Pudding & Painting

After lunch the other day, the boys had a bit of chocolate pudding for dessert. They were so dirty from it, I figured it would be a great time to do some painting. So, we added to the mess.

I tried to get a picture of Matt's pudding covered face for Nick, but behind the cup Matt was smiling and laughing.

Done drinking, now for getting the chocolate pudding off!

Face wiped, time to paint!

Jonathan joined in the fun.

Two-handed talent

No eating the paint, Jonathan.

Matt's turned into handprint painting.

The boys had a blast painting and getting messy!

Sprinkler Time!

After school one day, I still had the sprinkler on and Matt wanted to go play on his playground. I told the boys they could play for a few minutes before we went inside to make lunch.

They went to explore their first playtime in the sprinkler together!

Matt was onto the pattern of the sprinkler, but Jonathan hadn't quite figured it out.

Completely unaware of the water coming to get him, Jonathan was pleasantly entertained by Matt's running around!

Uh oh, Jonathan in the midst of a fall, about 6 inches from the sprinkler. Not good!

Five minutes turned into a bit longer, and everyone had to sit on a towel for lunch!

They had a blast getting wet while fully clothed. I think that's what made it so much fun.

After nap time, more watering was necessary so we got the proper attire on and went outside for more sprinkler time! The slide was a bit faster while wet!

Swinging still puts a smile on Jonathan's face (as long as it doesn't get too fast)!

Brothers swinging together

Matt's starting to get the hang of pumping his legs to propel the swing, but he still enjoys being pushed more.

I have a feeling there will be many more sprinkler days this summer, especially when Nick is out of town. It's easier than trying to manage the two of them in the pool area by myself. They love it!

Spaghetti - Toddler Style!

We went over to a friend's house the other day for a playdate while Matt was at preschool. We had a great time, and she even fed us lunch! She fixed spaghetti, and even though it wasn't messy long spaghetti noodles, Jonathan looked like he was at war with the noodles. I don't even know how it happened, but he had sauce on the chair behind him, in his hair, and of course quite a bit on the floor! It was an amazing sight to see!

It was a big hit with the kids and we even got some extra to take home to Matt for his lunch after school. He asked for seconds too! We have done penne spaghetti a few times since and they love it! Matt calls them the "special noodles".

Curious George Party!

We headed over to Emma's 3rd Birthday bash a few weekends ago to partake in the festivities. The party was at 3, so we woke the boys a bit early from their naps, knowing things might be a bit dicey. But, factoring in other children, cake, balloons, and other party festivities, we figured the risk wouldn't be that big!

Emma had a Curious George themed birthday party and in true Cybil fashion, her mom went all out with the creativity. She had the kiddie pool filled with bananas with each child's name on it and they had to go find their banana. After he found his banana, Matt tried teaching some new tricks to our friend Mia. He climbed up the slide and bumped down the stairs, laughing all the way down. Mia and Matt were in stitches while they played. It was very entertaining.

Matt poses with his banana, sporting his Angels hat!

Jonathan even figured out the slide and almost launched himself out of the pool a couple of times!

Then there was the unbreakable piñata! It was like the thing was duct taped together or something. But, the kids all gave it a whack until the adults had to intervene and pry it open!

Jonathan even made an attempt. It was mostly hand over hand help from me, but he was cracking up every time we hit that silly swinging monkey.

There was even a bounce house, complete with a slide. Jonathan didn't quite know what to think of the slide part, but he was all over the bouncing! Matt loved the slide, and at one point had a few kids following his lead of climbing up the slide and jumping down into the bounce house.

Jonathan got distracted decorating their porch with chalk drawings. By the time he was finished he was covered from head to toe, including his shorts from scooting around to find new space to draw! He had a blast.

The boys slept well that night! They were exhausted from some good old fashioned outside play time. The sugar crash didn't hurt either.

Dress-Up, Boy Style

Ever since Halloween, Matt has enjoyed playing in his costume. This time, he decided to chase after his brother. Jonathan got the fireman's hat for the evening. Matt kept asking Fireman Jonathan to come help him with his emergencies. It was definitely an entertaining time for all!

Matt stopped long enough for me to get a quick shot before he ran away shouting "Argh!"

I tried to capture him in action, but he just wouldn't look at the camera again.

I think Jonathan may have been ready for Matt to put the costume back in the bag at this point!

The two of them are quite entertaining these days and they have started engaging each other in play more and more. It's fun to watch them play together and make each other laugh! It's also a bit nerve racking because we never know when they are going to bump heads or knock each other down on tile floor. We try to cautiously enjoy their play right now!

Fun in the Sun

Add water and our boys are having a blast! It doesn't matter if it's a tiny puddle in the driveway a hose or the swimming pool, our boys love water. Good thing, because it's HOT here.

Matt loves to water the plants. Jonathan went to inspect his work.

Matt decided that watering Jonathan would be more fun. Jonathan actually liked it, as long as Matt kept the hose aimed at his feet.

Curly hair + water + air dry = CRAZY HAIR!

Check out my big toe, Mommy!

Matt tried out the playground after the pool. Notice how fast the slide is when you're wet!

Matt seemed to enjoy the speed and kept going down the slide. He also seems to have picked something up at school on the playground. He swings like a little monkey at the top of the slide before launching himself down it!

We have a lot of fun out back and I am usually worn out afterward, but the good thing is that so are the boys. That's not to say they wouldn't spend all day outside if we let them. As long as they could play with water and have some to drink, they'd be happy!

Texas Barbeque Massacre

The guys headed to the annual Yaga's Cookoff a couple of weeks ago and on Saturday the boys and I went down to visit them. It's always an interesting morning, but this one was in particular because I now had 2 to keep track of in the craziness.

Jonathan went for a walk, sporting his t-shirt that Mona made for Matt 2 years ago (see post from May 2007) for the cookoff. It's a "cook in training" shirt with the team logo on the back. Too cute!

Matt went right back to the place he frequented 2 years ago, the water. He loved looking at the boats with Nick.

Our friends Jeff & Adrianne brought one of their dogs down for the festivities. Jonathan hung out with Beltway for a while, and even let him model his sunglasses. I couldn't get a good picture of them in their sharing moment, but it was cute!

Matt wore me out at the children's section of the cookoff. He explored all of the bounce houses and inflatables. I can't believe how much he's branched out in the last few months with trying new things.

Nick took Jonathan for a bit of a bumpy ride down the slide!

Jonathan enjoyed sitting and bouncing in the back of the bounce house. I had to climb in and get him twice! He just wouldn't come close to the door.

Matt went through what looked like something that would be on Wipeout or something (only without the water). He loved it and kept going through it while our friend Jeanette tried to get a picture on the other side. He'd get to the top (sticker burr covered socks and all) and flip his legs over so fast, she couldn't get a good shot. That's a far cry from what he would have done a few months ago!

We had a long morning at the cookoff and I am not going to lie, it was HOT! We were worn out and I could have taken a nap, but I had to drive home and apparently the boys thought that their car naps were enough. The were not, and we all ended up in bed early that night!

Housewarming Party!

We got the house together enough to have some old friends over for a little party! It was great to see everyone again and to get the kids together to play!

Matt wanted to have a picnic with his friends on top of his "new playground"! So, Peter, Matt & Abby dined al fresco.

I am guessing Matt was telling me some story at the time of this picture. He's full of stories and "here's the plan" information these days!

Matt & Nick got a little pool time.

Matt was jumping to me for a while, until my arms gave out. Then, his two favorite guys (Daddy & Donny) took over and swam with him and his "paddles" for a while. He LOVED it!

After all the swimming, Matt & Abby went inside to play trains for a bit before it was time for bed. They did really well playing together, especially for not having naps and being 3 years old. I was quite impressed!

We had a great time with lots of old friends. It was nice to have everyone over again! The big barbecue cookoff is down in Galveston next weekend, so the boys got a chance to try out the smoker and we got a chance to have everyone over. Hopefully we'll get to see those that we missed next weekend at the cookoff.

The New Playground!

After the splinter wars started with the old play structure, we decided to go ahead and invest in a "new playground" for the boys. We had it installed during nap time about a week ago. I had to block off the back door so Matt couldn't see anything. After dinner that night, we opened up the windows and showed Matt his big surprise. He was wide-eyed and couldn't contain himself. He ran straight out there to play!

His initiation of the ladder!

He wouldn't stop going down the slide. He loved it!

This was his first climb up a rock wall with no whining and no pleading for help. He did it completely on his own!

Jonathan loved looking at the slide, until Matt decided he needed to slide down into him!

The big ship's wheel was a hit!

Jonathan still loves to play t-ball, but really just walks around a lot with the bat like it's his security blanket outside. He can't seem to be without it these days.

Needless to say, the boys love their new outdoor play area! No splinters or unstable ladders makes us love it even more!