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...

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}

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!

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:

:: my honor ::

We did it again! Thank you, Lord! I arrived in Maryland on Tuesday evening and Emily went into labor on Wednesday (July 22nd) morning...and we met Elijah Philip Ashby (another BOY!) at 5:44p.

You can read about her birth here. But I will tell you that it was an intensely beautiful, wonderful water birth! Emily handled the labor with grace and strength while I papparazied around, capturing the whole thing in pictures. The only thing better than birthing yourself is watching your sister birth. Dan (the other 1/2 to D*N*A Doulas) and I behaved ourselves this time around and were joined by Tina, a real doula, that really saved the day!

We were home by 11p that night...got a full night's sleep before big brother Luke came home. Luke bonded with his Aunt May-mee....and I so enjoyed getting to spend some quality one:on:one time with my first-born nephew. He helped me pick up pizza, grocery shop, fix things (his fave pastime) and posed for lots of my pictures. He wore the I'M THE BIG BROTHER shirt with pride and joy!

It was difficult to leave that newborn smell on Friday, but I sure did miss my boys...who looked inifinitely bigger and more beautiful than when I left them earlier in the week. They were busy, busy, busy with Daddy and Gram while I was gone and were nice enough to greet me with big hugs and kisses...Mason exclaimed, "Mommy...you're HOME!" I did have to chase Levi around and around for his sweet lips, but it was well worth it for the sound of his laughter whilst I chased.

And, of course, I missed Tim...but I was so grateful for the honor to witness the miracle of life yet again. God Bless You, Elijah Philip!

A recap of some events

Please...don't fall over. I know, I know. 2 posts in one month. Well, I am getting back on the bandwagon and, while I hope this is a normal occurrence, I don't want to cause anyone any chest pain in the process ;-)

Here's some of our fun events of late:

Levi was dedicated at church this past Sunday. We all dressed up and paraded up to the front to promise to do our best to raise Levi up to know Jesus. Here's a snapshot...thanks to our dear friends...Levi talked loudly, repeatedly saying, "Hump-tee, Dump-tee"...seriously what is with my kiddos and this egg???? I promise I don't encourage it at all!!

Pool parties have begun!! We pull the basketball hoop up to the edge of the pool and slam dunk over and over and over. The boys love it!! And, I knew it was coming...but it is a necessity to JUMP into the pool...so I pulled up the kids bathroom stool to the edge and it was perfect!! Mason could jump clear to the other side of the pool and Levi required a little help to keep it safe...but f-u-n!

Charlotte's 1st birthday party.....I didn't get any pictures of the precious birthday girl, but here is Mason enjoying some cake with his Maw-Maw and Levi with his Uncle Brandon....

Playdates are a sanity must for both the kiddos and myself. Here the boys are playing with their friend Deacon...they lined up under the swingset and played noneother than Humpty Dumpty over and over...

Grams and Gramps surprise Mason with a big boy bike! And he takes off....my pics were turned in photoshop, but are uploading crooked...UGGHH!! I love it when nature cooperates with big moments. .... My dad helping Mason ride his bike under the blossomed tree...PRECIOUS!

Grandma Bella surprised the boys with some extra special super duper ride-on toys and then stayed to play on the swingset. The boys LOVE their Bella!!!

And I'll leave you with a little video of the boys...I will note that the fence is now closed off (THANK YOU, HONEY!!) and that my boys do own shoes....