Ending Memorial Day with McQueen!

The boys have been fans of Lightning McQueen for a little over a year now. For tonight's movie selection, the boys requested Cars. The following video shows how they choose to watch the opening scene of the movie. It is hard to hear the music that is playing in the background. However, if you choose to watch, hang in there until 1:25 for the big payoff.

I am not sure our couch is going to survive another year! To gain a little perspective on how much these little people can grow in a year, click here to see the boys in a similar video from May 10, 2010. What a difference a year makes!

Take care,

It's Pool Time! - 2011

The community pool has been open for a few weeks and we were quick to begin enjoying some time in the water. The first weekend the pool was open was Mothers' day weekend. We spent some time on Mother's day at the pool. While it was starting to warm up, the water was C-O-L-D. We still managed to enjoy our time at the pool. Over the past couple weeks, the water has been getting warmer and warmer.

Last weekend, we met up with the boys' good buddy Cal and his wonderful parents, Ms. Katrina and Mr. Jayson. The boys all had a good time splashing around on the stairs...

Today, we spent our morning at the pool again. The boys are getting more and more comfortable in the water. This is great because they do not 'fear' the water but this is also a bad thing because they still do not know how to swim. We have resisted putting them in water wings or any flotation device because we want the boys to 'know' they can not swim. So, the boys hang out mostly on the stairs unless Mommy or Daddy are guiding them around the pool.

Today, the boys brought their own water guns to the pool and we brought Daddy's water camera to the pool. We were able to get some really fun pictures in the water today.

Wes and Andrew face off in a gun battle...

Jared aims at Mommy! Good thing the camera is waterproof...

The best thing about the waterproof camera is being able to get some underwater pictures...

The feet below belong to (L-R) Andrew, Wes and Jared... size 11 feet...

As mentioned earlier, the boys do not 'fear' the water but still realize they can not swim. Today, the boys spent some time leaping to us from the side of the pool. Wes had the most confidence....

I was always there to catch him...

Andrew's jumps were a little more cautious...

Last year, we started teaching the boys to 'go under' the water. We would count to three and then dunk them under the water. This year, they are asking more and more to 'go under.' Today, Jared was our little fish and wanted to be under the water... a lot. Jared was going under and Wes was kind enough to run over to the bag and grab his goggles for him. Jared wore his goggles the rest of the morning. Here is our little fishy...

Here is Wes with a little underwater time...

Andrew is a pro at 'go under' and he was even giving instructions to Wesley before it was his turn. His instructions involved holding your breath and scrunching up your face when Mommy reaches 3. Here is Andrew showing off his 'go under' skills...

The boys are also getting taller and taller. Now that they are around 40 inches tall, they have discovered that they can touch the bottom of the pool below the bottom step. They touch with their tippy tippy toes and their face is barely above the water. Jared walked several laps today walking back and forth along the stair-line...

This is a picture of Jared's tippy tippy toes as he walks the pool...

A picture of our 'cool dudes' as we were leaving the pool today. Stay back ladies...

We all had a great time at the pool today. The boys start their swimming lessons on Monday June 6th. I hope the confidence they demonstrate while with us will allow them to quickly pick up the skills they need to become official swimmers. While I look forward to boys learning how to swim, I am sure I will miss the days of hanging out on the stairs.

I am sure this summer will involve a lot of time at the pool to practice!

Take care,

Dancin' Dancin'!

After our big visit to the dentist today, we took the boys to the park to reward their wonderful behavior. The following is a little video from the park. They boys love this machine. Most of the time, they are pushing the buttons as they light up. However, this feature is just music for them to dance and dance they did.... well, at least Jared and Andrew were dancing.

Shake your booty boys....

I sure do love these boys!

Take care,

First Trip to the Dentist

Smile! It's time for our first smile inspection. Today was the day for our first trip to visit Dr. Shepherd, our dentist. I had tried to make an appointment after the boys turned 2. The dentist office recommended waiting until the boys were closer to 3. I was nervous about this first visit so I was happy to hear they requested a delay. Now that the boys are 3, we could wait no longer.

A co-worker of mine recommended Dr. Shepherd who is a pediatric dentist in town. She raved on how kind and warm both he and his staff are to children. She also told me how much fun his office was for children. So, while nervous about the actual time in the chair, I was encouraged that the trip would be fun for the boys.

We arrived at the dentist office and the boys immediately ran to start playing in the play area. The waiting room had a touch screen computer game, a two story playhouse and a large fish tank. It was no surprise that the boys loved playing the computer game...

They also enjoyed hanging out in the playhouse... "Hello, Andrew!"

Then, our play time came to an end when they called our name. We had talked a lot about our first trip to the dentist for a while. We had practiced 'counting teeth' many times which involved having the boys lay down, open their mouths and I would touch and count their teeth. For the several days preceding our visit, I also had the boys brush a little bit longer because they wanted to show off beautiful teeth when they went to the dentist. With all of this, the boys were actually excited about their visit... or at least I hoped they were.

When they called our name, the boys willingly walked back. Here we go...As soon as we walked back, Wes said he had to go potty. A clear delay tactic but I was not taking the risk. So while I took Wes to the potty, Andrew and Jared got settled in for their first cleaning.

The hygienists were wonderful with the boys. They gave them each an orientation to everything they were going to use during the cleaning and the exam. The boys were able to ask any questions and in general, get comfortable with what was about to happen.

Andrew's orientation...
Jared's orientation...
Once the questions were over, it was time to lay down. The boys were so mature and trusting. They each allowed the hygienist to clean, floss and check their teeth.

Andrew waiting for his exam to begin...

Andrew's cleaning...

Jared's cleaning. Jared was able to hold a mirror in his hand so he could watch what she was doing...
Then it was Wes' turn. His start was delayed due to the last minute potty stop. When we entered the room, Andrew and Jared were well into their exam. Wes' experience followed the same pattern. He received his orientation but did not want to sit in the chair. After learning about all of the equipment, he was willing to sit in the chair but did not want to lay back. We was not freaking out but when instructed to lay back, he would simply say "no." The following picture shows how far he was willing to lay back....

I started to think we may have success with 2 out of 3 Darnells. Since his brothers were doing so well, I took him over to the other side of the room to see them. Wes saw Jared's mirror and he said he wanted one. We returned to his chair and this time he was willing to sit back... if he had a mirror to watch. Ask and ye shall receive! Once he had his mirror (and the comfort from seeing his brothers), Wes was good to go...
I was so proud to see the boys doing so well at their first visit...
After the boys finished their cleanings, they each got stickers, a balloon and were able to play some more computer games...
After a few minutes of play, the boys had to climb back into their chairs for the official check-up with Dr. Shepherd.
All three boys were given a clean bill of dental health! No cavities! Yeah! Our first visit was a great success. The boys had fun and hopefully will always think of a trip to the dentist as an enjoyable experience. Dr. Shepherd was kind enough to take a picture with the boys...

I am so proud of our little guys! They are growing up so fast and growing into very nice little boys.

Take care,

Our Birthday Dome Climber!

In early February, we selected the boys' 'big gift' for their birthday. We decided to get them a Dome Climber. We ordered it and after many delays, we finally received our Dome Climber!

The boys were excited to see all the pieces and were not quite sure what had arrived. They only knew it was their birthday gift and they were thankful. Most of all, they were anxious to see it all put together.

Daddy started putting together the dome climber one evening.
The boys were watching Daddy and continued chanting "Build it Daddy!" In this picture, you can see that Andrew (far right) was jumping up and down; caught in this picture in the air.
After evening #1, Daddy had the bottom level put together. The dome is starting to take shape!
On Day 2, Daddy enlisted the help of three little helpers to complete the dome. While they may have not been very helpful, Daddy was able to get the entire dome put together, except 8 missing nuts. At the end of the evening, Daddy had to run to the hardware store to get the missing nuts and the boys had to wait one more day before enjoying their present.

On Saturday morning, the time had come. After breakfast, the boys raced out of the door and quickly started climbing their new Dome Climber...
The were able to get up to the first level and then did not have the courage to climb much further.
All day, the boys were calling themselves 'Super Strong Andrew,' 'Super Strong Jared,' and 'Super Strong Wessie' as they were climbing. They were very proud of their ability to climb...
Since they only had the initial courage to climb one level, they challenged themselves by walking around the full circle on that first level....
Happy Birthday Boys!
Making their way around the circle...
After dinner, the boys again went outside to play and on this trip, they had a lot more courage. Wes was the first to climb all the way to the top. Andrew was quick to follow...
They also discovered the joy of climbing on the inside as seen with Andrew in this picture. Here is Andrew's concerned face...
Same position with Andrew's surprised face...
And now we have Andrew's cheese face...
Jared was most comfortable climbing around the lower level...
Once Wes got all the way to the top, he preferred to get down by pushing his body up on the bar...
And then dropping down...
Yep, my heart skipped a beat with the first few drops but then he consistently did this without any issues. He was so proud climbing all the way to the top...
Wes reaching the peak (5.5 feet high). The dome climber is also 12 feet in diameter.

Here is a little video of the boys enjoying their new dome climber. You can see Wes repeatedly climbing up and dropping, Jared hanging out on the bottom and Andrew in between the two approaches.

The boys enjoyed their first day with their new dome climber. I hope they continue to have fun with this for many years to come. They enjoy playing outside so much and we want to do everything possible to continue to encourage it!

Happy 3rd Birthday Andrew, Jared and Wes!

Take care,