6/11 - Amelia Island

This morning I took the boys for a roller blade and then let them play at the park for a while and then we roller bladed back home. They continued to play out on the street for a while. We did an early lunch so we could do early naps so we could get out to the beach to meet up with some friends. Aiden and Eli played in the sand for a bit at the beginning until Eli remembered what fun the water was.

Aiden continued to want nothing to do with the water and played in the sand the ENTIRE time. I feel bad for him because he's alone so much playing by himself but .... Eli will drown in I'm not with him.

Riley (Sue's husband) dug out a giant hole that Eli and Carter (the youngest of Sue's 3 boys) were playing in. It worked out almost perfect because Eli loves the water but is definitely not sturdy enough on his feet to walk in to the waves. He tries, but the waves are too big and he falls over. He must of sucked down (and coughed back out) a 1/2 gallon of water. You would think that would make him a little cautious of the water (that is my goal in letting some of the big waves go over his head) but it doesn't phase him. He coughs it off with a smile on his face and waits for the next one or tries to walk out even farther into the ocean.

Eli thought it was especially fun when water came up to where they were at and flooded the area.

Meanwhile, up on the sand, Aiden is going a little crazy. Sue has more patience and is so much nicer to him than I am. Sometimes I feel bad I'm so mean to him but his requests just make no sense to me sometimes. He wanted his feet washed off because he had sand on them but we are still at the beach and more sand will get on them. Makes no sense to me. Sue was nice enough though to get him a pail of water so he could dip his feet in and then clean them off, and then put his shoes back on. That is WAY more patient than I am. I just tell him that's too bad. Maybe that's why he likes to go see Sue - she's nice to him. Haha. 

Eli was having a great time. I'm kinda forced to stay with him because he will drown if I don't. Riley watched him for a while why Eli and Carter played in the big hole he dug. That was nice just to be able to sit up on the beach without worrying about anything and enjoy a few minutes of time. I almost didn't know what to do with myself. If I'm not chasing kids around, I'm normally rushing through something else to get stuff done before I get the kids. It was weird just to be able to relax for a few minutes.

We were out during high tide which wasn't ideal but we made it work. Eli loves being on his belly when waves come but unfortunately he was getting waves over his head. After Riley dug a hole out, Eli stayed around there and some big waves would come crashing up every couple minutes.

For some reason, Eli likes to eat sand. I brought snacks with us but apparently sand tastes better. He deliberately put sand in his mouth in this picture.

Seriously, look at that mouth full of sand. Gross. He even ate some of his snack with completely sandy hands. I tried to wipe them off but he didn't really want them wiped off. 

We went back to the beach house and I hosed off the boys. Aiden didn't need too much cleaning since he won't go near the water. Eli, on the other hand, was a completely mess and had sand in every crevice possible. I put the boys in their jammies and then we ate dinner and played for a bit. Aiden and Carter were playing outside. I'm not even sure what they were playing but they were enjoying it.

Eli made himself busy by marching around the yard. He needed to. That child put more food down than I thought possible to fit in his tummy. It looked like he swallowed a soccer ball and he was done. 

Here the little mischievous smile he has. He thinks it's fun to play on the steps which isn't fun at all because they aren't glued down or anything so they easily move. He keeps me on my toes by trying to give me a heart attack.

Right before we left, Aiden wanted to go on the tire swing. He's never been on a tire swing before. Sue helped him get up and then Jake decided to help him too.

He liked it but didn't want to be pushed too long before he asked to get down. However, right after asked to get down, he asked to get back up. He's so confused.

We went inside for a final picture. We got a group one (Riley took the picture) with all the boys and then a silly group one. Apparently only Mac and Jake know what a silly picture is - haha.

We had a great time. We stayed really late and didn't get home until 9:15pm so the boys didn't go to bed until 9:30pm. We'll see if they sleep in tomorrow. I am eagerly and dreadfully awaiting to hear about the trip to Greece. I miss Brad so much and just want to see him. I am exhausted and need to get to bed.

6/10 - New bike & pool

Aiden had his last day in AWANA Bees this past Sunday. He got this new mask and an alligator clacker. Unfortunately, the clacker only lasted the evening until it was broken.

Aiden also got a cool pair of sunglasses that Eli likes. It looks like Eli is blowing kisses but in reality, he's stuffing so much food in his mouth that he needs to hands (I wish I was kidding).

It's been so nice out lately that I took the boys out early the other day. I was actually going to go roller blading for my workout but I did such a hard upper body workout the day before that I didn't think my arms and shoulders could actually handle maneuvering the double jogger. So, I opened the garage and let the boys play.

Aiden got a new ($15 from Craig's list) bike and he loves it. He rode a similar one at a friends house and I finally found one for him. He's a champ and even uses the pedals. Eli hasn't got the concept of using the pedals yet but he's still little.

Eli eventually traded in the bike for the stroller. He then kept trying to run Aiden over and thought it was pretty funny. It was awesome not having them argue over the one bike!

 

Everyday the boys are doing better at playing with each other. Eli is getting better about actually playing (not always destroying) and Aiden is becoming slightly more understanding that Eli is still little and is just learning the rules.

I couldn't get both of the boys to sit on my lap at the same time so I took them individually and got a picture.

My hair is getting long and I need to get it cut soon. It's so long that I always wear it back and in a bun because it's so hot.

This morning Aiden requested to eat outside for breakfast. He's never asked that before. I obliged and they had pancakes and cantaloupe outside. We had a play date at a park this morning and the smoke from a nearby fire was horrible. We then went to the library for storytime. Eli couldn't care less about books and Aiden loves them. I brought in a puzzle for Eli to play with since I knew he wouldn't listen but then Aiden wanted to play with. With neither kid listening and starting to become a little noisy with the puzzle, we left.

This afternoon, we set up our new pool. It came in the mail a few days ago and we haven't had a chance to use it yet. My friend Sue suggested I do something like this in the backyard so the kids can wear themselves out more. They LOVED it. If you are offended by little naked boys, don't look at any of the pictures below. I put the pool under the canopy thing so there wasn't much sun.

I knew Eli would love it because ... it involves water! This boy takes after his daddy and is like a fish.

Aiden, of course, was a little reserved and didn't get in for the first 20 minutes.

We were out there for 1.5 hours and they had so much fun. They were giving that slide a workout and having a great time. Eli liked the slide right away (he's the thrill seeker) and Aiden eventually gave it a try too.

Aiden enjoyed the slide too! We stopped and break for snack outside too. I've learned that I need to use a tarp by where the boys get in and out so they don't track dirt in. Overall, it was great and we can't wait to do it again on Sunday afternoon.

I also just found that my trip to Greece is 99% off. It's logistically impossible for the ship to be there for it to port when it was supposed to. I am quite heartbroken over this. It's not completely official yet but ... 1% isn't much hope. The boys and I are going out to the beach to visit Sue and her boys tomorrow. In the morning I think we'll take a bike ride down to the park and let the boys play and tire themselves out for an early nap. I am so thankful for such great people in my life. Sue has given me lots of guidance and support lately while I am struggling and getting worn out from this deployment and potentially not seeing Brad. Hope you have a great weekend.

6/2 - Playdate and Aiden turns 3!

We've had a busy weekend and week but that was good. Aiden and Eli decided to play on the chalkboard this past weekend. We had to figure some rules out because Aiden would draw and Eli would go erase all his stuff. Hopefully they can learn to play together on the chalkboard. Aiden is doing a good job trying to write more letters.

On Monday, I took the boys out to the beach. My good friend, Sue, has a place that she can stay out there so we headed out first thing in the morning to Amelia Island. The boys played for a bit (she has 3 boys but only 2 were there) and then we went to the beach. Unfortunately, I didn't take my camera but I will next time. Aiden wanted nothing at all to do with the water. He didn't even want to go on the sand where water had once been (the hard packed sand). Sue tried to take him down the water and he was clinging on for dear life and she had to eventually turn around before her feet even got close to the water. Eli on the the other hand, LOVED the water. The tide was moving out so there were lots of little and big water puddles. Eli even loved going down to the water and letting the waves hit his legs and belly and almost falling over they hit him so hard. He had no fear and tried to walk out farther. At one point, I let a big wave hit him in the face so that he would understand what would happen if he kept going out there. He coughed it off and then wanted to do it again. Crazy child. I need to get him in swimming lessons pronto because he's a little risk taker. Aiden had fun playing in the sand and collecting shells. Everyone was down in the water except for Aiden and I was getting frustrated because I need to watch both of them and felt like Aiden was starting to suck the fun out of it. Thankfully Sue went and hung out with him for a bit. She eventually brought her tent/shade down in the wet packed sun so that Aiden would come down and be with us (although he wouldn't step out of the tent). That was okay because I was scared he was gonna get burnt. We had a great time and Eli fell asleep about 3 min after being the van to go home. Aiden crashed with about 10 min of the drive left. I put Eli is in his crib and he continued to sleep and put Aiden on the couch. Pouncer decided to join Aiden.

I woke Eli up at 4:00pm and then he quickly woke up Aiden by climbing all over him. Eli is starting to talk a little more and he always calls Aiden Eli. He's very confused apparently.

After they woke up, we played inside for the rest of the day. They were having fun playing cars and trucks in the kitchen.

I found Eli doing a big no-no the other day. Laying on the table playing cards. House rules: No standing or sitting on tables. Apparently Eli is trying to get away with a technicality so I'll have to include laying as well.

Eli also found Aiden's computer that he got last year but has been too young to use. He finally is starting to figure it out. Eli looked so professional sitting on my step pushing buttons on the keyboard.

 On Wednesday, we had a playdate at a local park. It was great weather although a little hot towards the end.

Eli crawled in the dome shaped thing and was having fun but then thought he was trapped inside and was yelling for me to get him out.

Some of the other kids came over to join him and that settled him down. Aiden and Eil were running around in circles under this thing yelling. It was too cute.

Aiden was all over the playground (it's rather large). He was playing with random other boys and girls most of the time. I did find him playing with the scooper thing once. You are supposed to sit on the seat but the levers to move the digger are really heavy and he can't do it like that so he was improvising.

We managed to get a picture with all the boys (Eli, Aiden, Hunter, Ryan). Everyone but Aiden is within 2 months of each other which is crazy.

It was fun and great to get out of the house and socialize for a bit too. Eli started to play with the water fountain and managed to get himself soaked so I had to take his shirt off.

After some naps, the boys played inside on Wednesday. We were gonna set the pool up that we bought on Sunday but when I opened it and laid it out, I realized it was much smaller than what I was wanting. I am taking that one back and ordered one on-line that should be here any day now. The rest of the afternoon we played lots of trains and cars. Aiden actually built an amazing track all by himself. I was shocked.

This track that Aiden built actually all connects. I was amazed. He's a smart cookie.

 

We had a monster truck party all planned for Saturday to celebrate Aiden's

I needed some helping singing Happy Birthday so I called nana on Skype. She helped me sing and then Aiden got to blow his candle out. Eli had fun watching.

Aiden started to lick the icing off and then decided he wanted a picture with Nana. This cracked me up. I brought the computer over to the table and he posed for a picture with her.

I gave Eli 3/4 of a cupcake and just put vanilla frosting on it. It managed to make a pretty good mess with that. I'm hoping he wasn't looking to his big brother for How to Eat a Cupcake.  

Aiden eats his cupcake by licking all the frosting off first.

After all the frosting is gone, he literally shoves the entire cupcake into his mouth.

After Aiden took his crown off, Eli found it and posed for a picture for me. What a ham!!

It was a good day for Aiden although I know he wishes daddy was here. He got two little presents from us. And here's an update on potty training: Aiden is doing pretty well. I have to set a timer at home to make sure he tries and when I do that, things work out pretty good. If I don't set a time and just ask him if it's time to sit on the potty yet, he pees in his underwear. He's still in pull ups most of the time but at night (when he gets home from daycare) I make him switch to big boy undies. It's a work in progress. I love lots of work to do so I better get going. Happy 3rd birthday Aiden. You are such a blessing to mommy and daddy.