Beans

A friend told me that beans would be a good pastime for Ryan when I was on maternity leave with Carter. Well, that friend didn't tell me what a mess they made! I was cleaning my kitchen cupboards today and Ryan spotted the "bean" bowl. To keep them occupied long enough to finish "one last cupboard" I agreed to the beans. Ryan by this time does a pretty good job of corraling the beans. Carter, on the other hand, must have thought I was bored with cleaning cupboards and needed to move onto the counters, chairs, and floor. What a mess, but it did keep them occupied until I finished that cupboard! And look at the great skills they are learning! :)

Out with the Old, In with the New

We bought our house as a model and therefore could not pick out any flooring. I have never been a big fan of vinyl/linoleum. That being said, it took us nearly 7 years to justify taking out the boys' bathroom floor and replacing it with tile. I have the benefit of a Dad that installs ceramic tile, so I bribed him out of a couple of days of ice fishing to do the bathroom floor. I love it - it is even better than I pictured it - I picked out glass block accents on a rug pattern in front of the vanity - and it adds just a little something. Great job, Dad!!!!

Tunnels

Kyle had a friend over tonight so I thought I would keep the little boys busy upstairs with the tunnel/tent system we had stored away in the basement. The boys loved it. It worked great until they both stood up at the same time in the teepee and collided heads (see last photo). All in all, they had a great time. I don't remember having fancy tents/teepees/tunnels when I was a kid - I think our tents were a blanket thrown over chairs (and that still works in a jam!) :)

Sound Asleep

I look in on these two before I crawl in bed every night. They are always sleeping so peacefully. Is there anything better than the peace and quiet of your kids asleep after a busy day? I see them sleeping and think...maybe one more... And then they wake up and that feeling is gone! :) My boys are wonderful and I am thankful every day for the blessings we have received...but they are BUSY!

War

When I came home from work tonight, the kids were sitting and eating dinner with their fighting gear on. This is a favorite Christmas present - the Nerf Dart Guns.

Kyle's Book

Kyle wrote and illustrated a book through a company called I See Me. It tells the story of his life in his words and with his photos. It was a very cute idea - I had never seen anything like this before. He did a great job with his illustrations and photos. This is not the entire book, I just took a handful of pages from it.

Note from Jill

My boys have been going to Jill's for daycare since Carter was born. She is excellent - I don't know what we would do without her. This is the note I got from her today - Carter has started talking a lot more recently and wants to repeat everything you say. I love it! What a nice note to get when I got home after a long day at work today!