Like a Weed

It's blurry, but I love it anyway.

As they say, he's growing like a weed and getting so big!

Cute Big Boy Saturday

The boys had a picnic outside today!

Clinking cups in celebration...

Friday Five

Yesterday, Isaac and the boys ran into one of the boys' fellow classmates and her mom at the store. The little girl, Kate, has only been in the boys' class for a few weeks. Isaac introduced himself and the boys to the girl's mother.

"Oh I know about Shawn," she said. "He was so nice to Kate on her first day of school. We so appreciated that."

Makes me smile to think that our guy helped make that little girl feel a bit better on her first day at a new school. How amazing is our boy?!

~~~

Jack's favorite "baby" right now is his stuffed Mike. He loves this thing and wants to take it pretty much everywhere and do pretty much everything with him. (I've even caught Jack putting Mike on the potty!)

We had to laugh when he was overheard telling Mike, "Come on little brother, Mike. Let's go on a trip."

Little brother, Mike? lol

~~~

14 days of school left. As was the tradition last year, the boys are both hoping they get to go back to Toys R Us again on the last day of school. :) Jason is nearly driving himself crazy with the possibilities of what he might get.

~~~

Today we got two letters from the school saying that the boys may have been exposed to pertussis. While they both are vaccinated, I really don't want to have to test their immunity by direct exposure to the illness itself.

Wouldn't you know that Shawn started complaining of a runny nose this evening, and wouldn't you know that the whooping cough starts with flu/cold like symptoms.

Yeah. Fun.

To be fair, he was (they both were) exposed to a kid with a cold while we are on the field trip (the kid is still in school so he isn't the pertussis kid, thankfully), so there is no reason why this can't be a simple cold that will run its course like everything else...better yet, let's just call the runny nose thing a fluke that will be gone in the morning. Sounds good to me.

~~~

The boys have been doing dance class at school. On Wednesday, they are going to have a short recital of the dance that they learned. I. can't. wait. to see my boys boogie! Yea!

It Happened!

Our boys are in the same class, so of course they are doing the same work and have the same tests. While both boys are very bright (What can I say? We make smart kids! Lol), Shawn is sometimes overshadowed by his brother's performance in academics. 

This week, however, Shawn got his turn shine. Our Shawnie got a 100% on his math test on measurement. What makes this accomplishment especially awesome is that he got a much higher score than his brother!

Now we generally don't make it a habit to  highlight one boy's performance over the other, and frequently they score comparably in the language arts department. But math has always been a different story. Shawn has struggled, and let's face it, they're smart enough to know who finds things a little easier and who does not, even without us pointing it out.

So today we celebrate Shawn's accomplishment. We are SO proud! He worked hard and it shows!

Mostly Wordless Wednesday

Just like that, our picky boy eats cookies now. Lol

Zoo Field Trip

The boys had a field trip to the zoo today, and both Isaac and I were lucky enough to get to go with them! We had a fun group of boys, one of whom had never been to this zoo, so his motivation to see everything while he had the chance kept us moving at a fairly fast pace. 

We really did see everything! :)

Kind of made me think of Isaac and myself in a way.
Had to take a picture to capture the moment. LOL!

Our boy staking his claim in the evolutionary family tree.

Pretty much the only time they sat the entire time -- lunch.

Shawn and his aide sending dad a selfie from the bus. :)
Love her!

When we got home, the boys had to work on a homework assignment about their trip. The differences in their answers always fascinate me. We do the same things, but the way they view the world is never the same.

Today we went to the zoo.

We saw...
S: animals like an elephant.
J ( all answers spelled as he did):the pink toed tranchia, boa, and a poisin dart frog.

My favorite part was...
S: eating lunch with mommy and daddy.
J: when I got to hear a cockroach. (a hissing cockroach to be exact-ew)

Something new I learned was...
S: words about animals. (What those words were he would not divulge.)
J: If you see a snake you showd back away and it will do the same.

Just Because

I find stuff like this around the house all the time. Lol.

Conversations With 7 Year Olds

Scene: I had just given the boys some candy to enjoy while they were watching a movie.


Him: "Mom, can I have some more of that chalk?"

Me (laughing): "It's not chalk, it's Pez. Did you like it?"

Him: "Yeah. I liked it. Can I have some more?"


Still makes me laugh! I may have to call it "chalk" from here on out!

Cute Big Boy Saturday

He squatted down and pulled dirt around himself. With some pretty quick thinking, he jumped outside of the center and said, "Look, Dad! It's the letter O!"

Friday Five

18 school days until summer vacation. We are all looking forward to summer. We are all also looking forward to a nice, lazy, three day weekend. :)

~~~

The boys have a field trip to the zoo on Tuesday. Both Isaac and I are going to go as chaperones, too. Should be fun!

~~~

Jason has discovered Ranch dressing. He now asks for it at every meal and dips pretty much everything into it. Depending on what's being dipped, it's both fascinating and disgusting to see. lol

~~~

I'm pretty proud of Shawn's paragraph about an article he read on inventions:

"Inventions help people. One is a jet that takes off like a helicopter. We saw a space suit that people wear on Mars. Folding helmets are easy to carry. Inventions are amazing."

~~~

Jack has found he can open the top of the fish tank. The poor goldfish is now sharing his quarters with a matchbox car, a starfish, Captain Barnacles, and a plastic barrel.

I don't think the fish is too happy about it, either.

Just Hanging Around

Taking selfies...

Mostly Wordless Wednesday

I brought him some books to read. He was so happy!

Yet Another Don't Ask

Because I don't have an answer pose...

Yes, he's asleep. He stayed like that for a long time, too. Lol

Don't Ask

Because I have no idea why.

He stayed like that for a long time, too!

In Case He Couldn't Figure It Out On His Own

After trying unsuccessfully on his own for a few times, Jason asked Isaac to create a ladder for Jason's toy camper. They talked about it for a few minutes, trying to nail down the exact size Jason was looking for. Finally, Jason declared, "Wait! I'll draw you a plan!"

Off he went. When he returned, he presented Isaac with the following blueprint...

At the bottom is the masterpiece Isaac created to match Jason's specifications. LOL!

Cute Big Boy Saturday

All set up for a night of relaxing...

Popcorn, iPad, and a little television for good measure. A boy couldn't want for anything more.

Friday Five

I am somewhat afraid to type this lest I encourage the hand of fate to smack us in spite, but I think we may be on the upswing from the latest round of germs.

One unusual thing that happened this round was that Shawn lost most of his voice for several days. He was pretty cute with his raspy new sound, but I have to say that the unfamiliar voice around the house did catch me off guard several times!

~~~

There was this conversation in the car...

While listening to Taylor Smith's "Blank Space"...

"She can't really read him like a magazine! Oh! I know. That's an idiom!

So what does that mean?"

A proud moment for his English teacher mama. 

~~~

The boys had dance class at school this week. Jason was particularly impressed. He told us all about how he learned to "drive the car" and "wash the car" that afternoon. It looks like this will be a weekly thing for them, so that is pretty exciting!

~~~

Jack is really loving that plastic, under the bed tub they have. Tonight I found him sleeping in it ON HIS BED! lol. The kid had pulled it on his bed and then proceeded to arrange his pillow and blanket in it. All of his animals were placed on the bed around him.

I don't know how he did it, either. He must have been in stealth mode because I didn't hear a thing!

~~~

Shawn is usually the first to wake in the mornings. He never fails to come into our room and ask to get into bed with us. Morning snuggles are pretty much the best way to start the day. :)

Where Will We Find Him Now?

This plastic tub has been getting a lot of use lately. Lol

Mostly Wordless Wednesday

It is a bus...

Just in case that wasn't clear.

It's also hard to push with these three BIG boys sitting in it! :)

Just Chillin'

Working and having fun. It's a great combination!

Making Legos...

Cutting out pictures...

And practicing our patterns.

Grandma

The big boys also filled out a questionnaire about grandma. Their answers are pretty cute!

~~~~

My Grandma

The thing I love most about my Grandma is ...

J: that she has glasses.

S: she is sweet.

She makes me so happy when she ...

J: lets me pick out her clothes.

S: hugs me.

My Grandma is the best at making ...

J: me happy.

S: cakes and cookies.

Her favorite color is ...

J: yellow.

S: purple.

Her favorite place to shop is ...

J:  Raphs.

S: the grocery store.

Her favorite food is ...

J: cereal.

S: bananas.

When Grandma was a little girl she used to ...

J: play with dolls.

S: do recycling.

Now that she is older she can ...

J: play with me.

S: play dinosaurs.

If my Grandma was an animal she would be a ______  because ...

J: lizerd because thar cute.

S: lion because she roars.

If my Grandma had a TON of money she would buy me ...

J: model cars.

S: quarters and presents.

If my Grandma had a TON of money she would buy herself ...

J: gold because it is yellow.

S: presents and groceries.

I wouldn’t trade my Grandma for all the ______  in the world.

J: money.

S: money.

~~~

They made her so pretty picture frames to go along with their answers. :) While we didn't get pictures of the finished products, Isaac did manage to snap one of Shawn creating his. We did a sort of hand stamp technique to make them have a marbleized finish.

It's so funny to me that the boys had the exact same paints to choose from, but each frame came out totally different--and just perfect!

Mother's Day

Today my boys really spoiled me rotten. They let me sleep in before they all jumped on my bed for snuggle time. (It was also jump on the bed and be crazy time. Lol)

When I got up, I came to the kitchen to find some flowers and gifts.

Isaac had the boys each draw me some artwork to hang up. Love them!

The brown bags were from the big boys. They made me beautiful necklaces at school...

And did a "My Very Special Mom" questionnaire about me (spelled just the way they did)...

My mom is special to me because...

J: she's allways loveing.

S: she is good.

When I am with my mom, we like to...

J: play togther.

S: recycle.

I know my mom is very smart because...

J: she helps me with my homework.

S: she plays with me!

My mom is good at many things. One thing she's best at is...

J: fixing iPads.

S: helping me.

I know my mom loves me because...

J: she says.

S: she hugs me.

How cute are those?

We ended the evening by going out to dinner.

I swear we turned our heads for a second. When we looked back
all of his food was gone! Sheesh. This explains a lot!

Like usual, the boys managed to keep us on our toys during dinner, too, when the middle child ate a little too much, too quickly. Life is never boring around these parts. :)

All in all, it was a lovely day today! I am so thankful for all of my guys!

Cute Big Boy Saturday

It's show time!!!!

This afternoon, Jack created a little stage for himself. He then proceeded to perform nonstop dances to "All about the Base" for his adoring fans. :)

Bowing for his fans.

You know I'm good.

How'd I do?

It was pretty dang cute, too!

Friday Five

So, as it always happens when one gets sick, his brothers quickly joined the sickness party. Snot is a-flow-in here. A lot.

Jason seems to be on the upswing. He's got a cough, but his nose has finally stopped its constant leak.

By Tuesday night, Jack had come down with it. He is still consistently runny, albeit with slightly longer intervals between wipes.

Shawn was hit Thursday and is still feeling pretty crummy. The poor boy's nose is draining like a sieve nonstop.

It's such fun.

~~~

I got Jason some new shoes because he had outgrown his others. The dude has himself some bright red sneakers now. He is totally in love with them.

I am blown away that he now wears a size 2. And a size 2 in bright red shoes seems so HUGE to me! Sheesh.

~~~

The boys have a substitute teacher in school this week. They really like him. Jason swears he reminds him of his dad. (I'm guessing he is tall and dark. I haven't seen him, so I don't know, though.) Shawn says he is really nice.

~~~

Jack has a group of "babies", which are all of his stuffed animals. I'd say there are at least 20 of them. He regularly sets up his babies to watch his shows and circus performers. He loads them all up to take with him when he takes his shopping cart around the house. He moves all of them from one room to another throughout the day.

It's pretty comical.

~~~

Shawn has a renewed interest of his little piano keyboard. He has mastered "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and likes to create his own tunes, too!