Harlem Globetrotters

Last Sunday my family went to see the world famous Harlem Globetrotters! I think the adults enjoyed it more than the kids (well, may be not). Anyway, a good time was had by all. Here are just a few of my favorite shots...

The tip-off!

Here two of the Globetrotters "assist" one another in making this basket

(as if they need ANY help)!

THIS guy hung up there on the backboard for like five minutes

(okay, may be not that long, but long enough to take this picture)!

Talk about cool!

This one is really neat! See the picture on the left of the guy dunking the

ball OVER the referee's head!?!?! The picture on the right shows

he didn't have the angle exactly perfect...

This is just a cool shot...

First Winter Snow

Alex's Christmas Program

Today was Alex's Christmas party at preschool. They played games, sang a few Christmas songs, ate cookies and even had a visit from Santa! Of course the boys were afraid to sit on Santa's lap, but we talked to him and asked for a book. I treid to upload the video, but I get an error message. It must be too big of a file.

Alex's School Picture

Sesame Street Live!

Last weekend we took the boys to see Sesame Street Live: Elmo's Green Thumb! This performance was about Elmo and friends raising a sunflower and finding a place to plant him in their garden. They really enjoyed the show, but Alex didn't want any of the characters to come up close to him at all. Tyler paid attention most of the time, but ended up playing on the sticky floor of arena towards the end. We all ate buttered popcorn and had our drink of choice. Everyone was happy...if only for a moment in time!

Holiday Pictures 2009

Halloween 2009

Superman (Alex) and Mr. Bones (Tyler)

Testing the cape to see if he can fly...

Fall fun!!!!

Field Trip

Yesterday Alex's preschool took a field trip to Lynds Fruit Farm. We had a great time!

October Pics

One last opportunity to ride the bikes before winter. Tyler wanted to ride the Radio Flyer, but couldn't figure out how to peddle. May be he'll figure it out next spring.

Let me introduce you to HOP. He is visiting us from Alex's preschool classroom. Next week we will give him to another classmate (hopefully without any tears).

Alex's Tree

This is the tree that Alex planted from seed this past spring! We have planted numerous trees in that very spot over the years and they all end up dying. For some unexplained reason this seed wanted to grow in this spot and Alex used his little hands to help. The tree is just about five foot tall right now. I sure hope it survives the winter and comes back strong next year!

First soccer practice!

Last Saturday Alex attended his first soccer practice. Leading up to the actual event, he was excited and couldn't wait to wear his shin guards and new shoes. That all changed when we arrived at the elementary school they are using for soccer this year and found a HUGE playground. Since we were early I agreed to let him play before practice started. Big mistake. When it came time to change into his new uniform and start soccer practice, he didn't want to come off the playground. John had a terrible time getting him over to the field and he didn't come without tears. Thankfully he wasn't the only three year old shedding some tears that morning.

They tried to scrimmage towards the end of practice, but as you can imagine, the kids didn't understand what was happening. We have some good parents who volunteered to serve as coach, so it should be a lot of fun for the kids this fall. If nothing else, he is getting outside and running off some energy and getting exercise!

First Day of Pre-School

Okay, that was hard. He was grinning from ear to ear until we reached the door of his classroom. He wouldn’t walk into the classroom. I went in and then some other kids started arriving. Eventually he came in but started whining wanting me to stay. The teachers let the parents take pictures for a few minutes. One little boy was hysterical and clinging to his mom. Alex was looking at me like, should I be crying too? The teachers started handing out name tags for the kids and had them all sit on the floor in front of her. I helped Alex put on his name tag and then walked out quickly when he wasn’t looking. The other parents followed me and the teachers quickly closed the door. Then, all at once, ten screaming children. I thought I could distinguish Alex’s cry among them, but I can’t be sure. I looked at the other parents as we wondered what to do next. I told myself that he would be fine and would have a smile on his face when I pick him up later that morning...and he did!

Outer Banks, NC

The week before Labor Day we rented a house down in the Outer Banks of North Carolina with some friends (pictured below while on the ferry to Ocracoke Island: Ian, Cindee, Jessie and Myron). Their boys are a few years older than Alex and Tyler, but they had a great time trying to keep up with the big boys.

We left our house at 4 am and arrived at the beach house around 7 pm (15 hour trip)! Needless to say, we were all tired of being in the car and ready for a good nights sleep. The next day we hung out on the beach and the guys tested out their surf boards in the ocean. Even though their surf instructor said the waves were too rough for a lesson, the guys couldn't wait to get wet. They had fun and only one ended up with a minor head injury.

You can't visit the Outer Banks and not see a few lighthouses! This is the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (pictured below).

Alex, Amber, John and Tyler while visiting Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

Alex and Daddy driving the winning go kart!

We got sand in our swim suits, a little too much sun and ate some great seafood! All in all, a wonderful family vacation! Here are some other pictures.

We stopped at Pilot Mountain state park in North Carolina on the drive home.

On the way home the boys passed the time by coloring (Alex), talking on the phone (Tyler) and eating lollipops.

Mack Truck

Last night I started to feel drained and a little sick to my stomach. I tossed an turned all night and this morning felt like I'd been hit by a mack truck. I mistakenly thought that with a good cup of coffee and a shower, I might feel better. I cancelled my sitter and trip to the gym. I'm glad I did because I've progressively gotten worse all day. Alex is also complaining of a sore throat and has started to cough. Tyler had a mild fever and cough last week, but it never progressed. I am hoping Alex and I will get off that lucky and that John will stay immune!

Today's Concert

I got to sleep in a little this morning. That was nice. Tyler has been having a hard time seeing John leave for work in the mornings. I usually take him over to the window in the living room and we wave to him as he drives away. That makes it okay. After breakfast we all went for a walk around the block. It was very humid and we were all sticky by the end. Still, Alex and I pulled some of the dead day lilies from the flower beds before heading inside to cool off.

While I was putting Tyler down for his morning nap, Alex "played school" at the kitchen table. This is something that he has been enjoying for the last few days. I let him open his new package of markers (school supplies) and color in his pre-k activity books. Yesterday he spent a few hours at the table counting and practicing his letters. He is really excited about starting pre-school in a few weeks. He puts on his new red backpack almost everyday and asks to go to school. I have to explain that school isn't open yet and we look at the calendar where I've circled his first day of school. I just hope he keeps this excitement throughout the school year!

This afternoon I'm going to can some peach jam and freeze a bunch of green beans that Uncle Earl brought to last weekend. We thought about going up to the Street Fair after naps this afternoon, but the weather man is calling for hail. I may just order pizza for dinner and call it day.

Zoo Day

We met Alison and her two boys at the Zoo today. This is Evan and Alex outside the baby elephant exhibit. We saw the baby elephant playing with a big blue ball. Alex thought that was really neat. We cooled off at the aquarium for a bit and then headed over to the food court for lunch. The boys were being really good, but had ants in their pants so we let them play at the play area for a bit.

Tyler


Alex at the Zoo

Easton Fountain

Summer Update

Tyler is now fifteen months old and had his check up with the doctor on Wednesday. He is 24 lbs, 6 oz. and is 31 inches tall, so he gained 2 lbs and grew 1 inch in the last three months. He is walking when he wants to walk, but crawls to get most places fast. He jabbers all day long and points to whatever he is "talking" about, so it is easy to carry on a "conversation".

Alex is officially potty trained and is doing a really good job of going by himself. I am so proud and relieved that he accomplished this before September when he is scheduled to start preschool! I am possibly more excited than Alex about starting preschool. He just doesn't know what to expect at this point. Once he starts going, I'm sure he will LOVE it and want to go everyday (instead of just the two days a week that he is scheduled).

John and I just got back from a weekend (adults only) trip to St. Pete Beach, Florida. We had a relaxing weekend of lounging on the beach and sight seeing. We are taking the boys to the Outer Banks to play in the ocean later this year.

Tyler is walking!

He took his first steps while at Vacation Bible School last week (July 13). John and I didn't get to see it, but the next morning he took one step by himself towards John. Over the next few days we kept working with him, but he didn't have the confidence to take more than one step alone. On Monday of this week we recorded this video. He is now taking 5-6 steps by himself before losing his balance. It won't be too much longer before he is off and running. Alex is so excited! He wants to play tag and hide and go seek with his brother so bad.

John Deere

This is Tyler's first time on the John Deere! He seemed to really enjoy the ride.

First Camping "Trip"

Alex, Daddy, Charlie (monkey) and Ally (alligator) are camping out in the back yard tonight! We bought his first sleeping bag the other day and he has been so excited to do this. There are a lot of neighborhood fireworks tonight, so I'm really not sure how long they will last. Alex says he is going to sleep outside ALL NIGHT. We'll see...

UPDATE! He lasted about an hour! They both came inside to sleep around 10:30 pm. Better luck next time.