They love to read

When I first started this blog, I had no fear the children would read it. They could barely walk, so they were otherwise occupied. They had other skills they needed to master first.

But now, the boys visit this site regularly for stories about their babyhood. I think they mostly look at pictures.

And they have questions.

"Why is Joshua in ALL of the posts?" (I really don't think that's true).

"How come you don't have any pictures of Michael?"

"What do you mean?" I ask. "TOTALLY not true."

"Well, look at this one." This from Jason. It even says, "Michael is 5 years old!"

"But, look at it. It has pictures of Joshua all through it."

And I have to admit, there is a little bit of proof.

See for yourself.

Catch the post about Michael's 5th birthday here.

So, tonight, I'm rectifying it.

Now that he's in middle school, Michael and I have so much more time to spend together. And I'm so very thankful for that time. He talks about his new friends (one of his new friends has a boat - see the picture below from a recent trip on the water), Academic Challenge as well as loving his new Middle School. We are so thrilled to see Michael so happy!

Meets, matches & games

What a difference two years makes.

One of the last posts I wrote before this blog's hiatus focused solely on baseball.

For several years, it's all we knew.

Home from school, snack, homework, baseball practice, dinner, bed. 6-hour double-headers, sunflower seeds, peanuts, bleachers and loads of Sunday fun.

That was the routine for a very, very long time, and I thought it would continue for years to come. 

But right after Cooperstown (pictures and stories to come at a later date), Jason decided no more dugouts and pop flies.

Now it's all about tackles.

We're firmly into football. What?! Football? Yes, Jason played last year and then again this year. You know it's here to stay when we see him and his ear-splitting grin as he walks off the football field.

 
See? Can't believe Grandma and Grandpa are able to smile, too, standing so close to him. He puts his all into those games. Whew!

The football season just wrapped up and he's now practicing for basketball season. We ask him constantly whether baseball is in his future - as in, "Will you be needing any of the countless bats, helmets or baseballs we have stored in our garage?"

"No."

That's the same answer I get from Michael when I ask him about baseball, swimming, or basketball.

Luckily, I think we have found a sport he actually enjoys.

Tennis. We have started to play tournament games with kids his age, and let's just say his first season was the warm-up round. Looking forward to a much better showing in the winter. We love watching him play!


 

Speaking of swimming... Finally! I have one who may like it enough to continue with it. I forced Jason and Michael to do at least one season of swim team in order to beef up their water skills. Joshua has really started taking to the competition of the meets, though, coming in first in all his events in his swimming trials.

We'd actually never seen a first-place ribbon in this sport before, something we make sure Jason and Michael realize.

Look! So many pretty colors!

This past weekend, Joshua was part of a relay and the entire team won first place. Again, a first for us, so I had to document it.

It has already been a very busy holiday season and as usual, we kicked all of it off with the Grand Illumination. This time, we took our neighbors. There were 16 of us and we had a blast!

Happy holidays to all of YOU!

We're back!

I had forgotten the joy I received in sharing the kids' moments.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday 2016, I happened to think about this blog. I went online to see if it was still there. And, thank goodness! It's still standing.

I went back in time.

Funny stories, pictures from homes, vacations and visits past, incredible memories.

From the last time I posted, in 2013, to today, late 2016, much has changed. The boys are bigger (much bigger), they have more to say, and they are simply brimming with personality. I tried to get them to read about their young lives. They were not interested. But us adults? Laughing until we were crying at some of the things these children said and did. A lot has happened in the last three years, since I last posted. So I will attempt to catch you up. In 2012, this was our trio. Kids, right?

 

Today, they are boys, and for one of them at least, a young man.

 

Joshua will always be our baby, and he knows it.

We all call him Baby. For a little while, we made a concerted effort to stop calling him, "Baby," and it felt really weird. So we all call him, "Baby," now.

Even Michael.

I was looking at Joshua the other day - his long legs, messed-up hair (you know, sticking up in the back no matter what I do) and ready smile - and I thought, "He no longer looks like a baby. He is a boy."

But then, I said, "Baby, it's time to wash up and get to bed."

And he said, "Ok."

Ice skating, running and baseball

It certainly wouldn't feel like spring without baseball. But before the season gets into full swing, the kids did a bit of ice skating. We were so thrilled to have so many of Michael's friends join us in the celebration of his eighth birthday. Eight! So hard to believe. He had a great time ice skating. They even had these walkers that "new" skaters could use on the ice. Once the kids got better, the employees took those walkers away. Despite that loss, everyone seemed to enjoy running around on the ice. Once they were done skating, we sugared them up with cake and ice cream, and then sent everyone home. :) Ice skates and running shoes. Once again, Jason and Michael ran the Final Mile, sporting some shiny new medals. Next year, it might be time for a longer race. Baseball is also keeping us busy, with sometimes as many as three practices a week, and that's just for Jason. Joshua is also playing on a team this season. It's t-ball and he loves it, once he is on the field.
 The challenge, though, is getting him there in the first place.

 And one baseball game to start the season off, but this time, we were just spectators. The family enjoyed a night out, watching the big boys play.
 Here's Jason with his team. They had such a good time! And soon, it will be their turn to be on the field!

Travel journal 2012

We have been so lucky to do a bit of traveling with the kids. Here's a look back.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Turn your favorite photos into a photo book at Shutterfly.com.

Summer 2012

The summer of 2012 is drawing to a close. Some kids we know are already back in class. Not ours. We still have another couple of weeks left of their vacation. Looking back, though, it seems like so much has already been packed into their time off. We started out the warm season with some strawberry picking! The kids had a blast and we still have some of the yummy fruit in our freezer. Just great for smoothies.

Joshua finished up his freshman "baseball" season with a trophy that was almost bigger than his head. He had a great time with his teammates. I would say he enjoyed the baseball cupcake at that party more than chasing a baseball during the games.

Joshua is saying goodbye to his preschool in order to go to the same one that Jason and Michael did. He loved hanging out with his friends, though, and I know he will miss them. I have to admit, I'm not too worried about him. He pretty much enjoys wherever he goes.

At the beginning of the summer (boy, that seems like so long ago), we took a boat ride through Downtown. A lovely cruise. The boys also enjoyed playing with Peyton and Lennox!

This summer, we made it to the zoo and the kids were fascinated by the animals as much as they were by the life-sized water fountains.

We always love seeing Austin, Leo, Roman and now Baby Chase! The boys really got along well and worked together, blowing up balloons. That has been THE activity of the summer, for sure. On a trip to Northern Virginia, we also paid a visit to Georgetown University, unexpectedly. We decided to visit the area and found a parking spot that happened to be right in front of the university. A tour group was getting started to make their way through campus, so we joined in! The kids were the youngest there, by far, but they really enjoyed walking through the courtyards and taking a tour of some of the buildings. In fact, Michael told me could see himself there one day. We had better start saving up!

And, early in the summer, all the boys went to the beach...not our beach, but Hilton Head, South Carolina! There, they met up with Ezekiel, Elijah, Grandma and Grandpa. They had a blast!

This summer has gone by too quickly, but we're thrilled to have so many wonderful memories to share.

Fussy "baby"

Joshua has been a typical four-year-old this week, wanting independence one minute and enjoying "being the baby" the next. Today, he was giving me plenty of grief and I was getting pretty angry with him. If he doesn't get his way (usually when he's tired), he won't budge. Very stubborn. He paused a moment and said, "On Friday, I won't be fussy." I said, "Well, I'm in luck. Today is Friday." Not event a beat later. "Oh, I meant Wednesday."