I couldn't resist to put some video footage on. I'm getting my application for America's Funniest Video... What a hoot...
Even Papa is getting in on the fun.... Mom and I got laughing when he told us this is what he used to do in his college days and showed us a few tricks. We all took a step back and watched him roll with it! Go Papa! (He's going to kill me!!!...YIKES!!!)
And of couse Ryan likes to jump high with his Daddy and he laughs so hard. Paul even has a few tricks up his sleeve. As for me....I was taking the pictures and I make sure the camera is hidden when I get on it! ;) (Probably don't have to meantion that he is going to help Daddy...YIKES!)
Darin's first time in the swimming pool - At first he cried and didn't know what to think about it. I'm sure to a little half pint that has to be scary for the first time. But it didn't take him long to enjoy his float and he almost fell asleep in it!
It only took us a week to go bowling. Every time we would plan something would happen and we couldn't go. We were on our way out the door one time and Paul got called into work again. The kids were ready and excited to do something, so Greenie, Papa and all of us went to the park. It was a beautiful day and while we were there a preschool class of about 20 came over to play too. Justin makes friends pretty easily and after not long he asked the whole class to come to his Birthday! We topped off our adventure with popsicles when we got home; Darin had his first popsicle and really enjoyed it!
A funny story - Darin has a Lightning McQueen outfit and we all know how much Ryan loves Disney Cars. So there are many times we will catch Ryan going through Darin's drawers in the bedroom picking out everything until he gets to that one shirt. Then he will sit hugging it in the floor. It's so sweet until Darin is wearing the shirt. They Ryan is pulling at him trying to get it off of him!
Justin the other day had a cut on his hand. It was starting to heal and scab over. He asked me "Why is my hand different now?" and I looked at him and told him that "God was healing it and making it all brand new again." Well, a few days after that he was in the backyard playing when he busted it again. As we were walking in the door he said "Mommy, why did God go and mess it up again?". Here is a picture of his new found talent.
Justin had such a great time in AWANA's and I know that this summer he will really miss it. His last day was last week and they had a Moon Bounce, face painting, balloons and pizza for the kids. It was like one big carnival and I was lucky that he invited me to join him. The week before he received all of his book awards from Cubbies during their awards ceremony. They had a better picture they made and printed for us. But here is what I could get of him receiving his award. He is already asking us how many sleeps until he goes back. Next year Ryan will be able to go with his brother and attend the 2 year old class! Good Job Justin you did a GREAT job and we are proud of you!!! 
Yesterday was Darin's 6 month old appointment. Those six months have gone so fast it seems. He weighed in at 21.8 lbs and was 26 3/4 inches long. He is already at the weight to be forward facing in his carseat now, but we have to wait on the age. Now there is a 2 lb difference between him and Ryan. The doctor said he was doing. While we were there we ran into one of his nurses that took care of him when he was in the hospital with RSV. While we were in the hospital she was making the announcement then of her pregnancy and yesterday we got to meet her new little boy that was a few days old! What a small world it is!
Last week Ryan wasn't feeling very well so here is a picture of Justin taking care off his little brother. He wanted to make sure he was warm so he layered him with blankets and pillows!
Here is a picture of Ryan. We all had been out playing pretty hard outside before we came in for lunch. We were eating and talking when we looked over and Ryan had totally crashed!!! We all thought that was so funny!
The boys are really starting to bond with their new brother. Justin will climb up to look in on him while Ryan is more direct and gets in the crib with Darin. It's so sweet how they look after Darin, but in my mind I am sure it won't be long they will be clobbering him too!
And on April 27th we celebrated our 7th anniversary in style. We had a shrimp appetizer with the boys as they had their early supper. Then when they went to bed we had our special meal and we even got to eat out! Well, it was on the front porch which we don't get to use as often as we would like it seems. Paul prepared us Steak and Lobster tails on the grill! Paul is really a Super Griller and I enjoy when he cooks!!! I'm one lucky lady!
Ryan went to the doctor this past Monday and he weighs 25.5 lbs and 2 foot 9 inches tall. This was his first well check that he didn’t need shots. He is getting to be such a big boy. This past week I started potty training him; he used the toilet several times and told us when he had to go a couple times too. We are still working at it, but I think he is going to catch on really quick. GO RYAN!!! I think he is learning from his brother Justin and took the interest.
The other day Justin called me in to help him with some paperwork after using the potty. For a split second on helping Justin - Ryan takes off through the house with the toilet paper and literally TPs the place from the bathroom to the kitchen just laughing his head off. I finally got it all rolled up or what I could salvage then both the boys are in the bathroom with me and Justin hadn’t gotten his pants up yet. Ryan points his finger in to Justin’s butt checks pointing to a car on the back of his underwear and starts going “Broom Broom” while proceeding to give him a wedge. I was laughing till I cried as Justin told Ryan “Stop giving me wedgies.” Last night I started bathing Darin then the rest followed one by one; this was the first time they all got in at the same time. Next thing ya know party in the tub and then Darin literally peed on the parade as his brothers got it. Yeap they were sitting in the perfect angle and screamed EWW!
We have a camera in the boys playroom downstairs so I can watch them while cooking, etc. We were preparing food and getting ready for the party when Justin discovered it. First he climbed up to it and waved then got down. Then all I could see was his mouth and nose and he yelled “Hi Mommy”. I still didn’t say anything because I was wondering what in the world is he up to. Then he jumped down and literally Happy Danced around the playroom. Then he climbed up a rack that we have some toys on and I yelled “Justin get down from there!” Then as he climbs down as he says “How does she know?” I absolutely love those cameras and can’t imagine what I would be missing without one. He is a ham; the other day Paul and I were in the kitchen and he was in their room and it sounded like he was having an argument saying “Ouch don’t do that, stop poking me.” We called him in there and asked him what happened he told us that he had gotten his shirt pulled, eye poked, his hair pulled and lip plucked. So naturally we yelled for Ryan…”Oh No” Justin said it was just the other Justin in the mirror doing that. Good Grief now I have to keep an eye on the kids in the mirror too!
Darin is doing well and he has moved on to eating Cheerios today and loves them! He knew exactly what to do with the table food as he was smiling so big. He doesn’t have any teeth yet, but I really believe that he is starting to teeth with all of the drooling and chewing on his fist. Darin even got to help out with making the lollipops for the party.
This weekend has been gorgeous and in the 90’s. I am so happy that summertime is here. This was the first year that we actually were able to get out in the pool this early. Paul got it filled earlier this week and we were so thankful to have it this weekend as we enjoyed a picnic and some swimming too! I hope this nice weather will stick around! 
How do you keep a boy busy...hmmm...picking up sticks in a yard! Boys are GREAT!
I had to add this one...Future Plumber Cracks of America! We could sure use one...
Justin had to go visit the doctor. He is funny that he actually likes to go. We were sitting in the waiting room and like a big boy with his legs crossed he says "Mommy, you know what I like. I like Chocolate Milk and Snow. They are my favorites." Then he had to tell the people coming in the door. At one time he wanted to play with the toys and for some reason on the sick side I have this fear. I told him that the toys were sick too and didn't want to be bothered. Then when we were called back he told the nurse "Mommy thinks your toys have germs." Kids aren't particularly quiet sometimes. The doctor said he liked his yellow clogs and he said "Thanks" and with a hand rubbing his chin he told him "We do a lot of shopping at Walmart." The doctor checked him out then had his Assistant take a look at his throat. He asked the girl "What exactly are you looking for?" followed by "Did you get a good look this time!" After the doctor was done and told him he hoped he felt better and that was it he said to him "That's It? Awh..." Who would have thought that a kid would love the doctor so much. Hope we don't make our visits a habit! 
Darin held his bottle to feed himself for the first time last Thursday. It just took my finger to tip it up for him so he wouldn't get so mad that it wasn't coming out fast enough. He is funny like that. He will cry before he gets the bottle and then when he finishes. Everyone knows when I'm done feeding him. They all say "Awh, boy must be out of food." He is starting to polish off whole jars of Stage 2 foods. For Easter he enjoyed dining on Chicken and Rice. Come on bring on the steak...what's with the mushed foods! This pic was from Easter...Look at my Belly!
Paul had Good Friday off. We enjoyed the day taking the kids to go see the Easter Bunny and then out to eat. Paul took turns taking the kids for walks to keep them busy during the wait. At one point Justin was waiting with me and a girl stops and said "What is the deal with the brown bunny I thought they were all white." Then Justin looks at me and so funny said "Mommy so what is the deal?" My only response was "Good question, not sure and the color of his hair doesn't change the bunny that he is." How is that for a good answer on que! But when we got up there Ryan cried and was scared of him, Justin sat looking at his hands in his lap and wouldn't talk to him and Darin was the only one that didn't cry and took it all in. It took the whole family to get a picture and poor Ryan still wasn't too thrilled. What is the magic age that the Easter Bunny pictures don't have to be a family shot? This was, also, the first time that we actually braved eating in an actual restaurant with three kids. We went to Joe's Crabshak - Of course we picked something a little noisy...Hello we wanted to blend! :) The kids were all noise until their food came and they didn't come up for air till it was done. It was hard work waiting in line for that Bunny! Then the music came on and Ryan started bopping his head side to side and then up popped his arms and he would clap to the YMCA song. He kept doing that too and everyone started laughing. I think we might have a little party animal on our hands! 
The night before Easter we colored Easter Eggs and made some Peanut Butter Blossoms for the Bunny. I had some leftover icing from decorating a birthday cake for Ryan that night so I let the boys decorate a few of the blossoms too. They were so excited - that was one time we never heard a peep from them after they went to bed. Then Easter Sunday I loved watching the kids faces when they got to see their Easter Baskets, but they had to wait till after church before we dug into them. They enjoyed guessing and looking at what was in them through the paper. It was a busy morning trying to get all of us polished and ready for church. Anything that needs that little extra sprucing up takes us forever to get out the door. Now I know how Mom's Spit can work magic! I was really proud of Justin when we went down for Sunday School. The kids were doing some Easter Crafts and I took a really special book that our neighbor Jeanne had given the boys to read to the class (Thank you!). I asked the kids if they knew the meaning of Easter and they gave some cute meanings, but I couldn't have been more proud of Justin when he stood up and looked at them and said "Easter was when Jesus died on the cross for us then he rose again". He is the youngest in his Sunday School class and I must have had the biggest smile a Mommy could have to know that he is listening and taking it all in.
Darin - Hmm...now you want to do what with food...PLEASE Explain! 
After church Greenie and Papa came over to join us to celebrate Easter and Ryan's Birthday. We had a massive sugar overload! The kids dug into their Easter Baskets and in to the pokes that Greenie and Papa brought for them. Nothing was cooler then the Monster Trucks that they brought them. They are having a ball and I can't tell you how many crashes they have already had followed by "That was COOL!" We had our Easter supper together. Then the kids went out to hunt for eggs that the Bunny had hidden in our backyard. The Bunny got wise this year and hid them empty. Might have been kind of cheap, but the squirrels got into them before the kids did last year and we lost like 1/4 of the eggs. CRAZY SQUIRRELS! Those squirrels were on a sugar high for almost a week and we got some wild video footage of it too! Seriously they flipped plastic lawn chairs, slid down the slide, up in the swing...oh it was comical! Mom thought we had filmed a rated R Squirrel movie because she thought all of that was mating....I still think it was the sugar buzz! Okay off that tangent...
After our Egg Hunt we all came in and switched to Birthday mode to celebrate Ryan's 2nd Birthday. When Ryan first went into the church he was holding up 2 fingers for everyone to know how old he was and he is still doing that today. It is so sweet and his smile is huge! He looks so proud. He smiled and clapped when we sang "Happy Birthday" to him and he actually blew out his candle on the cake. Good Job Ryan! Next week will be the Part 2 blog on his celebration....
