Hello, Sunshine!

The weather took a turn for sunny on Friday. We spent all weekend outside and it was A-mazing.

Matty and I took a Saturday morning trip to the park while Tyler stayed home to play with the neighborhood kids.

After about a half hour {and a mouth full of wood chips} Matty toddled over to his stroller and yelled "Na-night Mama!" so we headed home.

A quick nap and we headed out to the deck for a snack and some sandbox playtime. It's fun to have a kid that wants to hang out with you all the time, being our other child is completely content spending 100% of his time with his buddies.

 

Anywhere Matty goes...Harley goes too. 

On Sunday, Tyler finally decided he wanted to bless us with a few minutes of his presence {which may or may not have directly coincided with lunch time}

Couldn't have asked for better weather or better company. Love these boys {all three of them}.

Hiding Out

We live in Minnesota. The weather this "spring" has been nothing short of awful. I would like to think that after 28 years I have acquired some pretty decent cold weather coping mechanisms but lately it has been hard to remember that incessant whining doesn't make the snow melt faster or the sun shine brighter or the temperatures rise above 35. There are some days where I fear for the safety of the local weatherman {which may or may not have something to do with the fact that said weatherman sports a ridiculously unnatural tan while standing in two feet of snow and forecasting highs in the single digits.}

Minnesota nice is long gone.

This extended winter has been particularly difficult for the boys. They are getting squirrely and my "indoor fun" ideas are getting slim. Last Sunday, Tyler and I spent the morning combating the "spring is never coming"  blues by building a fort. We started by hanging sheets from a clothesline type contraption that we tacked to the wall and tied to the banister but after envisioning the drywall being ripped down and my husband having a coronary I decided we better just stick with the tried and true kitchen table version.

We filled our fort with blankets and books and snacks. I grabbed a lantern from the basement and pillows from the bedroom and the boys and I snuggled in. This arrangement lasted approximately 6 minutes before Matty dumped a box of Wheat Thins onto Tyler's "spot" and the fun was immediately over. Tyler bolted and as soon as the crackers were gone, Matty did as well.

Ditched by my own kids. I was bummed for a split second before I realized the opportunity that had just been handed to me. A space, albeit small, that they refused to enter? I can’t even pee alone so this was unheard of. The fact that the floor was made of laminate and I was surrounded by snack remnants made absolutely zero difference to me. It was dark and relatively quiet and for a short time I got to pretend that there were no diapers to be changed or sippy cups to be filled. I sat there quietly unnoticed, watching as Matty struggled {and succeeded} to get on his toy car without the help of mom.

I watched as Tyler snatched the car and Matty moved on to bigger and better things {walking!} 

I smiled as I snacked on stale crackers and watched Ryan wipe noses {he's a pretty darn good dad.}

But it wasn't long before I was spotted.

 {The look of a man whose wife hides out in a tent all afternoon}

The thrill of the fort was over much too soon {although don't judge the time of day by our clothing because we never got out of our pajamas.}

The remainder of the afternoon looked a lot like this...

Everybody loves a good inside snow day. But by mid-April? It definitely loses its luster!

Matty: 14 months

"Geez, I didn't realize having a baby brother was going to be so much work!" Said the boy who hoped and prayed and wished on many, many pennies for a sibling.

Sweet, chunky little Matty. You have become a little more work, but with that comes a lot of fun. You are 14 months old and into everything. You're curious and on some days? One might even call you a bit mischievous. You follow your brother from room to room, no longer scooting across the floor but toddling, at an increasingly fast pace. When Tyler stacks his favorite books neatly on his bookshelf, you're right there behind him to pull them all back onto the floor. You eat his crayons and step on his artwork. You drink from his cups and devour his snacks. You wipe your constant runny nose on his beloved Green Blankie. Yet, despite all of that? He adores you. He holds your hand, smothers you with bear hugs, reads you stories from memory and insists on giving you a bedtime kiss each and every night.

Tyler is not alone; we all adore you. You are silly and sweet and {while we may be biased} we wouldn't hesitate for a second to say you're going to be incredibly smart. You can say mama, dada, no, naughty, bye bye, uh oh! and cat. If we suggest it's time for bed you are quick to exclaim "na-night!" toddling off in the direction of your bedroom where you immediately attempt to scale your crib. You love puzzles, your Lightning McQueen car and brushing your teeth. You turn anything and everything into a "phone."

 

But all that sweetness does not come without a challenge or two. You can throw some incredibly dramatic temper tantrums. It's not uncommon for you to fling your body backwards in anger, only to get more upset when you hit your head on the hardwood floor. You despise being strapped into your car seat and as soon as we pull the plug on the tub you are quick to squawk, snatch it back up and save the bathwater from draining.

 

 

 

You make us smile. You make us laugh. You make us shake our heads in exasperation. But mostly? You make us thankful for each and every day that we get to spend with you.

 

Love you to a thousand planets.

 

Spring in Minnesota

Clearly, Mother Nature does not care that it is April 11th.

Where are you spring?

Life is Crazy

I've been seriously MIA lately. Life's just been crazy. March was filled with birthday celebrations, endless activities , photo shoots and a little "I can't handle one more flake of snow" trip to Mexico.

But before all of that {nearly a month ago} we took the boys to the Mall of America to go on a few rides. It was actually Ryan's idea to go so that alone tells you that the ridiculously cold and snowy weather was making us all a little crazy. I can't think of any place he dislikes more than the MOA.

\

Our first stop was the Log Chute. Tyler had been on it once before, when he was about 2 {long before he could comprehend that it's actually a little scary} but not since. He excitedly hopped on the ride with Ryan while Matty and I waited....and waited....

They came down the hill FAST, so I only got one shot. Exiting the ride with a head of wet hair Tyler informed us that he wouldn't be going on that ride again anytime soon.

 
Next up...the swings {my favorite.}

And then a quick stop at the bumper cars {Tyler's favorite.}

 

Poor Mads was a bit to small for everything, but was a trooper. Sweet little sunshine.

 

Hopefully  a full month will not pass before I blog again. But no promises.