May

May was a crazy GOOD month for us! On May 7th we closed on our new house and said goodbye to 1341 SE Dalton Drive. It was bittersweet to leave a house Paxton and Bennett spent the first years of their lives and a place where we have many memories! The weeks leading up to the move were super stressful and busy making final decision on the house and repairs to the ceilings in our old house. But we made it, barely, and moving to a brand new house is a good problem to have!

May also included a natural disaster training for Bob in Emmetsburg, MD at the Internation Fire Academy. He spent 12 days at his training and spent time traveling around Baltimore and D.C. 

Summer started the day before Bob returned from his training and it is a slice of heaven. Uninterrupted time with the boys, Bob, family and friends is what makes me the most fulfilled. There is no rushing, no schedules and time to play!

Bennett also turned 2 in May! We celebrated his love for trains! I am going to do another post about B's birthday and who he is at 2!

Easter

Easter for us this year means dying eggs (mostly blue for P) and died hands too. Bennett screamed with joy over Easter egg dying it's his thing. Easter Egg Hunt at church and monthly mission for our family, making door hangers for hospital patients. Neighborhood Easter egg hunt, church (Happy Resirection Day) brunch with Mom and Don's side of the family, slide for B (huge hit!) and new scooter for P. All in one weekend. Boom!;)

Girrrls Night

I A great night out for 2 charity events school supplies for needy kids and autism. The company was just as good.

Today, it's about right now.

I'm super behind on blogging. I am going to accept that I missed a few months of blogging and start fresh today. 

Today was one of those great days. A day when Paxton walked miles at the zoo to find a train station without complaining, Paxton voluntarily put B's shoes on him while teaching him how, Bennett went on the train at the zoo bravely (he digs trains from a distance but riding them is a different story) and he clung to me the entire time-the kind of snuggles that I dream of and on our "framily walk," as P would say, the boys picked 30 dandelions for me and handed them to me with real, genuine love. It was one of those days that parenthood goes the way you plan and hope. I'm so grateful for these days, it's my "fravorite!" 

Pictures below are of the zoo and then a picnic in Paxton's room in the new house.

December Highlights and Christmas!!

These pictures are out of order and unorganized, but the pictures are documented with captions so the memories can be remembered.

Paxton performing at his Christmas Program at We Care.

House progress!

A tiny bit of snow this winter, but we made the best of it.  After we made the snowman we walked inside, took off our snow gear and Paxton looked out the front window and the snowman toppled over.  

Christmas at Dad's and Denise's!

Christmas at Dad's and Denise's!

Aunt Mikayla graduated from MU.

Just because two sweet boys snuggling in their sleeping bags is sweetness.

Bennett ringing the bell outside of Macy's to raise money for  The Salvation Army.

Sweet boys and man!

Paxton lasted the whole 2 hours of bell ringing (with some encouragement).  Being a bell ringer was his idea.

Paxton's letter to Santa. I wish I could remember what it says...

Christmas morning for the boys.

Paxton enjoying some of his toys!  His headset, police uniform and whistle.  Pretend play is one of his favorites. 

The boys are in the Explore Room at the Praire Fire Museum.  

This is a picture of Christmas morning.  Unfortunately I was sick, really sick Christmas morning, so I opened presents with the boys and then went right to bed.  But this picture of Bob and Bennett is.the.best.

Just because I capture every picture of the boys sitting still,  next to each other.

Dinner out with my boys.

Happy New Year 2015!!

Bennett at the Explore Room at Praire Fire Museum opening and closing the display of drawers with different rocks, minerals and fossils.  This was definitely his favorite part of the Explore Room.

Happy New Year!!!

Laundry helpers. :)

Digging for fossils at the Praire Fire Museum.

Where's Bennett?  Normally hiding in the corner of his room, reading books.  

Bennett enjoying watching the WE Care Christmas Program.

Snow bunnies.  Toddlers in snow suits is so darn cute!

B, Auntie and I at Christmas at my Dad's.

Paxton was inspired to cook after he got a Chef costume for Christmas.  The kid loves to cook and make up recipes.  For example he made a peanut butter, shredded carrot and spinach sandwich.  He often makes a side for dinner and serves it up.

There is a book called Even Firefights Hug Their Moms and we read it often.  In the story a boy pretends to be a construction worker driving an excavator using golf clubs for the levers, a plate of the steering wheel and wearing a hard hat.  Paxton is mimicking the boy in the book.  

Another light snow!

Christmas at Nana's.

B loves trains.  At Aunt Nancy's house she had a toy train and B loved it.

Another picture of Christmas Day.  Paxton has become inspired to be a diver like Grandma D and Dewayne!  So for Christmas he got goggles and a snorkel (Pax calls it a snarkle).

T-rex and little P at Praire Fire Museum.

One of the best highlights of December was the birth of our twin nieces!

Paxton waiting to go on stage for his Christmas performance.