Noah....seriously?

This was how Miles found his Easter basket yesterday (take note of the "grass" attached the basket just under the chick and the bunny). Each of the boys got a book and corresponding guy/lovie, a ball, some snacks, and one little chocolate bunny. Later in the day, we were all sitting at the kitchen table working on various projects. All of a sudden Noah started crying. I asked him what was wrong and he said, "the grass from Miles' Easter basket doesn't taste good." Seriously? That was even a question?

***

While giving the boys a bath tonight my pants got soaked (as usual). After I got Noah out of the bathtub I said, "I'll be right back, I have to change my pants. They're wet." Noah's response, "Mom? Did you pee in your pants?" Again....seriously? :)

***


Any guess which movie Miles and Noah watched over spring break?
(Warning for anyone planning their own screening: decades later, I'd forgotten about the "shut up" type banter in the beginning....but once I was done muting through it all, the boys loved the silliness. Me, too.)

Dinner Art

Uncle Jason, if the boys are responsible for this, then you are responsible for this:

Noah Brown, face model

EVERY time the boys get a tortilla shell, they immediately 'bite out a face' just like you taught them at the beach last summer. Thanks for the weekday dinner laughs, little bro-in-law! Looking forward to seeing you and Lindsey in St Louis in a few weeks!

Easter Sweetness

This morning I asked the boys what Easter means. I could tell their brains were churning with lots of possible answers (bunny, candy, egg hunt, etc..). I quickly added, what happened to Jesus on Easter morning? Miles yelled out, "ALIVE!" Exactly.


Uh....should this fruit leather "candy" be impossible to chew?!


Ah, chocolate. Now that's what I'm talkin' about....



I love Easter traditions. I love going to church, dying eggs, discovering overflowing baskets, hunting for eggs. I love running around the yard "hiding" eggs for the boys to find. I love hearing the boys squeal with delight just before they grab another egg. Mike and I had fun swapping our childhood Easter memory stories. He and Shannon hunted for change in plastic eggs. Dana, Lindsey & I hunted for gold-foiled chocolates. The best part was finding pieces of chocolate around the house in the middle of the summer. Never failed.


Happy Easter! He is Alive....He is Alive, indeed.

Mike's Birthday

Miles, Noah and I got up early to make Happy Birthday posters for Mike. Noah was very excited to write "dad" on his poster all by himself. Miles worked diligently to copy our Happy Birthday banner EXACTLY. Talk about detail oriented. They both turned out really cute.




Mike decided that he wants a new road bike for his birthday (he's loving his triathlon training that much!). He doesn't have it yet, but he's been test-driving, trying to find just the right one. This is the first year that I didn't get Mike anything extra above his big present (no silly t-shirts, no workout clothes, nothing). Instead, around 11am, I did this.

Can you believe it?! I was parked at a gas station and when I pulled away, I drove straight across some 2 foot white concrete barriers. I didn't even know they were there. I jumped out of the car to see what happened and then burst into tears. An accident is one thing....but on Mike's birthday....when I didn't even have a present to hand him? Awful. He was very understanding and has already transitioned to teasing me about it. Gotta love him.


We wrapped up his birthday with a VERY fun evening with great friends. We've been hanging out with the Hulls since our single days and with the Williams since our pre-kids days. We laughed a lot, especially when everyone shared their own accident stories. A great way to kick off Mike's 37th year!

Space Kidets

In step with our quest to live-it-up on Spring Break, we packed in one more adventure to Space Kidets. Miles had his 5th birthday party here and the boys are always asking to go back. They have one room full of big jumpies and one room full of games. We especially love the game room, because its all free with your price of admission (no tickets, no coins, just straight in for the fun). I don't have any pictures from the jumpy side since I was in on the action, but here are a few game shots.


Noah had to lay so far back in order to reach the pedal and simultaneously see over the steering wheel. Slow ride....take it easy....


A friendly game of preschool shuffle-board.


WATCH OUT!


Hmm...should I go over the mountain or through the tunnel?


Dude, shouldn't we put on helmets if we're going over THAT mountain?!


Can't get much better than this. I have great childhood memories of playing skee-ball on the boardwalk at the Jersey Shore. Love it.


Now where is that pesky puck?


I love our friend Ryan's face here -- psyched about his motorcycle race finish. And totally stoked about Spring Break. We all all.

Davie Park

We have been loving spring break. Its been so much fun to spend a relaxed week with all three boys. Not 2 boys. Not one boy. ALL 3 boys. Together. I'm so excited for our camp-free summer.

Miles tackled the monkey bars immediately and came back shouting, "I did it! I did it!" He was so proud of himself.

Hilarious

Trish, Ella, and Jack came over this afternoon to check out our new jumpy slide. After seeing pictures of the fun we've been having, they are interesting in getting their own. I'd say their test run was successful. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from their visit.

Anyone wanna get shocked?!



Jack picked up a few dried up worms from our cul-de-sac. Yes, he attempted to snack on one.



LOVE these kiddos!

Monkey Joe's

On Tuesday, Carolyn & I took our boys to Monkey Joe's. MJ's is a HUGE facility full of massive inflatables and its definitely a treat (we usually only go if we're invited to a birthday party there). All 5 of them had a blast running and playing in the jumpies (aka amateur wrestle mania).



(Thanks for sending me these last 2 silly ones, Carolyn!)

After about 30 minutes, Noah and Griffin retreated to a little play area (probably too much stimulation in the jumpy room with so many older/big kids there).



Noah was so proud of himself for writing his name (he works so hard to keep up with Miles). I did notice that he switched hands while writing (one letter with the left, the other with the right), but he continues to favor his left hand. Check out Griffin writing with his left, too! Grandpa Bob & Grandma T -- you may have a couple more cuties in your club. :)

Plaza Fiesta

Our Monday trip to the Columbia zoo was rained out, so we checked out Plaza Fiesta with the Williams instead. We'd never been before and we were literally astonished at what we found. It is very random -- but definitely the mac-daddy of all climbing/sliding structures (6 stories high). Miles, Noah, Ella & Jack took off immediately and Griffin grabbed my hand, anxious to check it out, too. It was hours of active fun for $2. We loved it and were sweaty and exhausted when it was time to leave.





Love the best-friend hug.


Is Griff crying because he doesn't want a hug or because he is devastated that the playdate is over? :)


Trish - I forgot to tell you that Miles told me the other day that he had a girlfriend. When he asked me who it was, he named Ella. Looks like he's working the hard-to-get angle here.


The kids were definitely more interested in Trish's lollipops than posing for a picture for me. :) You can check out a few more pictures on Trish' blog here. FUN!

Happy Birthday, Mom (Beth/Gram)!

We love your adventurous spirit!
Seen here sporting my "infomercial snuggly" (gifted to me by the Fosters). I love it, but I think it was a one-time-thing for my mom. :)


We love your spontaneity!
Seen here scaling a "mountain of rocks" just for the fun of it.



We are lucky to have you in our lives and I'm so thankful to have inherited/learned some of these awesome traits directly from you. Happy Birthday -- we love you!
xo Brooke, Mike, Miles, Noah, Griffin (& Bodie)

Movie Day

Today's original agenda included a trip to Dan Nicholas Park with some friends. Unfortunately, the temperature in Salisbury this morning was 33 degrees. Yikes! We decided to hit the movie theater instead. Miles had seen a few movies in the theater before, Noah had seen one & this was Griffin's first. They all settled in with their popcorn & lemonade and didn't peep until the movie was over.




I still can't believe I took Griffin to see a PG movie about monsters. Miles wasn't allowed to eat popcorn until he was at least 3 1/2, let alone view something rated PG. I guess its true what they say: the youngest gets to experience everything so much earlier. (Mom & Dad, sorry if I ever gave you any grief about Lindsey getting a car so early. At this rate, I'll probably be handing Griffin one when he's 12 :).