Moab 2012

So much I could say about this trip. So much I probably should say. I'm sure I'll find the right perspective and words at some point, but for now I will just share the handful of pictures from our first (and incidentally only) day in Moab.

{Captain cool in his drug store kiddie sunglasses with Mr. Dorito and the youngest bandit driving the wagon at the Red Cliffs Lodge, where we all lunched half way through their rafting trip.}

{Oh yeah, Jack got some new shades too!}

{Hmmm.  Looking a bit less that thrilled to be doing such a treat as going rafting...a little hint as to the entitled, disrespectful attitudes that followed.}

{Jack acting like a daredevil.}

{Moab is beautiful, you could point your camera randomly into the landscape and capture something special.}

And a few iPhone pictures too...

{I'll always love Moab.  It holds a special place since that is where Bryan and I fell in love.  We went there a couple months into dating and hiked in the Fiery Furnace and I just knew...}

{Mama and sleeping baby in the shade along the CO river.}

{Nolan and I walked all the way across this bridge to the other side of the river from where we parked and he got to swim (completely nude) in the Colorado River.  No pictures since he was determined to drown himself, but it was quite the scene and really reminded me of pictures of myself at his age swimming naked at Big Lake, Alaska.}

It was a short trip unfortunately.  But we had to follow through and our kids' behavior did not warrant them being lavished with any more fun adventures or gift store treats.  We've shaken up their world a bit since returning home too.  Chores! No Apple devices! No movies in the car! Very limited Wii!  Absolutely no tolerance for backtalk or any kind of disrespect!  Hopefully this memory is etched into their memories...and hopefully we return to Moab again sooner than 9 years from now!

Boys here lately.

Ahh some of the stuff that happens on a daily basis with a brood of boys...

{Nap mutiny results in eventually crashing on the floor}

{Nolan is so skinny his pants fell down while he did the monkey bars yesterday at the school.}

What else have we been up to?  Hanging out at The Children's Museum as per usual.

Finding cool new toys at the preschool playground.

Jack made this perfectly arranged and symmetrical pizza at the museum. Yum!

Warren comes right home from school and gets into an activity.  He is a busy body for sure!  Have to force a snack in him and get him ready for baseball practice most days.

We recently got updated pictures done so I have been busy updating my photo wall in our loft and making my Easter mailers.  I LOVE pictures.

It was fun to put the new images in and see how their faces have changed.  Little Nolan at 6 months and at 2.5 years!

The Summer of 2012 is finally coming together!  Enrolling Warren and Jack at Camp Primrose for 3 days per week half days.  They will be there for 15 hours per week going on field trips and having a blast.  Also decided on golf lessons for them at our nearby course.  Nolan and Luke will be my home buddies and I will make sure we have lots of fun stuff going on here for them.  Of course we will have our usual stomps like the Children's Museum and our favorite bounce house. 

And I already got the boys' Summer workbooks at our local OfficeMax since it is closing and selling everything for great prices.  Thinking to have T and Thu be "school" and golf lesson days since they won't have camp.  Everything always goes so much smoother in my head, so we'll see how it all works out :)

You should have seen his face...

...when I gave him the paper and told him to rip it up. Most of the bits were unusable since he used his teeth to tear it up. Glue everywhere. There are about 10,000 reasons why I'm not a preschool teacher but we are having fun muddling through this little workbook. The concepts are already beneath him (colors and shapes) but he is getting practice sitting at the table getting out supplies and squirting glue all over the table. I think that's maybe valuable??

I'm never quite sure what I'm supposed to do at home all day with a toddler. He mostly tags along wherever the big boys' lives dictate we go. Follows me around the house, watches PBS, empties out closets, eats an inordinate amount of carbs...hope that's what he should be doing at 2! :)

{Way to go, Nolan!}

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Our Spring Break trip to Moab is all planned. So excited for a little road trip adventure. We haven't been there since before we got married -- the kids are gonna love it. Bryan is taking Warren and Jack rafting and we are stopping in Glennwood Springs to swim too. Gotta get to packing up the van soon!

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Not much else to report. I am really starting to get uncomfortable in this pregnancy and it's for a whole new reason than I've ever experienced in pregnancy before...it feels like I have 4 times too much blood circulating in my body.  I am itchy, have spider veins ALL OVER my legs, and just feel so heavy.  I swear I can hear my own pulse just sitting at the computer typing.  I know it is a relatively easy fix to get my legs back from looking like a horror show after Luke is born, but it is still so disheartening to see, especially now as the weather warms up and I would normally be getting out shorts and considereing taking the boys swimming.  I can't imagine subjecting anyone to the alarming sight!  Okay, rant over.  I know this is all temporary and the outcome far outweighs this discomfort! 

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Jack's First Wobbly Tooth

March 18th...the day the wobbly tooth that was hanging by a thread finally cut loose and capped off our exciting St. Patrick's Day weekend with a bang.

It took us all nearly a full hour to settle back down for bed. Nolan tried in vain to rip out one of his teeth to be like Jack and Jack had to look online for quite a while for the perfect new Lego to spend his Tooth Fairy money on. It was classic.

Finally, the house was quite again and the Fairy went to work delivering the goods in exchange for that perfect little white bottom tooth. Jack woke up bright and EARLY and had to tell us all about his wild night of catching a glimpse of the Tooth Fairy and getting $15 dollars under his pillow.

{Jack's rendering of what he witnessed last night:}

Anyhow, life is slowing down a bit... although we just starting little league baseball last week, which Bryan is coaching -- so cute! Need to get some pictures of Warren and Jack on the baseball field with Daddy (their team is the Muddogs and Bryan is the head coach!) So proud of Bryan for taking on the task of coaching. I can tell it means so much to the boys and will make a lasting impression on them.  The practices are actually at the boys' Elementary School, so it doesn't get any better than that!  I will post pictures soon!

Glad to be back from my blogging hiatus!

I'll sneak a tiny Luke update in here just in case I'm not really back on the blogging bandwagon.  I am nearly 30 weeks, passed the glucose test and am smooth sailing until his delivery!  Doctor isn't even having me come back every two weeks since everything is so great.  I feel like an old pro at this.

Also, just to document -- the boys both had AWESOME report cards this past reporting period.  LOTS of A's... we have SMART boys :)