1st Day of School!

It's nearly winter break from school, and yes, I am posting "First Day" pictures! Trying to catch up so I can post something current!

Matt was very excited to start school this year. He'd been out of the school setting since we moved and we were both very eager to get him into a routine, and back with some peers!

Jonathan was not as eager as his big brother to hold his sign, stand still and smile. I got 2 out of 3!

Then I go the smile, but not the sign.

Then came the smile, the belly, and part of the sign!

I'll take it!

Matt & I met up with a friend of his from tee ball and walked to school. It was good to know he already knew at least one person in his class. Once we got to school, we found another tee ball buddy of his. Matt, Jonathan & Ryan were all very excited about the first day!

Matt & his buddy Jonathan listened very attentively to all their new teacher had to say on that first day. The parents stayed and it lasted about an hour, but it was nice to all transition together and ease into this big step!

SC Football!

When the football season began at USC, we had to be there! We got tickets and loaded up the car for the big season opener at The Coliseum.

We got there in plenty of time to walk around, take it all in, and be there for when the team arrived!

Matt got prepared to see the players up close.

The boys getting ready for the big game!

Soft pretzels and silliness

Anyone want some salt?

Our view from the not so cheap seats!

The boys had a blast and made it to halftime, which is more than we expected, given our early arrival time. We will definitely do it again, but we'll wait until next year for the next one!

Indoor Playtime!!!

The boys and I headed to play one day when we had no plans. We had to get out and do something, so we of course chose their favorite indoor playground.

They have both finally mastered the zip line!

Shooting the balls is always fun!

More zipline!

Jonathan even mastered it this time, and hung on for the whole ride.

Apparently we weren't the only ones with the impromptu trip, because shortly before we were going to leave, some friends of ours came in and we had a lunch date after we finished playing. It was a great time!

The Spectrum

We went wandering around The Spectrum in Irvine one day. The boys loved all the sights and things to do around the shopping center.

First stop, the merry-go-round.

Next up, the ferris wheel.

Jonathan finally spotted me on the ground!

After lunch, what else? Dave 'n Busters!

Ditchin' It!

The boys were having fun with their golf lessons and we decided to join Nick at his favorite golf course, "The Ditch".

Matt loved getting a chance on Daddy's putting green.

Don't all golfers have on Rainbows?

Some bunker shots with Daddy!

Raking the bunker! I think this was their favorite part.

Water Balloons!

The boys' Nana & Pawpaw sent them some water balloons at the beginning of summer, and I held out for a bit, but gave in and let them loose!

Matt had a blast tossing it up and trying to catch it.

The expressions and laughter was totally worth the pain of tying all of the balloons after filling them up. It took me a while.

Thankfully they let me stop before all of them were gone. We'll bring them out another time, but they would have blown through the whole container if I'd let them.

Beach Play Time

The boys have fallen in love with the beach. One night when they were being a bit unbearable at home, and couldn't even play peacefully together out front, I thought we should try something different. We headed to the beach at sunset! I didn't plan for what happened next.

The boys had a blast playing in the "wet sand".

They ran all around with their sand toys, in and out of the water.

The sun started to set!

Then, they got wet!

No, I didn't plan for the water. We just went to play at the beach, not swim. They were quite cold and shivery after this trip, but I don't think they would have changed a thing. They had too much fun!

The Cube!

The boys were very excited when we went to the Discovery Science Center this summer. They had a blast running around discovering all that was there.

First they played safari!

Then they played with the water exhibit.

Then there was the rocks that kept their attention for quite a long time. There was a conveyor belt and lots of rocks to move. They loved it!

Time to throw some baseballs!

Then there was the Zamboni!

Somehow Jonathan agreed to try out the hockey game. You play goalie and the pucks come flying out of holes in the wall via a video of actual players.

Here's Jonathan feeling duped. He was not happy once the pucks came out!

Matt was not going to try goalie, but he had no problem trying to shoot some goals.

We had lunch while we were there and my crazy boys decided to show me their muscles.

More muscles and silly boys!

We even discovered we missed a few things, but the boys were worn out after their tour of the museum. We bought passes and will be back a few times!

More Golf!

Just a few shots from some late summer golf lessons.

Apparently Matt got the memo from Jon about grabbing the plaid shorts closest to you and pair them with your nearest striped collared shirt!