Carter is so proud of himself when he helps push Lincoln on the swing

Lincoln's first day of school

More fun with the kid's shaving cream

Carter's very own Handy Manny tool belt & gloves!

Dinner at the picnic table - thanks to daddy, Grandpa & Papa for putting it all together

Eating apples instead of fishing!

Bass Pro Shop adventure - what cheap entertainment!

We've had yet another round of birthday fun - Mimi and Papa visited last weekend and as you might guess I've been busy so I haven't gotten the blog updated. The boys finished their 2nd week of school this week and did pretty well, Lincoln still has some tears (on and off, his note says) but I know he'll be fine and get used to being at school. Carter's teachers are just awesome this year - I'm sure that it helps that we see them more than his teachers in the past but they are very reassuring of how well he is doing at school which helps me a lot! I cleaned cupboards yesterday - all alone, it was FABULOUS! I know, cupboards? Yes, cupboards - now I wouldn't mind anyone checking out the laundry room cupboards! The boys are also really tired after a day at school and have been taking some decent naps so I think our new schedule is going to work for us!

Sean and my dad finished the details of the swing set (or tree house as Carter calls it) last weekend so we are fully up and running with it - now they can have snacks outside on the little picnic table (Sean even added an extra board so that Lincoln couldn't kick Carter while eating!). We also did some fishing last weekend and took a few walks around the pond and made a trip to Bass Pro Shop - what a good, cheap thing to entertain my boys - they love to crawl on all that stuff and pretend to drive and had fun looking at the fish - guess it is time to go back to the Zoo we haven't been in a while as we were avoiding the warm weather. The boys also got a rain gauge from GG'Ma and Don and have enjoyed checking it - we had a half inch last night and I didn't even have to call and ask Sean how much rain we got - it was great!

Sean and I went to see Jerry Seinfeld last night - it was great! The boys stayed with Meghan without tears and off we went - woohoo - we've got to do that more often. Anyway Seinfeld was very funny - the whole cast from the show will be on Curb Your Enthusiasm this year and I am feeling serious guilt about taking HBO away from Sean! Maybe we will have it before it premieres in a few weeks. We are going to take it easy this weekend and hope to watch the Hawks go down to the Clones tomorrow - since UNI didn't get it done last weekend we are SO hopeful that ISU will! I won't make any comments on the other game this weekend since as my dad said - either my mom or my husband will have heartache about it on Monday morning - not sure which is worse living with the disappointed or having to talk to the disappointed on the phone when your husband's team has defeated hers? Guess time will tell.

A Big Day for the Big Boy!

What a big day Carter had - not only did he turn 4, he also started preschool today. He was really excited about school until we got there and then had a few sad moments - he said "it was really good, but when you left I missed you!" He had some funny comments, on our way to school he was concerned about the fact that some of his friends wouldn't know that he was 4 already. He was also concerned about which of his friends from last year would be there. After school he kept talking about his friend, Zach, from last year whom he'd never mentioned - anyway they played alligators when the were supposed to be resting (guess there won't be any resting this year, either) and he also said that Zach's cubbie is next to his. He was upset because we took cupcakes for his birthday and one boy said that they "were stinky" (they were orange flavored) and asked him if he brought them because they "were stinky" - I kind of doubt he was trying to hurt C's feelings but he did! He was so cute standing in line for the carpool with his little birthday crown on, he couldn't recall his teachers names' but was super pleased that they'd given him some candy for his birthday!

We came home and played some - mommy washing the car and Carter spraying her - I was in a mood by the time Sean came home but got a little breather and felt better. Carter requested fried ham and rolls for dinner so that is what we had - with some veggies for the big people, fruit for the little ones. He also asked daddy to take him fishing after dinner and Sean's response was something I've never heard before - "whatever makes you happy, Carter" so a fishin' we went. They got about 4 fish - I swear the fish in our pond are smart, however, and often get the food before they get reeled in! I made some cupcakes so Carter could have a little cake today - not that he cared a bit but I hated the thought of no cake on his birthday - they didn't really eat it but did take time to sneak the icing off the cupcakes!

One Crazy Weekend!

Richard jumped on this to help Sean hold it & Linc thought it already done - just climb on behind Grandpa! Of course the big brother had to try too!

Whoah - we survived one crazy & wonderful weekend!

Grandpa and Grandma arrived on Thursday night to our house of baking - I do feel rather victorious in making the cake for Carter's birthday but did put in about 4 hours of baking in the morning & another 3 hours of decorating that night, and I'm not even sure that he ate a piece of it! I guess it was more for me than him!

On Friday Carter got to go on a big adventure with Grandma and Grandpa (and Lincoln in tow, so I could get ready ALL alone!) to do some birthday shopping. He got big boy golf clubs - like the real deal, he's super excited for Sean to take him out just as soon as we can find some time for that - he keeps talking about it! He also got to go to Toys R Us and pick out a few trucks and he thought that was fun & has since asked if we were taking him back - I think the words I'd like to say are XXXX, No! (by the way that was not the dirty word, you all think it was). Anyway, to say the least he thought he was the king of the day which continued into his birthday party. We had about 25 of our friends to play at a local church rec room with ping-pong, air hockey, pool tables and a full gym to play in including roller blading which Carter tried and thinks he wants to try again. He was really excited that all of his friends came for his party - thanks for coming everyone, it really meant a lot to him and us too!

On Saturday our adventures continued with the purchase of a swing set thanks to Grandma's persistence convincing Sean and Grandpa's help, of course. I'd like to say I was a big help but I was a bit more on damage control for the boys! They want to be such big helpers but often don't know how to help. We have a swing set that is about 90% complete thanks to Grandpa's labor and Grandma's instruction & a few finishing touches for Sean to complete this week. Thanks G & G and Mimi & Papa for the fun swing set - the boys are so excited as am I to have another way to entertain them - I'm sure there are many hours of fun in our future in our backyard.

We are getting back in the groove today in time for Carter's actual birthday & the start of preschool on Tuesday as well as Lincoln's first day of Mother's Day Out on Thursday. I'm both excited and apprehensive about how the little man will do being that he's spent most all of his days as my little sidekick!

What's Goin' On

Carter caught 6 fish in about 15 min. on Saturday - he throws them back just like a baseball, I'm sure the fish appreciate this!

Linc likes to think that clothing is optional

This is our new beloved neighbor, Ms. Kitty - we visit her each day and are delighted to sometimes find her in our yard (all of use except the cat-hating daddy that is)

"Napping" on the boat

This is how I found Lincoln the other day when he wasn't feeling well - watching Rachel Ray for about 30 min. - he doesn't watch t.v. so it was interesting to see him watching RR of all things

The boys call this skiing

If you don't finish your dinner at dinner, daddy may just take you out of the car & leave you in your car seat

Carter playing with his new builders hat

We've kept busy this week with boating, swimming with some friends and a few play dates. We are gearing up for the big 4 that is coming our way next week - Carter is pretty excited about being 4. I'm pretty anxious about making a monster cake but am hopeful that it will turn out just the way that I want it to. The boys and I have had either colds or allergies this week - we are on the mend but not quiet 100% yet either, although everyone slept all night last night so that is a big step forward. We are looking forward to seeing Grandma and Grandpa this week and Mimi and Papa next week - I should know better than to tell the boys that we have company coming or that anything is happening in the future because our countdown time is still a little difficult to understand and Carter gets made at me often saying but you said it was 5 days, now you say 3 - you were lying....need to work on the calendar with him I guess! The boys have been playing "camping" the last few days which basically consists of getting into the drawer of hardware type supplies, packing up and sitting in the tent and then usually fighting over space!

Our outdoor adventures

We've been busy playing - the boys are obsessed now with frisbies - we've been playing for a few days and Carter is getting relatively good at it (maybe better than I am, and I'm pretty sure that Sean would second that!). We also went on a little adventure looking for a lake to go boating at this weekend, we found some not to go to but didn't find THE ONE we are looking for! Lincoln did enjoying throwing sticks & dirt into the lake, however, so it wasn't a total loss. I also attempted kite flying with the boys & after an unsuccessful attempt in the back yard thought I'd take them to the park to try - it wasn't so great to be honest with you, Buzz Lightyear (Carter's kite) leaked air so he kind of flopped from the start. I could, however, get Mickey in the air just fine but couldn't manage to keep him there and everytime I tried to hand him off he would nose dive. Sean did inform me that he is a master kite handler (since he and Michael had stunt kites when they were kids) so we will be putting his skills to the test and keep you informed on that.

It has been, A 3 Martini kind of morning at our house, lots of little annoyances such as pretzels in my dishsoap and such but now that the boys are napping we can start over (and hopefully not counting more martinis to be had). Instead of making martinis for lunch, which was very tempting, I had some ice cream with A&W topping which hit the spot and made me remember being little and going to Creston for A&W - let me tell you, Sonic just doesn't have it compared to the old A&W, but I guess Sonic will be the boys A&W memory but it certainly isn't the same (I mean let's start with the metal tray, real frosty mugs and much, much better ice cream). It was so good as was the memory that Carter and I had a second bowl of ice cream, and that my friends is how to conquer a 3 martini morning!

Little Fishermen

Here are a few pictures from our most recent fishing trip - Carter only got 1 fish, but had a turtle chasing his bobber most of the time we were down there, I guess no one has been feeding the turtles lately! Lincoln spent most of the time throwing anything he could find into the pond but did give me a fishy face for the camera.

The boys have been busy this week just playing around the house - they love to play in their sink and we discovered this week that it does not have an overflow - which isn't a great feature for a kid's sink if you ask me! Lincoln also tried to paint himself with blue bath paint & looked as if he could be a member of the blue man group. He is still just into everything.

Yesterday Carter graced the Walmart shoppers with his version of "Dolly-pop, dolly-pop, oh, dolly-dolly pop" throughout the store - we got a few dirty looks but some good laughs too, I think.