Being Thankful

Found this paper laying around our stack of mags, papers and mail yesterday... A simple message amongst the clutter. Love reading or over hearing my boys talk when they express a personal thought without being prompted; the truest glimpse of what's inside...

Pumpkins and cider, oh my!

Defenses

Thought this was a moment in time to remember...
Nolan and I were on our way to pick up Ethan from school and had a little science discussion..."are these gnats blood suckers?" (we've had quite a swarm now for a week of these most annoying no see-um bugs) . Me: "no, just mosquitos". Nolan: "why are they here; what do they do, what's their defense?" Me: "they're just food for some other bugs, birds, bats". Nolan: "yeah, but what's their defense?" Me: "I don't know". Nolan: "well, the worst defense is when frogs pee on you." Me: smile.

Classic...

Little brother woke up big brother at 7am to prepare for their FIRST lemonade stand during our garage sale. It was a proud Mom day...they had clothes ready to go and came to the kitchen fully dressed. Ethan grabbed a doughnut for each of them and out they came carrying their supplies. Their first sale was a customer who gave them a $1 bill to keep. Ethan looked stumped, thinking he paid for lemonade and should have some :) What a great way to start their day! With a steady flow of people, Ethan began to ask people if they'd like some lemonade and of course very few turned him down. He counted back change and exchanged niceties. It wasn't long before Nolan followed suit. What great lil entrepreneurs they were! After the sale, Ethan ran into the house to count their money and discovered they made $18, which they both split equally. I was oozing with pride...love my boys!

Catching Up...

For those interested...This is what we've been up to for the last month or so...We always enjoy the annual Carillon Festival and Fireworks. We're fortunate to live nearby and can hear the bells periodically during the week and throughout the spring and summer. Anyway, the boys travel in style over to the park in our SUV Radio Flyer (gotta love gifts from Grandma and Grandpa) with glow sticks and all! Top notch fireworks AND better than any we've seen around here on the 4th of July.














































Next...

Out with the old, in with the new...We said good riddens to our old, very inefficient patio door (not too mention as my Dad put it, "It looks like crap"). Thanks to my Dad, brother and Uncle Tom we're now enjoying our new energy efficient, beautiful Marvin door :) Who knew a new door could bring such small joy, but it sure does...It rolls open oh so smooth, the screen is actually on the outside, no gaps for outside winged or 6 legged critters to crawl or fly through, and the BEST part is...(drum roll please)... no billy bar needed to keep the door 'locked'! Woohoo!

Slippers in Summer

Nolan started a trend over the winter...my slippers were the last thing off before slipping into the warm bed at night and the first things on my feet before hitting the floor in the morning. Nolan would often come in to "check" on me to see if I was awake and then one morning he just started handing me my slippers when I got up. With the warmer temps, I've worn them very little and haven't had them bedside for at least a few weeks. They've just been kinda here and there around the bedroom. Maybe since the mornings are brighter now, Nolan heads down stairs by himself, but this morning...I woke up to that familiar soft breathing sound towards the back of my head. Rolled over to see it was my Nolan suckin his two fingers, holding his baby bear in one hand and there behind him was a full length mirror giving me full view of what he was holding in the other...my slippers :) If time could just stand still...

Buds

The other day I took Nolan with me to help out in Ethan's class on a project for his teacher...having been there awhile, the kids were lining up to head outside and Nolan asked if he could go too. Thankfully Ethan's teacher was on it before I could reply and asked that he join them. Ethan was at the front of the line and began calling for him..."bud, bud over here". Then another friend or two wanted to help summon him, too, by referring to him as "bud". Ethan very politely, but firmly looked at his friends and said "you call him Nolan, not bud". Loved that! A little big brother pride showing, the good kind :) May they be lifetime buds...