{birthday boys}

Two years went by way too fast.

These boys bring me such joy. I can't imagine life without either one of them, and I'm so grateful for the second biggest surprise of our lives.  :)

Jack

Jack Jack, Jack Sprat, Peanut

Playful, and a big tease

 Happy and content

Persistent

LOVES:  any kind of ball--it was his first word, treats, being held, his "baby" (teddy bear), to talk

Henry 

Henry B., B. Dog, Big Dog, Dogger, Hagrid, Chewie (the last two courtesy SS)

Teddy bear--big and soft (and emotional)

Easygoing

Funny

LOVES: books, eating, being outside, trucks

.....

We were able to celebrate last night, and we had such a great evening.  The boys (see, I'm trying to stop calling them "the babies"!) would live outside if I let them, so of course a campfire was right up their alley.  We roasted hot dogs, ate yummy food, and sat around the fire. The kids played and played--it really doesn't get any better than that.

The theme for their birthday this year was "1 Fish, 2 Fish".  I thought it was appropriate, considering there are two of them, and they were turning two!  I didn't have time to do a lot--but the things I did manage to get finished made it really fun.

They loved the cupcakes, but weren't so sure about the candles.

They have no presents yet, because I still can't decide (out of the two we've narrowed it down to) what they would like the best.  Seriously, they're two...I just need to pick something!

.....

We love you, sweet boys!  Happy Birthday!

All those of you that have also put a diaper through the wash can cry with me now.

42-hundred little pieces of super absorbent fluff covered my floor, counter, every piece of laundry, the inside of the washer and the dryer. 

I did learn that vacuum works really well on the inside of my washer and dryer. 

Good to know.

{blueberry patch hall of fame}

Blueberry picking is one of those summer activities that we simply can't miss out on.  We've been going every year since Ryan was little, and it's a family favorite. I was a little unsure about going this week, because it's been SO HOT, but when our friends called and asked us to go, I couldn't resist.

We picked and picked, and even the littles got the hang of it. Jack quickly learned the art of grabbing plump juicy berries out of someone else's bucket, then putting them into his own. The look on Sasha's face was priceless when he realized that his hard work was going into Jack's bucket.  :)

The girls just loved talking while they were picking, and Natalie was a good sport to listen to all of their adventures. 

 

 Ryan, Darin, and Justin were more immersed in berry throwing than picking, the little turkeys, but they did manage to pick quite a bit. (Here two of them are, in collaboration)

After a couple of hours we had almost 10 pounds of berries, which isn't bad for the amount of kids, distractions, bathrooms trips and water breaks we had. We piled kids in the car, then started to turn the truck around when we heard a CRUNCH.

The blueberries.

All of our berries were now on the ground, completely smashed, and the poor bucket had its own serious issues.  We scooped up the berries as best as we could, then took them up front to pay for them, and the bucket.  They took one look at that bucket, and declared that not only was it a first (I guess most people don't regularly run over their berries), but that it was being hung up as a demonstration as to what not to do. Justin kindly provided them with our names for reference.  :) They also ended up not charging us for the berries. Apparently they know someone who likes smashed berries. 

I guess we'll be back...sooner than we thought!

{holes}

Kate, with Hello Kitty

 Emma, with little flowers

This is what you get when you lose the one pair of earrings that you've worn every single day and night for the last three years since your ears have been pierced (taken them out only for volleyball games, and only since they're not allowed), and have to go shopping for another pair with two little girlies in tow.

I'm still kind of shocked we did it, but they love them.  They remind me at least 42 times per day that we need to clean their ears, which is awesome.  Until the 40th time. 

 

They look darling.

{will work for food}

My darling Henry, hard at work, his little red face so intent upon the work at hand.  Rick was moving logs from the forest to the wheelbarrow, then from the wheelbarrow to the log pile.  Henry so wanted to help, and wouldn't stop until it was done.  (Don't worry--they took plenty of water breaks, and lots of opportunities to rest.)

I'm thinking maybe the laundry is next?  :)

[midnight}

Last night was a first and a last.

It was Ryan's first ever midnight showing, and the last Harry Potter movie--the end of an era.  He COULD NOT WAIT to go, especially because we were making an exception to let him see it. (He can't see PG-13 movies.) Okay, so I was just as excited as he was, and thought the anticipation was going to kill me.

We met at the theater at 10:30pm, and the line was already out the door, around the side and to the back of the building.  Of course there were people dressed up (which I love), and there was just a feeling in the air.  We met our really good friends there, Julie and Kyler, which made it even more fun. It was quite the procedure--numbered arm bands and the works, but with the amount of people there, it was nice to have some sort of organization to the chaos.

We ended up with great seats--in fact, I couldn't have chosen any better had the theater been empty.  The boys were settled with their popcorn and Hot Tamales, and we were all READY!! 

(couldn't resist this one...love the arm)

 

The movie did not disappoint.  I cried my fair share of tears, and I was more emotional than perhaps I thought I would be. Not only is the story riveting, but the bravery and courage of a young boy and his friends standing up for what they believe despite facing a certain death is compelling.  I also tend to get very invested in the characters of my favorite books, and this was no exception.  Watching them grow up has been such an adventure, and I've so enjoyed looking forward to the the next book, then the next movie.  Having that come to a close is most definitely an end to an era.

Ryan fell asleep about 2/3 of the way through, and I wasn't too surprised.  He's not typically a late owl, and like his momma, tends to fall asleep in movies.  I think we'll be back tomorrow--for a matinee.  :) 

after the movie...can you tell?

All in all, it was a once in a lifetime night, and despite the lack of sleep, still totally worth it.

{at the pond}

One of our favorite places to visit is our nearby nature center. It's an incredible educational resource--observatories, hands-on play, activities, acres upon acres to investigate, extremely knowledgeable people to answer any question--none too big or small--storytimes, and more. The kids love every moment of it, and we rarely leave before we've been there at least two hours.   

One of the storytimes we went to a few weeks ago with our good friends was about turtles and frogs.  We read, made turtles out of paper plates, then headed outside.  Oh my goodness, they were all in heaven.  They were given dippers, with the goal to catch some tadpoles or frogs.  Really though, it didn't matter what they caught--even sticks made them excited!  I even got in on the action, when Henry took off his shoe and threw it into the pond. Those dippers work really well, thank goodness. We missed Ryan--he was still in school when we went, but we'll have plenty of time to go this summer.

The boys just had to watch this part--I wasn't quite ready to let them out of their stroller yet.  Odds are, they (and I) would have ended up in the pond.

One of the things they were trying to catch...



 
We loved seeing different animals up close--turkeys, ducks, and birds

I also picked up a couple of pairs of rubber galoshes that they were selling for only $5, and we've put them too good use so far.

Perfect for ponds...and for puddles.

{where's waldo? a.k.a. kate}

Love this girl. Her new favorite activity is climbing trees in our yard--the taller the better.

So we've implemented a new family rule:  No climbing trees without parental supervision.

And nothing over 30 feet.  Lol.

{a day at the beach}

Our favorite beach is about an hour and a half away, on Lake Huron. We really love it there, and it was just about as close to perfect as you can get.  The temperature was in the low 80's, the sun was shining, there was no wind to be found, and hardly any humidity. 

The kids were happy playing in the sand most of the time, and I was happy on my blanket just watching them.  I brought along a book, and with the sound of the crashing waves in the background, I couldn't imagine anything better than being in that moment. 

After hours of sand, water, and walks along the beach, it was time to pack up.  I don't know why I'm always surprised at how long it actually takes to get everyone clean, clothes changed, and get the truck packed.  You'd think I would be used to it by now--maybe I just think I can do it faster than I actually can.

Dinner was absolutely delicious at a local pizza place, and we finished off a gigantic pizza plus breadsticks to boot.  I think all that sand made us hungry.  We couldn't escape without ice cream and a walk along the boardwalk to see all the huge boats--it's tradition.  

We have been coming to this beach for almost nine years now, and it's still one of our most favorite summer traditions.  I treasure days like this--it really was the perfect day.