Fall Routine

We hit the ground running after vacation...and it has been so much fun! Literally, the week we got back, we started fall story hour at our award winning library, our MOMS Konnect! playgroup through our church, and CBS School (which Mason sometimes calls BS School--HA!).


Mason loves his 'pre-school'! He has made lots of new friends and comes home with lots of stories and anecdotes from his morning. Early this summer, we made a painstaking decision to not put Mason into our local co-op pre-school for the fall term. It would have meant we would have been unable to do CBS and with Tim's 24 on/48 off schedule, it would have meant less family/daddy time and we decided that was more important. CBS (short for Community Bible Study) meets once a week...which allows us time for impromptu family field trips & play dates and also allows us to be involved in the library story hour and not be rushed to get out of the house 3 days a week. They have an excellent children's program and it also has an excellent adult program that I am really enjoying! I was second guessing our decision a couple weeks ago, but am now so assured that it was the right decision for our fam!

And, just as a side note, Mason and I are working extra hard on our letters, numbers, cutting, and other 'pre-school skills'. ... so don't worry for a second that he will be behind!!

Here are some pics for you to enjoy!

::Mason's first day of preschool::

:: Priceless ::

:: Brothers sharing, a rare-but-more-often-occuring moment ::

obx 2009

more details about our 2009 vacation to come...but here are some (of the far too many) pics that were taken. my sister did a professional photo shoot of our fam so i am excited to see those very soon....think white t-shirts and khakis...

uncle phil and his nephews...

mason dancing to the beat of the waves next to Gram

...wading...

my brother matt soaking in the sun

tim & boys digging

Snip Snip

Levi got his first haircut today...about time considering he is 19 months old! He wasn't so sure at first, but then he just sat their nonchalantly with an expression like...Hey Mom, this is what big boys do....

Of course, it helped that big brother was in the booth next door showing him what to do...

uh....I'm not so sure about this...

all cleaned up...and checking himself out in the mirror!

CORNHOLE

a blank slate ...

... stirring the paint ...

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!