Portrait Innovations--Take 2

I haven't been successful getting the boys' pictures taken TOGETHER in almost two years. They're all smiles when I take them in by themselves, but getting both of them to smile AND look at the camera at the SAME time has been impossible. I made a futile attempt last weekend, but was determined to get this right, so we went back again this morning. We only got a few good ones, but at this point, I'd settle for ONE. Maybe next year will be easier! :)

Fresh from the Bath!

My frog and lion :)

Today, one of our neighbors, Marcus, came over to play with Tyler after school, then had dinner with us. Dave's parents came over for dinner, too, and gave the boys each a souvenir from their recent trip to Orlando.

The boys building with Legos

Popsicles for dessert!

The boys love their Disney bus and truck that Mama Carol and & Papa Dave brought back from Disneyworld!

My Messy Boy

What Will We Do With All of This Candy?

I sorted everything that the boys collected at Columbia Daze....

Tyler's project for the weekend was to make an "All About Me" bag. Since he loves M&M's, we used M&M's stickers to spell his name, then decorated the bag with Scooby-Doo, airplane, Star Wars Clone Wars, and sweet treats stickers--some of his favorite things in life. :)

Then, we had to fill it with 5 or 6 things that describe Tyler (his hobbies, favorite pasttimes, etc). We kind of exceeded the limit on the items, but Tyler couldn't decide what to take out of the bag, so we're just going to include all of it. :)

Fun Summer Day at Mama Neanie's House

We headed over to my mom's this afternoon for dinner. The boys had fun pulling weeds with Mama Neanie (really??) and going on a scooter ride.

My mom and Scott; step-brother, David with Tyler; Connor enjoying his hotdog.

Tyler is trying his hardest to beat Dave at foosball! :)

Me with my hubby and little bro.

Another Fun Day at Mighty Ball Soccer, Lowe's, and a BBQ

Tyler and Spencer love playing soccer together!

Today's Lowe's project.....

......a school bus!

This afternoon, we headed out to West County for a BBQ at the home of one of Tyler's preschool friends, John. Connor wanted to eat dinner at the "big boy table."

The Probst Family (Ross, Nancy, & John); James, Deana, & Landon; The Lunning Family. The four member of the group, Lucas, wasn't able to make it, but we hope to see him soon!

John, Landon, and Tyler

Tyler's 2nd Week of School

Since I was off work today, I took a few more pics of Tyler at the bus stop....and in his classroom, and on the playground, and in the cafeteria, etc..... He was SO excited to see Mama Neanie waiting with me at the bus stop this afternoon and couldn't wait to tell her all about his day. My mom had dinner with us tonight, then the boys and I gave his birthday gifts to him--late. But, it's the thought that counts, right? :)

Could he be ANY more excited than this?

Getting to work......

Fun on the playground with a few of his classmates; tetherball is his favorite recess activity.

Marie Schaefer is the home of the Wildcats (I took this picture in the cafeteria).

Each class sits at its designated table. When the kids get to school each day, they put their lunch bags in the classroom laundry hamper. Then, each week, the students take turns being the "Lunch Helper," meaning he/she gets to pull the hamper to the cafeteria at lunchtime.

Our first lunch together at school!

Just got off of the bus and getting ready to ride his bike home--the highlight of his day right now. :)

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Mama Neanie and her boys

Giddy-up, horsies!

New life!

Every Spring for the past few years, a bird of some kind (it varies from year to year) decides to build a nest on one of our bedroom window sills. Always the same window (we have two) and always the same end of the sill. Why this particular spot is so popular is beyond me--it's not nearly a big enough space to actually build a nest! We've watched momma birds very carefully intertwine twigs, leaves, blades of grass, etc. over the course of a week or two, only to have their new home roll off of the ledge and land on our front porch, a result of even the weakest breeze. This usually happens three or four times before the nest decides to stay put; what the bird does differently at this point, I don't know. And why she doesn't learn after the first time and take up residence somewhere else is a mystery to me, too! Nevertheless, once she is sure that the nest is secure, she sits......and sits.....and sits......and after a few weeks, we see the fruits of her labor! There are usually one or two eggs--and more often than not, one of them tends to roll out of the nest onto our porch before it has a chance to hatch. :( This year, though, our momma dove (who only laid one egg), rarely left the nest and hovered over her new offspring until it was able to fly on its own. I kept forgetting to snap a picture of the eggs, but I did get a few of the baby bird with it's mom! Oh, and everyday when we'd get home from school/work, the boys raced upstairs to tap on the window and say "Hi" to "Mommy Bird." Tyler was actually the first to notice that the egg had hatched, which he was, of course, very proud of! ;)

You can see the baby's head peaking out from behind Mom on the right side.

What was left of the egg after it hatched.