Greetings for Grandma!

The boys send their best wishes to Grandma Ingrid who has a birthday today!

They wish you were here! 

Celebrating with clean hair

We usually leave the house pretty early in the morning... So the boys and I got up at 5 to prepare breakfast in bed for Ericka on her birthday.  The boys got  to choose what we were serving so she got donuts and orange juice.  

Last week Mathias and I went shopping for mom's birthday gift. He was determined that what she really wanted/needed for her birthday was a new coffee mug and shampoo. We also left the store with bright orange and purple nail polish. It was quite the grab bag of gifts!

Happy birthday, Ericka!

Breaking the 14 minute mile

Yesterday, Mathias and I, along with Bella and her dad, participated in the TC Kids Marathon. Unlike a regular marathon, the kids run is limited to one mile. Bella's dad and I were along mostly to keep reinforcing the message that a mile is longer than you think and it would be a good idea to slow down... 

It was a hot day. Mathias was quite the trooper and kept running even when his legs told him to stop. Somewhere off in the distance we could have heard Chariots of Fire playing! He was very proud of the medal he received for finishing the race.

Any offers for endorsements of sporting equipment, consumer products, soft drinks, etc should be directed to our press secretary.

Mother's Day

The boys have been counting the days until Mother's Day for several weeks.  Every time Ericka left the house they wanted to wrap something up in a box and put a ribbon on it.  On the big day (after getting to sleep in until almost 8 o'clock) she received two large boxes full of treasures (see previous post), drawings, and homemade cards. She said it was the best Mother's Day ever. I would concur!

Getting spoiled at Aunt B's

We spent a long weekend in South Dakota. The reason for the trip was to attend cousin Payton's graduation. But the boys spent most of their time time at Aunt B's getting loved up. 

The favorite activity, by far, was going to search for treasures along the Missouri river. The boys came home with a par (yes, two!) of birds nests, abandoned since last summer by the previous owners. They also came home with a few surprisingly large clam shells, several rocks and a crayfish claw (!).   Treasures, indeed!

They spent most of the drive home lamenting how much they missed their Aunt B and cousin Jonah. We may have to come back later this summer.  

We're going to Aunt B's house!

 Upon realizing that the visit to Aunt B's house in the great state of South Dakota is imminent the boys started packing. It wasn't so much packing for a road trip as much as it was stuffing toys and stuffed animals into a couple of suitcases. But it's the thought that count. They can't wait to see their Aunt!

Buddies

May first is the first day of, what? The second half of spring? In either case, the boys are enjoying coasting into summer. As they are playing outside they are surprisingly compatible, especially as Mathias is 910 days (68%) older than his brother. 

They enjoy climbing on various structures, searching for bugs in the yard, driving the Gator, and - of course - driving their toy cars. The socially reserved Mathias gets a 'safety in numbers' boost by having his much more outgoing brother along.  Johan, who isn't quite the daredevil, wants to do what big brother does. It's quite the duo!