Will and Andrew's Adventures

Superbowl Village

2012-02-09T12:03:00.000-08:00

We went downtown to the Superbowl Village on Wednesday. It was really neat to drive downtown and see all of the Superbowl signs and decorations. Indianapolis sure did a great job getting the city ready! It was so crowded when we went but we were still glad that we went.

The boys got to play XBox Connect - I think their favorite part.

Huge Superbowl sign on the circle

Awesome Superbowl decorations on the J W Marriot

Upward Basketball

2012-01-31T15:57:00.000-08:00

Will and Andrew are now playing Upward basketball. If you've never heard of Upward, it's a Christian organization for sports. Each practice and game, they break for devotions and prayer.

They have some pretty cool rules that maximize each kids chance to learn and play. I've been pretty impressed so far. This past Saturday was our first game. Each game starts with music, lights off, and an announcer announcing each child. They get to run out like it's an NBA game. It was pretty neat...I did have tears in my eyes!!

I think he liked hearing his name and all the cheering!

check out the defense

to the basket, Andrew

he's got his man covered!

I know they are going to get better and better but even more than that, I think they will have a positive experience! I'm sure I'll be posting more pictures!!

What Is It?

2012-01-31T08:02:00.000-08:00

The boys got a present and were so excited about opening it. But once they started opening it, they realized more wrapped boxes were inside. After opening many boxes, they found a note.

Inside was a note was from Mickey Mouse. It said that they were going to get to see him later in the year. They were both pretty excited but even more excited after watching a video about Disney! We can't wait!!

Time with the Grandparents

2012-01-31T07:52:00.000-08:00

We went down to Kentucky to celebrate a late Christmas. We had lots of fun together.

Grandma showing Andrew her new book.

It was such a beautiful day we went out to play basketball. It was the boys first experience playing "PIG".

Christmas with the Family

2011-12-31T13:53:00.000-08:00

We drove to Illinois after church. We were all excited to see family and celebrate with them. The next morning, we had our Christmas. There were way too many gifts! We had fun spending time together. All of the kids got along super great and enjoyed playing together for those days together.

One of Will's favorite gifts!

Grandma, Grandpa, and Andrew

We went to Lincoln Park Zoo one night to look at lights. We didn't see many animals but enjoyed looking at the lights and drinking hot chocolate.

Andrew and Grandpa

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-31T13:45:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas! We hope you and your family had a great Christmas. We had a great one! The boys were very excited this year about Santa coming. We've talked a lot about being very excited about Santa but we know who Christmas is REALLY about! We got up around 6:30 and opened presents. Then, we got ready and headed to church. What a great day to celebrate Jesus' birth!

Will and Andrew colored these pictures for Santa and left some milk and cookies out.

eagerly awaiting the opening of presents!

Will made this magnet for Andrew at school - I loved it!

Their main gift this year was the Wii. It's been lots of fun and they were VERY excited about it!

Family Fun Day

2011-12-24T11:13:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, we had a "family fun day". We started the morning with a trip to Denny's for free breakfast (since the Colt's won). We got there and it was packed!! So...we decided a trip to Dunkin Donuts! Then, we went downtown ice skating. It was a blast! We weren't sure about how the boys would do (their 1st time) but they did amazing!! We had so much fun. Will was doing great with just holding one of our hands but Andrew wanted to be held with both hands. I think he was really scared. He enjoyed being pulled around and "family skating" so he was between Josh and I. I was rewarded with a big fall when I was trying to be cool and do a spin...oh well - I probably deserved it! Josh and I both have blisters but it was well worth it.

After skating, we went to Steak and Shake for milkshakes (we had to get re-energized). Then, we went to Blockbuster and got The Flight Before Christmas and watched it as we ate pizza. I love these family days when we are all together doing fun, family activities - even though we probably consumed 4,000 calories - it was worth it!

"family skating"

Happy 5th Birthday!

2011-12-14T11:22:00.000-08:00

Wow....Andrew is 5!! He was sooo excited about his day! He loved getting calls on the phone and listening to phone messages. Andrew is such a sweet boy and so full of life. I have never met anyone else so full of energy. He is loving life and enjoying each day.

Andrew loves Cars 2, not Cars, just Cars 2.

Josh and I got him a pillowpet - he was so excited!

He picked to go to Chuck E Cheese. We had so much fun eating and playing games. What a great way to celebrate his birthday!

We had rice krispie treats and ice cream for dessert.

Andrew's 5th Birthday Party

2011-12-14T11:13:00.000-08:00

I can't believe my baby turned 5. We had a great time at his birthday party. Grandpa, Grandma, Yeh Yeh, and some great friends came to celebrate with us. He loved all of the attention!

present time!

brotherly love!

Andrew's Christmas Program

2011-12-14T11:10:00.000-08:00

Andrew had his Christmas program at school this past week. He did such a good job singing and doing motions.

Great Grandma's Birthday Party

2011-11-28T07:09:00.001-08:00

On Friday night, we went out for dinner at the Bell House. Afterwards, we went back to her apartment and had cake and opened presents. The boys picked out some birthday balloons for her and told me that we HAD to have party hats.

I made her a scrapbook filled with pictures from her life. Each person in the family wrote a special note and memory. I hope it made her feel special and loved!

Happy 90th Birthday Great Grandma!

2011-11-28T06:50:00.001-08:00

Great Grandma turned 90 over the Thanksgiving weekend. It was so much fun to be there to celebrate her special day!

Andrew was Grandma's buddy over the weekend. He was full of love and loved cuddling her!

We took Grandma out for breakfast Saturday morning and when we were leaving, Andrew didn't want to let her go. It was so sweet! He loves his Great Grandma!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-28T06:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! We hope you and your family have a great day!

Thanksgiving Program

2011-11-28T05:48:00.000-08:00

Will had a Thanksgiving program at school. All the 1st graders were in it. He had a speaking part. He was very proud and did great! Afterwards, they had a Thanksgiving feast. It was great - turkey, dressing, potatoes, rolls, and pie!

I love the hat!

The Adventures of Will and Ninja

2011-11-10T07:00:00.001-08:00

This is a story that Will wrote in school. I love it! Notice the "Ofer" or author is Will.

Halloween 2012

2011-11-03T16:36:00.000-07:00

This year, we went with the Cars 2 theme for our pumpkins. Andrew did not want to stick his hand in the pumpkin but Will enjoyed cleaning it out.

Andrew wanted the King

Will picked Mater

Will was a ninja for Halloween. He was so excited that we found the outfit because he really wanted to be one. He had all the ninja moves too!

Andrew is really into Superheros. He wanted to be Superman because he didn't have a mask!

The boys loved trick or treating and got way to much candy!

Fall Leaves

2011-11-03T16:17:00.000-07:00

We went to Grandpa and Grandma's house and helped them rake leaves. Grandpa blew the leaves off the roof - the kid loved it raining leaves!! The boys were excited since we don't have many leaves at our house.

The boys liked using the leaf blower.

Will loving the pile of leaves!

Andrew is the pile.

the 4 oldest

Fall Break Fun!

2011-11-01T06:36:00.001-07:00

We went up to Aunt Nicole's for Fall Break and had a blast! We played a lot with our cousins. Aunt Christy, Grandpa, and Grandma were also there so it was fun playing with them too!

At the mall, the kids all got into the tornado tube. It was hilarious to watch! Thanks Grandma!

They also rode the carousal.

I had to include this picture - I guess when you are the youngest, you always get the short straw. They tied a rope to Madeline's waist because she had to be the dog. It was so funny to see her walking around with it on!

decorating Halloween cookies!

Aunt Christy and the peanut

Field Trips!

2011-11-01T06:30:00.000-07:00

Andrew and I went to a pumpkin patch with his preschool. He was so excited that he was able to ride the bus. He got the biggest kick out of not having to wear a seatbelt. I am so glad that I was able to go with him and he was glad too. I am continually thankful for the chance to stay home with my boys and that I have the opportunity to do things like this with them!

Go Colts!

2011-10-01T17:28:00.001-07:00

The boys just finished their flag football season. What a hoot to watch! The league was 5-7 year olds but we asked if Andrew could join them since he was so close. They allowed him to be on the team. They were on the Colts. They each got a chance to run the ball and block. It was a great place for them to start.

Andrew's got some fast legs!

Will didn't like playing very much - cried when he got his flag pulled after running the ball. He announced right in front of all the parents that he didn't like flag football and didn't want to play. Then, he got 4 flags today....then, he started liking it! I guess he will be on defense!

Yeh Yeh and the boys

We had so many cheerleaders for the games! Both sets of Grandparents came - the boys loved being watch! Thanks for all the support!

Flower Power

2011-10-01T17:23:00.000-07:00

Andrew loves giving me what he calls "sunflowers." If he sees them anywhere, he will pick them. I love it! As we were driving in the car, he commented that he wanted to move to that house (where he pointed) because of all of the flowers in the yard! Ha ha!!

Budding Artist

2011-10-01T17:17:00.000-07:00

Josh walked into his office and found this:

Will drew Yituh or Yoda on Josh's whiteboard at church. I love it!!

Anderson's Apple Orchard

2011-10-01T17:08:00.000-07:00

We took our yearly trip to the apple orchard. I went with Andrew and his preschool and we went again with Grandpa and Grandma. Of course, we had to have some apple fondue while we were there. When we got home, we made 2 apple pies and some caramel apples. I love this time of year!

Surprise!!

2011-08-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

For my Dad's 65th birthday, we planned to surprise him at his favorite restaurant, The Patio. We met there Friday night and boy was he surprised!! Nicole, Blair, and the girls didn't end up coming since they were all sick with the flu. We missed them but had a good time.

Andrew and Uncle Chris (Andrew just loves him!)

The fam

my dad had extra wood laying around so they made a shelf(?)

they already love the power tools!!

When they were finished, the shelf had 30+ screws and nails in it. They had a blast working on it and are now in project mode. For my birthday, they made me a plant shelf. I love it!!

School Begins

2011-08-29T11:03:00.001-07:00

I can't believe how the summer has flown by. I had a great summer with the boys and are continually thankful that I can stay home with the boys. But, all good things must come to and end! Will started 1st grade in early August...when did my baby grown up?? He was so excited on his first day.

It's been a couple of weeks since school started and we've had some bumps along the way. So, if you are a praying person, please say a little prayer for Will today.

Andrew was excited when school finally started for him. He loves it and is always excited to go.

Library Rewards

2011-08-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

We love the summer reading program through our library. The boys read enough books this summer to earn some great prizes. Two of the prizes they each received were kid's meals from White Castle and free bowling games. So, before school started, we decided to give both a shot for the first time.

They LOVED White Castle!! Will had sliders and Andrew had chicken rings - really...chicken should not come in ring form. Will is already talking about going there for his birthday in May. We may have created a monster!!

Bowling was a blast! We had so much fun together! What a great day with my 3 favorite boys!!

Big News...We Had Pets!!

2011-07-30T06:23:00.000-07:00

For those of you that didn't know, we had pets - that is big news in our house. Our friend, Karen, from church gave the boys 2 tadpoles. Will named his Freddie and Andrew named his Ninja. After months, the tadpoles changed into frogs. A few days before we were going to take them to the pond, one of the frogs died. This morning, we took the remaining frog to the pond in our neighborhood.

For those of you that are wondering, Andrew has already thought about getting another pet. Our conversation went like this:

Andrew: "I think I know what I'm going to ask for my birthday." (his bday is in December)

Me: "What"

Andrew: "A cat"

Me: "Oh, Andrew, I'm allergic to cats - we can't have one of those in the house."

Andrew: (after 20 seconds of deep contemplation) "Are you allergic to dogs?"

Pool Time!

2011-07-30T06:13:00.000-07:00

We have been spending a lot of time at our pool since it's been so hot out. Aunt Nicole, Leslie, Adrienne, and Madeline came to visit us this past week. All of the kids love the pool!

Leslie backfloating

Aunt Nicole, Madeline, and Adrienne

The brave jumpers...Adrienne

Andrew

and Will

Daddy and the boys

Holiday World

2011-07-30T05:55:00.001-07:00

We took the boys to Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana. We had a great day! We rode rides in the morning and then went to the water park and then back to some rides. The boys were unbelievably brave. They wanted to go on all the rides - even the roller coasters! They liked the water park the best though. Andrew had to stand up super straight to make it on the big rides since he was about and inch or two short. I couldn't believe all the rides they went on!!

their 1st roller coaster!!

We loved Holiday World!!

The Dreaded Broccoli...

2011-07-29T18:51:00.000-07:00

The dislike of broccoli runs in the family. Where as I love it, my boys don't feel the same... I had to get the camera out at dinner one night because it was so comical! The new interesting thing was the sound effects being made. Normally, they would just complain and say that they don't like it. This night, Andrew added some barfing noises...interesting!!

hmmm....I wonder where they get it!!

My Little Artists

2011-07-29T18:35:00.000-07:00

We went to Grandma and Yeh Yeh's and Grandma bought each boy a canvas to paint. They were so excited to paint!

check out that concentration!

Grandma and Will

Will painted Lego Alienquest and Andrew painted the sky with fireflies, a beach, and many sea creatures. They got to hang them in their rooms - they look great!

All Things Green

2011-07-07T17:25:00.001-07:00

Our garden is blooming! We are so excited to check on it to see if anything is growing. We especially love watering the garden. We get wetter than the plants, I think. This is what we found today:

peas...

peppers...I can taste the fajitas already!

tomatoes...fresh salsa....

and beans....lots of beans! We picked 2 containers of beans and a 1/2 of container of peas. Not the best thing that I have to force the boys at dinner to eat even 2 beans! Anyone care for some beans?

What Happens With Girl Cousins?

2011-07-07T17:22:00.000-07:00

Hair Style Time!!

I love this picture because it's not usually something Will would be a part of. He let the girls put barrettes into his hair!

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-07T17:16:00.000-07:00

Happy4th of July - we spent some time with some good friends watching fireworks. It was a toss up whether I liked the fireworks or the kids "oohhh" and "ahhh" more.

the monkey

festive popsicles for the day

2011-07-07T17:05:00.000-07:00

Grandpa and the boys

After the ferris wheel, Aunt Christy took the kids on this lighthouse ride...it was fun!

look...no hands!

Because of our long walk earlier, Grandpa and Grandma decided we needed to take the water taxi on the way back to Aunt Christy's. The boys loved the boat ride.

We walked by Solider's Field on the way back. Andrew knocked on each door hoping someone would open it but they didn't...

Family Day Downtown

2011-07-07T16:53:00.000-07:00

We all met at Aunt Christy's apartment and decide to walk to the Shedd Aquarium. We got there and because it was a free day, the line was super long. We knew that we wouldn't make the wait so we decide to go to Navy Pier. We walked along the lake - it was the perfect day for a walk. The kids were great troopers! It helped that Grandma bribed them with ice cream!!

Andrew holding Madeline's hand....how cute!

4 monkeys!!

Aunt Christy bought us all tickets to ride the ferris wheel...can you tell we are excited?

The boys loved the ferris wheel! They loved looking around and seeing everything. We even spotted Madeline and Grandma on the ground below!

Fun with Aunt Christy and Uncle Chirs

2011-07-04T17:55:00.000-07:00

What a great visit we had in Chicago! We went down and stayed with Aunt Christy and Uncle Chris in their strange house. The boys are pretty fascinated that they live in a house with a bunch of other people (an apartment)!!! We had a great time!

the bean

1 highlight...the L! We ended up taking it down to Millennium Park and watching an outdoor symphony, and seeing the bean. It got pretty late so after dinner, we had another highlight of the night....a cab ride. Uncle Chris got us a cab since Andrew's legs were so tired from all the walking and it was getting so late! Oh, the things kids love!!

Last Day of Kindergarten

2011-05-27T13:04:00.000-07:00

Wow!! How the year has flown by!! Will had his school Awards Day to celebrate the ending of school. Josh and I are amazed at all he has learned this year. He has started reading, adding, subtracting, telling time, and even greatly improved his vocabulary. He sometimes says words and Josh and I just look at each other and laugh. We are going to have to get more fluent in a foreign language because whenever we spell something, you can just see the wheels spinning as he sounds it out in his head. Spelling doesn't work anymore in our house. It has been a joy to watch him grow and learn this year!

He was given a Citizenship Award. We were very proud of him!

His class sang a few songs. They did great!

Will and Mrs. Freeman - He also received a "Marvelous Mathematician" award. Mrs. Freeman stated that Will really excels in math and thinks he will be doing something with numbers when he grows up.

Thank you God for an incredible kindergarten teacher!

Metrostars!

2011-05-27T12:53:00.001-07:00

What a great year of soccer! After many cancelled games due to weather, we finally finished. The boys had a GREAT time! They really enjoyed playing on the same team and most of the time chose to play at the same time with each other. They both did really well. Will was great at kicking the ball and scored a few goals and Andrew was super fast. At his last game, he scored 2 goals too!

What a great team and the coach was pretty good too!

2011-05-27T12:43:00.000-07:00

I just love this picture of Will! I love the look on his face!

Andrew and Grandpa sawing a fence for the garden....the bunnies aren't getting in this year!

Andrew and Grandma playing in the sand!

Andrew's Program

2011-05-25T13:34:00.000-07:00

Andrew had a closing program for his preschool. He was so cute and did such a nice job! I am amazed at how shy he can sometimes be!

Pirate Party

2011-05-19T06:34:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, the grandparents celebrated Will with us. He had a great time!

check out these scary pirates!

What's a pirate without a balloon sword?

Will got Legos...what else?

I love his face in this picture - priceless!

6th Birthday Party

2011-05-17T12:59:00.000-07:00

Will celebrated his 6th birthday with a party with a few of his friends from school. We had pizza, cupcakes, ice cream, a treasure hunt, and some fun games.

The boys painted pirate cupcakes with edible paint.

the birthday boy

Arrr.... Andrew is a great pirate!

Easter Fun

2011-05-02T17:21:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun getting ready for Easter this year. We dyed Easter eggs and the boys really enjoyed it this year.

Will's egg says Lego - what else??

The Easter bunny brought all sorts of fun things. They each got a small Lego set and a baseball mitt and glove. Whenever we can get outside because of all the rain, they want to play baseball.

The kids also sang in church in the morning. If you notice Will, you will see that he is not happy. He stayed like that throughout the whole song. It was so embarrassing!! At one point, Andrew looked down at him and stopped singing. I had to give him the "look" and he did a little better. Hopefully next time will be a little better! You know what they say about those pk's!

Do You Really Not Need a Nap?

2011-05-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

Yeah, Andrew doesn't need a nap...good thing I don't need my lap to work!

Soccer Stars

2011-05-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

Check these super stars out!! We've only ended up having 2 games so far because of all the rain. Practice and games keep getting cancelled. The boys are ready to play!!

Where are Andrew's legs?? I ordered him the smallest size shorts.....we need smaller ones!

on the bench...drink break!

It Happened!!

2011-04-11T16:41:00.000-07:00

We've been praying for Will to loose his 2 front teeth because his 2 permanent teeth are coming in behind them. After much wiggling, one finally came out. He was scared at first but then got excited.

The Toothfairy brought him this pillow and $1. He loves it and has been sleeping on it every night since.

It's True....A New Lego Store....

2011-04-11T16:36:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, a Lego store opened up on the north side of Indy. Needless to say, we went opening day. The boys got to help build an 8 foot Lego Buzz Lightyear. They got to build a few large bricks each. We waited in line for 1 1/2 hours to get into the store. The boys loved it!! I have a feeling they will be asking me to go to the mall!!

a small model of the big Buzz Lightyear

I don't need a nap!!

2011-04-11T16:33:00.000-07:00

Andrew isn't tired at naptime, so he says, "I don't need a nap" but this is him after naptime!

Florida - Part 3

2011-04-06T07:14:00.000-07:00

What would vacation be without ice cream??

We had to wait in the airport because of storms. The boys were so good!

Andrew's Energy

2011-04-06T07:07:00.000-07:00

I love this video - it shows Andrew's energy! He had a great time!

Florida - Part 2

2011-04-06T06:45:00.000-07:00

the 4 kids

the 4 of us

the boys finally got in the ocean on the 2nd to last day - they loved jumping over the waves!!

The house had a tennis court. The kids loved going out there in the morning to play. Andrew decided he needed to wear his shorts on his head one day.

Will loved playing tennis!

Florida - Part 1

2011-04-01T17:51:00.000-07:00

We went to Florida with Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt Christy, Uncle Blair, Aunt Nicole and the girls. We all had a great time! The weather was beautiful and the kids got along great. We spent most mornings at the beach and spent most afternoons at the pool. What great family time we had!

We had an awesome pool at the house - the kids loved swimming and throwing buckets of water on Grandpa and Daddy!

Will and Adrienne relaxing in the pool.

Will wanted to get buried in the sand.

The kids had a great time burying Josh in the sand.

BrickWorld

2011-03-21T17:26:00.001-07:00

We surprised the boys by taking them downtown to the Convention Center for BrickWorld. I had read about it a couple of days before on one of my deals website. They loved it!!

This was the first display - Dwight Freeney in Legos!

awesome city with working lights, trains, helicopter, ferris wheel , etc

Lucas Oil Stadium with sliding roof, windows, and doors - As you can see Will was amazed...I have to amit I was too!

Driving a Lego remote control car

A large computer simulated chess set

We had a great time! They, of course, were selling every piece you could imagine. Will didn't get anything - Andrew did of course!

Happy Birthday Josh!

2011-03-21T16:16:00.000-07:00

Josh turned 35 this year and his parents celebrated his special day with us. Will especially picked out his shirt for that day - "My Dad Rocks".

A Short update

2011-03-07T15:21:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't posted anything in a while so I thought I would give you a quick update on the boys...

Andrew loves to run! He has gotten so fast that we really have to try to catch up with him. He loves being chased too! His favorite word is "awesome". Everything is awesome! He is pretty silly as you can tell from this picture. Andrew got the game Sorry for Christmas. We have played it everyday since then. Usually we play multiple games a day. It's a family favorite!

Will just got some new glasses....the first day he wore them a kid in his class told him, "You look like an adult." Will is really into sound effects. I am amazed at all the different sounds he can make about all his Lego creations. Yes, Legos.......he is still building constantly! He is reading easy books now and is adding and subtracting in his head. You can see his wheels turning!

Another thing with Will is he is getting in his 2 "adult" teeth but hasn't lost his baby teeth yet. We went to the dentist today and she is going to give him 1 month to get them out himself. We are praying they come out before 1 month is over.

The boys have so much fun playing together and being goofy! They are starting soccer this month and are on the same team. Josh is the head coach...I can't wait for it to start!! We are ready for some warm weather to get out and play!

Ice Ice Baby

2011-02-03T06:13:00.000-08:00

We had lots and lots of ice the last couple of days. So far, Will hasn't had school in 3 days. Day 1 was craft day, day 2 was cooking day, and now day 3 is cleaning/movie day! We went sledding in our backyard yesterday and will today when it warms up a little. It was all ice in our yard. There were many slips and spills! But, we all had a great time ice sledding!!

Sledding Fun!

2011-01-19T11:43:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun sledding this year! The boys love it!! Josh and I had a blast too! They are ready to go again but we need some more snow....maybe later this week!

After the boys got down the hill, they would both fall off....dramatic....who do they get that from?

happy boy!

My Little Drummers

2011-01-06T17:31:00.000-08:00

We were pretty sick over Christmas break so on our last day of break, I took the boys to the Rhythm and Discovery Center. We had a blast!

The boys love playing the drums! I think they will be great musicians when they get older! I love my boys!

2011-01-06T17:24:00.000-08:00

We went down to Josh's parents after Christmas. We were so excited to see everyone! It was the first time that we met our nephew Abel. It was so great to spend time with our family!

Grandma with Andrew, Sage, Abel, and Will

Christmas Morning

2010-12-26T17:22:00.000-08:00

The boys woke up early Christmas morning. Fortunately, they waited until 6:45 to get us up. Will said that he woke up at 5 something waiting for 7 to roll around! The boys were so excited about their presents and that Santa left them a note!

my little Jedi's!

Andrew got the Lego fire station

Will got the Lego airport

We had a quiet day at home. It was nice and relaxing....we actually didn't even get out of our pj's. We built Lego's just about all day and then went and looked at Christmas lights at night.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T17:19:00.000-08:00

We are very thankful this year for many things. We are so blessed! Thank you Jesus for coming into this world as a baby to save us!

Christmas #1

2010-12-26T17:15:00.000-08:00

We went up to my parents the week before Christmas to celebrate with them. It was a VERY short visit but still great! The boys got many nice gifts! I'm sure they will be busy with new toys and games for a while!

all the kids with presents!!

Will's Lego game

Andrew's skateboard

Happy 4th Birthday, Andrew!

2010-12-16T17:26:00.001-08:00

Andrew's birthday was full of relaxation and fun! Will ended up having a snow day so they boys had a pj morning. We went to Incredible Pizza that night and had some fun playing games and having pizza.

Another example of Andrew's faces....

We got him a Lego camera. He loves it and has filled up the camera (about 60 pictures) before the night was over. He ended up deleting some and filling it up again.

We decorated cupcakes for dessert. Yummy!!

Oh my, what beautiful cupcakes!

Andrew's 4th Birthday Party

2010-12-16T17:12:00.000-08:00

What a great birthday party we had! Andrew was so happy all day and loved getting to choose everything for his party! He picked (of course) pizza and jello jigglers to eat for lunch. He wanted to have a Toy Story day too!

We made him an alien cake. He loved it!!

He is into silly faces lately - here is one example!

Andrew got lots of great gifts for his birthday. He got a Leapster (that he would play all day if I let him), Legos, and a Spiderman car.

My Dad made him this table with 2 stools that he could put in his room to build Legos on. He loves it!

Andrew and Madeline

Andrew's School Party

2010-12-16T17:06:00.000-08:00

I went to Andrew's preschool for his Christmas party. Since his birthday was a few days later, he got a birthday crown and everyone sang to him. He loved being the center of attention.

Andrew enjoyed his cupcake...can you tell???

Will's Reading

2010-12-07T18:13:00.000-08:00

Will is learning so much in school this year. I am amazed at how well he is doing and how much he is enjoying it. I still can't believe my 5 year old is learning to read. It is so neat!

2010-12-07T17:56:00.000-08:00

They had carriage rides - it was pretty chilly but neat with snow falling!

Saturday night, Santa and Mrs. Claus came to visit. They had the elf band singing and playing instruments. It was so neat that I had tears in my eyes seeing the boys and how excited they were. I love this picture of Andrew...

my 2 little wolves!

The boys were excited to see Santa. When Santa asked what they wanted for Christmas, they both responded "every Lego set."

Great Wolf Lodge

2010-12-07T17:38:00.000-08:00

We went to Great Wolf Lodge last weekend and had an incredible time! The first day the boys were pretty scared and only went on the little slides but they got better as the weekend went on. It was their Winter Wonderland weekend so they had some really neat things all weekend long.

They had story time at night. They boys went down in their pj's and listened to the stories and songs.

Because of the Winter Wonderland, it started "snowing" inside after story time. They boys thought it was so cool and they tried catching snowflakes!

Will's favorite thing was the lily pads - he usually crawled over them.

Andrew loved all the splash things!

He also like the little slide!

Wisdom from a 5 year old....

2010-11-07T16:17:00.000-08:00

Will and I were cleaning up his room. Here's how the conversation went:

Me: Andrew, you want to help us clean up Will's room?

Andrew: No thanks

Will: Andrew, didn't God give you arms to help?

What a great piece of wisdom from my 5 year old!!

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-02T08:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

Nashville

2010-11-01T09:55:00.002-07:00

We went down to Nashville, Indiana on Saturday to meet Grandma and Yeh Yeh to surprise Grandma on her birthday. It ended up being a beautiful fall day! It was great to see them and be able to celebrate Grandma's birthday with her!

Grandma, Yeh Yeh, and the boys

Can you believe this is the best family picture we got?

They boys were in a trace watching the street performers. I think music is in their future!

What's the problem with taking a bite out of the bottom of the cone? Oh yeah, then it drips all over!! He is loving it!!

Zoo Boo

2010-11-01T09:50:00.001-07:00

Zoo Boo was so much fun this year! We went with some friends from church and had a great time together. One of the funniest moments I had in a while was when Andrew fell down. He wasn't watching where he was going and he couldn't get up. A second later, Will wasn't watching in front of him and fell right on top of Andrew. They were both stuck (not hurt though)! I helped them up but now really wish I had taken a picture first!! It gave us all a huge laugh!

The boys rode the merry-go-round - they couldn't sit down because of their boxes - it was pretty funny!

Fall Party

2010-11-01T09:46:00.000-07:00

At school on Friday, Will was able to dress up for the Kindergarten Parade. He wanted to go as Peyton Manning. All the kids were lined up along the walls and he waved to them the whole way. He was pretty excited because they loved his costume. Kids kept calling out for Peyton...I had a good laugh - it was so cute!

Fall Break

2010-10-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

The boys and I went to Aunt Nicole's house for Fall Break. Grandpa and Grandma went there too. We had a great time playing with our cousins, Leslie and Adrienne.

Andrew and Madeline

We went downtown to visit Aunt Christy. She took us on the L for a train ride. We loved it and can't wait to go again!!

We found this big eye - isn't it cool??

Our New Cousin

2010-10-26T07:18:00.000-07:00

Uncle Squirm, Aunt Alyssa, and Sage came and spent the night as they were going through town. The boys were so excited to meet their new cousin. They both love babies and thought it was so funny that she sneezed!

Louisville Zoo

2010-10-05T12:19:00.001-07:00

The boys and I met my roommate Sara and her daughter, Payton, at the Louisville Zoo. It was so good to see them! We all had a great time! Hopefully we can see each other more often!

Will and the goat at the petting zoo.

the 3 kids

a ride on the carousal

Will's Field Trip & First Sentence

2010-10-05T12:12:00.001-07:00

Will went on a field trip to the apple orchard. Josh was able to chaperone - they had a great time! Josh was pretty tired after that!

Will wrote his first sentence at school. I am so proud of him! He is doing such a great job in school. He already has learned to read several words, count to 100 by 10's and 1's. It's great to see him so happy to be learning!!

Conner Prairie

2010-10-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

We went up to Conner Prairie Saturday morning. I've always wanted to go and they had a special day where Josh and I got in for free. We had a lot of fun - the boys weren't huge fans but really liked the playground. Josh and I both kept telling them about the "old days" and how lucky they were for modern convenience! I think we are turning into our parents!!!

Will was the map boy - he insisted on carrying it and wouldn't let anyone else look at it.

the boys bringing in firewood for the kitchen

Conner Prairie

2010-10-05T11:50:00.000-07:00

Will spinning wool

toy stilts

They had a huge hot air balloon - this is a fake one, of course.

We had fun on the playground - the boys loved the tire swing!

Andrew milking the fake cow.

Anderson's Apple Orchard

2010-09-22T18:08:00.000-07:00

We went to the local apple orchard Saturday. Josh, the boys, and I rode the tractor out and picked apples. We got a big bag of apples - can't wait to see what we will make!!

We had to get a snack - caramel apple fondue.... can you say yummy???

check out that caramel!!

We had to taste the apples out in the orchard just to make sure they were good!

Bike Ride

2010-09-09T13:52:00.000-07:00

We took a bike ride through the woods at University Park. It was so fun!

2010-09-09T13:50:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Will drew at school of him and his best friend, Leslie (his cousin)! How sweet!

Andrew's First Day

2010-08-22T17:44:00.000-07:00

Andrew is going to preschool this year. He was very nervous at first but once he got to school, he was excited!

Big smiles!

Andrew started making flowers when he got there - Josh and I told him we were leaving and he said, "ok" - no being upset or anything - I was shocked!! Definitely sad but excited for him!

School

2010-08-11T13:21:00.000-07:00

Will was so excited after school today. He ended up having a great day. When I asked what he did, the first thing he mentioned was going to the bathroom and getting a drink from the water fountain. He likes his teacher and says the kids in his class are nice - lots of girls though! I'm so relieved that he had a good day!! Hopefully tomorrow we will get a better start than we did today!

First Day of Kindergarten

2010-08-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

Will had been so excited for school these last few weeks. We visited Monday night for ice cream and Tuesday was his Kindergarten orientation. This morning he felt differently.... he wouldn't get dressed and was crying and not wanting to go. I felt horrible and it made me feel even worse. We finally just put him into the car and he settled down. He did not want to walk into the school so Josh carried him part way.

Crying when we were trying to take a nice picture before school (do you hear my heart breaking?)

not excited to be at school....

new backpack

He found a friend so was better! Doesn't he look bigger just standing in line?

We had to carry Andrew out of the school because he didn't want to leave Will. He was crying still when we got home so we sat on the rocking chair and cried together...

Colts Camp

2010-08-11T07:10:00.000-07:00

We took the boys up to Andreson to see the Colts Training Camp. They were just running plays (no hitting) so the boys got pretty bored but fortunately they had some games for kids. Once we started those, they had fun!

Andrew and I

Will and Josh

Will and Andrew with Super Fan

Peyton Manning

Water Balloons

2010-08-11T07:07:00.001-07:00

We did water balloons this past week. The boys had never done them before - it was hilarious to watch them! Will wore his mask...not sure why!! All of the balloons broke when they hit the ground but they loved it!

When we came in, Will said, "Mommy, that was the best night ever!"
I felt good that night!

Crazy Veges!!

2010-07-30T19:27:00.000-07:00

When we got home from visiting our cousins, our garden was crazy!! We ended up picking a ton of tomatoes and peppers and one super large zucchini. Thinking of canning the tomatoes, but we will see!!

Baby Madeline

2010-07-30T19:21:00.000-07:00

Nicole had a baby a couple of weeks ago and we went to meet the boys' new cousin. We stayed a week to help out. I don't know how much help we were since we brought a lot of chaos but we had fun! The boys liked her but Andrew was feeling a little threatened - he ended up being pretty clingy! The boys loved playing with the girls!

Toy Story 3

2010-07-05T06:57:00.000-07:00

We went to see Toy Story 3 on Friday. It was the boys first movie at the theater. We had so much fun! All week, we counted down the days and Will said several times, "I can't even imagine what it's going to be like." The boys loved being able to eat popcorn and candy for dinner! We topped off the night with ice cream and a trip to the park. We needed a good day after all of our sickness!!

We are so excited!!

of course we had to get popcorn!

Whoaa...

Funny Story!

2010-07-01T17:43:00.000-07:00

We had haircuts tonight and Will said that he wanted a buzz cut for the summer. When Josh asked what kind of haircut Andrew wanted he said, "A Woody cut!" Can you tell what we've been talking a lot about? We got a good laugh out of it!!!

Swimming Lessons

2010-07-01T17:35:00.000-07:00

The boys took swimming lessons at the beginning of the summer. Will loved it but Andrew wasn't too fond of it. He started every lesson crying and screaming - then one of the girl teachers would take him for a swim around the pool to calm down. By the end, I think he was just manipulating the situation so he got to be one on one with the instructor.... Will ended up going under water and really started kicking and trying to swim. He is ready to take off. We'll have to practice in our pool the rest of the summer!

Star Wars Day

2010-06-08T10:28:00.000-07:00

So, we took the boys to the Children's Museum for Star Wars Day. Will had seen it in the monthly magazine and really wanted to go. He loves Lego Star Wars so we decided to go. They were able to build a spaceship and clay character. Then, they had a meet and greet with some characters. I think the pictures will explain their feelings about that!

Andrew a little scared...but where's Will?

Andrew feeling a little better...but where's Will?

Ahhh....both the boys feeling pretty good with Princess Lei.

Will Graduates!

2010-06-08T10:22:00.001-07:00

Will "graduated" from preschool and they had a closing program where they sang some songs and then Miss Vanessa brought each child up and said something about each. She commented on how Will always knew his Bible stories and could answer questions along with some other nice things. What a special day!

Isn't he handsome?

Miss Vanessa with the boys

Fun Festival

2010-05-17T14:55:00.001-07:00

At Will's preschool, they had a fun festival to celebrate the end of the school year. Although they had to move everything inside, the boys loved it. They had a bounce house, lots of games, food, and face painting. The boys both never wanted their faces painted before but then they saw she could paint Batman and Spiderman! They loved it and Andrew cried when I washed it off that night!

Happy 5th Birthday, Will!

2010-05-17T07:49:00.001-07:00

Will turned 5 on Saturday...unbelievable!! I can't believe my little boy is 5 and starting Kindergarten in the fall. We had a very busy day planned for his big day and he had a great time! He, of course wanted a Lego birthday. He is obsessed!! He could easily spend each day, all day creating things with his Legos. Will was really into his birthday this year and wanted to talk all about his day beforehand.

His little Lego cakes for school on Friday

Josh and I made him this Lego man cake. Our original idea was different but the Lego man was too big to do much else!

Yeh Yeh and Grandma came up for the party - the boys were excited to see them - can you tell?

Will had his last soccer game today. Great picture (thanks Betty) of his birthday goal!!

the 4 of us

Will got lots of great presents...Legos!!

We went to Incredible Pizza Company for dinner that night. It was pretty good and we had fun playing all the games.

shooting peanuts at the animals to feed them

Probably Andrew's favorite part - the dancing!! He can't quite do the chicken dance but he's getting close!

Happy Birthday my sweet boy!!

Will the Soccer Star

2010-05-17T07:38:00.000-07:00

Will finished up his soccer season with the last game on his birthday. He really liked playing in the games and didn't want to take a break or sit and give the other kids a turn to play. On his team, there are 6 kids and they play 3 at a time. On his last game, he was pretty aggressive and kept pushing kids and blocking them with his arms. He usually scored 1 goal each game. It was so cute to watch him and fun to cheer him on. There is something in common in each of these pictures....he is sticking his tongue out in each!

practicing before the game

Fun at the Park

2010-05-17T07:36:00.001-07:00

We went to this new park and the boys loved it! We could only stay for a short time because it started to rain. Next time, we are going to bring our bikes and ride the trails!

1st Game

2010-04-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Will had his first soccer game last weekend. It was a lot of fun to watch! There are only 6 kids on his team and 3 play at a time. It works out well since they end up in a group. He had fun!

Josh is the assistant coach and loved being on the field with Will.