25 August 2009

we put the "TUCKY" in "TWINS-TUCKY"

I was dealt a pretty low blow on Saturday whilst at the grocery store. A woman I have known since childhood asked me if we were still living in the same house....because it.looks.vacant! OUCH! I mean, we are in the midst of several home projects that have kept us away from the landscaping and have required the removal of our shutters and have required the removal of all window treatments....but vacant?? OUCH!
Luckily, I am content in the here and now and know that all of these projects will get done and the house will get put back together, but with two little ones and Tim's busy work schedule, it just may take a little longer than we would want...I humbly replied, "We are a work in progress!"
Seriously, folks, check back next spring and you will be amazed at how we've pulled it all together. Our house will look sparkly and new ... but in the meantime, we are proud to put the "TUCKY" in "TWINS-TUCKY"!**
Oh yeah, and as a perfect example, here are some pics of Mason painting his cornhole boards in our vacant-looking frontyard...in his underwear...

16 August 2009

Tubing

We spent Saturday afternoon with The Bests {Pap Pap, Maw-Maw, Uncle Brandon, and cousins Mark, Kathy, Andrew, Dan & Sarah} and had the best.time.ever. It was another hazy summer day so we thought it was the perfect time to take Mason & Levi on their first tube ride.

Mason wasn't too sure at first and kept repeating, "I don't need to go on the tube!" Being the good parents that we are, we didn't push...especially after he witnessed Pap Pap giving Brandon, cousin Andrew, and Daddy the rides of their lives--which included hair pin turns, full throttle speeds, whipping them back and forth over the wake, and {eventually} when they couldn't hold on any longer, throwing them off of the tube.
Levi, on the other hand, couldn't wait to get on that tube with his Daddy. So, the second born went first and had a nice leisurely ride...Mason saw this and, out of nowhere, yells, "I need to ride that tube!" So, the fearful firstborn found his courage and headed out onto the tube...I guess all it takes is the thought of being shown up by your little bro?!
Tubing followed by a great cookout feast {porkchops on the grill, corn on the cob, fruit, salad, and so many other lovely delectables} followed by a "swim" in the hot tub, followed by rocks in the chanel, followed by some more tubing and swimming at Boaters' Beach. We didn't roll back to Pap Pap and Maw-Maw's house until almost 9:30 -- with 2 very tired boys....baths, jammies, and a short carride home..all we had to do was transport the passed out little ones into their beds...great day!
BOATING FUN:


...out on the boat...

Mommy & her boys


...two of a kind...

Uncle Brandon and his nephews


Mommy & her Levi Boy

stealing Pap Pap's sunglasses

enjoying the wind blowing through their hair

Mason & his Uncle Brandon
loving the boat

Levi's first tube ride!

and now Mason's first tube ride

Mason & Daddy tubed all the way back to Pap Pap's house
sunset cruise with the Best's {Grandpap, Maw-Maw, and cousins Mark, Kathy, Andrew & Sarah}
BACK AT THE RANCH:
some of the Best's
Hot tubbing!

Mason teaching Levi how to select the perfect rock

Levi has learned to stay behind the rope {much to our relief!}

deck hockey

we like to believe that Mason is teaching his brother how to hold the stick {and not taking it away from him}

14 August 2009

Dinosaurs ROAR!

The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has a really cool dinosaur exhibit that we checked out today. We saw it a couple years ago pre-Levi, but hadn't checked it out on our subsequent zoo visits...until today...
It was a hot one, but we had lots of water and snacks to keep us hydrated and energized. We saw lions {sleeping in the shade}, bears {sleeping in the shade}, and rhinos {sleeping indoors}. Monkey island was a little slow, too, but the giraffes were up close and personal. And the flamingos, turtles, kangaroos, and birds were out and about!
It is, however, a little tricky for a 3 1/2 year old to grasp that the dinosaurs aren't real, but the rest of the animals are real. When we got home and were talking about all of the animals, Mason still thought the seals were robots??! Oh well!

uh...are you sure it won't eat me, mommy?


Mason was so proud that he scaled this rock ...


my boys


{heart melting}

when the t-rex roared, levi pulled his hat down over his ears

mommy and her sweet babies

?? are you sure these dinosaurs aren't real??

... safe in Daddy's arms ...

guess the fear is gone...what's in here??
:: courage ::

you can pick your nose...

and you can {apparently} pick a wolf's nose...

mommy & mason on the train riding through the Australian Outback ...
we even saw a baby kangaroo in her mommy's pouch!

05 August 2009

A picture says a thousand words...

I have a feeling I'm in for quite a few of these looks in the years to come....

Boy Asks For Waterslide....

Who needs Kalahari in the summertime?? Mason asked for a waterslide and Daddy made it happen! So now our backyard has been transformed into a waterpark extravaganza...the boys love sliding down the slide into their pool and running through the doggie sprinkler. I'm not sure about the safety factor of the slide (as you will soon see Levi flying off the end of the slide!), but...hey, when you have boys, safety goes out the window, right? It's all about adventure and risks and physical fun! And now all three can be found in the context of H2O right in our own backyard....I can tell you, however, that no children were harmed in the filming of these videos...

Enjoy!

Aunt Brittany came over and joined in the fun! The boys loved sharing their doggie sprinkler with her....

And here's some still shots: