Painting Time

Oliver loves receiving surprises in the mailbox.  The other day, Grandma sent him some art projects.  He was SO excited!  So excited that we had to tackle them right away.  He wanted to paint the triceratops the first night.  Like all projects, he tackled it with such serious concentration.

The next day he tackled the road signs and automobiles.

Oliver proving that boys really can multi-task.  Snack and painting at the same time.

Thanks for the great projects Grandma.  They were a big hit!!

Beans and Avocado

We have been working with Kellan to transition him from baby food to regular food.  At meals, we will give him some nibbles of what we're eating.  Recently, he had a chance to explore baked beans and avocado.  He could take or leave the avocado, but he LOVED the beans!

Here are the many faces of Baked Beans and Avocado.

Neighborhood 5K

This past weekend our neighborhood elementary school had their annual 5K fun run fundraiser.  We have several neighbor kids in the school, including Oliver's buddy Charlie's older brother Peter.  Charlie and Michael came to our house while Charlie's parents, his brother Peter and Keith ran the 5K.  

Kellan got up from a nap shortly after the boys arrived.  He was ready for lunch but he was quite distracted by the activity behind him.

Kellan checking out Charlie.

Charlie and Michael LOVED Madalyn.  She was very patient with them and let them pet her.  I use the word "let" loosely since I know she really loved it.  Here is a photo of Charlie crawling under the table and Kellan's chair to get to Madalyn for a pet.

Poor Madalyn has really been showing her age this year.  She has gone from 9 lbs to 5 lbs.  We have taken her to the vet and she has tested to be fine.  At this point, she's just showing her age.  She will be 16 in August.

Kellan having some lunch.

Michael, Oliver and Charlie decorating the sliding glass door with the window markers from Grandma.

Charlie can barely take his hand off his work for a photo.

My biggest challenge of the day was getting all four boys out the door and to the race in time to see the respective parents cross the finish line.  We got their just as Charlie and Michael's Dad came across the finish line, followed by their Mom and Keith.  It was a cold and rainy day, so the boys opted for the indoor jumpy castle for a good hour of entertainment.

Oliver and Charlie didn't care if they were jumping or wrestling while they waited for another turn, they had a great time together.

They even closed the place down!

Look closely and you'll see Oliver in the middle.  Charlie is under him but you can't see him in this picture.

Hey look, there is Charlie.

What a good time and for a great cause.  Maybe next year Oliver and I will participate as well.

The Hamiltons are Here

This past weekend, Keith's brother Brian and his family came down from Sheridan, WY for a visit.

Here is Brian (to the left) and Keith putting the brisket in the smoker on Friday night for dinner on Saturday night.

Oliver had a great time with his cousins Lauren and Kaden.

Saturday morning, Oliver had his first soccer game at 8:00 AM.  That's awful early for a Saturday morning but we managed to get all eight of us out of the house and at the field on time.

Oliver was a bit shy at first since he missed the introduction the previous Saturday due to us being in Florida.  The weather also managed to take a turn.  It was cold, cloudy and threatening rain.

The mob of Wyoming kids.

Kellan was cozy in his car seat for a little while.

Oliver cautiously lining up for a 30 minute practice session.  Yes, he's the only one without a soccer ball.  We had no idea that we were suppose to bring one.  Can you tell we are first time soccer parents?

Oliver's buddy Charlie showed up and Oliver borrowed his brother Peter's ball.

Oliver going for the goal.

Going in for the huddle to kick off the game.

Some quick jumping jacks to stay warm.

Lauren and Kaden are still rolling around on the cold ground.

Charlie and his brother Michael waiting for their turn to play.

All three boys; Oliver, Charlie and Michael.

Kellan got too cold in his car seat and needed more of a snuggle from Dad's warm arms.  He also swiped the quilt from Lauren and Kaden.

Oliver with possession of the ball.

A zoomed in shot of Oliver on the field. 

Once again, Oliver has possession of the ball.

Good Game, Good Game!

We took the boys home and after lunch us girls went for a Mani/Pedi.  I've been anxious to take Lauren to this nail salon since I discovered their chairs for younger customers.

Lauren and Stephanie getting their manicures.

The week prior, Kellan was sick.  Thursday night, Keith got the stomach flu.  Saturday afternoon, I got the stomach flu.  I stayed home with Kellan and everyone else went to Jump Street.  I don't have any photos but I hear that the kids had a great time jumping on trampolines and running around.

After everyone got home I went to bed and nursed the flu.  I got up some time later for a visit and the kids were all snuggling in with Stephanie.

Oliver had a great time playing with his Uncle Brian.

Sunday morning, I tried to get some pictures of the kids together before everyone left.  As expected with four kids who had been going non-stop, it was a bit of a challenge.

Oliver is happy  but we were missing Kaden.

No we have Kaden and Oliver is missing.

Oliver is having a "I need an early nap" melt down and Kellan is out of there.

Then I found that I only had photo interest from one kiddo.

Oliver begged for a photo of all four of them, but as much as he might want it, he was so tired he couldn't pull himself together.  On top of it, Kellan was done too.

Kellan just decided to take matters into his own hands and take off.

Another attempt at a photo.

One more try, but Kellan insisted he was done.

We may not have had success at a group shot, but we still had a great time.  Oliver passed out at 10:20 AM, only about 20 minutes after they left.  Yes, he was one tired out boy.

Thanks to Brian, Stephanie, Lauren and Kaden for coming down to visit.  Hopefully next time we see you the weather cooperates and we are all healthy.