Wisconsin Weather

This darn Wisconsin Winter is really playing with us!  I was amazed looking back at this weeks pictures with the weather being nice and "springy"... to winter... and back to spring again today!  Earlier in the week the weather was BEAUTIFUL.  No more snow and everything finally drying out.  We are spending all of our time on the blacktop which means the fire trucks are finally getting some use.

 Aiden thought that his truck HAD to be parked next to Mommy's truck...

 One of the nights (I forgot what one) we ate supper and then made our first trip of the season to Dairy Queen.  Notice Aiden has two cones.  Mommy's was better than his I guess ;)  *Crooked little cheese face.

 Ashton didn't even care that his brother was eating two cones.  He was LOVING his one! 

 Ice cream on the tip of his nose and he now thinks you need to close your eyes when you smile ;)

 These two boys sure love the dirt and we have plenty of it!

 We walk the surrounding lots and fields for Izzie to enjoy some grass.

 Best Buddies.  Not so sure if Izzie would agree with that statement, but Ashton sure loves his Izzie.

 I think she's wondering if we really should trust Ashton with her.  The boys holding her leash makes her nervous.

 As we were just enjoying the spring nights, Winter happened again.  Just pure craziness.  We had a snow day on Thursday!  I think we had over a foot of snow... maybe 16 inches I heard.  I couldn't really tell you because our power went out at 6 am on Thursday and didn't come back on until 11pm that night.  We missed all news coverage while we were trying to find things to do with the boys.  The weather like this, no power, no water, and no heat in the house was not how we wanted to spend our "day off".  We ended up staying at Nana's for the night so we could shower and sleep with some heat!  Trees are down all over.  We have about seven small to medium sized ones that will need to come down, thankfully none close enough to fall on the house!  I didn't even want to dig out their winter clothes again... WINTER IS DONE.

 With snow, mud, mud, and more mud again... we were looking for something different to do.  On Saturday morning we packed up and went to Chaos Water Park for something to do.  The boys had a blast for a short time.  After about a hour I couldn't watch them shiver anymore!  The water was FREEZING and there felt like there was a fan on blowing cold air in.  Brrrrr.... we had some deep purple lips!  Oh well - we got out of the house and it wore them out.

 While digging for their swim trunks, I found some special pants that were tucked away from one of their baby showers.  My friend Jamie and her family bought the boys their first hockey sticks and their first Grandma Pants.  They finally fit!!!  They wanted to sleep in the and Aiden was pretty excited that they were from Brigs. 

 I documented the boys playing together this morning.  They are quite lucky to always have a playmate around.  This morning the took all the pillows from our bed...

 Put them in a laundry basket...

 Then put them on the dresser...

 Buried each other (those are Aiden's feet sticking out)...

 and jumped into them.

 I sit back and watch them play independently... but I can't go too far as they love to rough-house and with in the blink of an eye it can turn to a fight or someone gets hurt.

 With the snow almost all gone... again... tonight we were back outside.  Anything they can do with Daddy is a great time!

 Shovels... dirt... what more can they ask for?

 It is going to be a long summer.  Dirt, dirt, dirt and more dirt.  If the weather would cooperate, we would get a driveway, patio, stone, stained columns and a sidewalk.  Once that is done they will haul in more dirt and shape our yard... and then we could maybe start thinking about planting grass and having a yard to landscape.  But right now it's a waiting game and we can do NOTHING.  I feel like raking or something... ick.  

 So with no yard or driveway to play on we do a lot of walking to the open lots around us...

 and throw rocks in the drainage ponds.

 More firetrucks...

 Daddy being silly and riding too!  I accidentally made the comment that the firetrucks don't go fast enough for the boys so I think Adam is on the iPad next to me shopping four-wheelers.

As we are out and about more we are meeting our neighbors.  With three houses complete in our development and two more being started this week it should be a busy summer of meeting people!  By this fall there should be seven kiddos all under the age of three on our road... yay!

 

That is it from our neck of the woods.

March of Dimes 2013

So much to blog about, so little time on this beautiful Sunday night.  We are enjoying every little minute of  the Summer Weather we had this past weekend.  When Aiden and I ran some errands today my car said 72 degrees! 

 

I was just thinking in the past couple weeks, how when the boys were first born I had stated that I didn't really want to dress them alike or identical but rather coordinating.  Well - I will be the first to say that they are dressed the exact same MOST of the time.  I have to say it is easier.  Instead of picking out two outfits, I choose one that is the same for both.  When shopping I just buy two of everything, folding laundry I fold them together (I can't fold one pair of pants without digging to the bottom of the basket to then fold the other right away) and put everything in their drawers and closets as sets (the two sweatshirts even have to be on the same color hanger).  Then when we go to get them dressed, you just grab the sets.  So maybe it's my fault (OCD) that they now know they are dressed the same and when I don't dress them the same we may or may not have meltdowns.  What happens when we DON'T have two of everything?  We compromise.  On this particular night it was a diverted meltdown of who would wear the blue jammies.

 Until... they realized that their pants were different.  Then we had to make their pants the same.  Another crisis diverted.  *Notice even their socks are the same.  So when we were with some friends this past weekend and they reminded me that I had once said that I won't dress them alike, I just know it will come to an end.  We are among limited days of the boys beginning to want to dress themselves, pick their own outfits, and be 'different'. 

 Goof Balls!

 Our mud pit may be on it's way to drying out, but not before it takes some victims... the mud swallows boots, makes messes of my floors, and makes us do laundry every night. 

 Is it bad that I take a picture before helping Aiden up?!?!

 With the nice weather, we are able to enjoy a part of the house that we know we are going to love!  The screened in porch has been used for supper, yogurt, and some cartoons in the evenings.  The nice part about it, we can listen to the birds and enjoy the sunshine - without the mud!

 On Saturday morning, we joined Aunt Katie for The March of Dimes Walk.  This is something that is very important to her along with the many other things she volunteers for!  We were honored that she invited us and she was raising money with the boys in mind.

 While registering we were asked to pick a lei.  Purple was for those walking for preemie babies, green was for healthy babies, yellow was for babies born with birth defects, and white was in honor of a baby that had passed.  The morning was moving and I will definitely be more involved next year!

 We are proud of Aunt Katie!  She raised over a thousand dollars last year and is still counting her donations from this year!

 Along the walk route... one of the best things ever... DUMPERS and DIRT SCOOPERS!  The boys are true boys and get pretty excited over these things ;)

 After the walk, we headed over to the mall.  Scheel's was having some activities in the parking lot and we wanted to try the balance bikes.  They hoped right on and away they went.  Ashton a little more confident than Mr. Aiden.

 We had to try many colors... and Daddy said NOT TO BUY ONE.  He will try to find a 'deal' online.

 Here is the dilemma again...  the boys always want to pick their own (which is fine, even if Aiden wanted pink) but then when they change their mind when we get home and they aren't both the same color... the argue!  More than argue, we have meltdowns.

 After trying the bikes Aiden thought he would be sneaky and change the course.

 The boys were pretty impressed by the 'BIG TRUCK' at Scheel's too!

 We went to try the bikes, we didn't know that we would leave with a tattoo and try a fishing pole too!

 Maybe we will have to go fishing this summer!

 Aiden thought he was pretty special for catching the rubber fish that was already attached to his pole.

 Enjoying every last minute of the nice weather, on Saturday night we headed to our first grill out and fire of the spring/summer.  Nate, Brooke, and Reese have the perfect spot on Lake Menomin.

 70 degrees, grill out, fire, and some ice still out on the lake...

 Briggs is so good with the kids.  I L.O.V.E these next pictures.  Ashton and Aiden are in awe of the 'big kids' and they just stood back and watched them play some of the night.  Aiden was in heaven when Briggs included him...

 

 Brigs tried to help when the ball went into the lake!

 Aiden was keeping a close eye on what was going on!

 This is just what everyone needed after a l-o-n-g winter!

 the boys thought it was pretty cool that we had some visitors at the fire.  They would have enjoyed a s'more with us if Ashton and Aiden didn't talk so loud ;)

 Let's just say we had two very tired little boys tonight... at bath time, we had to wash all the "sun-shine" and dirt out of their hair.  From the moment they got up, until the moment we had dinner, they were outside.  *With a 2.5 hour break for naps.

 Re hydrating.

 again...

 and again.

If this past weekend was a glimpse of what summer will bring, I guess we can count on dirty fingernails, washing sunshine out of their hair nightly, and lots of laundry.  Let's not also forget boys who are so tired, they CRASH at nap time and bedtime!  Yay!

 

~The A Team