a whole new world

When we looked for a place to rent we wanted a place with a little backyard. The boys L O V E having such easy access to a backyard, it's like a whole new world to them. They don't care how hot it is (and it is hot) they'll play outside until we bring them in (then upset because we've disrupted their fun.) We already had a little water sink, so we picked up a baby pool to encourage more splashing! Here's some pics of how we're enjoying the new backyard:

Kade, excited to be getting wet.

All the boys in on the action.

Brody and Crew are really into the whole "drinking from the spout" thing. And yes, this goes on in the bath too.

Splashin' it up!

Crew, enjoying his own pool (for now.)

brody's clock

So the boys LOVE to play in brody's room, it's like the cool hang out. But sometimes i need to check the time and in that (maybe) 12 seconds i leave the room, I ALWAYS seem to come back to an injury!! So I decided brody's room needed a clock! Well i picked up a cheap $3 clock at target:

And put it on a collision course with some scrapbook paper and cricut cut letters. The result?

A clock much more suited for brody's room that will hopefully also act as a deterrent for violence among young boys.

3 years old!

Last weekend we celebrated Brody's 3rd birthday! I feel like he's been 2 forever, so i'm very happy to finally tell people i have twins and a 3yr old (telling people i have twin 1 yr olds and a 2 year old really seemed to startle people!) Brody had been sick with a fever the whole week leading up to his birthday but luckily he felt well enough once his "party" started. Rob and Jana came to celebrate with us, and their break dancing sure livened up the party! I can't believe how much Brody's had to experience in the past year, two new brothers, starting preschool, making the step to undies, moving, starting a new preschool and nursery, whew! He's definitely one for adventure so luckily he's adjusted to things fairly well. He's very outgoing and LOVES action! Running,jumping, climbing he's your guy! Outdoor adventure, parks and swimming, sign him up! He loves going on drives and lately thinks it's fun to visit model homes (can't complain against that one!) He LOVES cars, trucks, trash trucks, and garages. He's a boy's boy all the way! Oh, and he's freakin hilarious too! Thanks to Jana we have some great pics from his party:

The birthday boy

Brody finally got his own bike this year! He's dreamed and drooled over big kid bikes for years (literally). He was really excited to get it, and yellow is his favorite color, so it's perfect! It's a little big right now, but he'll grow into it.

Excited for the first ride. I'm sure in a few years those pegs will have a younger brother on them.

Getting ready to blow the candles out on his dump truck cake. (i am NOT a professional people!)

Happy birthday Brody, we love you!!

grandpa hatter

A little over a week ago my grandpa passed away. It's been sad as i come to realize that for a while i won't be able to see his smiling face, laugh at one of his jokes, or give him a hug. I am so grateful to have been able to grow up living so close to my grandparents. I always loved going to their house, I always felt that I smiled the whole time I was there. My grandpa was really funny, quite the jokester, he's a lot like my dad!! I miss my grandpa, but feel so much comfort knowing that he's with other passed family members now, that he's eternally married to my grandma (they're seriously the cutest couple!), and that one day I'll see him again!

Here's a pic from his wedding day, they look so happy and in love!

we've got walkers on our hands

In June Kade started walking! He was taking a few steps right before we moved out here, and once we got here the extra space really accelerated his progress. Now he walks pretty swiftly and it even trying to figure out how to go even faster. Crew started walking this month, he was a little later, i think he realized he could crawl faster than walk, so it took a little longer to make the adjustment. Now their walking every where, and that's just how i like it! Here's a little video of their new skills:

This other video is of Kade and Crew playing with the dishwasher knob, they seem to love starting the dishwasher! Luckily the knob detaches, which saves us a lot of unnecessary dishwasher cycles. As a caution, this video might seem to get a little violent at the end, but to be honest, it goes on any second i look away! Those boys are too quick for their own good!