A few other happenings

Matt and I have been able to go out on a few dates lately thanks to our new babysitting exchange! It is working out lovely. We got to see "Wicked" and "Joseph and the Technicolor Dream-coat." Both plays were great! Evenings out with the kids without them crying about it are fabulous and not having to pay a babysitter is even better.

I had a birthday shout hooray! It was an uneventful day as it was a Sunday but Matt took care of the kids and did all the cooking and cleaning. What more could I ask for? I even got my birthday wish from last year which was to eat all 3 meals sitting down! My friend Amy came through for Matt because he forgot about a cake! She whipped one up and we shared dessert with their family that evening. It was delicious. A couple of girlfriends and I went out to dinner and had a reflexology massage during the week. It was a very crazy experience. Sometimes it hurt like the dickens, but afterwards it just felt good!

Ethan's favorite phrase of the moment is "I do it myself" Yes folks, he is 2! We went and bought him a potty and he loves to go on it. Afterwards we can't get him to put back on his diaper but who doesn't love a little nakey time.

Cole can do many new things now because he is 4! That includes feeding himself dinner (yes, most kids can already do that, but food is still an issue), getting himself dressed and he can do flips on the tramp. Thank goodness he is so grown up.

We are surviving without Matt for the most part. The first couple of weeks were a little rough, but we are getting used to it. I find that Saturdays are the hardest but hey, we only have 1 year and 10 months to go. I will be earning an honorary MBA as I edit and help with assignments. Too bad I can't throw that on my resume.

Serpentarium

I have posted about this place before. We finally broke down and bought a yearly pass! It is a great rainy day visit and the boys love it. Cole even held the snake this time. We went out with a few friends and had a great time.

This snake jumped at the kids when they looked at him!

Babysitting

Many of you may remember that we used to own two cats named Max and Stella! Their new owners needed us to babysit for a little while. Cole LOVED it and the cats didn't as much! They spent most of their time on top of the kitchen cabinets (at least while Ethan was awake.) I had been thinking that I wanted to get a pet and I was reminded how much work they are!

Pumpkin Patch

For Cole's Preschool we all went out to the pumpkin patch. It had been pouring for a couple of days and we got lucky with a clear break!

Cole's preschool friends.

Such cooperative boys on a hayride!

Giddyup!

Petting a chicken

Matt goes to school

Matt started MBA school. We hope to see him again in 2 years when he is super smart.

Happy Birthday Cole and Ethan!

September 22 is always a busy day for us. We get to celebrate two birthdays! Cole turned 4 and Ethan turned 2. This year we met some friends for lunch at McDonald's, went swimming in the 90 degree weather and then had chicken nuggets for dinner. It doesn't get much better than that!

Cole at McDonald's

Ethan at McDonald's.

A few presents.

Swimming

This year we didn't really do a party. The following Friday we had a few cupcakes, did a little night swimming and had a good time on the new TRAMPOLINE! It just might be a gift more for me than the boys but they seem to enjoy it so far.

Cole goes to school

Cole is going to the Five Bright Stars Mommy school! At first he told me he didn't want to go to school because he didn't want to grow up, but after his first day he loved it and can't wait to go back.

This is the first time Cole has worn jeans in over a year! I told him that you had to at school. :) He changed as soon as he got home, but I think that is progress!

A night away

After all our hard work it is a good thing we got to spend the night away the next weekend. I had a gift certificate for a night here:

It was fabulous! We got a stone massage Friday night and then had a delicious breakfast the next morning. The kids were very happy playing with our friend Shelley. Ethan didn't want to go home and cried all the way saying "Shelley's house."

A true labor day

The weekend of labor day we did this.

It was a lot of hard work! We moved the grass to another spot in our yard, installed the wood, ground cover and then bark. It looks great though!

It's not every day you get to kiss an alpaca!

We live near a Kangaroo Zoo and it is very fun! We went out with a few friends to take a tour. You get to pet the kangaroos, wallabies, turtles, donkeys, llamas and alpacas. They also have lemurs, ostriches and an angry miniature horse. It is a small scale operation but very interesting! The boys had a great time.

The tortoise.

The kangaroo. A couple of them had babies in their pouches! Their tails are amazing up close.

Trying to get the boys to pose for a picture.

They have you feed the alpacas with your mouth! It is kind of funny. They are very stinky animals.

A couple of things

1. The boys are really starting to play with each other and sometimes we catch them side by side!

2. We have frogs that live by us and a few that come into our backyard. The boys love to catch them and hold them a few minutes until we let them find their mommies.

3. Sometimes days are just too long to last until bed time. Cole fell asleep at the dinner table at 7!

4. I have a new calling. I am now the nursery leader! Ethan will be thrilled as he still hasn't warmed up to the idea of going to class without us.

5. Cole gave a talk in church today. It was hilarious. He mumbled everything until Matt started saying his lines and then he repeated every last word really loud. So much for practicing!

6. We made Thai food for dinner. It was delicious!