following the leader...

the boyz have been slowly over the past month playing a little monkey see, monkey do...with motorcycles and cars and balls and sticks and the slide...this is the song playing in my mind after a whole day of it on thursday...cameron is usually the leader, but the pictures are a rare moment when ewie took the lead and cameron actually followed...and it ended in giggles : )

Following the leader, the leader, the leader

We're following the leader wherever he may go

We won't be home till morning, till morning

We won't be home till morning

Because he told us so

Tee dum, tee dee

A teedle ee do tee day

We're out for fun

And this is the game we play:

Come on, join in

And sing your troubles away

With a teedle ee dum

A teedle do tee day

train of thoughts...

in the past week, after holding a newborn, talking to my friend about her one year old, a visit from my aunt and cousin, talking to grandpa about his doctor's appointment and talking to syl about how it is "normal" in our family to have a train of thoughts...mine began when i looked down and saw this left by ewie (right before he dropped the cantaloupe)...

then i wondered how we went so quickly from this...

to this...

to this...

and i wondered if grandpa was okay after his doctors appointment, digesting everything and knows he is doing great right now and we love him....

and i wondered if my mom was with us when i talked with syl about a train of thoughts which let to great pictures drawn by syl and a great talk and lots of memories of mom having the same talk with me...

and i got chill bumps remembering syl laying on aunt jeanne's lap and aunt jeanne rubbing her back and libby saying, "i loved that when you rubbed my back like that," and thinking, i loved when my mom rubbed my back that way too...

and then i saw this...

and remembered how much cam loves it and how he puts his head down to watch the wheels, pulling it apart and putting it together because he can and how ewie just wants to do the same thing but cam will not let him touch it when he is in the same room...but luckily we have a dump truck and wagon...

i am overwhelmed with love by these boyz...

feels like home...

after a visit from aunt jeanne and cousin lib...i am reminded how it feels like home...no matter where we are together...love them...

It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me

It feels like I'm all the way back where I come from

It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me

It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong

all looks good...

after another emotional work day, life again is put into perspective...

all looks good from here...

and here...

and here...

father & son, father & sons, grandfather & grandsons...

 "A wise son maketh a glad father." -- Proverbs 10:1

my favorite things...

raindrops on faces and cars grasped in hands

dj lance kicks and yo gabba gabba bands

all of the songs the boyz try to sing

these are a few of my favorite things

cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels

door bells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles

wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings

these are a few of my favorite things

boyz in camo making quick dashes

sand and dirt on their noses and eyelashes

dressing like knights and pretending to be kings

these are a few of my favorite things

when the dog bites

when the bees sting

when i'm feeling sad

I simply remember my favorite things

and then i don't feel so bad!

inspired by a favorite movie with an austrian tour and a comment by jeb

camalam at two...

cam is a laid back piece of work...with the most active imagination...he is paying me back with everything i remember doing to my parents and what my parents told me...he is extremely independent...he is extremely bossy and i am not sure where he gets this from...lol...his verbal skills are amazing...he is a little pickier than ewie with eating but still a very good eater...he has so many items he loves...specifically lightning mcqueen, tow mater, doc hudson, luke skywalker, nipple, elmo, elephant, bitty baby, just to name a few...his favorite books are still chugga chugga choo choo, on the night you were born and good night moon...he amazes us everyday!! we love our camalam...

ewie at 2...

our ewie at two is just as active and rambunctious as ever...he loves his matchbox garbage truck...which used to be his daddy's...he likes a lot of stuff and does a lot of things, just like his daddy...his aunt keena gave him a fire truck version of tow mater...he has barely let go of it since sunday...his favorite song is "wheels on the bus" and he loves school buses because of this song...aunt keena also got him a school bus...he makes more noises and motions than words but he knows what we are saying and struggles with expressing himself...he ALWAYS has a car in his hand...he eats anything and everything without looking...he gives a great good bye with mmmmmaaa blow kisses...his favorite books are little boy, dinosaurs roar and goodnight moon...and despite his tough exterior, he loves hugs...we love our ewie!!!

syl's birthday...

thanks to antman and ashley for video and photography...antman needs some more practice : ) syl was so sweet and g was a superstar!!!

fine day...

to sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment.

-jane austen

it was definitely a fine day...a little tired after spending most of the night awake with cam (teething and some serious monkey butt)...i was able to go to target and kroger with my baby sister, no kids (can not even remember the last time this happened)...and in the afternoon, i laid on a blanket with ewie and looked up at the beautiful trees, clouds and sky...the MOST perfect refreshment...

hot summer day...

how will they know...

how will they know i am lucky to be alive...how will they know what i see every day i go to work...how will they appreciate life in the same fashion i do...how do i put into words, when i take care of a 19  year old girl, who has beat cancer not once but twice...and the person in the or next door almost lost her life...and this is just one day...part of me wants to protect them from this sadness but the other part wants them to know...to appreciate how lucky they are... to understand life is so precious...when they see me cry, they know i am at my limit, but they do not know why...they hover...they love...they are good boyz : )

the fourth of july...

we had a great fourth of july...we were lucky enough to spend it with great family and our wonderful friends...aunt pam has a neighborhood parade and then a party...it was perfect...the boyz started out on their motorcycles (with their helmets), jumping/scaling curbs...i was a little scared...luckily they only made it around the block...we had brought the wagon because we knew...our friends suzy, bruce and colin, caught up with us...we were so happy to see them since they live in manhattan...fritz, heidi and anna had already been there since saturday...the fire truck was the boyz obsession...until we reached the end of the parade and there was popsicles and water...aunt pam and uncle gary work so hard to have a great 4th of july party...the atmosphere is amazing and the food is unbelievable...our friends, who p&g invite into their home, no questions asked, offer to help make food and do whatever...it makes me so proud to be a part of all of this with such gracious friends and family, we are so fortunate to have this influence on the boyz!!!

shoes...

today we bought bike helmets... the boyz rode their motorcycles with their helmets to practice for the 4th of july parade at aunt pam's...they were such big boyz...we rode outside of our fence down the sidewalk on garden road...amazingly they followed the rules...these little boyz are growing up...ewie is teething so we are all a little tired from his sleepless adventure last night...i have found, being a parent is so much harder when i am tired...so when ewie was throwing his noodles back into the bowl at the dinner table...andrew and i laughed instead of dealing with the out of control situation...i guess you could say we were picking our battle...our evening winded down with the boyz walking in our shoes...ewie went straight for andrew's dress shoes...he "owned" the one shoe he wore...cam was a little different...he went for andrew's birk's...they were a little too stiff so he decided he liked mommy's slip on tennis shoes...not sure what their shoes will be when they grow up, i am just happy i am along for the ride...