Thursday, March 28, 2013
Could it be...
It's so funny to me how your perspective on weather depends on where you live. It's 45 degrees out today. 45 degrees. When I lived in Las Vegas I thought this was freezing! I'd bundle up in a coat, hat, gloves, etc. and try not to have to leave my house. After our time in Vermont though, and now being here in Indiana, my perspective has changed so drastically! When I saw that it was going to be 45 today I seriously considered busting out the capris and sandals (I didn't, but I probably will this weekend when the temps are supposed to reach the mid 50's). My girls and I drove home from the gym with our windows down and enjoyed the sunlight and the not-freezing breeze. Seriously, if I weren't driving I would have tried to get a picture of Sammie's face. Pure delight!
This afternoon after we picked up our boys from school, we played outside. For hours. And LOVED it! Days like today give me hope for spring and the end of all this horrible cold weather.
Josie is so much better at riding her bike than she was last fall. It's amazing how quickly they grow up!
We got out our sidewalk chalk! The kids had been waiting for this!
Sammie loved being outside. There were so many new textures to touch, so much to see, and so many places to go!
Bike riding all around! Sammie inherited Josie's old "bike" and figured it out right away!
This is the last of Lenny, our enormous snowman. This little bit of snow is the only snow on any lawn in our neighborhood. The kids took advantage and threw snowballs with it.
Hopscotch!
Justin came home from work and came in the house only long enough to grab the baseball gear. Then he immediately joined the boys outside (the girls and I had come in by this point) for some catch. And so begins spring training!
This weather makes me so happy. It's quite literally what I've been waiting for. The chance to finally shake off the snow, unthaw, and get back outside. Happy Spring!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Summer...so far...
We were so lucky to have Coach Wayne. Our boys learned so much about baseball from him. Noah will stay on the coach pitch/t-ball team again next year, but Clayton has to move up to machine pitch. I think he's ready!
Posing with their medals for completing the season. Josie had to sneak into a picture too. Since she made it through the season with us, I figured I'd include it!
The other day, Justin decided to take the boys to see Cars 2. First, they needed to hit Wal Mart to get a new tire for Clayton's bike (it'd been flat for a few days, causing much sadness). Shortly after they left, they came home. I was confused because I knew the movie wasn't that short. Yeah, instead of the movie, Justin got a new tire for Clayton's bike AND a brand new bike for Noah! They celebrated by going for ice cream and then coming home to ride bikes. I think it ended up being a WAY better idea than going to a movie (the weather was so perfect)!
Check out that grin! Justin said that when Noah saw this bike, his eyes became huge and Justin just knew that Noah needed that bike (what a good dad)!
Clayton said, "Yay! I'm back on the road!"
Justin has been teaching Clayton a few bike tricks. Here he is teaching Clayton to bunny hop. My favorite part is that he teaches Clayton using Clayton's bike.
The best part of this picture is Clayton in the background. He's actually a really good bike-rider, but you'd never know it based on this picture!
Justin explaining how to bunny hop. Clayton hasn't mastered it yet, but he learned the 'wheelies' so I think bunny hops are coming soon.
Cute Pootie.
After watching the boys ride for a while, Justin got jealous and got his bike out. The boys LOVED having him ride with them!
Of course this little lady needed to ride her 'bike' too!
Shortly after seeing Justin get his bike out, I wanted to ride mine too! So we decided to hit the road for a family ride. Josie loved being in the bike trailer and it was a good time to be out on the road with the boys!
Today was gorgeous! Sun was shining, weather was hot, perfect day for the beach! So we headed out with a few of our friends. It was a great time. The kids loved it! Josie was a little weary of getting in the water, but she was having the time of her life digging in the sand!
Clayton and Noah were all about the water. After nearly four hours at the beach I had a difficult time pulling them away. (Side note: how handsome is Clayton?? Seriously, I'm loving this picture!)
The boys decided to dig a huge hole. I fully support this. Especially because my boys LOVE to dig but digging in our backyard is not an option.
They were being quite industrious and this took up a good chunk of their beach time!
Clayton showing off their hole. I'm loving the pose!
Another cutie Pootie shot!
And Josie just kept on digging...
...and digging!
She did take a break to play a little beach baseball with her friend. It was very cute and very short-lived.
The beach was a great time. It was the first time we've been since we moved to Indiana, but I know that we have many more beach trips in our immediate future. Especially because the result is three VERY worn out kids (Josie didn't even make it out of the park before she crashed)!
As you can see, our summer is off to a great start! My kids wake up every morning asking what our plans are for the day. It's a little frustrating trying to keep them busy and entertained all day every day, but I think we're doing pretty well so far!
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Boys of Summer (and other activities)...
A little backyard spring training:
Josie is such a good little bat girl.

I love that when they practice, everyone gets involved (including Disco - he loves a good game of catch)!
Noah's class has been learning about 'community helpers'. For sharing this week they had to bring something that represented a community helper. Noah got to bring his daddy's old lab coat and one of his stethoscopes. Such a handsome future doctor!
Clayton wanted to try it on too!
Of course they then had to practice listening to their heartbeats.
Disco had to go to the vet to have his nails clipped. Because he gets such bad anxiety when anyone touches his nails he has to be sedated. Poor Disco. Noah was there to keep him company in his melancholy state. I thought it was sweet.
For Easter, the boys got kites. It has been rainy every day since, which has disappointed them so much because they wanted to fly kites so badly. Finally, this weekend, we got a break from the rain and the first thing we had to do was get the kites out! We picked Clayton up from school on Friday and headed straight to the park. Josie played on the playground while the boys flew their kites on the field right next to it. We had an amazing time. We laughed, we ran, we played. It was the perfect kite flying day. I'm so glad we took advantage!
The boys were surprisingly good kite fliers. We loved it and can't wait to go again!
Today was the opening day for baseball. It started with a parade to the park. Each team got to ride in the back of a truck with their coach. It was very exciting and very cute. This is Clayton and Noah's team. They are the 'Martin's Supermarket' team. Unfortunately, Clayton had to miss the parade because of a birthday party, but Noah was able to be there and loved every second of it. I LOVE his grin in this picture (he's bottom right)!
I think he's so cute!
Josie was underwhelmed with the parade. I love this picture so much. It cracks me up.
After the parade, they had some opening ceremonies and then it was time for each team to play their first game. Since it was mostly ceremonial, each team only played one inning. By this time, Clayton was done with his party and was at the game. He has really developed a love of baseball and was thrilled to play in a game today - even if it was only one inning! This is them warming up.
Clayton in the field.
He's actually a great fielder (says the unbiased mom). He really keeps his eye on the ball and goes after it and throws it right where he's supposed to. Since he's one of the oldest kids on his team, he's one of the best and it's good for him to be so successful. I loved watching him out there!
Noah struggles a bit more than Clayton (he doesn't share his brother's enthusiasm). However, I'm hoping that as the season progresses, he'll get better. He knows how he should stand when fielding (so professional).
This was his position of choice for the majority of the inning though. Still cute, but less effective.
Clayton at bat. His pants are huge. I tried to convince him to wear his jeans instead, but there was no way he was taking off his baseball uniform (and he did wear it ALL day long)!
Swing batter, batter, batter.
Noah up to bat. First you have to tap the plate...
...then take a wild swing at the coach pitch ball...
...then make a successful hit off the tee with your tounge out!
Josie was a good cheerleader (way more managable than she was last year).
She was still all over the place, but at least this year she isn't putting everything in her mouth! That alone makes her way easier to manage!
She got hold of Clayton's glove while he was at bat and raced as fast as she could to get to the field. Fortunately she's not too fast and was easy to catch! She wanted to be out there like her big brothers.
A post game pep talk from the coach! Team 'Martin's Supermarket' did great! They're going to have a wonderful season, I can feel it!
This was right before Clayton went up to bat. I don't think I can get enough of the 'tounge through the hole' pictures.
The most handsome boys of summer!
One of their new favorite past times is climbing the trees in the woods by our backyard. There have been tons of scrapes because of these trees, but the boys don't seem to care. They love climbing these trees!
My two little monkeys!
Just thought this was cute. Love that little face.
Our summer is shaping up to be a busy one. However, if this spring is any indication, it's going to be a fun one!