"They're at it again"

Remember the big hole my boys dug in the backyard? Well, they are at it again. This time they were told not to dig where the pool would go anymore so now they are digging a giant hole under the swings. They have a mote around it too. The best part is how enthralled Little T. is with the process. He isn't even 2 yet but he goes out there with the big boys and plays in the dirt and in the hole just like them. It's fun to watch them being creative and getting dirty and getting along.
P.S. - I had to put this post on because Little J. requested that I make another post since they were digging again and he even told me to label it "They're at it again".

Red Ribbon Week

What mom would let her children go to school with these kinds of outfits. I mean really, look at all those mismatched socks. Well, I guess I am one of those mothers. I do have a good excuse though. Today was the beginning of Red Ribbon Week. A week dedicated to teaching kids to stay away from drugs. Today was crazy sock day to "sock it to drugs". My kids got really into it wearing layers of soccer socks mixed with purple Halloween socks and white and black regular socks.
Even my 1 year old wanted to be like his brothers so we put some soccer socks on him too.

Fishing Derby

Each June the boys go to the Kids Fishing Derby nearby. It is a free event with many volunteers to help the kids. Each kid can catch 2 fish. It's a great event and one of the only times the kids get a chance to fish. Here are the three older boys getting ready to fish.

Big J. with one of his fish.

Big T. as his fish gets taken off the hook by a volunteer.
Little T. will get his chance someday.

All the boys with the fish that they caught.

Little T. was quite fascinated with the fish. I loved watching his face - a fascinated

and disgusted look at the same time.
Little T. trying to figure these fish out.

The video catches the true fascination of seeing and touching a fish

for the first time.

First Day of School

Today was the first day back to school. The boys were so excited, and a little anxious too. They were even worried about me and how much I'd miss them during the day. Now typically I do miss them quite a bit but this year I've been very excited for school to start. Mostly because our summer has been so crazy and so I'm craving to have my regular routine back. The boys all have great teachers. Big J. was excited about earning "Brain bucks" and other fun things in his class, Little J. enjoyed doing math the most, and Little T. was the most excited about Lunch and recess (afterall was his first FULL day of school). Now it's just me and Little T. at home for the day. I thought Little T. would really miss his big brothers but he seemed to enjoy playing by himself. He did really well during the day, not seeming to mind not having his brothers; however, when they came home Little T. got VERY excited.

Kid Adventures

Who is this? It's little T. standing up in the hole that the kids dug in the backyard. I wanted to get a picture that truly showed how deep the hole got. Here's all the boys showing off all their hard work.

A friend of mine has a baby lamb and she invited the boys over to see it. Baby T. thought it was great. They were fascinated with the lamb but also just as fascinated with her dogs.

Visiting Grandma & Grandpa

In April we had gone to visit Grandma and Grandpa. This picture of all the boys turned out SO GREAT! Look at all those fabulous smiles! Thanks Mom and Dad for all you do for my family. On the same day my boysmade a giant snake out of

these interlocking lego things (can't remember what they are

called). They were so proud and wanted their picture taken.

Soccer Season

The boys all did soccer again this season. I must say that this was a much easier season than last year. The two older boys got put on the same team (they are 2nd and 4th grade) and that made it so much easier. Yes we were at soccer practice a lot but not nearly as much as the previous year. Plus Tim with his new job was able to come to all the games and help out occassionally at taking kids to practice. This is little J.'s "game face". When he is into the game he is really into the game. He gets a very serious concentrated look on his face and he gets very focused.
Big J. was a good forward this year. He really seems to have improved a lot over the last year. Both the boys worked really well together on the team. They were good at passing to each other and working together to score. It was fun to watch their games.

Big T. was on a different team than the older boys and he really had fun playing with some of his friends. He is pretty good and he is only in Kindergarten.

Big T. playing soccer.

My older boys acting silly. They were both chosen to be on the all-star team. I'll do another post about that wet, fun game.

Dog Pile

The kids love doing a dog pile on Dad. Even Tanner got on this time.Then they did a reverse dog pile. My boys LOVE playing with their Dad.

Monster Truck Stadium

The kids made a Monster Truck Stadium in our backyard. Littlest T. likes to climb in and sit in it too. Unfortunately this is where the pool will go in the summer and it needs to be VERY level. Oh well, they had fun digging.

Christmas Day

Fun times on our new Wii. Even Grandpa got in on the action. Christmas Day was great because so many family were able to come - both grandparents, brothers and their families, a total of 21. We had a wonderful day.

A very unique gift wrapping job from Uncle K. He got the boys gift cards but the boys had to reach up into the tube and get them. They were taped on the inside. :)

More Wii fun. For the first couple days the Wii was on for over 8 hours. That will soon change once school gets started back up again and we get in a routine but since it's vacation I don't mind them loosing a few brain cells.

Baby T. enjoys playing with everyone else's toys. His oldest brother got a tabletop Foosball game. Baby T. of course wasn't interested in opening his gifts - he just couldn't figure out the unwrapping part of Christmas. His favorite toys are Tigger (who jumps and bounces all over) and his fridge magnets. (Of course his other favorites are boxes and other things he can climb into and the ladder on the boys' bunkbed which he tries to climb up any chance he gets.

A new tool set for Big T. Now he can build and fix like Dad does.

The Boys

Just some fun pictures of some of the boys.