Jason's Second Marathon

{iPhone: L to R} 1) Jason's pre-race preparation {giggles}; 2) Lucas and Jackson at Circle Centre Mall waiting while Daddy finishes his race; 3) Jack just ridin' and chillin'

Baby in a Basket

Who needs toys when you can dump all of Mom's stuff out and use her baskets?!

Apple Picking Fun

We are part of a local MOPS (Moms of Preschoolers) group, and occasionally we do play dates.  We were praying and hoping that it didn't rain when we were supposed to tour a nearby farm... the rain held off until right when we were planning on leaving anyway!

The boys had a blast taste-testing different varieties of apples, sipping on apple cider, learning about bee hives, wagon-riding, and apple picking.  We went home and made homemade applesauce.  It was amazing!!!

"Flying" Uncle No-No's Plane

Jason's maternal grandpa "Papa Miller" has been staying with J's parents for the past few weeks while Nana traveled overseas.  J's brother Nolan wanted to show him the plane he owns/flies, and since the boys haven't seen it in about a year, we took them out to see it, too.

Papa M's Fur Baby came with him.  Talk about a dog that is dedicated to her master!

The boys sat in the plane and "flew" with Uncle Nolan.

I had to get photos of Nolan and his baby...

Jack cuddling with Papa M, and G'ama and her Fur Sister...

And a random old car out in the parking lot... :)

Yabba Dabba Doo!

...Yes, you did just see the Flinstones rolling through my kitchen...

Two Little Monkeys

Two little monkeys jumpin' on the bed.  One fell off and bumped his head.  The Momma called the doctor, and the doctor said, "No more monkeys jumpin' on the bed!"

One little monkey jumpin' on the bed.  He fell off and bumped his head.  The Momma called the doctor, and the doctor said, "Put those monkeys back in bed!"

Note: No monkeys were harmed during the above rumpus :)

The Boys' First Baseball Game

We took the boys to their first baseball game last Friday.  Our minor league team here has a picnic area beyond the outfield which ended up being perfect for little children.  We brought small gloves and baseballs for them to play with, and at one point, one of the photographers for the team sat down in the grass nearby and just kept shooting photos of Jack playing with his ball and glove.  Yes, my children are adorable, and I will be looking forward to seeing him on your advertising materials :) (Jason checked.  Apparently buying a ticket gives our consent).

Jack's baseball was plush... and it fits perfectly between the links in a fence... (whoopsie daisy!)

Needless to say, Lucas was not happy about donating a baseball...

Oh well... it was Star Wars night at Victory Field, and for some reason that called for fireworks after the game.  Nope, no pictures.  I've decided that fireworks are fireworks, and I'd rather cuddle with the boys on a large horse blanket and hear them whisper, "Oh! Peety!"

Zoo!

Last Tuesday, Jason's parents took the boys and me to the Indianapolis Zoo (Jason had to work... boo).  Jack was old enough to enjoy seeing God's crazy critters and to test out all of the animal sounds he's been learning.

Rraaaawrr!

I would much rather capture my kids' faces when they see the animals at the zoo, but since I can only lean so far forward over the railing to see them before becoming a part of the exhibit myself, it didn't work out so well.  Sooo.... animal photos.  I decided to try focusing on patterns and textures instead of whole animals.  I only had a minute to grab pictures before the boys started running off.

Top to Bottom, Left to Right:
The boys watching a walrus; a penguin getting high on bubbles; Fruit Bat; Fruit Bat
Bald Eagle; Polar Bear; Meerkat; Some sort of monkey sucking his thumb
Lioness; Warthog tusks; Rhinoceros; Rhinoceros
Elephant; Elephant; Giraffe; Bear

Of course, we just had to check out the Splash Pad before we left... (and once again, yes... Lucas' eyes really do glow like that)

 

Signing "no" when G'ama tried to put him under a sprinkler

 

 

Growing too fast (Jack edition)

A crazily untame-able cowlick/comb-over with a mullet in the back

Both boys have been going through crazy growth spurts lately... longer legs, leaner faces, wider vocabulary, developmental milestones.  It's hurting my mommy heart, so I decided to try capturing the details of where they are now.

He loves dropping toys into the silo and seeing how many he can fit

Tiny, pudgy hands fitting missiles into cannons and moving the knight's arms

Long, wrinkly toes, round cheeks, and tiny ears