Kiernan

Kiernan's talking about the people in the photo album. Quite the little talker for an almost 2 year old boy.

Gavin Rides a Bike

We spent half the day Saturday trying to get Gavin to get on this "big" bike. We were mostly met with these arguments: "When I'm 5 I'll ride that big bike" and "My legs are this much too small for that bike" and "I like to ride the little car." After much coaching, he finally got on the bike and we were over-the-top about praising him for it! That might have been a more interesting video, Ben and I jumping up and down, giving high fives, and exclaiming "wow, you are such a BIG BOY!" This video was taken on Sunday. As we suspected, once he got over the initial reluctance to get on the bike and push the pedals, he would love it. And he did.

The next video I need to take is of my 22 month old speaking in almost complete sentences. I suppose that it is normal for the younger sibling to learn more quickly when they have another kid to teach them.

Camping

Here's some photos from our camping trip over Memorial Day weekend to Lake Louise. We met up with Hailee, Chad, Jessica, and Dominic and had lots of fun roasting marshmallows, hanging out by the campfire, and throwing rocks into the lake.





And this last picture is just for fun. Rommel, Gavin, and Kiernan all together. It is harder than you think to get a 4 year old, a 22 month old, and a dog to all look the same direction at the same time.

Birthday fun times

Gavin's 4th birthday party was a blast. I asked him what he wanted for his birthday:
"hmmmm" thoughtfully "I want a sword. And....hmmmmm.....that thing at B's house. And a football."
"Anything else Gavin? How about a camera, just for you?"
Gavin replies "Nope, just a sword, that thing at B's house, and a football. That's all I want." The thing at B's house was a squishy dinosaur that my mom bought and he found before his birthday. My mom told him that it was supposed to be for his birthday and then Ben promptly put it up and told him to wait until Sunday. So, naturally, he wanted that. I guess it's not about having what you want, it's about wanting what you have.

He also requested that Daddy make his "fruit" cake to look like a space ship. A Pirate Space Ship.

Mommy and Gavin cheesing for the camera together before his guests arrived.

Argh! A pirate! Davi showing off the homemade (that's right, we made them!) sword, eye patch, and pirate's hat.




Gavin getting ready to search for hidden treasure.

Kiernan was the only kid who actually wore the eye patch for any amount of time.

The pirates checking out the treasure they found from following the treasure map.

And, because a treasure chest full of candy wasn't enough, a pinata.

A Pirate Space Ship made entirely from fruit!




Best buddies getting ready for cake

Saying good bye. What a day!

Change

I thought I'd change it up a little bit for the summer...





And Gavin took a picture of Ben and I. We've come full circle with this blond hair and Ben's short haircut. I was blond and he had a short hair cut when we got together around this time of year 5 years ago. Funny to think that we had just started dating at the beginning of April 2004 and now, a mere 5 years later we have two boys and still like each other. Craziness.




And Ben, is a nerd....This is what we do on our week off, watch stupid things on the TV...



I guess he's pretty fun. I suppose I could keep him around for another 5 years or so.

Break time

So, we're done with the spring semester. This was a pretty fun semester and I finished my practicum and am starting my internship this summer. We spent all day today cleaning our apartment and sifting through our ridiculous amount of stuff. The plan is to have a garage sale in a couple of weeks.

As I was sifting through the piles upon piles of papers, cards, and bills I stumbled across an old stash of letters that were sent to me while I was in boot camp. Oh memories. It made me think of my blog and how I am grateful for all my friends and family that took the time to send me letters while I was in boot camp. That was such a rough time for me and it really makes me feel good to know that I had friends and family who were willing to write to me. Thank you everyone!

Here's some pictures of our finished semester:

Kiernan behind the stacks of books we no longer need to sift through and tote around with us to numerous classes.

Gavin and Kiernan enjoying the sun at B and Bauka's house while Bauka begins to put together the swing set that B bought for the boys.

An attempt to take a family photo. Gavin must always be sticking his tongue out for pictures.

A weekend of Easter fun

Gavin and Kiernan had a fun Easter this year with their friends: Jessi, Dominic, Hailee, Destiny, and Crystal. There was much running around, screaming and chasing each other. At some point in the beginning of the afternoon of fun, Gavin decided that his clothes were too hot and took them all off. I'm glad to say he was wearing his cotton shorts that day as underwear so he wasn't entirely indecent. Here's some pictures of the fun:

Gavin and Kiernan showing off the eggs they decorated.

Kiernan's haul.

Gavin's haul.

Gavin and his friends hamming it up for the camera.

It's hard to sit still for a picture when there is so much running around to do.

We had a great Easter this year and are thankful for our friends and family.