Christmas Day!

Happy Birthday Jesus! We woke up Christmas morning to a large tower of gifts....Santa had an unusual way of leaving the presents this year! All the boys were very happy with the gifts left by Santa...they received Legos, rock mining kits, gem kits, martian makers, bat cave & batman, cars, trucks, a microscope and more! Santa left a nice note. He said that our cookies were some of the best he had tasted. He also reminded us that although presents are fun, the true gift of Christmas if Jesus & his birth is the real Christmas celebration.

This next picture has is great for a laugh. Here is my son, on Christmas Day, with many new toys. Does he play with them....NO...he is more interested in playing with the garbage can....since it was brand new, I figured it didn't hurt!

For Christmas Dinner, we visited my grandparents, the boys' great-grandparents. I had not seen them since Josh was about 6 months old. They had never met Zach or Ethan in person. It was nice to see them & they really enjoyed a visit from the boys.

My tooth is loose!

Josh was brushing his teeth this morning when he realized his tooth was loose! This will be his first "lost" tooth, so it is big news in the day of a 6 year old. He spent much of the morning wiggling it in hopes that it would come out. I didn't have the heart to crush his excitement and tell him that it will likely be quite awhile before the tooth fairy pays him a visit. Nate's first tooth was loose for months before it finally came out!

'Cause so

For awhile now, Zach will use this phrase as a response to "why" questions that people ask him. I often wondered where he came up with " 'cause so". Then today, the boys asked me why they couldn't do something and I responded with "because I said so". Oh, it became clear that my "because I said so" became Zach's " 'cause so".

Another Zach phrase that many people do not get is "last morning". Anytime Zach is talking about the past, whether is be earlier in the day, yesterday or last week, he will always say "last morning". So, "last morning he went to McDonald's for lunch" or "last morning he played football with Nate". Not sure where this phrase came from either....maybe I will figure it out one day too!

Zach also uses "remember this". Sometimes he will use it in the correct context...in that he will say remember this & repeat a line from a cartoon or movie but sometimes he says "remember this" and comes up with something off the wall that it not something I remember from anything.

We got Jim without too much trouble this morning! All the boys were up a good 1.5 hours earlier than normal so I am a bit fearful as to how this afternoon will go. Of course it is a packed afternoon with soccer practice for Josh & soccer pictures for Nate and Josh....wish me luck!

Ask Jim and Nate....

what happens when you leave a WET soccer jersey, wadded up in the backseat of Jim's truck for 5 days! Can you see me rolling my eyes?

When Jim and Nate came home on Saturday, we were in a rush to head out the door. I should have taken more thought as to what happened to Nate's jersey but my mind was on getting lunch, getting things ready to go & getting everyone out the door.

In the haste, Nate's jersey was left in Jim's truck. I received a reminder yesterday about Nate's soccer pictures & realized that I had not washed his jersey since the game. I asked Nate to find the jersey & he said that he left it in Jim's truck. This morning Jim brought it in & set it on the kitchen table...it was still wadded up in a ball. I picked it up & headed back to toss it in the laundry to wash for pictures.....well, to my surprise, disgust, horror....when I opened the shirt up, the front had changed from the original gold color to a moldy black color! I did not think I would ever get rid of all the mold without ruining the shirt. After an all day battle with soaking, washing, spraying and a handfull of cleaning & detergents, I think I have won the battle & Nate may actually still have a soccer jersey!

The boys visited the dentist today. It was Zach's first time & he did great...no problems, no fears, no concerns...just hoped right up on the chair & was ready! He will be the first to tell you that he is "A Big Boy" & he certainly showed it today & did great. I was also pretty proud of myself for managing the dentist's office with all 4 boys & we didn't break anything or disrupt anyone!

Nate has a small filling in one of his baby teeth & it is cracked, so we have to go back in about a week for a new filling.

It's raining, it's pouring....

...and both boys are playing soccer!

Jim and I took turns today standing in the rain watching the boys play soccer. I went first to Josh's game. It started with just a sprinkle but by the end of the game it was pouring! Luckily the temps were warm & it was not too horrible. Right after Josh's game, I jumped in the car to meet Jim at Nate's game so we could transfer the younger boys. It poured the entire time for Nate's game!

Luckily the temps were warm, so no one was freezing but boy were they WET!

NOTE: take a look on 9/17 for a follow-up to our wet soccer day!

18 month check-up for Ethan

We were in for Ethan's 18 month well visit today. He is doing everything that he is suppose to be doing as a healthy, active 18 month old boy.

He weighed just over 26 pounds & was 33 inches tall/long. He compares to Zach at the same age, Nate was much taller & Josh shorter.

We are going to take him to see a dermatologist to see if there is anything else we can do for his skin....it is an ongoing battle that we seem to be losing!

School started today & the boys seemed excited to go. Drop off went without a hitch. It was only a half day so the school day was over quick. Here are some first day pictures.

You will notice that there are no new first day of school clothes... they are boys...need I say more?? The boys did get new backpacks & lunch boxes for school.

Nate wore one of his Michigan shirts because he found out (from an email from his teacher) that his teacher is a state fan & he decided to show his blue and maize colors!

Summer is over!

Today is the last official day of summer. Hard to believe that the older boys are heading back tomorrow! It has been a very nice summer. We stayed busy but not too busy. I am actually pretty sad that the boys are headed back & will miss them!

When I was having Ethan, I was worried that the older boys (especially Nate) would not have much of a relationship with him because the of the age differences. I have been amazed and thankful at how well all boys really do get along. Nate and Josh are probably the closest at this point & play the most but they frequently include Zach. On almost any day, you will see each different "pair" interacting in some way.

On this morning, Nate was teaching Zach to swing from the rope like Indiana Jones. Josh paired up with Ethan & they played all kinds of things (on the play structure, with a ball & for awhile Josh pushed Ethan around in a wheel barrow). I thought it was neat moment to catch & write about. I hope that the boys always stay close!

On a side note: Yes Zach is still in his underwear and Ethan is wearing his pajamas. As I mentioned, it was still morning & obviously a lazy morning at our house. :)

Excitement over toothpaste???

We ran errands today & I got a real laugh from our trip to Target. The boys needed new toothpaste. They usually take turns picking out a flavor. I couldn't remember which boy picked last so I told them that they could all pick out their own tube of toothpaste. Nate turns to me and says "are you kidding?" and I replied "no". Both Nate and Josh yell out in excitement...you would have thought that I just told them they could buy a huge Star Wars Lego set! They could not even wait to get home to try out their new toothpastes....they held them all the way home from Target. I didn't realize the excitement in getting your own tube of toothpaste! :)

New Star Wars movie!

Brevin and Justice invited Nate and Josh to the OPENING DAY of the new Star Wars Clone movie. We have not gone to many movies so it was a real treat. There was added excitement because they went on opening day, so (in Nate's words), "We will be one of the first people in the WORLD to see the movie!"

What a busy, busy day. The weather was beautiful, which was great because we had a lot of outside activities going on. Both boys had their last games of the season.

I got a kick out of Nate last night...here was our conversation at bedtime:

Nate: I am excited about soccer tomorrow and hope we win the Championship.
Me: Championship?
Nate: Yeah, the last game of the year is the championship game, so tomorrow is our championship game.
Me: thinking to myself...do I explain that it is not really a championship game, that there is no championship game or crowned champion in their league...instead, I ask: What is the most important part of the game? Winning?
Nate: No, it is having fun and doing my best, but winning the Championship would still be cool.
Me: Good night Nate! Get your rest for your game tomorrow...laughing to myself because he is sort of understanding that the goal is to play hard, do his best & have fun but that need to win is still there!

Before the games, Nate went to an end of the year pool party for a few hours with some other friends to celebrate being done with second grade.

I missed the beginning of Josh's game when he was in goal because I picked up Nate from the pool party but we came in time to see him in the field. I brought the video camera and took about 5 minutes of video so I didn't get many pictures. Unfortunately, 5 minutes was all the time the camera had. Jim had used up most of the video at Josh's Kindergarten celebration & I didn't know it! So I didn't have a video camera for Nate but instead got tons of pictures! There was not enough time to go home between the games but we did walk into downtown Plymouth & grab a quick bite to eat.

Both Nate and Josh did win their games & Nate got his medal (but everyone on every team gets a medal at the end of the season!

Here is a picture of Josh during his game & a slide show from Nate's game.

At the end of the day, Nate told me that he had a GREAT first day of summer. At bedtime we usually talk about our favorite parts of the day. Today he told me that he could not pick a favorite part because the whole day was his favorite!

Last day of school for Nate. He is excited to be off but I think he will miss school & his friends!

Ethan, Zach, Josh and I brought up popsicles as a treat for Nate's class.

Here are a few pictures of Nate after his last day!

To celebrate, we all went to Chili's for dinner & then went for a walk. We walked around the high school complex. The boys were excited about their finds. We came home with about 7 tennis balls, 3 baseballs & 2 softballs. Most of the baseballs and softballs were on a closed off field. Josh and Nate were small enough to fit in a gap between the dugout and the fence & head out onto the field to collect their treasures.

Can you hear Josh cheering? Actually he is pretty mellow & you wouldn't really know that it is his last day of school. When I asked how he felt about being done with school, he response was "Good." That was pretty much the end of our conservation. Here is a picture of the door that Josh lined up to next to all year..next year he will line up in the gym with Nate.

Here is a close up of him on his last day....

After school, Brett and Jake came over for a couple hours..they are 2 brothers in Nate's class. We all had pizza & popsicles! Well, everyone except Zach. Zach went to bed shortly after we came home...poor guy feels really bad. He has completely lost his voice. I did get a good laugh today because I said something about him being horse and he broke down in tears & said "me, not horse". I had to explain myself but he still had hurt feelings (remember my post a few days ago about his fragile feelings).

We finished the walk tonight. The final step was to put the sand in between the bricks & seal it up! That is all done. Jim started laying the sand last night. I went out after dinner & worked on it some. All of the bricks had to be hit repeatedly with a rubber mallet to make sure the sand was in & around the bricks. I have blisters on my hand from all the time I hit the bricks...sounds sad...but I was out there swinging that hammer for a long time tonight! The good news it is done. This weekend we can back fill around it & start the landscaping along the house. We also have to work on the parking area (which will be a larger gravel area).

A special message for a special someone....

Today was Nate's last full day at school. He has two half days & the he is officially done for the summer. Josh just has one half day left tomorrow.

I want into school this morning with Nate to drop off his teacher's gift. I was in charge of the classroom gift. The parents decided to purchase a brick paver in Mrs. Pedersen's name. We also purchased an AmEx card for her to use on her trip this summer. Lastly, I put together a memory book...each of the kids had a page in the book. The pages included pictures of the kids & then they wrote something the liked about Mrs. Pedersen and/or being in her class. I think she was very touched, mainly by the book. It was also neat to see how excited the kids were to see the completed book & hear what everyone wrote. I am glad she enjoyed it. She has been a wonderful teacher & Nate has done really well in her class.

We have sickies again at our house. Ethan and Zach have yet another Spring/Summer cold. I am not sure where they are picking up this junk. Zach has a horrible cough & both have runny noses! Nate also woke up this morning complaining of a sore throat. Hopefully everyone else can remain healthy!

Today was a big laundry day & I had a helper! He actually did hand me clothes to fold but he also pulled folded clothes off the table! He spent about 30 minutes climbing in and out of this basket just hanging out and enjoying the day. His personality is really starting to show. He is now walking more than crawling, even when he falls, he now gets back up instead of continuing with a crawl. He is a really happy guy & loves playing. One of his favorite things is to find all buttons on toys to turn them on so they play music or make noise, he will just keep pushing the buttons over and over....got to love noisy toys! He also loves to wave. The two times that he gets most excited about waving is when Jim comes home & when we pick up Nate from school.

Josh had his party at school today....things are quickly coming to an end. Only a few days left!

Jim started a new exercise routine today...he is riding his bike to work. Apparently this made a huge impact on Zach because he told everyone at Isbisiter today (at pick up for Josh) that his daddy rode his bike to work & didn't take his truck! Jim impressed a bunch of people!

We made a baby step in progress with Zach & potty training...he actually pooped in the potty. I sat him on the potty while he watched a movie & be pooped. Unfortunately, it was followed shortly by more poop in his pull-up. I am a bit frustrated with the whole potty training...he just does not care & is not interested. Jim said to look at the positive & that Zach did poop in the potty. It is true but it is also easier for him because he is not here all day working with Zach.

Last week of school!

Are the boys ever excited! Only 4 days left for Josh & 5 days left for Nate! Today was a busy day!

Josh had his Kindergarten graduation today & Nate also had his end of the year party.

Jim will met us at Josh's class to watch their performance. They sang lots of songs & read some books. We had punch & cookies and also got to look through some books of Josh's work throughout the year. His made fantastic progress & learned so much & is ready for first grade!

Right after Josh's graduation, we went downtown Plymouth. Jim played in the park with Josh, Zach & Ethan while I ran into Play Cafe to say hi to Nate. Nate's class was very lucky because the parents of one of the kids in his class owns Play Cafe (it is an indoor HUGE play structure). The entire class was invited to play, and then they also got pizza & ice cream....can't beat that for an end of the year party! With Josh's graduation, I was not able to attend the entire event so I just stopped in to say hi. Nate & the entire class seemed to be having a great time. I could barely get Nate to stop for a picture!

After seeing Nate, I took Josh out to lunch for his graduation day & then we headed home. The little guys were exhausted & Ethan even fell asleep in the car on the way home!

Nate had his last soccer practice tonight. Jim took Nate while the rest of stayed home...just too hot to sit at the park! Jim said that Nate did great & has made real progress this season with his understanding and skills.

Seemed like a busy day! Josh had his soccer game and then we had a BBQ with some of the families from Nate's Boy Scout troops. There was a terrible storm that came through so the outside BBQ had to inside. Jim and I were not to the most social couple because we had to keep watch of Ethan. He is big enough now that he does not just want to be held but is obviously too small to just be left alone with the older kids. So Jim & I hung out in the kitchen eating while all the other adults sat around a dinner table in another room....a few more years & we will be able to relax more at gatherings!

Zach's Feelings....

I have to share a recent phase that Zach is going through. It appears that Zach has very fragile feelings! Somewhere along the road of development, Zach learned that he has "feelings" & that his feelings can be hurt. Now, I very routinely hear from Zach "you hurt my feelings" or that someone else has "hurt his feelings". Every time he does not get what he wants, hears no, is overly tired, or is unhappy for any reason, Zach will say that someone hurt his feelings...sometimes it is me, sometimes Jim & even Nate & Josh are at fault at times!

Another HOT & HUMID day in Michigan. We stayed around home most of the day & tried to get a few things done, although we did not have much progress. Jim did have a brilliant idea! They kids are into Indy Jones right now & pick up any string to create a whip. Well, Jim decided to help them make better whips...he pulled out some twine & duct tape...helped them braid the twine together & each of the boys has a new whip.....great idea Dad!! NOT! Actually, the boys had done well and do far no one has been hit or injured by Jim's creations!

About the only time we left was for Nate's soccer game. Only Jim and Nate went as it was just too hot for the rest of us to sit outside.

Captured a few fun pictures of the boys climbing & being boys!

It is Friday! In the morning we I took Ethan & Zach to the splash park. I brought the camera along for pictures but didn't end up taking any. The place was crazy busy..figures since it was our first day over 90. Also, Ethan was a crazy man. I was not sure if he would like all the water spraying but he had a blast. He toddled (sort of a drunk sailor combined with Frankenstein walk) back and forth through the spray scape. A few times he got sprayed pretty good & he stopped & looked at me. I thought he was going to cry but nope, he shook it off & kept on going.

When I picked up Nate, the camera was still in the car so I thought I would take a moment to document one of our daily activities. I am back and forth to school 3 times a day. In the morning I drop both boys off in front of the school & they walk in together. At 11:30 I pick up Josh, for Kindergarten pick up I am required to come inside to get Josh. Then after school, I pick up Nate. At the beginning of the school year, I walked inside and stood in the hall to get Nate also. Once cold weather & winter hit, one trip inside was enough...so Nate and I formulated a plan. He walks out the side doors of the school & meets us out at the van....so much easier for me. So each day after school, we park & wait for Nate to come out. Each and every day, Zach & Ethan just light up & squeal with delight when they see Nate walk through the doors and head to the call...they love their big brother! With the camera in the car, I thought I would take some pictures....

Zach fell down today and got some scrapes on his knees. After he got done crying, he was actually excited because this was the first chance he had to use some bandages that he picked out last week at Target. He had the choice of Diego, Scoooby-Doo, and several other characters but instead he picked a box of neon colored bandages that were next to the character bandages. For some reason the picture is sideways but I think you get the idea! :)

Today is the start of a heat wave. I think we were in the mid/upper 80s today and it is suppose to be in the 90s tomorrow & through the weekend. Not only do we have the high temps but the humidity is horrible!

Even though it was hot, we played outside for a few hours after school. With the hot temps & high humidity, everyone did pretty well although there were a few disagreements. At one point Nate threw a pretty big fit over something that I can even remember. Since I had the camera outside, I was a little mean & took pictures of him while throwing his fit...I think this made him even more mad but at least I got to laugh!

I am trying a new slide show program...let's see if it works....here are a few pictures.....

I could hear myself....

This morning I went into my room to finish getting ready while Ethan, Zach & Josh were in the kitchen playing. Then I hear Then I hear Josh saying....

"No Zach, you can not hit Ethan. I know he hit you but he is little and does not understand. You are big and you know better. You can not hit."

Even the tone & inflections in his voice sounded just like it was coming from me! This is something that I have probably said hundreds of times.

I think Josh would tell you that he had a great day today. This morning his class went to a local farm were he milked a cow, fed teenage ducks & goats (some with bottles), and held baby bunnies & kittens. His "teenage ducks" was great...he said that he fed teenage ducks. He went on to explain that they were not babies but not full adults so they had to be teenage ducks!

After he came back to school, he got to have lunch with Mr. Harrison (the principal at his school). The school had a raffle a few months back & Josh (along with 3 other kids) won lunch. Two of the other kids were 5th graders and one was a 2nd grader (actually one of Nate's friends). From what I saw and heard, I think Josh was a little intimidated by the 5th graders & didn't say too much, mainly listened...but he thought it was great and enjoyed himself.

When Jim came home, all the boys went out to play soccer and Josh helped Jim fix the wheelbarrow. The other boys went off to do other things so Josh got one-on-one with Jim.

Then all the boys got a real treat just before bedtime. My friend came by with 3 Indiana Jones color/activity books. She found them at the dollar store & thought of the boys. They were all so excited!! There was no time for coloring because it as bedtime but all the boys (excluding Ethan) took the books to bed to look at & find pictures to color in the morning!

Jim is planning on watching the Wings game tonight. As soon as I finish this, I plan on heading to bed. I am so tired after the last two nights. Thankfully Ethan is okay & we do not have to wake him up tonight.

I lost about 10 years of my life yesterday. I tripped and fell with Ethan in my arms! We both landed on the new paved sidewalk. He landed on his back & hit the back of his head. Now that it is 24 hours, I can report that everyone is okay but I was sure shaken up for most of the day. We had to wake Ethan up every 4 hours last night to make sure he was okay & are suppose to do the same again tonight but he really does seem perfectly fine. I am saying lots of thankful prayers today that neither of us were hurt worse!

On a happier note, Jim said that Nate did a fantastic job at soccer practice last night! He is picking up the strategy of the game & figuring things out!

Jim finished all the bricks today! Now we just have to finish putting the edging around it & fill in the cracks with a joint sand. I did get to help with a pretty fun job today...it happened that we timed this project with the week that all the Maple trees dropped their seeds. Those dang seeds actually made it into the small cracks between the bricks...so I had go out with tweezers & pull out all the seeds I could find!

Nate went to his third birthday party for the weekend. He enjoyed himself but I think he learned a hard lesson. He was allowed to drink two cans of Coke (we never give the kids pop) & also a big bag of candy...he came home complaining of a headache. I am pretty sure it was from a sugar overdose & lack of water! Hopefully that is all it is & he will not be sick tomorrow!

I forgot to mention that Nate started his own BLOG. It is part of his summer plan to do some writing. His teacher has described him as a man of "few words"....so our summer goal is to get him writing a little. Based on his first few posts, he (or we) have our work cut our for us! Nate's blog is at http://natejg.blogspot.com/

Busy Day!

We had a very busy day. Nate had two birthday parties! I debated making him pick one but in the end let him go to both. He has another tomorrow, so his social calendar is full this weekend. I put off getting the gifts, so I had to get up early & got to Target with Nate to get the gifts. We also picked up some Star Wars guys for Zach - see the "New Approach to Potty Training" below.

Much of the day was spent getting Nate to & from the parties & getting Josh to his game also - see post below with pictures of Josh's game.

In between all the driving, we did a little work in the yard, some grocery shopping & finished a bit more of the pavers. Jim has about 1/2 the pavers cut that need to be cut...he seems to have a system down & I think all the pieces should be cut tomorrow.

Here are a couple other highlights from today. I finally found a pair of shoes that stay on Ethan's feet. I have tried a couple pairs of sandals and regular shoes but he always seems to take them off or they fall of. Check out these shoes...not only do they actually stay on but I think they are so cute too!

Here is a picture of Ethan kicking back outside.

I had the novel idea of getting a picture of all four...guess it was not a good idea at the end of the day. I took about 3 pictures before I gave up...you can see in the second picture that Nate has pretty much given up too (he was trying to hold Ethan).

Here is Ethan enjoying his fire engine car.
Just a nice smile from Nate!

Josh the Soccer Star!

Josh had a great game. He played the first half in goal & made some great saves...see picture #1. He also scored 2 goals but most importantly he had LOTS of fun!

New approach to poop...

Well, I think I need to review the toddler potty training manual because we just do not seem to be having much luck with Zach. I decided to try a new approach & brought home 2 cool Star Wars guys for Zach. I told him that he could have them as soon as he went poop in the potty. He was all excited & repeated that he would get them when he pooped in the potty. We put them up on top of the fridge where Zach can see them!

We went on to poop in his pull-ups two times today. I don't think he really understands when he is pooping....which seems strange because he is a sharp little guy & understands so much. We will keep trying....wish us luck but I think General Grevious & the Storm Trooper are doomed to stay up on the refrigerator for quite some time!

I am not sure what it is about Friday nights but it must be the day that my boys picked to test my parenting patience & I am failing miserably! You will remember a few weeks ago & the fun I had with Nate and Zach when trying to leave Josh's practice...well, I think Zach topped that tonight!

Jim took Josh to practice and left me with the other three. We played outside for quite awhile but Ethan was getting tired so I brought everyone inside to get baths started. I bathed Zach and Ethan, then got Ethan ready for bed while Zach used the potty.

I needed to get Ethan in bed so I left Zach & Nate in the living room while I went back to put Ethan down. We have been trying the commando approach a bit with Zach so I left him naked watching a cartoon. Nate was playing on the computer. Zach had just got off the pot so I figured he would be fine for 10-15 minutes. I was rocking Ethan when Nate came back to tell me that Zach had pooped in the living room. Here is where the fun starts! Ethan had been settled down & I was almost ready to lay down before Nate showed up. Nate's burst into the room had changed all that! I was not sure how bad the mess was, so I put Ethan in his crib...figured that was the "safest" place to ensure that he stayed clean! This was not a popular choice & Ethan was screaming as I left the room

When I got to the living room, I found that Zach had pooped on the floor...not too bad...certainly could have been worse on the furniture....but then I see Zach. He is covered with poop! Nate failed to mention that Zach played in the poop, picked it up, EAT SOME & then must have tried to wipe it off his hands...right onto his belly & back! What the heck....why would you eat poop! I am trying to decide if I need to worry about the fact that he just ate or at least put feces in his mouth! I decided since it was his own & it had just LEFT his body that a small taste would probably not cause any major problems! I put Zach into the shower (he HATES the shower..probably not the nicest mom thing to do) & cleaned off all the poop while he cried. In the background I can still hear Ethan screaming also! My blood pressure always goes up when I have several kids crying & I am trying to deal with things like one of them eating feces. Once I got Zach out of the shower, I dried him off, put a diaper on him & sat him on the couch (on TV) & told him to stay there until Jim got home (which I figured would be in just a couple minutes). I went back to try and calm Ethan down.

Jim did come home shortly to find Zach still sitting on the couch & he was filled in on what happened by Nate and Zach, while I was still rocking Ethan and trying to calm myself down as much as Ethan....what a wonderful mom moment!

Field Day was a hit with the boys. Both boys enjoyed themselves. Jim worked in the morning at the shoe toss event. Nate's class came through while Jim was working but Josh's class did not. Josh came home with a first place medal but there were 19 of them given away in his class (there are 19 kids in his class!). I think it was just Josh's teacher who gives them out because Nate did not come home with anything but he did say that he had fun!

It was a strange day for me because Jim took the boys to school & then brought Josh home. I only went to pick up Nate. At 11:14 (the time I usually leave to get Josh), I felt like I was forgetting something! It is going to be strange next year to have both older boys in school all day!

Josh had an exciting day...he rode with Aiden today on Ms. Sandy's bus. Ms. Sandy has the first bus in the bus line to pick up the AM Kindergartners & she is usually there a few minutes early. Zach loves the bus & sometimes will stay on the bus with Ms. Sandy & Cheeks (a stuffed dog on her bus) while I go inside & pick up Josh....so we know Ms. Sandy pretty well!

Jim spent the evening taking apart our lawn tractor because the steering went out on it. Seems as those some gears may be striped. It certainly seems that if it is not one thing then it is another breaking!! Ugh!

Zach has had a rough couple days. He has skipped too many naps & stayed up too late. Today he is so tired & it certainly makes life a bit more of a challenge for me! I had really wanted to get him in bed early but before I knew it, it was 8:00! Luckily he can sleep in tomorrow because Jim is taking the boys to school...hopefully that will help him catch up on sleep!

Well, I am not sure if this is progress but Zach pooped in the potty today for the first time... Jim went into the pantry this evening to get some tools from a tool box (the pantry is still serving as Zach's bathroom). Jim told me that Zach had left a surprise for me. I figured there was pee in the potty as I had Zach sit on it after dinner (before he went outside). When I went to clean it, there was actually poop. Zach had pooped & not even told anyone. I asked Zach if he pooped in the potty & he said "no". I guess he didn't realize he poop...so I am not sure if this counts as progress.....

Tomorrow is Field Day for the boys at school & we are hoping for some nice weather....keep your fingers crossed!

Josh rides the bus!

Josh rode the bus home with Aiden today! He was excited because he got to ride Ms. Sandy's bus. Ms. Sandy is the first bus in line at school & the boys often stop by to say hi and check out the bus. She has let them on the bus to walk through it & check it out....exciting for little boys who normally do not ride the bus.

Enjoying the morning together!

While I have been working on laundry, cleaning & such...Zach and Ethan have been playing & having a great time playing together. This is a recent development, previously Zach really wanted nothing to do with Ethan and they played mainly by themselves.

Here are a couple pictures of them this morning. Note the placement of the cushions! Ethan is now able to wiggle and pull himself onto the couch, unfortunately he is not real aware of the edge when he is up there and has a tendency to crash to the floor! I solved this by putting the cushions up...then if misjudges the edge it is not too far to the ground. Someday, I will have a house with regularly placed furniture that is not covered with dirt, grit & snot provided by 4 boys!

More Progress

Jim finished laying the bricks tonight...well most...the only ones left are the bricks that need to be cut. After he fills in the final gaps, we will just need to fill with a special grout sand & our project will be done. It does need to be sealed but we were told to wait awhile before sealing. I think it look great!

Pee in the real potty!

Zach used the big potty for the first time today & stood up....he was oh so excited about making bubbles & then flushing them! Whatever it takes to keep him interested in this process is fine with me!!!

A hot one today!

It was warm today! The van showed a temp of near 90 & with some high humidity....not the best for working outside. We continued with our outside work & made great progress. We probably still have another full weekend to finish the pavers but it is going to look nice! Once the pavers are done, we will need to widen the gravel section next to it. That will mean a few more weekends of excavating & putting in stone.

The kids spent most of the day outside...even filled up their little pool & the played in the water. They spent a considerable amount of time today catching wasps, can you see me rolling my eyes?? Before we did our addition & siding, we had a problem with wasps/yellow jackets. They had a couple hives that we were continually spraying. Recently they are back. The awning where they built their nests are gone but I think they may be trying to get up behind the new siding. Anyway, yesterday Josh was stung by one of them...he wasn't bothering it at the time...it landed on his land, he brushed it while not realizing what it was & got stung. I had wanted to get a wasp trap anyway, so he went with me to get one after he felt better yesterday....back to today....they (mostly Nate) spent the day catching the wasps & putting them in the trap! Not quite the intent. Surprisingly, Nate did not get stung!

One of Zach's highlights for the weekend was that he peed on a tree for the first time...he was very excited! Now, if I could just get him that excited about all of his potty training...it is not going particularly well!

The big boys are back to school tomorrow but it is really downhill from here. I think Nate has 14 days & Josh has 13 days left. Both have two more field trips, field day, end of the year parties, Kindergarten celebration, the last two days are 1/2 days, so I don't think there will be much learning left!

Picture from yesterday, the boys had great fun playing on the pallets of pavers...

Here are some pictures from today & playing in the water.

A busy day at our house....

We worked outside quite a bit...made progress on the front pavers & did a few other things around the yard.

Zach had a great day with his potty training & kept his pants dry all day. He even peed on a tree for the first time today - sorry no pictures!

Nate and Josh got themselves into some trouble today (for lying & not listening). Out by the garage there was a robin nest. The robin laid three eggs. Two of the eggs hatched last week. The nest was actually in a place that was easy to see but safe from most pr editors (probably safe from all 4 legged pr editors but not 2 legged ones!). When I went out to check on the nest today it was gone. I looked on the ground and there was nothing, which I thought was weird. If something (4 legged type) had got the nest, there should have been evidence of the nest left on the ground. I asked Nate if he had touched the nest & his response was "not that I remember". This immediately raised a red flag as it was a very peculiar answer from him. I asked him again with a firm tone & a doubtfully look & he then admitted that he and Josh had moved the nest to "somewhere safe". He and Josh had tried to bring the baby birds worms to eat but obviously the little birds are no longer with us. I can completely see where two little boys would be intrigued by the nest & the thought that they would raise baby birds; however, I CLEARLY told the boys to leave the nest alone & not touch it...then there was the "not that I remember". The boys sat in a time out for awhile & then had to spend some time cleaning the backyard.

When I grow up....

Josh has always said that he wanted to be a scientist to study things. Today he came home & announced that he changed his mind. He wants to be a pilot or the person who drives tank. I think that in honor of Memorial Day, that his class has been discussing the military & what they do. Josh explained that it is a "tough job" & that "the army guys have to be gone for a long, long time". He decided that if he flies planes that he probably shouldn't get married or have kids because they would miss him too much when he was gone flying.

We have a toddler!

Ethan is really picked up on his walking & is now able to walk across the kitchen or living room. It is still more of a rigid Frankenstein type walk but he is quickly getting better and better!

We are nearing the end of "friends" week at the Grueber house. Aiden came home with Josh today...that was the third friend that he brought home this week. We dropped Aiden off around 3:30 when he picked Nate up from school.

Then after Nate got out, he brought home a friend, Shawn. Shawn stayed until almost 7. The boys had a great time. I was very proud of Nate because he included both Zach and Josh for most of the stuff that the bigger boys were doing!

Zach went in for his 3 year check-up today & everything looked good. Looks like he may end up being tall like Nate.

Zach was 39 1/4" for his height which is 1/4" taller than Nate was at 3.

Zach was 33 pounds which is 1 pound less than Nate and 2 pounds less than Josh at the same age.

Nate of 1880!

Nate left all dressed up for his field trip today! I thought he looked great!

We even packed his lunch in accordance with what was done in the late 1800s. He brought his lunch in a pie tin tied with a bandanna. His lunch included a jelly sandwich, fresh & dried fruit & root beer (a treat for a Boy from 2008!).

Take a look....