Summer Fun!

We had a great summer...despite the awful heat and the very pregnant mom!  :)  These boys are so much fun to be around.  They are both at such great ages and are the very best of friends.  I absolutely cherish the time we had together this summer.

Here's a little look at what we've been up to:

Chillin' by the pool!

My little goggle-faced cuties

Finding ways to entertain ourselves inside...away from the HEAT!

Enjoying the monsoons

They spent lots of time playing with these Jenga blocks.

Chick-fil-a fun with cute cousins

Family outing to Bahama Bucks (aka "the umbrella place")

Staying cool any way we can!

Little Fishies

The boys did 2 sessions of swimming lessons this summer and have learned so much! Isaac can now swim across the entire length of a pool without floaties on.  He can dive in, do flips under water, and he has a killer cannonball!  :)  Trevor quickly conquered his fear of the water and can swim without floaties, but still prefers to have them on...which is ok with me.  (It's easier to watch a 4 year-old in the pool when he has flaoties on.)

Here are some pictures of them at swimming lessons: 

 

 

 

 

 

Growing Up

I feel like my boys are growing up way too fast.
It's so fun to watch them learn and grow,
but sometimes I just want to slow it down a little!



Isaac recently decided that it was time for him to stop sucking his thumb.  He started sucking his thumb when he was 4 weeks old and has loved it every since!  So we came up with a plan that if he could stop sucking his thumb for a whole week, we'd buy him an "R2-D2 that talks."  (That's what he requested...and it was very difficult to find!)  Fortunately, he only sucked his thumb while he was going to sleep, so we just covered it with a band-aid at bedtime and it worked!  I couldn't believe how quickly he broke the habit, but that's one of his best qualities...once he puts his mind to something, he works hard to make it happen.  He has gone over 2 months without sucking his thumb (and is now band-aid free) and he LOVES his buddy, R2-D2!

Way to go, Isaac!  We are so proud of you!
(Even if that means you are one step closer to growing up...)

Preschool Graduation!

We recently finished another great year of preschool.  I had 2 different classes of kids this year and they were both so much fun.  I love teaching preschool and am grateful that I am able to do it from home.  It was especially fun because I was able to have one of my own boys in each class!  

On the last day of school, we had a preschool celebration with a short program and an ice cream social.  It was so fun to see these adorable kids showing off the things they've learned!

Here is my little Trevor graduate.

Isaac, the "official" graduate
(since he's going to kindergarten soon)

My cute boys

Isaac, Trevor, and cousin Alex waiting for the program to start

Trevor was feeling a little shy
as all of the parents were coming in. :)

My adorable preschoolers singing their songs

They memorized the book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear"
and performed it in sign language.
They did such a good job...I was very proud of them!

 

I was lucky to get to teach
another one of my cute nephews this year.
(I love you, little Alex man!)

And here's the proud mom and dad
with 2 very adorable preschoolers.  :)

Celebrating Trevor

Our little Trevor turned 4 in May.

It's hard to believe that our baby is getting so grown up! We had a great time celebrating with our boy.  We started with a birthday dinner the night before his actual birthday (because Derek had to work late on his birthday).  We let Trevor invite a few people over and he decided on a couple cousins, Grandma/Grandpa, and his buddy, Sara. 

 

He opened a few presents and loved each one.

He's at such a fun age...everything is just so exciting!  :)

Here is the Thor hammer that he's wanted for a long time.
Can you tell he likes it?  

He even got a card with "dollars" from Grammy and Papa.

Here is the "Thor hammer cake" he requested.

 Silly brothers.

 

On the morning of his actual birthday,
we decided to take him out to breakfast with Daddy.
He ordered these ridiculously huge chocolate chip pancakes!  :)

One more present for his "real" birthday.

I told him he could choose an outing for his birthday,
and he requested the "Dinosaur Museum."

Panning for gold!

 

Isaac was very excited about his "treasure."

Here they are being "bad guys" in the jail.
(Love those faces!)

 
We finished up the day with some leftover cake.

We are very grateful that Trevor is part of our family.
He is so full of life and
he knows how to make everyone around him smile!

I'm so glad you're mine, Trev.  I love you.

Baby Ryan

My sister, Corinne, had her adorable baby boy #3 a couple weeks ago. My kids were SO excited that they were able to go to the hospital to meet their new cousin. And he didn't disappoint at all! :) He is totally adorable and it's been so fun to be around a tiny baby again.

Isaac was in heaven with little Ryan.
He loves holding him!

And Trevor just couldn't get enough of him.
I couldn't even convince him to look up for a picture!

When I was holding him,
Isaac got my camera and played photographer.
Here's one he took of me with my adorable little nephew!
(This little boy has made me very excited about my baby boy.
I'm just not sure I will be able to wait 3 1/2 more months!)

And here's another one Isaac took.
My boys were both fascinated by Ryan's "skinny toes!" :)

Welcome to the world, Baby Ryan.
We love you SO much!

Family Outing

Life has been busy lately (as always!) and we haven't had much playtime as a family, so Derek and I decided to take the boys to the zoo on Saturday morning. It was really fun to spend the day together. The boys and I go to the zoo pretty often, but there's something extra special about having "Daddy" with us.

We left bright and early (to beat the crowds and heat),
so we stopped and got donuts on our way.
Not the healthiest breakfast/snack,
but it was a fun little splurge!

My cute boys. :)

Isaac LOVES this rhino.
He's named him "Rocky the Rhino."

We took the boys to Stingray Bay to pet the stingrays.

April is a great time to go to the AZ zoo
because it's not too hot in the morning,
but it's warm enough to play in the splash pads by lunchtime.

We got to see the elephant giving himself a mud bath.
It was really cool!

We finished up with the "big water playground."
They LOVE this one and could spend all day there!

Drying out and getting a little sun! :)

It was such a fun day for our little family.