Having fun INSIDE

This morning I made a "Cave" (fort) for the boys to play in. Tanner instantly said that they were lions. But Benson said he was a bear. So a ferocious lion and bear were living in a cave in the middle of my living room. Tanner told me that if I didn't move I wouldn't get eatin up. So I didn't move for fear of my life. :)

After the boys were done being scary, they went and got their pillows and blankets and just relaxed.

The fun of having a brother to play with!

Here they would race back and forth from the front door to the back. I was in the kitchen when I noticed they started slowing down and then would get quiet for a while before running again. So I followed them from the kitchen to find them quickly jump onto the stairs and lay for a minute before running again. I thought it was cute!

We love DAD!!!!

Since we don't do much camping out here in the middle of the country (it is just way to hot and humid in the summers). This is the camp out Andrew does with Tanner. They pull out the hid-a-bed and "camp out" in the living room. Tanner thinks it is super fun and loves when they do it. Andrew will complain the next day that his back is killing him. :) So I guess it's not much different then sleeping on the hard ground.
Giving Daddy loves. The boys love when Andrew gets home and will follow him around for a while. They usually end up wrestling, but on day's like this... they just want to relax and give loves!

Last games of the season

So the last two t-ball games of the season our team only had 4 players because everyone is on vacation. So my friend brought two shirts left by other players for Benson and his little friend Easton to wear and "play" on the team. Yeah they were a little young and didn't end up playing but they felt really cool looking like their big brothers. They threw some balls around.

I love the picture of Tanner above just getting ready to hit the ball. He is so serious and determined.

Our small little team of four.

They could still give a good yell though!

Go Mighty Mariners!!!!

Benson's 2 year old pictures

A couple months late. But I finally got pictures taken. I wanted to do them before but I swear he always had a bruise or bug bite on his face. Andrew finally said, "Just do them, the bruises on his forehead is who he is." Nice.... at least he hasn't gotten them as bad as Tanner. Benson does have a few old bruises on his head but you can't really see them.

Swimming lessons and the KROC Center

We put Tanner in a two week swimming lesson class and he absolutely loved it. Taking Tanner swimming before was not always the most enjoyable thing but now it is really FUN. He likes going under the water and just having fun being in the water. He's not quite ready to swim on his own. This was just a beginning class but I thought it was great for him.
Here he is at his lesson waiting to get in.

I told Tanner that we would buy him some goggles so the water wasn't getting in his eye's so much. He wore them around the house for the first couple of days we had them. I got 3 pair at Toys' R Us on sale for less then the price of one, so all the boys have one. Benson took his off right before I could get a picture and Andrew's are a little tight... maybe I should have gotten a adult pair. :)

With Tanner enjoying swimming so much we have gone the the KROC Center a couple of times to swim. I love it because they have a shallow part cut off from the deep water but right next to it and then 3 foot water that's deep enough for Tanner to play in. I can be by both kids without worrying about either of them.

Here is Andrew having fun. It really is such a fun and cheap place to go to for the whole family.

What I see almost every morning...

As I sat there eating my own cereal I thought how cute it was as I looked across the table and watched as Benson and Tanner drank the milk out of their bowls. So I hurried and grabbed the camera. As they set their bowls down after finishing, they both said, "YUM" with big smiles on their faces.

It was just something that brought a smile to my face so I had to share.

After a storm

I am really going to miss the storms we get out here. Nothing like you see in the west!

Break out a PUZZLE!

Our friend wanted to borrow a puzzle to do but then decided against it. Andrew and I did this one the first year we were married and haven't touched it since. But because I had gotten it out I thought we should try doing it again. We spent a couple hours each night for 3 days putting it together. It was actually pretty fun. It is such a thrill to find a piece that fits, especially if it was a piece the other person had been looking for for a while. :)

So if you are wondering what to do with your nights and are bored with what you have been doing try doing a puzzle. Plus it gives you time to just talk to each other and enjoy the other's company while you put in a piece they wanted to and rub it in their face. :)

The 4th of July

Benson was not so sure of these flower fireworks. Tanner loved them.
We watched the fireworks set off from Rosenblatt and they are really the best firework shows I have seen. Coming from a small town it might not mean much. But I really like the ones here. None of my pictures turned out though. This one looks lame but you could see it the best.

Tanner did have a really excited face but with the crazy green flash my camera does Andrew and Tanner made weird faces.

I should have bought just a CASE of snaps. Both boys think they are the greatest and could have done them for hours.

We also did some sparklers, but it wasn't even dark yet so the pictures would have been lame. It gets dark late here and I like putting the kids down before. But overall we all had a fun and relaxing weekend!

Random things this month

Benson starting up a new style
Being invaded by skunks.
There was at LEAST 13 baby skunks living within 100 feet of our house. This is one being caught.

Benson falling off the slide and trying to smile after being cleaned up. His mouth was full of rocks and blood before the clean up. It was so sad!

My boys being so GOOD and so QUIET with their Tag pens almost everytime I try to nap or shower. Best purchases ever!

Benson showing off his new "Fip Fops"

My Benson

Benson loves sitting out on this little step on the back porch. If I give him a little snack he asks to sit out side to eat it (sometimes I make him if it's messy). But he just sits there and enjoys the sights. See his cute little legs crossed too.

I got these suspenders out of a friends Goodwill bag she was getting ride of. Both the boys kept wanting to put them on. Tanner thought they were binky clips at first because the clasps are the same. It was so funny to watch them mess around putting the suspenders on.

Tanner's T-ball game

I missed seeing and taking a picture of Tanner hitting the ball and running the first game so I thought I would add these picture's from the last game!

Splash pad party!

Our ward had a get together at a little splash pad. The kids enjoyed it although it doesn't look like Tanner is here. The cold water felt so good on such a hot day!

My Birthday!

So I have to say that the best thing about this birthday was ALL the yummy food. But the whole day was good. It started off by me waking up and finding a sweet note from Andrew on the mirror to walking downstairs to find my kitchen decorated by my friend while I was still asleep in bed. Then she had someone babysit my kids and took me out to eat lunch at Olive Garden. After Andrew got home our family went to Wheatfield's to eat dinner (I think it's only in Omaha but I'm not sure ). I got what I have gotten almost every time, the Creme Brule' Waffle covered in fresh fruit. Tanner got the same and ate the whole thing. By the time we finished we were to full for dessert so we just got a slice of chocolate muse cake to go. But our car was parked in front of Ted and Wally's (a homemade icecream shop) so we couldn't resist that and got a little to share between all of us. By this time it was getting late so we went home and put Benson to bed and had a neighbor watch him. Then Andrew and I took Tanner to Toy Story 3. It was cute, had a lot of funny parts, but it seemed like they made this one for older kids. Tanner didn't like some crazy monkey in it. By the time we got home we went straight to bed. Andrew was helping Tanner get ready for bed and Tanner started crying saying, "We didn't even make mom a cake, or have her blow out any candles and sing Happy Birthday. I forgot to buy her something at the store too." I didn't hear any of this but Andrew said he was so heart broken. It made me feel bad. So the next day they put candles in the cake from Wheatfield's and sang "Happy Birthday" to me. (The cake was probably the best cake I have ever had.) Then I took Tanner to the a store and Tanner picked out some actually really cute earrings for me. And because Benson was there I picked out a few then let him pick out one pair that he wanted to get for me. They both thought that was fun and I got two new pairs of earrings! I really did have a great birthday. My family and friends made it great for me. Thanks for all that you do for me!

(The picture at the top is the only picture of the day... it's my almost gone DELICIOUS waffle.)

Father's Day!

So by the time I thought to snap a picture of the boys looking so nice in their Sunday clothes, Benson was the only one still dressed. So I scratched that idea and took one as we were sitting down for Andrew's Father's Day meal. He actually grilled the meat (we wanted it to be good, not burnt on the outside and raw in the middle like it probably would have been with me cooking it.) But I did the rest, complete with delicious smoothies!

Anyhow I think he enjoyed the day.

Thanks for being a GREAT DAD! You really do an amazing good with the kids and are such a good example to them. I can't wait to see you with our little girl! :) Love you babe!

The Durham Museum

So we have wanted to go to this museum forever but have been to cheap to pay for it. Luckily Andrew got free tickets through the school and we were able to go and check it out.
They had these statues everywhere. They were probably my favorite. I love "real life" statues. I think they're so cool!

Benson was unsure about sitting in between these two guys. He kept looking back and forth at each of them.

Andrew and I posing. Thanks for the great picture Tanner!

We got there about two hours before closing time and stayed until it closed. The boys actually really liked it and wanted to stay longer... for the trains of course. They let you walk through a train that changed time periods through each cart. Tanner said he liked the oldest the best. I couldn't believe how small the individual quarters where. In what was about as big as our closet was a sink, toilet, chair, then bed that folded down out of the chair and over the toilet to make a bed. I took picture but none of them did justice. You couldn't really tell what you were looking at. So you'll just have to take my word from it. But they were SOOOO small!

This was a little trolley type train that the kids could just climb in and out of. Benson liked this the best because he didn't have to listen to me tell him to hurry up or slow down. He could just play.