Summertime Play

Most of our day is spent just playing!! The boys just seem to play and play and play ALL DAY!! It's the best! Lots of stuffed animal play, board games, Legos, Imaginext, Squinkies/Hatchimals/Littlest Pet Shop, Little People, cars. If it was in the playroom, they played with it this summer! My boys are SO good at playing. Thats their #1 favorite thing to do and I am SO thankful!! They have built the best relationship with each other because they truly just enjoy being around each other!!

We even had a little Christmas in July playtime for a few days!

One thing is for sure- I never heard "I'm bored!" this summer!!!!!!!

New Beds

When Wyatt first entertained the idea to stop sucking his thumb, we knew it was not going to be easy. We had been telling him for a while that as soon as he loses a tooth, he has to stop. Well, considering the fact that he doesn't even have one wiggly, we thought it best we just go ahead and tell him enough is enough. While it ached my heart a little bit to know he was giving up the one thing that still kept him "little" in my eyes, I knew it was time. While walking around Ikea one time, he came upon this really cool loft bed. We had been talking about the idea of loft beds for their room for a little while, but once he saw this one and his eyes lit up with excitement, Levi told him that as soon as he stopped sucking his thumb, we would buy him one. We figured we had a little bit of time on our hands because he didn't really want to stop sucking his thumb. I figured maybe sometime over the summer. But no. In about 2 weeks, he stopped himself from sucking his thumb. And he was ready for that bed ASAP!!! So it was time to head to Ikea again. And we couldn't leave Bub out. His end of the deal was that he was taking over laundry duty for him and Wyatt from now on. All washing, drying, sorting, and putting away (well, Wyatt has to put his own stuff away). So we rang up 2 loft beds from Ikea and home we went! 

We had a plan in our heads of we would arrange the room, but Ikea threw us for a loop when the bed can only have the ladder on the right side, so we had to do a little adjusting, but all worked out!!

 Wyatt wanted his bed "just like the one at the store" so his is L-shaped, while Grant's is a standard top and bottom. But we love the giant desk and drawers, the bookshelf, and the little closet that is just perfect for their t-shirts!! Perfect beds for growing boys!

This is Grant's desk and shelf area.

 This is Wyatt's desk, shelf, and closet area. The amount of time they spent "accessorizing" those bookshelves was comical!! They could've made a mini-series on HGTV!!!

 And what do you do after making a big purchase from Ikea?? Well you make a kicking box fort with the millions of boxes you now own!!!

Great job earning your cool new beds Broeckelman Brothers!!!

Boys and their Bears

We were heading out to get our family pictures taken and the boys decided they needed a little photoshoot with some of their furry friends!!! I love their love of their stuffed friends!!!!

Pretty sure they couldn't be any cuter than they are!!!!

Summer Playing

These boys have had the BEST summer!! A summer with nowhere to go and nothing to do! Nothing scheduled (for the most part). No routines. Just free play all day!! They basically drifted between the pool, the playroom, the Lego room, and their bedroom. A steady rotation with hardly any breaks ever- well, of course there was always food breaks!! They are just the best of friends and don't even want to be pulled away to go do anything! Other than SBO at the beginning of June and gymnastics on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, our schedule has been wide open!! I couldn't imagine a better gift for these two! I didn't realize how badly they had missed playing with each other during the school year until they kept saying how much fun they were having together- I don't think they even realized it!!! I didn't have to entertain them all- actually, I was the one who got bored because they just didn't ever want to do anything and I would go hours without seeing them! BEST SUMMER EVER!!!! I've reassured them that school starting doesn't have to mean the end of playing! Our schedule during the week is going to stay pretty slow as well, intentionally. They need this time to unwind, be free, be imaginative, and be together!!! 

So very thankful for these two fellas and their very special relationship!! When Wyatt was at the doctor for his school physical, his dr asked him what his favorite thing he did this summer was and he said, "Stay home and play with my brother." She looked at me in shock and said, "I don't think I ever have had a kid give me that answer!" Special kids! :)

Two things from these pictures- they didn't wear shirts this summer and our playroom was in a constant state of "played in." Just like they like it!!

Thankful!

I love this view out the backyard!!!!! :-)

Mommy Moment

I got to Grant's school today a few minutes earlier than usual. Wyatt and I were sitting on the bench outside the art room. About 2 minutes later, their class came out of art! We saw Grant and Wyatt said "Hi Bubba!" His art teacher came over and said, "You must be Wyatt!" She smiled and said Grant just told her the sweetest sentiment in class a few minutes ago. He told her, "My brother will be in kindergarten next year. You will meet him next year. We have such a great relationship, probably better than any other brothers." She loved hearing that because normally she hears brothers/sisters bash their siblings and it just made my heart so happy to hear him talk so sweetly about his little brother! The best part is that they really do have a special relationship and I am forever thankful that God gave them to each other!

Boys in their Bed

I love sneaking one last little kiss and "I love you" with the boys before I head off to bed. Some nights they're almost impossible to find, buried beneath heaping loads of blankets and bears. Some nights, they're snuggled up so sweet and tiny I'm reminded of what they were like when they were babies. But this night, I loved seeing them laying exactly the same! There is not much about these boys that are the same, other than they share the same parents! They are about as different as night and day. To see them sleeping the same was just so sweet and precious! I love their bond as brothers, no matter the differences between them!

Brothers Year After Year

In honor of Grant and Wyatt's birthday month, I'm taking a walk down memory lane! I just can't believe these guys are about to embark on another birthday together!! What a wonderful blessing for them to share such a special day! Two brothers, who have become best friends, that can be so closely connected is truly more than I could have ever imagined!! How lucky I am to be their mom and what an amazing gift for them to have each other!!!

These pictures I get of them each year around their birthday are so priceless. It catches them at one moment in time. Those moments that are so fleeting, ever changing. They don't look the same as they did yesterday, so looking back year after year at how much they've changed and grown just astonishes me. Having these memories help flood my heart with the joy I felt in each of these moments. The joy that also changes and and continues to grow year after year! 

My two babies, my two boys, my two loves, my greatest blessings!! 

Stuffed Animal Zoo

The stuffed animal obsession in our house is no where near disappearing! In fact, they've played with their stuffed animals more in the last month than they usually do! Their imaginations have just taken over and I absolutely love it!!! 

One afternoon after school, they ran right upstairs and got busy. I'm assuming they talked about playing animals before they went to bed the night before, because they knew exactly what their plan was. They gathered the laundry baskets, bins, boxes, and whatever containers they could find and happily played upstairs for quite a long time. And then they came down to get me and told me I just HAD to see what they made! But first, I had to buy a ticket and get a map because I was going to the Zoo!!

 This was the monkey exhibit!

 The bears, obviously.

 The aquarium!

 There was also an arctic animal exhibit, dog and cat exhibit, and an "unrealistic animal exhibit"(the one with the ghost in it, naturally), and a regular animal exhibit. 

Grant was the zookeeper. 

And Wyatt was the ticket taker!!

Those boys and their love for their stuffed animals! Sometimes they give me a headache because they want to stay up late at night playing animals, and usually when they do, there are animals in every square inch of their room!!! But they so enjoy it and so enjoy each other!! Can't beat it!!

Cooking Competitions

Thanks to my dear friend, Lori, for inspiring us to bring out our inner chef talent!!

We've been big fans of watching Chopped, Master Chef Jr, and Rachel vs. Guy Kids Cook Off for quite some time. Grant and I have some special times at night after Wyatt falls asleep, where we snuggle up on the couch and watch something on the Food Network. Lately, its been Master Chef Jr. Grant always talks about what he'd cook or ingredients he'd use- which is so funny since he eats NOTHING. But he loves the idea of cooking! So after my friend Lori told me about the Chopped Challenge she did with her kiddos, the boys said, "We HAVE to do that!"

So we started off with a Chopped Competition. I was cooking and the boys were the judges. Earlier that day, Wyatt and I had bought a box of Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit mix, so I was going to be making those, and they were going to decide if I was chopped or not. They grabbed their Lego clocks to time me and once they said go, I got to work! I mixed all my ingredients, threw them in the oven, and got my butter mix ready. 

 Once I got the biscuits out of the over and brushed them with the butter glaze, they said, "Times up- hands in the air." Then I served them my plate and tell them about my creation. They both agreed that I mixed my ingredients well and it smelled delicious. Their only critique was I didn't use enough butter. I guess I couldn't compare to the other competition (????) because I did not win the $10k prize money, I only won $20. But it was a great experience to be on Chopped. (PS- the biscuits really did taste like the real things, and the judges were right- I should've used more butter!)

Once I finished my cooking competition, it was time for Master Chef Jr. to start! They boys had to make a dinner that filled all four spaces on their plate. (I did not take any pictures of this and I'm so so sad because while I did alot of the prep work for them (cutting strawberries, etc) they were so cute with their plating.) They each made a pizza lunchable, popcorn chips, strawberries, and a yogurt for Grant and carrots for Wyatt. They presented their plates to me, and as the judge, I just couldn't decide on who to send home, so they BOTH get to stay for another round!!

It was a fun evening of food festivities!! One of these days, hopefully these home competitions will actually allow Grant to try some new foods!!!

Stay tuned for our holiday cooking competition- Valentine Cake Wars!

Star Wars

Star Wars is all the rage in our house!! Grant went from loving all things Lego Ninjago to all things Lego Star Wars, and that turned into just everything Star Wars!! We have accumulated quite the Star Wars arsenal when it comes to toys! Legos, naturally, light sabers, costumes, action figures, games! You name it, we probably have something like it! They role play alot, and also set up battles with their action figures (post to come!), watch the shows, read the books (I'm pretty sure Grant has checked out every Star Wars book our public library has to offer!). It's been wonderful seeing them play together and enjoy a common interest!! I only wish I knew something about Star Wars to share in their interest...well, actually I don't because Levi made me watch the movies back in the day and I really could live my life never watching them again. But, I'm happy they can relate to each other about it, and I can sit back and take pictures of it all! :)

This was their X-Wing and Tie Fighter jets... 

Grant made the storm trooper from an extra pumpkin carving template I didn't use, so then he asked me to print out a Darth Vader mask and he made the body out of a black poster board! Good stuff!

I have a feeling Christmas will be bringing alot more Star Wars stuff into this house!!