Painting with Toys

I've been racking my brain to come up with things for the boys to do at home so we all don't go crazy!! It's getting harder and harder as these summer days seem longer and hotter!! But alas, I found something that they both LOVED and took up quite a bit of time!!

Wyatt loves painting and art projects, so I knew he'd be on board. Grant could really care less about art! So, in an effort to get him more accustomed to doing artwork (since he will be doing alot at school), I'm trying to make it more exciting at home! Today, I decided to get out the paints and a few toys that had a good texture! We left out the paintbrushes and used our toys! I gave them each the same toys (duh!)- a monster truck, bristle block, half a toilet paper roll (ok- not a toy, but thought it would make a good stamp), balloon, and a spiky ball. They both had a great time and each painted 4 sheets of paper! That's like a record!

And not even knowing, but this project turned into a two parter- the first being the painting, and the second- washing the toys (and boys!) in the bathtub!!! 

We WILL beat this heat!!!

My Two Hearts

"Being a mother is one of the highest salaried jobs....because the payment is pure love."

Kind of hard to go wrong with a job where you get to spend 24/7 with these cuties!! Well, maybe 24/7 is a bit much some days, but in those moments where I'm not with them, I'm thinking about them! I just love my sweet boys!!

Mommy Moment

We were driving onto base the other day and Grant was curious about my military ID. "Why do you have to show them that? Why is your picture on there?" were two of the questions he asked. I explained to him that only people in the military or married to someone in the military can get on base, and the only way they know  if you are is by your ID. So I explained that since I was married to Daddy, I could get onto base.  He paused for a minute, so I thought the conversation was over. Then he said, "I think when I grow up, I'm going to marry with you, because I love you soooooooooo much!"

What a little sweetheart!! I sure love my little man soooooooo much too!!

Only Child...for a few hours

Thursday and Friday of this past week, Grant went to Vacation Bible School on base. It was from 9-12 and it gave both me and Wyatt a little taste for what the upcoming school year will be like! I was anxious for Grant, since he was going to VBS with kids ages 4-12, so I knew he would be one of the younger ones there, not knowing anyone. However, he didn't have an anxious bone in his body and he totally rocked it!! Both days I picked him up, his "teachers" just raved about what a polite little boy he was and what a great listener and participator he had been (music to my ears!!). So he definitely enjoyed himself! 

But I think Wyatt enjoyed himself the most. He got to spend a total of 6 hours with my undivided attention!! The first day, we spent that whole time running errands and playing at a friends house for a few minutes, but Friday we spent the morning at home. The first day, about every 5-10 minutes, he'd ask, "Where's Grant, Mom?" Mostly when we were buckling up in the car. When I said he was at school, he'd say, "Oh yeah, silly!"  He asked me to Batcave. I told him we didn't have to play Batcave because Grant wasn't home, so we could play whatever he wanted. But I guess Wyatt forgot that he likes to play other things, because he insisted on Batcave. Grant is usually very particular about the events that unfold as we play Batcave, so I think Wyatt enjoyed playing it his way! He got to add his Thomas Trains in there and have Thomas deliver "supplies" to the Batcave! He relished every minute he got to make the decisions. He also enjoyed running around "like a crazy guy" while I was finishing up getting ready for the day. To say Wyatt is silly is really an understatement!

Grant starts preschool August 21. He will go T-W-Th from 8:30-11:30. I'm sure if Grant had it his way, he'd probably want to go everyday! He just can't wait for school!! Wyatt and I will no doubt stay busy! It will be a nice change of pace to spend some alone time with just Wyatt since that rarely ever happens around here! I think it will be good for all of us! 

Cheers to the upcoming school year!

What's Left of the Lake Pics

My mom sent me her pictures from the lake, so here's a mish-mash of what you haven't seen yet!!

Fishing...boating....swimming....cousins....paddle boating...that pretty much sums up the week! 

Guess I didn't really need to do 7 other lake posts...but that wouldn't have been very much fun, right?!?

Bridal Cave

I unfortunately caught a little stomach bug late Thursday night, so Friday morning Levi took the boys to Bridal Cave with my mom and Eric, Mason, and Luke. In all our years going to the lake we had never been to Bridal Cave before and its always been on my list of things to do at some point. So I was bummed I didn't get to go- especially since it was 60 degrees inside the cave!!! That alone would've been worth it! They had a great time walking through the cave. At the end, they bought a bag of sand and they had to "mine" through it to find all the precious gems and stones. They each got to keep a little bag of their rocks! Pretty special treasures for my boys- they LOVE rocks!! 

So I guess it was a memorable time, at least for my kiddos! Guess it's still on my list of things to do someday!

Cousins @ the Lake

I am so happy these boys got to spend an uninterrupted week together at the lake!! They love playing with each other and I wish we got more occasions to play together!! But the times we do, they really cherish! They had a blast running and jumping off the dock, playing Imaginext in our cabin, hanging out in Mimi's cabin, playing on the swingset, fishing, and just being silly boys!! I hope the day comes that we can be a short drive from their house so they can hang out whenever they want to!! 

Coakley Hollow Trail

All week, Levi was looking on his phone for a nature trail to take the boys on. He has been waiting and waiting for them to be old enough to go hiking with him. Thursday morning at the lake was a little bit cooler and overcast, so they took advantage and found a nice beginners trail. They ran by Walmart first to get some supplies- donuts, poptarts, Gatorade, and bug spray- and hit the trail. I didn't go with them, but it sounds like it was a beautiful trail. Lots of cool bridges, super tall trees, and arrows leading the way, which Grant really enjoyed because he got to be the leader! After about a mile hike and an hour later, they were ready to head back and jump in the lake! I'm sure there will be many hikes for my three boys in the future!

Planes on Water?

My mom couldn't pass up these inflatable airplanes and it was a good thing too!! All the boys got a kick out of "flying" their planes and blasting each other with the water guns. I wonder if my boys will always gravitate towards airplanes since Levi is a pilot?! Even on water, they have to play with planes!!

Boating & Tubing

Having this be our first family vacation at the Lake, we knew we had to get a boat at least for one day! Levi had never been on a boat- other than our honeymoon cruise ship and his Navy ships- so it was definitely on his to-do list. We rented a deck boat and a tube and hit the water. All the boys, Aunt Sara, Uncle Eric, and Mimi and PawPaw jumped aboard. Wyatt had to help Daddy drive the boat. He kept saying, "I want to be Daddy's co-pilot." It was so sweet!! I wasn't really sure what Grant would think of the whole thing- he is kind of leary about loud and fast things. But he loved the boat from the get-go. 

First up tubing was Mason. His smile never left his face! The faster the better for him!  Luke was next and I'm pretty sure he smiled from ear to ear! Then it was Grant's turn. He started off with his "I'm not sure what's going to happen here" face, but it immediately turned to his "I'm loving this!" face.  He was laughing hysterically!! Then it was Wyatt's turn. I tried to ride with him first, but our weight didn't sit right, so Mason rode with him. It was hard to see Wyatt's face behind the front of the tube, but I'm pretty sure he loved it! Grant and Luke got to go next and I LOVE the sequence of pictures I got of the two of them!! Smiles and laughter galore!! Then Levi had his turn. My dad drove the boat and he tried his hardest to knock Levi off, and after a few minutes, Levi flipped over. But being the daredevil he is, he kept on going! (He is now researching boats for us to buy! HA!)  Then it was my turn! I took it like a champ as Levi tried his darndest to kick me off, but I was a trooper and hung on for dear life (no one took my picture, go figure!)  My sister went next, which is pretty amazing considering she had her appendix out about 2.5 weeks prior, but she didn't last too long since she wasn't quite recovered.  AND THEN, it was my mom's turn. Pretty sure not many *cough*60 something's would try it, but my mom is always up for anything!  She rocked it too!! My brother in law said she would make a great ad for an AARP website!!  

So not only did we leave the lake with these wonderful memories, but we also left the lake with Levi discovering a new hobby and a new toy on his wishlist!!

Floating & Jumping

The past two weeks, I've taken the boys to the pool to get them used to swimming in their life jackets. I was hoping they would be comfortable swimming in them when we got to the lake. Well, comfortable is probably  an understatement. Those boys LOVED swimming in their life jackets. From the second their toes touched the water, they turned into little fishies!!  Where we stay, to get into the water, you either need to climb down a 3ft. ladder or jump in. Toward the beginning of the week, Grant slowly climbed down the ladder, but by Wednesday, the kid was doing twist and turn jumps off the dock!! I was shocked!! Wyatt even jumped off the dock BY HIMSELF at least seven or eight times! It was great not having to worry about them swimming in the deep water! Wyatt got really brave and loved swimming under the swim dock to look for fish. Grant was kind of grossed out by how many fish actually were under there, so he didn't take part in that much! But he did some pretty sweet Power Ranger moves off the dock!!

I'm pretty sure if I don't take my boys to the pool within the next week, they will probably go through a swimming withdraw!!! The life jackets may by unpacked, but they definitely are not put away!!

Lake Vacation 2012

My boys at Bagnell Dam

So I've pretty much been going to the Lake of the Ozarks ever since I was as little as my little boys, younger actually.  This year just happened to be the first year that Levi was able to come with me! In the almost 6 years we've been married, the Navy has come in the way of our yearly trip every year- deployments, workups, moving. I've made it three out of the six years, but I was awaiting the day that our whole family could enjoy this trip together and this was the year it finally happened! 

We took the boys go-carting, rented a boat and took the boys tubing, Levi took the boys hiking on a nature trail, visited Bridal Cave, visited Bagnell Dam, went out on the paddle boat, shopped the Outlets, and did LOTS and LOTS of swimming. It was a wonderful and memorable vacation and I am soooo blessed it finally happened! Together, we got to watch Grant jump off the dock all by himself. Together, we got to watch Wyatt jump off the dock by himself. Together, we went on a boat ride. Together, we swam under the dock to look for fishies. Together, we had a family vacation!! 

Here's to many many more!!

Fabulous 4th of July!

We were very excited to celebrate 4th of July in our new neighborhood. Fireworks were not banned within our city limits, so we were definitely up for blowing some things up! We celebrated down at our neighbors, The Kinney's. We each invited a few friends, so altogether, we had 12 adults and 10 kids (ages 5 and under!)! Our good friends, The Turner's, who we knew from Jacksonville, just moved here, so we were happy that they could join us! It was a great turnout and everyone had a great time! It was super hot, but Brian did a great job equipping their garage with box fans and even a mister! The kids were all set with three kiddie pools, and played on the swingset and rode bikes! After about 4 hours of eating, drinking, and playing, we decided it was probably dark enough for fireworks. Between the fireworks that we bought and the ones the Kinney's bought, we had about 45 minutes worth! Each kiddo got to do sparklers. I was really surprised that Grant held a few!! Wyatt loved them too, and even held two at a time! Then, all the kiddos lined up their chairs and ooohed and aaahhhed over each big one the daddies shot off! Grant picked out each one for Levi to do- a far braver experience than last year when he practically hid in the garage at the sight of a smoke bomb!  It was a great time and I am so happy we got to share one of our favorite holidays with new friends, and old!

Daddy Love

 This moment was too precious to not share! Wyatt looks so angelic!! Love those two!!

Quick Kansas Visit

The boys and I spent a week in Kansas City back in June. Levi had been working 12+ hours day, our neighbors were out of town, and we had already done everything there was to do in Enid, so it was time for us to get away for a bit!! It was definitely needed and well worth it! We spent alot of time playing with my sister and her kiddos, doing a little bit of shopping, and eating at all the places I've been craving!! I am so thankful we live closer to our families so we can just hop in the car and be there in a few hours!! I know my boys LOVE spending time with their cousins and Mimi and PawPaw!  I know I sure do!

Bathtub Painting

It's been hot. Really hot. Really really hot! So that means, more time stuck inside, which mean more time for Mommy to go crazy!! So, to keep my little busy boys actually busy, we took to Pinterest and did some Bathtub Painting! I had a small ice cube tray that made about 30 little round ice cubes. I mixed some food coloring in and froze the little gems. A few hours later, they were painting the bathtub!!  After those melted, I took a can of shaving cream and mixed in some food coloring- and wahlah, paint!! The boys LOVED this part the most! They painted the walls, themselves, each other!! They played in the bathtub til the water was frigid!! I'd say that was a pretty successful playtime!!

Great Catch

He may be goofy, without a doubt, but one of these days, Grant is going to be a Great Catch!