A 2 part series...

Part 1:

Seth woke up at 5:15a.m. thanks to a nice little thunderstorm we were having at the time. He is so cute and cuddly that early in the morning - and really enjoyed soaking in the tub by himself...so innocent, that is until he found a Sharpee....

This is just the ottoman part of our rocker - - the cushion of the chair is also covered with marker - but that cushion I can just turn over - - aaahhh - - the joys of motherhood :)

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Part 2: Trying to take pictures of the boys this afternoon with their new t-shirts from Daddy on...it always happens in stages, today the stages were certainly photo worthy....

NOOOOOO We don't want our picture taken.....

O.K....but we will NOT look at the camera....

They'll do anything if you bribe them......

This is just a cute picture of Zach relaxing - - - I was dozing on the couch while he was watching a movie and I guess he was too engrossed in the movie to get up and go potty so he soaked himself. When I asked him to go change his clothes this is how he came down....

Here is Zach trying to be a big helper and wash dishes...I made him stop after he started spraying not only the dishes, but the blinds and the windows...


They played nicely together outside for about 20 minutes or so...then the fighting began...Seth has a large bump on his head from the baseball Zach threw at him to show for it. Zach said "But mom, we are just playing a game..."

Side Walk Chalk...

This has certainly become a favorite activity of ours - - the boys love it if I draw them a "race track" along with a few buildings....hospital....fire station #17...a bakery...our home...etc.

Random pictures from yesterday

Here are just a few random pictures from yesterday....

Zach was all about playing frisbee yesterday - - he's a dangerous player - - he will throw the frisbee as hard as he can. I had to duck several times!
What will it be like for our children to grow up in this world of technology?? The boys both love to listen to my IPod.
Watching our garbabe pick up - afterwards Zach said "Mom, when I grow up, I want to be a garbage man." I said "That's a pretty stinky job." "No it's not mom, it's not stinky AT ALL!"

Our New Niece...

Here are a few pictures of Emiley Grace... She was born Aug 19, 2007 at 6:31pm. She weighed 7lbs 8oz and was 19inches long...

Swimming lessons...

Zach is really enjoying this set of swimming lessons. The pool is so quiet, and his class is the only thing happening at that time. He has finally warmed up to his teacher - the first day he had a substitute that he really liked, so the 2nd lesson he was in tears for almost half the class. Now he is o.k. with the guy. Seth likes to go too. Since there is no other classes going on, Seth basically has the run of the benches, chairs, and whatever else is there to climb and zoom his cars on. He packs his little bag that you sent him full of cars and trucks and super heros! Zach is doing pretty well. He held his breath today for 5 seconds, and is relaxed enough to float on his back for a brief moment without being supported. He has quite a way to go before he is swimming. Maybe our time in Antigua will speed that up?? We'll see...






Zach and Seth like to play for a few minutes and have a very small snack outside before lessons start. Occasionally Seth and I will hang out here while Zach is having his lessons, but we like to watch too!!

There is a big life guarding chair that Seth enjoys sitting in...he is concentrating very hard on his book.

Zach is searching for his orange ring that his teacher threw when he wasn't looking...

On a mission to get to the other pool! He is looking like such a big boy here.

Getting ready to slide off the bottom of the slide. The teacher puts them as far up as he can, then splashes a bunch of water on them and the slide and pulls them into the pool. The kids LOVE it...

Sliding in...

The Laundry Basket Game!!

The game went something like this: One person was the "pet" the other was the "petter." The pet was in the laundry basket and was piled up with whatever the petter could find. The petter then turned off the lights and the pet was supposed to go to sleep until the lights came back on. Then they switched, there was no fighting, no crying - just laughing and fun...the game went on for almost an hour and only stopped because Mom put a stop to it because it was bed time. I did give in and let them watch a video - which of course had to be watched in the laundry baskets!!

Talking on the phone to dad while watching a video in the basket. Zach is quite a multi-tasker!

We miss you the most on Sundays!!

Zach is quite the photographer - you can't see my whole tummy - but at least you can see the important part...my head :)

Zach really wanted to take a picture of Seth and I...after that he picked up his pretend cell phone and dialed and said "Movers...come take Seth and Mom to the island" which has been an ongoing game around here since we were in Cheyenne and saw a lot of moving trucks...

Zach is looking pretty sharp after wetting and spraying his hair himself - - I did have to straighten it out a little bit, and I had to dry off his face from all the water he was using.

Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

We went to the zoo today in your honor....the boys wanted to eat cake for your birthday, but settled for the zoo :) As always, we had a nice time; at least until lunch time, when simultaneously the boys went into meltdown mode. We headed home after that. It may have been my last trip to the zoo for a while - - too hot, too tired, and too pregnant for all of the hill climbing, stroller pushing, and toddler handling...Happy Birthday Justin - we wish you could have been there with us or that we could be with you to celebrate this day with you. It was pretty cute on the phone when Zach asked you why you wouldn't let us "come over" for your birthday.

Just before getting into the truck...Seth loves to pick me flowers!

Zach is showing off his "cool" hat. I couldn't find both of their normal hats, so I talked this one up and kept saying how "cool" it was and how "sharp" he would look if he wore it. He couldn't wait to put it on at the zoo.

I let them take a train ride today - - I can do the carousel with both of them, but wasn't really feeling up to spinning around in circles today. They really enjoyed being in the engine!!

Petting the baby Wallaby...

Zach almost reached the top of the mushroom in the play area by himself today. He was quite proud of himself!!

This was certainly a highlight of our trip. We have been to the zoo many times, but have never seen the tiger swimming...He put on quite the show...The boys loved it!

He swam for about 2-3 minutes, then got out of the water, shook off, and wiped his feet in the grass. Seth asked why he didn't have a towel...

Bed time...

Our night time routines have been floudering a little bit. The first problem is the evening thunder storms that seem to be coming every evening. The boys get so scared of the thunder...the sound of the rain...etc. It seems like after we talk about it, turn on music, turn on the noise machine, and pray about being afraid, they finally settle down. Two nights ago we had this little conversation about being afraid.

Zach: But Mom, I want Jesus to sleep with me

Mom: He is with you.

Zach: Where?
Mom: Right here, you just can't see Him.

Zach: Why? (Try to explain that to a 3 year old)

Mom: Because... (It was just too late for my brain to come up with a good response)

This picture is from our trip to Cheyenne. Zach said he couldn't sleep until he had something to "help him think about Daddy," so we broke out the trusty "big guy" shirt (thankfully I remembered to pack it) and he was so cute sleeping in it I had to take a picture...

Our time in Cheyenne....

This weekend the boys and I headed up to Cheyenne to stay with our friends, the Weifords. They live on base in a beautiful brick home. Across the street is a park, and once the park was too hot, we hung out on the front porch in the shade. The kids and I had a wonderful relaxing time with them... Here are a few snap shots!!

Seth is thoroughly enjoying his popsicle. That is until it drips on him - then he is in panic mode...
Zach and Seth overlooking the front porch - they are watching the sprinkler....

Best Buddies....eating a popsicle on the front porch. These two are almost inseperable, except for the times they were fighting with eachother, which wasn't much!!
Seth is constantly saying "Take a picture of me mom!" Is he a model or what!!!
Enjoying the shade on the front porch. Thank goodness for shade and a nice breeze!
Seth' s first game of bowling. He beat everyone, including the adults!! Aparently he is a natural. Either that or Mr. Weiford placed the slide for the ball in the perfect position!

The biggest reward of bowling is a short little video clip "movie" that the scoreboard showed if you bowled a strike, spare, or split. The boys would push their ball down the slide and then run back to look at the score board and ask if it was "good enough for a movie..." Notice Zach's shoes. He and Will both wanted to wear the "bright" shoes, so we split...

Seth is so very relaxed - - I guess he was probably certain of a strike and figured he didn't need to get all tense over the whole game!!

Amanda and I took the boys to a local "spray park." It was a great little place for the kids to play. Zach and Will actually did get wet...Seth on the other hand played on the play equipment and fussed if I walked him too close to any water!!

This was certainly a favorite of Zachs...
This is all the playing in the water Seth did...
Enjoying the play equipment...