Another year older...

I took the boys this weekend for their 4-year and 1-year photos. Wow, how the time has flown. I can't believe that it's been a year since I was VERY pregnant, expecting little Nolan to arrive any time. And, how Waylon has changed in this year, too! He's such a "boy" now... most traces of baby and toddler are far gone. I'm trying to cherish each moment, because I know it won't be long before I look back on these days and think how young they were. :)

We've found it

Nolan just has not gotten into the Baby Einstein DVDs the way Waylon did... and still does. From the time Waylon was 3 months old, he would be mesmerized by the Baby Einstein bright colors and moving toys on the screen. It was sometimes a too-good babysitter! :) But, not Nolan.

Nolan is much more into "doing." Climbing. Making things work. Taking things apart. And, has shown no interest in anything on TV. Until the other day.

I had PBS on for some reason, and the Lawrence Welk show came on. Nolan stopped what he was doing to watch the dancers and singers of decades ago. He tapped his leg and laughed and smiled.

Maybe we just hadn't shown him the classics. That was the problem.

Busted!

The other night, Waylon was playing in the kitchen while I made dinner and Craig did chores.

Waylon told me, "Mom, dad told me I could blow bubbles in the kitchen if I didn't tell Mommy!"

Ummm... blowing bubbles is a no-no in our house! Daddy was busted! :)

Party time!

We celebrated Waylon's 4th birthday last weekend. What an experience! We had 12 kids in attendance, which was wonderful, and Waylon and they seemed to enjoy it! Grandpa Lee provided Gator rides, Craig manned the pony rides, Aunt Erika helped with the bounce house and decorations, the grandmas prepared the food, and I ran around like a crazy lady! HA!

The non-stop rain we've had around here caused us to kick into Plan B mode on Saturday morning. We had planned to have the party in the garage and yard, but the rains just wouldn't stay away for good. So, Craig worked hard to get the shed cleaned out that morning, and with a few decorations, it worked!

That was our first "kid party," and I'd say we survived well. Only one "pants wetting" incident in the bounce house by one little guy, only one child getting bucked off the pony (Bad Little Man! Ha!), and only one head-bumping incident in the bounce house. Not too bad. :)

Field trip day!

Oh, what fun. Waylon's preschool class took a field trip to the Indy Children's Museum last week. Waylon had his first charter bus ride, ate his first real "sack lunch," saw his first real dinosaurs and just had a great day. I loved spending the whole day with him, playing on all of the different activities and stations. What a neat place!

I Spy was the game of choice with the kids sitting around us on the bus rides. I'm fairly certain we played at least 468 rounds on our drive back from Indy. And, there's only so much you can "spy" on a bus filled with folks wearing red shirts. Ha!

I also was in dire need of "quiet time" when we returned. :) Wow... 3-4 year olds can be LOUD! I have a whole new respect for preschool teachers! Thanks for what you do, Mrs. Brown!

Mother's Day fun

Mother's Day was wonderful this year. We drove to Terre Haute and met up with my parents and grandma at their awesome park. It has a huge playground, horse and carriage rides and, in the summer, a train for the kids to ride. Waylon is pretty sure it's what heaven is like. :)

Nolan even got in on the fun. He enjoyed the swing and teeter-totter. And, we all enjoyed our picnic and playing in the beautiful weather. It was a great day.

Can't "the girls" come in!?

The other day, we had our front door open, and the dogs were running in the yard. They kept coming to the door to peek in, and in the meantime, entertain the boys. Waylon kept saying, "Mommy, I think they want in!"

Well, I'm sure they did. But, they're "outside" dogs. I just love the bond Waylon has with them. He can't wait to get outside every evening to let them run, and to feed them and give them treats. Oh, a boy and his dog. :)