March 2011

March is a bit like February because we were at the parks a lot.  But the weather was warming up a bit so we got away with just jackets instead of full coats.  Here are a few pictures of our predictable lives.

Johnny on the swing.

He loved to swing as high as possible.

On the slide.  This particular slide was super steep and fast.

Johnny waited for me to get up there to go with him.

Yes, James has always been a climber.

In the sand with best friend, Holli.

James and Johnny learned a new game where they would stand on the back of the couch and James would pick Johnny up and then jump with him to the couch.  They thought it was great fun.

They play more and more together and are pretty much inseparable.  It is so fun now to see them playing and it makes my life a bit easier too.

Putting their heads together.  As you can see they both got hair cuts from me.

Mid jump.

I always tried to break out the art stuff once a week or so.

Sometimes I regretted it.

This was just before bath time so it was all good.  James was very proud of his masterpiece (the one on his body).

At a park called Bois de la Batie.  This was a great park not too far from my house.  It had animals to see and a huge playground with so many fun things.  This enormous teeter totter.

A net to climb up to get on a large slide.

James loved this one.  Johnny was a bit young to master it since it is technically for kids 7 and up.

At the horse park again.  Johnny.

James on the rocking horse.

Brian even got to join us a few times.  Yea!!

Saying hello to the horses on our way home.  These horses lived across the street from us.

Johnny decided it would be fun to start climbing in the dryer (it died not too long afterward.  I wonder why?)

James discovered that worms and other lovely creeping things live under all the big rocks outside our apartment.

Riding his car down the hill.  I miss all our fun toys.

Johnny enjoying his sketties.

Stay tuned for April cuz it has some more interesting things than just us going to the park.

February 2011

February started off and we were still in Utah.  We took the kids to the children's museum at the Gateway center in SLC.  It was so much fun and the kids had a blast.  James on the climbing wall.

Grandma came.

Using the pully to raise the building blocks.

Cousin Ryan making a tower.

I made the horrible mistake of trying to go blond.  I dyed my hair about 6 times and this is what I got.  I went back to dark the same day!

We went back to the museum.  James making sandwiches.

Johnny riding the horse.

James on the horse.

Johnny in the helicopter,

My dad also took the kids to the living aquarium.  James loved touching the sting rays.  They came right up out of the water for him to touch.

He could have spent hours here.

Johnny playing in the tunnel.

Grandma Shelley reading the boys some stories.

My dad and I also took the kids to the zoo.

We went into the aviary and this bat got out of the area it was supposed to be in.  My dad insisted on getting this close up shot.  It jumped onto his leg right after and he screamed like a girl and shook it off.  It was too funny and my dad was not pleased with me laughing at him. Best zoo visit ever!

Mid-month I flew home alone with the boys.  It was long and I had words with the TSA agent in Chicago over my kid's water bottle (we had just gotten off a flight and rush right back through security to get onto our next flight so of course I had water in the bottle from the last flight).  Anyway, we survived and it went better than I expected (I expected the worst and was pleasantly surprised).
Brian and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary on February 16th.  Our good friend, Cati, watched the kids while we went out to a super fancy restaurant for dinner.

James.

We spent a lot of February at the park with our best friends in Geneva.  This is James' best friend, Holli.  She is only 6 weeks younger than him and they lived just a couple streets away from us.

Johnny at the "horse park" as we called it because it was right next to and equestrian center and tennis club.  It also happened to be across the street from our apartments.

James climbing up to his "office" as he called it.  He was going to work like daddy.

Mimi (by best Geneva friend) and Nati who is about 6 months younger than Johnny.

Mimi, Holli and Nati.

We sure do miss them.

The kids at the top of the slide.

Nati just crawling and so happy.

Look at that chubby baby face!  Too cute!

Happy boy.

James and holli on the swings at a different park.

Johnny was so happy to be on the big boy swing.

Johnny is also a big helper.  He is growing up so fast.

Loves cottage cheese!

Oops.  The order got mixed up but these are more pictures from the children's museum.  At the floating ball section of the museum that the kids loved!

See how they just were so fascinated by the balls?

James too.

Playing music.

The kids really like it.

Building.

Even I helped build a bit.

Beep! Beep!

Johnny and Ryan cooking in the kitchen.  They are 5 weeks apart and so cute together.

James is dressed up as an airplane.  And very happy about it.

Water play!

Aunt Wu, Ryan's mom, was there with us.

February was full of family, friends and fun.