Boys Big Birthday Week - 3 Years Old

Our final week with 2 year old boys was quite eventful.  My parents were able to visit for most of the week and we had a great time.  We did a lot of hanging around the house enjoying each others' company but lots of adventurous stuff too, like checking out Loggerhead Marinelife Center...

...a favorite stop for all of us.

We also checked out a spring training game...

...Miriam got to join us for that fun, too.  We ran into a friend while we were there too, which was a big hit for the boys.

We dined at Benihana on the night before the boys' birthday and they got some pretty cool schwag...

On the boys' birthday, we ventured out to the Busch Wildlife sanctuary as well...

We had fun celebrating the boys' birthday that night with my parents as well as my Aunt Peggy and Uncle Lon...

The boys birthday party was a success on Saturday...

...thankfully, the weather cooperated, the cake turned out ok, the boys LOVED being sung to and blowing out the candles, and we had a GREAT time!  Cobia's photo bus was a HUGE hit and left us all with some great momentos as well.  

We finished up our birthday party day with a fun dinner with my Aunt and Uncle at Shrimpers...

...of course the boys wouldn't sit still for a photo :-)  Glad I at least got in on the photo action with my relatives.

After all that birthday fun, we spent our Sunday in a pretty low-key way.  After shopping for new bikes with the boys' birthday money...

...we tackled a little bit more of our to-do list and then decided to head to the beach...

We finished out our day with some wings and beers before calling in a take-out order for pizza and heading home for a little bike riding...

Can'e believe how quickly the time is going.  Blessed beyond words!!!

Almost Birthday Week...

I can't believe it's Thursday already.  I'm glad the week is flying by because that means we keep getting closer to my parents' visit.  We've been looking forward to this visit since we saw them in Indiana last month.  When Mimsy and Grandpa are around, it's always a good time.  Only 2 more days to get through til we've got company for a week...and a very exciting week too.  Next week is the week the boys turn 3!!!!!  

These last 3 years have FLOWN by!  I vividly remember this time of year 3 years ago...hugely pregnant, St. Patrick's Day parties feeling like a distant memory, anxiously wondering each day if that day will be the day we meet our boys.  I'm glad they hung on a little bit longer but we sure were anxious to hold them.  Exciting times...much like our days these days.  St. Patrick's Day parties still feel like a distant memory, still anxious about what our future holds, and instead of being hugely pregnant, I seem to be constantly exhausted by my two bundles of energy.  I wouldn't have it any other way. Here's some of what we've been up to this week...

Monday was play group time for the boys and errands time for me.  Not much to reports.  The fun really started on Tuesday when the rain cooperated and let us have a fun story time featuring two more Keith Baker books...

He's a great author!  

Since it was pretty wet outside, we followed up our morning with a stroll around Downtown Stuart.  We had a nice time checking out the train...

...and the star studded side walk by the Lyric theatre....

...chocolate pretzels from Kilwins were a hit too.  YUM!

We spent the rest of our day around the house.  NO complaints here.

Wednesday we did our typical produce thing, but we also squeezed in some time in the backyard...

...and a trip to the library to restock our stash.  

Our evening story time was especially fun thanks to the fabulous weather, the great turnout, and the accordion music afterwards.  The featured books were...

I love the rhymes in Sleep, Black Bear, Sleep and the illustrations in Moonlight are gorgeous.  They're both excellent books.

The boys were super cute smelling the flowers in the courtyard...

...thanks to Mickey for capturing that moment :-)

Today kicked off with a run to the park.  The boys definitely burned off some energy running all around...

They melted my heart being silly together too...

They really are best friends and it's INCREDIBLY cool to get to be their mom.  Makes me wish I had a twin :-)

We also made a trip to Target and got out the door without spending more than $25...hard to do, but we managed.  

We picked up some monster trucks while we were there...the toy of choice to motivate using the big potty instead of the froggy potty that requires cleaning after every use.  I'll use whatever tricks it takes to encourage that transition.  Here's to hoping it works.  Guess things actually have changed alot in the last 3 years :-)  

Another Baseball and Beach Weekend

Last weekend was another fun one.  We were lucky enough to get to spend some of it at another spring training game down at Roger Dean stadium in Jupiter.  This time we had Miriam and Leah along for the fun as well...

The boys are quite the little fans.  Our seats were a little higher up, but they still managed to get their hands on a foul ball caught by our neighbors.  Who can resist their cuteness???

We actually remembered to snap a photo of the three of us... 

...trying to get a shot that included the boys too was a little bit more tricky...

Oh well!!  Who wants to look at a camera when there's a baseball field to entertain you???

After the game, we grabbed some dinner at Carsons before heading downtown to the Shamrock festival.  The highlight of the festival for the boys was the bounce house....

...they kept bouncing into the sides and giggling so hard.  It was pretty fun to watch them with all the bigger kids in there along with them.  They weren't even phased by the giants bouncing all around them.  They've come a LOOOONG way!

We also had some fun goofing off... 

...and meeting some festive, friendly dogs....

It was a FUN day!

Sunday didn't disappoint either.  I was up early to send Miriam and Leah on their way.  Then it was time for another day of family fun.  We kicked it off with a trip to the beach...

...the boys tired quickly of the wind so we headed to the playground...

I'd say the boys approved of the change of scenery...

When our stomachs started rumbling, we followed our appetites to Tijuana Flats.  It was the boys and my first visit and it will definitely not be our last.  YUM!  

The rest of our day was spent close to home playing outside, taking a little family run, squeezing in a little P90X3, and relaxing with some homemade pizza and tv. Good times!!  

Life Lately

Our day got off to a good start yesterday.  Mickey and I started bright and early as we tackled the challenging Triometrics P90X3 workout.  I love to hate that workout.  I seriously think there are over 1000 squats in that 30 minute workout.  It's intense!

Thank goodness today gave us a bit of a break with PilatesX...a break for every body part but our abs, that is.  Mine need all the help they can get :-)

The boys were ready to seize the day early yesterday as well so we had time to play outside a bit...

...and hit up the playground quickly before heading to music class...

  

...I may be onto something with running off some energy before classes.  We're still in the testing phases but it seemed to work yesterday.

After music class, our day began to derail from our original plans, but we bumped and rolled our way to lunch.  Seems to be the trend these days.  You know what else is becoming a trend, especially since that darn daylight savings time...

...stroller naps.  I like them once in a while, but they are becoming a daily occurrence thanks to boys who think it's not time to nap yet...hopefully we get over that soon.  They sure are cute when they sleep though, aren't they?

Yesterday we found some time to finish up some of our Pinterest-inspired St. Patrick's Day crafts.  These two were hits with the boys...

Rainbow mosaics just waiting for us to make pots of gold at the end and binoculars for hunting down those tiny little leprechauns.  The boys are very interested in making sure they do NOT come into our house.  Funny the things they worry about.  At least we've got some gorgeous weather to look forward to while we track them down...

Today's outings included a trip to BJs with my undercover shoppers...

...and a visit to the library to restock our stash and play a bit as well...

We headed home for a picnic since the weather was so nice and ended up playing outside for quite a while...

...the boys especially had fun playing with the bugs and trying to scare me.   See that big spider on Mason's head??

Now it's time to enjoy some yummy wine...

and homemade pizza...

...it is Friday after all, right?  Counting down the hours til Miriam and Leah get here.  It looks like tomorrow should be a LOT of fun!!

Loving My Job

The past few days, I've been feeling extremely grateful for the job I get to have as a stay at home mom. 

 It gives me time to do things like this...

...fun little craft we made out of a empty soup can.  We used  them to deliver treats to a couple of friends.  It's fun to help the boys learn the joy of giving gifts too.  They are so cute when they deliver our little treats to friends.

I also get to lead story times with them.  Tuesday mornings features included some great books by Keith Baker...

...and Wednesday night included...

...two sweet bedtime stories, Mason and Colton approved :-)

I also love that a midweek visit to the beach is a regular treat for us... 

...we couldn't have had a more perfect day for some fun in the sand and sun...

My job gives us the opportunity to get off the beaten path every once in a while... 

Life is an adventure for them.  I'm grateful I get to experience it with them.  

It's a fun ride...

...literally.  They figured out how to free wheel down the little hill in our neighborhood today.  They were THRILLED with their new find.  

We also have time to explore places like the Audobon society.  The boys and I look forward to our new discoveries on our nature walks.  Thankfully this visit did NOT include fire ants... 

Today we had a lot of fun with hide and go seek...

...and the banyan tree... 

...the boys have a new hideout to show off to their friends... 

I never would have noticed this if it weren't for them.  It's fun to be a kid again!

Today was also produce day...another gig I get to be a part of thanks to my stay-at-home mom status.  Life isn't always easy...but I sure am blessed and I'm incredibly grateful.