Terrible Two?

I've always been a bit confused by the terrible twos. So far, my boys haven't displayed the typical "two" behavior that you come to fear so much as they approach the dreaded birthday!

Micah just turned two on the 17th. Two weeks in, it hasn't been too terrible yet. Perhaps the reason he is going to skip the terrible twos (and yes, I do know I am completely jinxing myself by saying this!) is that he thinks he is 4 or 6, depending on which brother he is playing with. He is currently playing trains with his brother Ben. He knows the correct sounds affects that go with each of the trains, can act out the stories with the best of them, and hardly ever throws trains anymore (they hurt!) He knows how to wrestle, talks about ghosts and has even done homework occasionally. No, I think 2 is a pretty fun age, especially when complete with all the perks of having older brothers who can show you the ropes (I just pray he doesn't tie me up with them and make me regret this post!)

Tiptoe through the Tulips

Well, we didn't exactly tiptoe through them, more like stomp on and chase butterflies through!! Last weekend we headed to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point with Phil's family. The color was a bit disappointing compared to last year. Because of the late spring many flowers weren't quite out yet. We still managed to have a great time and enjoy the windy sunshine!

Phil, tulips and I go way back. When we got married, the Logan Temple had beautiful red and white tulips blooming everywhere. It made for great wedding pictures. Little did we know, a year later we would be tromping through the Tulip fields of Skagit Valley, Washington. The vibrant fields of tulips against a bright blue sky made even better pictures! Yellows, reds and purples stretched out in vast rows before us! It was truly amazing! Being young, careless (looking back) and in love made it seem perfect.

Well, eight years later, I still love the tulips. The photos aren't quite as picturesque (see earlier post on mother's frazzled attempts), but seeing our own kidos blooming in them makes a pretty flower even better. Here's to nine years of tulips babe!

Batter Up!

There's something inspiring about seeing your son hit the ball out of the infield. Especially if it's his first time up to bat in a real game. Jacob has come a long way!!

Jacob's first athletic endeavor was soccer. Phil loves soccer. Phil plays soccer and plays it well. Needless to say, seeing his first son getting ready to start soccer was a thrill. Seeing his son dig in the dirt, chase butterflies and run in the total opposite direction of the ball was not what he imagined!!!

But to see him getting excited about soccer and t-ball this year has made all those other "games" worth it. We're very proud and excited to see what life brings for our three sons!

just another day in paradise

There they are folks!! The most unphotogenic boys in the history of earth!! As a mother, I try to put them in matching clothes, comb their hair, bribe them and do anything I possibly can to get a good picture!! My efforts fall short 99.9% of the time! They are good sweet boys, but saying "cheese" does not constitute a good picture in our family album.

That being said, our pictures capture the essence of our life. They are true to who we are: simple people, relying on the sweet moments in life to help us make it through the tediousness of it all. Would I trade Benjamin's enthusiastic, deep voice, Jacob's quirky eating habits, and Micah's crashing into anything that is in his way for a perfect picture? Not on your life! I'll take my little boys just the way they are and hope that somehow, someday, they'll be grateful for the memories of these funny little photos. "Cheese!"