically say something really nice about Panka and how enjoys playing with her and how nice she is. This other mommy had a big smile on her face and said "why don't we arrange a play-date?" Tyler overheard this was got sooo excited. Now, he's constantly asking me when we're going to Panka's house and when are we going to play with Panka. He even insisted on making a special Valentine painting to give to Panka. Yes, I know he doesn't like Panka as a girlfriend, but it is sooo sweet to see him get excited about a having a buddy and she really is one of the sweetest little girls. She's always smiling and playing with Matty at pick-up time and Tyler seems excited to see her. And this makes me so happy! There were all sorts of reasons I wanted to do Jack and Jill, but a driving force was for social reasons and my desire for him to find some buddies on his own. It's so sweet watching this develop and see him gain some social confidence.