Going to the zoo, zoo, zoo, How about you, you, you?

I just have to say, Really, a cement slide. I know it's cool, but you can almost hear the jeans getting holes in them as all the kids slide down. I had to try REALLY hard not to be the crazy mom yelling, "Get off the slide before you ruin your pants."











This morning we woke up to beautiful blue skys and not a thing to do. So, we went to the zoo! It turned out to be a great day to go. Every animal was out and about, except the ant-eater who was in hiding with her newborn! We just about had the place to ourselves. After making the rounds there we went and had a picnic lunch and layed in the warm sun next to a pond full of hungry, but polite ducks. Even with Griffen complaining in my ear that, "We can't have a picnic without a picnic basket," it was very relaxing. Griffen and Avary sat there talking about why zoos don't have pigs and what their favorite animal was. It was a great day :)

This should be interesting......

So it has happened. At 3 1/2, Avary has learned how to ride a bike without training wheels! I'm not sure how I feel about this one, well I am, but anyway. She already walks around fearless. Put her on two wheels with a cul-de-sac full of innocent bystanders and watch out! We have to remind her quite often that she can't fix her hair while she is riding anymore or pretend to be on a cell phone. She has an issue with trying to put her hair behind her ears (yes she wears a helmet) and bending her head to the side as if she is talking to someone on the phone. Like I said, this should be interesting. She loves to be able to say to Griffen, "I can ride a bike with no training wheels!" Griffen being Griffen doesn't really care. Anyway, we are super proud and very impressed with her determination.

And The Award Goes To......(drum roll please)

Jackson Young! At todays award ceremony Jackson received the Science Achievment Award! We are so very proud of him and all of his hard work he put into his Comet Power Point Project and earning almost all 4's(A's) on his report card! He makes it look so easy. We love you buddy :)

Avary, "Wait your turn boys. I am sending an email."

So sooner than later we are going to have to splurge and get two more DS's. One just isn't enough anymore. There is always someone waiting to 'play' with it. Last time it was Avarys turn she kept telling me she was sending an email. I asked if I could see it and this is what it was! I was super impressed and had to share! I guess she isn't just a pretty little face :)

Avary and The Chipmunks!

Every once in awhile Avary just can't stand the temptation to shake it! She totally gets this from her dad. At any given moment with just the right song they both just bust out the moves! (Quite funny if I say so myself) This was one of those moments after watching her favorite show Alvin and The Chipmunks!

Glad that's over!

Griffen laughing at the fact that I thought this was actually going to stop him.

Pretty much an everyday occurance (when younger) while I was in the shower.


I love this one. Avary's 'Oh Sh** I was caught' face.


This weekend we put a few things on Craigs List that we don't use anymore. There were two gates that obviously didn't help much and G & A's old dresser, which even without the drawer knobs was a safety hazard. As I was placing the ads I started to think about all the fun we used to have around here with two very determined toddlers. WOW!! Oh the memories......

Jackson hard at work on HIS very own blog!

So, Craig came up with a really good idea to have Jackson start his very own blog that shows off his lego creations and keeps him busy. To our surprise, he was all over it. You can follow it at clonecreationsbyjackson.blogspot.com He is off to a great start!

Yay for Jackson!

So we received a letter from Jacksons teacher today letting us know that he will be given the 3rd Grade Science Award at next weeks awards assembly. We of course are super excited for him. I told him Congratulations and that we are looking forward to coming to see him receive it and his response was, "Oh cool. What is Science?" That a boy:)

Rocket, The Runaway Engine......

Not that long ago I made a pact with myself that I was going to TRY my hardest to start doing things with the twins now that they are older and more independent. When Jackson was little it was pretty easy to find things for he and I to do and not feel overwhelmed. Now days I am completely out numbered the second we walk out the door. The above mentioned pact clearly states that I can't let that stop me! ;) On todays "TRY my hardest list" I wanted to take them to see a little play called, Rocket, The Runaway Engine! I thought it would be perfect since they are learning about transportation at school right now and it came highly recommended from a very fun mom I know (you know who you are). It was at a local high school with local talent and was free, yes free. All was going well and then the curtain opened. Griffen, "THIS IS NOT A SHOW. THERE IS NO T.V." After I explained to him many times that there wasn't going to be a tv he was alright. Then Avary started, "When do we get popcorn?" It was very clear to all around us that we were beginners at these kinds of 'shows'. Luckily it was only an hour long and we were close to the exit. All in all, a fun morning! Will we be back? To Be Continued........

I never knew I liked mustard this much.

Because I was only able to take Avary to get her Mustard Photos taken I thought I would try it myself with the boys, who felt left out! I should have known they would love to run and play in a field. As you can see, I am far from a photographer, but this wa FUN! Between the angle, lighting and just boys wanting to be boys it was a little difficult and very muddy. Seriously though, with all the fields around us full of these beautiful golden yellow flowers it is pretty hard to take a 'bad' picture. The hardest part of all was getting everyone back into the car WITHOUT their shoes on. I think both boys grew about 2 inches because of all the dirt packed on the bottoms of their shoes. Here are a couple of 'good ones'.

I just want to be fast!

"Mom, can we go to Home Depot today and buy an engine?" Me, "An engine for what?" Griffen, "For my bike, so I can keep up with Bubba and Daddy on their bike-run."

Playing in the weeds!

Here is a sneak peek of a photo session that a friend of ours did with Avary the other night. Bug bites and all, it went pretty good! She was a super good sport. I can't wait to see the rest of them.

LINK:http://www.shutterfly.com/pro/KimberlyDunnPhotos/avary
PASSWORD: mustard

Andreas Surprise 40th Bash!

A couple of weeks ago Craig and I jumped on a plane and flew down to celebrate his sister Andreas 40th Birthday! It was a ton of fun with LOTS of laughs, dancing and great memories. This is a picture of Craigs brother Brian and sister Andrea.

"Try again, try again, try again."

This weekend Avary just wouldn't let up about riding her bike without training wheels. Jackson was just a couple of months older when he finally got it, so we gave it a try! She did pretty good. This girl has DETERMINATION! After every fall and close call she just kept saying, "try, again, try again!" Oh, how much I love her. I think next time we do the practice runs it won't be on garbage night though. Too many obstacles and head ons with big, stinky trash cans.

I love this time of year.

In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt. ~Margaret Atwood

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

Me and my Valentine, August 1997.

"Yay! Today is our Balentine Party Grace!!"

You would of thought that it was Christmas around here this morning. Griffen and Avary had their preschool Valentines Party today and were soooooo excited!!

"I can do it longer." "No, I can!"

Lately Avary and Griffen have been competing with just about everything, even their Yoga stands.

TURN IT DOWN!

Craig was given a surround-sound system a couple of weeks ago and set it up for the SuperBowl! As you can see, not everyone is a fan of it. Griffen had to use earplugs the other day at lunch.