Making the most of it

I have found the secret to a stress-free vacation.

Have cousins handy.

Thank goodness for Ezekiel and Elijah.



Over the course of the last few days, I haven't had to answer the question, "What are we going to do now?"

Jason and Michael made their cousins respond. The cousins even kept the baby occupied.

I'm sure the question came fast and furious at times, if one exchange I heard early in the week was any indication.

Rapid-fire, Jason needed to know, "Are we going to play Jenga or Yahtzee?" "Which one?" "WHICH ONE?"

Of course, it ended up, both games would be at the center, over and over, and over.

Another place we went to frequently, no surprises here, the beach.



It was in the water that we really saw the benefit of having older boys to look up to.

Jason has been in the ocean before, he's even jumped in. But with boogie boards? With gusto? Nope.

The beach experience has been changed forever for our #1.





I wish I could take credit for these wonderful photos. But, I can't. Grandpa and his great eye got these action shots of the boys. Thanks so much!
Michael got in the water, too. But the first couple of times we went to the beach, he just wanted to play in the sand. We brought beach toys, and he used every single one of them.



Michael was busy digging holes, building sand castles, and making food.



Here I am, feasting on his blueberry and strawberry jam. Delicious!

Back from the beach

We're back! We're definitely rested now after a week in the Outer Banks.

What a treat to be able to spend time with Amah, Akong, Grandma, and Grandpa.





For the first time, Ezekiel and Elijah also joined us for some R & R.



Funny, we live at the beach. But, there's something about relaxing anywhere but home, without internet access, that makes a vacation truly special.

We stayed at a three-bedroom condo, a timeshare, just off the beach. It was basically two apartments connected by a door. Doors surrounded this place, doors that lead to outside patios, doors that lead to the other living quarters, doors to the stairs. Michael, especially, enjoyed our new, temporary digs. Every time I thought he was watching television or doing something with Jason, I would hear footsteps outside and Michael screaming, “AAAH! I'm outside. AAH! I'm inside." Then the pitter-patter of little feet.

One night, Michael proved to us that he is truly mesmerized by beach living. He said he really enjoyed this “house.” He went on and looked up at us in that way only he has. Those big brown eyes were bigger than normal.

"I really love this house," he said. "I want to build one just like this, but I'll make it taller than Heaven.”



He's special, that one. Over the last few months, we've really noticed Michael is turning into the ultimate helper.

He even helped me paint my toes.

Michael was the perfect person to help me with my task. He held the bottle so steadily while I added color to my nails.

I finished up, capped the bottle and put it on the table. I thought we were done.

Two minutes later, I looked up and Michael had a spot right under his nose.

“Where did that come from, Michael?”

He said, so earnestly, "I wanted to see what the nail polish smells like."

And now, everyone who sees him will know I love the color red.



Jason also does things to make us step back a bit. The words that come tumbling out of his mouth make us realize he really is always thinking.

He and Michael were horsing around one morning while I was still asleep.

Doug tried to quiet them down.
"Jason, Mommy is asleep. Be quiet."

That didn't work, so he continued.

"BE QUIET! Mommy is sleeping."

Jason quieted down to ask this: "Well, Daddy, if you want us to be quiet, why are YOU yelling?"



There are more stories to come....can't forget about the baby's adventures at the beach!

Father's Day 2009

Happy Father's Day!!!

We know we are so lucky to have wonderful fathers in our lives.
The boys had to share their feelings in a video for both Grandpa and Akong. Just a warning, you may want to turn down the volume a bit. :)

Enjoy!

Meals to remember

You know Jason, and now Michael, for that matter, enjoy pelting us with questions.

I love that they are always thinking.

At dinner last night, appropriately enough, the subject was food, and what kind of food big, scary animals enjoyed.

Like snakes. Jason wanted to know what snakes ate.
"How long do they get?"
"Could they stretch to the ceiling?"
"Would they be taller than the tallest man in the world?"
"Could they eat him?"

We moved onto other animals, but the theme stayed the same.

"Could a panther eat a snake?"
"Could a panther eat people?"

"Where do panthers live?"

You could tell he was beginning to get worked up, that the questions and answers were having an impact. Would he have to worry about panthers in the cul-de-sac during playtime?

Doug said, "South America."

And, almost under his breath, Jason said, "Phew."
Fast.
You could tell he had been worried, and we all had a good laugh.

Not all of our meals are that exciting.



But they are always quite fun.
Here's a picture from a few weeks ago. We were at Michael's friend, Tyler's house, for a birthday party. Jorah, Jason, and Michael were best buds that day.



Doug got a shot of the older two on the deck a while ago, from his phone. The picture isn't too clear, but you can see very well they love each other!



And, Michael is getting to a stage where he wants one-on-one time with Doug.
So the two of them, just the two of them, just wrapped up making a secret dessert for us tonight.

We don't know exactly what it is, but something tells me, chocolate might be involved.

Almost bedtime for me. Sweet dreams!

This and that

The days are a blur, but there are three constants.
Jason, Michael, and Joshua.

Always fun, for the most part delightful, sometimes loud.

Have you heard of Kidz Bop?
We hadn't, until a recent trip to McDonald's.

Who knew that a Happy Meal toy would bring music into our lives? Kidz Bop is a group of young singers sharing their rendition of current popular tunes.

So, imagine young voices giving life to songs like Madonna's "Holiday" or Kelly Clarkson's "Since You've Been Gone," (or as Michael sings it, "Since you be gone,") or the boys' favorite, Tom Cochrane's "Life Is a Highway." I know, I know, these songs have been around awhile, but they're on Kidz Bop 15 or something and McD's was giving away #1 and #2. The kids have no idea they're now enjoying the oldies. They probably wouldn't care if you told them. You'll hear them in the hallway or coloring a picture singing the refrain to one of these songs.

Don't forget the baby! He sings along, too.



You'll notice the boys are not in these pictures. They need a haircut, no surprise. They are also behind the lens. We let them snap a picture or two.



Happy Monday! Enjoy the week!