Thanks, Grammie and Grampa!

This was early on.  They now have them pulling long stacks of trains.

Fenwick Mines

Last Saturday we finally made it out to Fenwick Mines--a place a friend told me about years ago.

 You can see in this picture that Tyn was eager to get in the water--his shoes and socks were already soaked.  (Sam in the background at the waterfall.)

 Tyn, me, Hallie, Macie (our friends' kids who we were watching all day), Ked

 Just to Ked's left in this picture is where Tyn fell off the ledge into the water later on.  Thankfully it's shallow, but it was deep enough for him to go all the way under.  Poor boy!  Sam got him out quick, but it was a cool morning and it sure tugged at my heartstrings to see him sopping wet and crying. 

 We stripped Tyn down, and Sam carried him in his sweatshirt back to the car, where we had other clothes for him, thankfully.  

 Ked decided to run around barefoot.  Our little Huck Finn.

 We enjoyed the bridges over the ponds and the boardwalks through the wetlands, but the waterfall was definitely the best part.  

And Tyn recovered from his traumatic incident.  

Tyn was so cute telling me all about the incident (including the phrases "fell down. . . in da water. . . knock i' o'er. . . fish 'care me. . . cold. . .  Papi. . .", I had to try to capture some of it on video.  I wonder if he really was scared of the fish in those few seconds, or if the thought just occurred to him later.  Or if he just likes saying it--he said it a lot!

The Results of Nap Refusal

So I have to admit, as much as it frustrates me that Ked won't take a nap even when he so obviously (crankily, grumpily) needs one (just about every day!), there is something so precious about finding him asleep in the car, on the couch. . . 

. . . or on the kitchen chairs.  This happened as I was finishing getting dinner ready and he remained asleep while we ate.

DC Temple Trip

We decided it was time to take the boys along with us for a trip to the temple.  Not exactly the ideal day trip with the 5 hour, one way, travel time, but we enjoyed it.  

 The boys were pretty mesmerized by this statue of Christ.  As soon as we went into the Visitor's Center, they ran up to it.  Here, Ked is telling me about the marks on His hands and how he got them.

 Alright, so I told them to look at a "bird," and they were more excited about the water fountain than the temple, but a few weeks later, "temple" became one of Tyn's favorite words.

And. . . this was the day that Tyn chipped his top front left tooth, as he fell attempting to climb down from a tall chair, knocking his head against a wooden desk and then falling forward into the metal bottom rung of the chair.  I discovered a metal thread on the tooth (and a metal mark which took a day or two to disappear) while I was cleaning up the blood, and having not been with him at the time of occurrence (I arrived into the Visitor's Center just in time to hear my wailing child somewhere in the near distance), I was able to go back and discover exactly what chair he had fallen out of and exactly where he had left his mark in the metal.  He already gets bloody lips all the time from a bottom tooth that is really jagged, and now he has another tooth to cut him up.  Poor boy.

Big Jump

I'm realizing more and more that Tyndale having an older brother is kind of dangerous, as he wants to do (as well as say) everything his big brother does.

Case in point. . .

Tyn watched Ked jump of this little platform that Ked is on in this picture.  (It doesn't look so high in this picture, since Tyn is well in front of it, but it is 6 feet from the ground to Ked's feet.)  It surprised me that Ked even made an attempt.  But as soon as Ked did it, Tyn wanted to.  He tried climbing up, and I eventually took him to the top, only to realize that he was absolutely determined to jump off, just as he'd seen his big brother do.  He kept pushing my hands away and then leaning just slightly forward as he bent his knees with his hands forward, and then getting frustrated when I'd grab him.  Part of me really wanted to see him try, but obviously I did not want to see him face some awful consequence (broken foot?).  He does love to jump, and at 18 months he surprised Sam and I by jumping off a table that was probably 3 feet (Sunday School classroom table), but I think this would have been a little too much.  I'm 99 percent positive he would have jumped if I'd let him.

Brothers

 I love it when they play together without any prodding or encouragement from me.

 At first, I was helping Tyndale up this.  Then Ked took over helping. 

Their idea to go down together.

Ked 3 3/4, Tyn 21 months

Spring

Hurray for warm weather!  Tyn's gotten pretty good at going down the slides alone.  I love that there are sooo many parks her to choose from.  

 A friend of mine showed the boys around her family farm.  The boys loved it--cows, goats, chickens, dog, cat.  

Tyn was very excited about the animals, but was very frustrated that the chickens and cats wouldn't let him pet them.

We call this "rock-a-baby," and the boys, especially Tyn, love to do it.  

 We found these two dump trucks on the side of the road with other trash waiting to be picked up.  One man's trash is two little boys' treasure!  They have loved these things!

 If only I could keep our home from looking like a construction zone--they mostly now just like to dig dirt with their little shovels and dump it somewhere.  

 Garden time!  Hurray, hurray, hurray!  Ked took this picture.  Nice centering, Keddo!

Ked has been a great helper in the garden.  And he doesn't get into much trouble or wander off like he used to.  :)  Putting up the deer fence.

Sunday afternoon with my three favorite guys

just lyin' around. . . on the hard floor

3.2 for 32

 Ked ran the last half mile or so of the "3.2 for 32" with me.  Or rode on my shoulders.  Love this smile!

 Sam and the boys tracked the path on the bike and greeted me at several points.  Made it a lot more fun!  Since you kind of have to walk a portion of the race anyway, I hung out with them a fair amount.  

 Wish I'd taken a picture at the beginning of the race when we all let go of the balloons together.  Pretty neat.  It was fun to hang out with Ked for a little bit afterwards, while Sam took Tyn home for a much needed nap.  

This was the day that Ked, after getting many greetings of "Hey buddy!" and lots of high fives, become obsessed with camouflage.  I had previously been unsuccessful in trying to get him to wear some camouflage hand-me-downs, but this evening he went through his drawers and produced a long sleeve shirt and sweat pants that he wore as pajamas.  And was excited to realize he had a few more camouflage items.

Big Helper

I love it when Ked takes his own initiative to help me with household chores--emptying the washer and loading the dryer.   

Of course, no noisy task (when the washer was still running and waiting to buzz) is complete without the earmuffs.  (I may have been using the blender at the time as well.)

Ked, 3 3/4 years old

CA visit -- Beach Day

Our last day home, we finally had a warm enough day for the beach!  And it was a great one.

We loved getting to spend so much time with Wendy's family, who were also at the ranch.

Tyndale totally loved the water (even as frigid as it was), which made me really happy!

Sam and I even got to go in the water together!  (Courtesy of Wendy and Joseph watching the boys.)

The waves weren't awesome, but they were decent.  I'm getting old, though, and can't last in the water that long.  My feet were blocks of frozen, aching lead by the time I got out (itchy pain while thawing!), and we weren't even in that long.  (It was a bit on the colder-than-usual side, though.)  The water was so unusually clear, though!  Beautiful.  I love being in the ocean waves.  I miss it.

Joseph and Porter

The way Ked loved the beach made me really wish we had a huge sand box.  He was so content for so long, by himself or with others.

Ked's typical furrowed-brow look.  He was loving it.

Ked also liked the water a lot more than the last time.  :)

He got in before I'd changed him.

The guys.

Tyn and Porter also loved chasing seagulls.  It was  funny watching the two of them run off together, far away (usually after a bird), never looking back.  

It made me extra happy that it was a good day for finding lots of horse shoe crabs (and shoes and rocks).  I've missed that familiar sensation of feeling your heel sink in just the right way and knowing there's a big one down there!

CA visit -- other family visits

It was so nice to have a longer trip home that wasn't so scheduled.  We got to visit a lot of family and spend a little more one-on-one time with them (though never enough!).

We got to spend half a day with Gramp Z.  He remembered who we were for the most part, and it was fun to get to talk to him and have the boys interact with him.  He was very happy for our visit.

Tyn claimed Gramp's BYU hat and walker.  (Great choice on the hat--there were a few others.)

The only great grandparent my boys have left.  I hope they will remember him!  Ked was impressed when I told him Gramp used to be a pilot.

 After a park visit with my Aunt and cousin and her kids (no pictures, unfortunately), we walked over to visit Rod, my oldest brother, at his fire station.  

Ked demanded the earmuffs for this visit.  He was very intimidated a lot of the time (scared of all the vehicles and equipment and what might potentially make a loud noise), but really fascinated and enjoying it too.  Especially being in the driver's seat, as you can see above.  

Tyn thought it was pretty cool too.

It was great to visit with Kate's family and finally see their new home!  And scope out all the plants in their backyard.  :)

Wendy and Joseph, Kate and Mark, us

Kate and me

Carson?, Tyn, Hailey, Porter, Ked, Tyler?

Luke and Tyn

We also got to spend some time with Jason and Ann's family--at their place, Trevor's, and at the ranch.  Here's the monthly birthday bash.  Jason and Ann and their kids, and Wendy and Joseph with Porter.