Family Day – June 2013

It is hard to believe we celebrated our 4th family day on June 8 this year! It’s even harder to believe we didn’t get a picture on that day. On our family day the boys and I arrived at the airport from Oklahoma in the evening. We were exhausted and just never got around to a picture.

Here is the only family picture we’ve taken this summer! Plus the pictures through the years. Hard to believe how much they’ve grown. We love them lots!

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

Taking photos with kids

Last October we were in Colorado and decided to snap some family photos.  Most of them turned out blurry for one reason or another.  I decided to have Matt take a picture of me and my boys one at a time.  My method of photos with kids has always been for me to just smile and look at the camera and hope the kids cooperate.  The result is that I’m at least happy with my picture.

During our little photo shoot Noah was totally cooperative and we got some cute shots. Ezra was super fidgety and playing with a stick, but I didn’t realize quite what he was doing with the stick. When Matt was showing me the pictures I burst out laughing at the last photo in this post. It is my favorite photo of us to date. It is such an Ezra and mommy moment.

Noah and me all smiles
Noah and me all smiles
Cuddly Noah still happy
Cuddly Noah still happy
Ezra playing with a stick, no problem take some pics
Ezra playing with a stick, no problem take some pics
The results = My Favorite picture to date
The results = My Favorite picture to date

Last day of school 2013

Today was the boys’ last day of school. They had a party with lots of water play. They had lots of fun with their friends and ate too much sugar. Noah was named the class mathematician and Ezra the class scientist. So proud of my smarty pants!  They’ve grown and matured so much this year!

First Day
First Day
Ezra Last day
Ezra Last day

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First day
First day

 

Love this smile
Love this smile
Noah last day
Noah last day
Water painting
Water painting
Squirty animal fun
Squirty animal fun
Silly boy
Silly boy
Gun show
Gun show
Me and the boys
Me and the boys
The boys and their teachers
The boys and their teachers
Their shoes were soaked so daddy carried them to the car.
Their shoes were soaked so daddy carried them to the car.

Random pics

Busy day at the car wash
Busy day at the car wash
Such a climber
Such a climber
Ezra
Ezra
Standing and swinging
Standing and swinging
Climbing Noah
Climbing Noah
Ezra wen to his room to calm down, sleep helps everyone
Ezra wen to his room to calm down, sleep helps everyone
They did their first 5k!
They did their first 5k!
Matt got to drive a nascar!
Matt got to drive a nascar!

Hopscotch

Thanks to pinterest I found this fun activity for our backyard.

Noah using spray paint
Noah using spray paint
Ezra using spray paint
Ezra using spray paint
Trying it out
Trying it out
So much jumping fun!
So much jumping fun!

Chickens

Back in March we got some baby chicks. We are loving them. They are so much fun and the boys love taking care of them. We have five total – Skittles, Isabella, Pinky Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Princess Consuela Banana-Hammock.

Little fluffy babies
Little fluffy babies

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Getting so big
Getting so big
Ezra and rainbow dash
Ezra and rainbow dash

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Me and Pinky Pie
Me and Pinky Pie
The boys and the girls
The boys and the girls

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I got the chicks some weed.
I got the chicks some weed.

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Isabella checking out her new coop.
Isabella checking out her new coop.
Carter likes them too
Carter likes them too
Noah and the girls
Noah and the girls
Noah and Rainbow Dash
Noah and Rainbow Dash

DNA

When we started the adoption process we wanted to adopt siblings, we wanted them to have someone that looked like them and shared their dna. It was something that was important to us.

We had the boys dna tested though 23 & me to help fill in their medical history. It is nice having the information to share with their doctor.

The added bonus of using 23 & me is that other adoptive families are also using it and we are finding distant cousins (3rd to 5th). I think it is really cool learning about all their cousins. We now have cousins that share our dna all over the country.

If you are interested in using 23 & me and use one of the links I put in, I do receive a small referral fee.

Fire Station Open House

Today the boys went to Tempe Fire’s open house. They had a ton of fun and were the only ones there! They told the firefighters all about the fire trucks, fire safety, and that they did push-ups every day so they could grow up to be firefighters. Our local fire station even has fire poles! They weren’t allowed to go down them though, but they thought it was super cool.

Wearing the headsets
Wearing the headsets
Checking out the tools
Checking out the tools
Noah and the nozzle
Noah and the nozzle
Ezra and the nozzle
Ezra and the nozzle
Watching the poles in action
Watching the poles in action
Noah driving, serious business
Noah driving, serious business
Ezra driving
Ezra driving
Gun show for the firefighters.
Gun show for the firefighters.

Gamma’s Bird Bath

We made Gamma a bird bath for mother’s day. The boys had a ton of fun and it turned out pretty cute.

Pouring the paint
Pouring the paint
Rainbow swirl
Rainbow swirl
Finished product
Finished product
Handprints
Handprints

Mother’s Day Tea

The boys’ preschool hosted a mother’s day tea. We had yummy snacks and tea. The boys made gifts and cards. They put on a little show. Ezra was super animated while singing and Noah covered his ears. Apparently he doesn’t love his classmates voices.

Ezra smiling for mommy
Ezra smiling for mommy
This boy loves to say cheese!
This boy loves to say cheese!
Me and my boys
Me and my boys

First mountain biking adventure

Showing off his elbow
Showing off his elbow

Back in March Matt took the boys mountain biking for the first time. The boys had been doing really well on their bikes and were super excited to go. Poor Noah got going too fast down a hill and lost control. He was a little sore that day, but was back on his bike the next day.

Here’s a video of him riding before the crash:

Funny Quotes XI

“The sun is really hot. If I sit on the sun it will burn my booty.” – Ezra

Ezra, “can I have corn cheese?”
Me, “what are you talking about?”
Ezra, “you said corn cheese!”
Me, “oh I said no more cheese.”

Out of context Ezra, “I’m giving the chicks some weed.”

More out of context Ezra, “Daddy, daddy I’m gonna be your weed guy!”

Noah to Ezra, “I don’t want your attitude.”

Me, “boys can you help me pick up so I can vacuum?”
Ezra, “why? Is somebody coming over?”

Me: what did you boys talk about in Sunday school today?
Ezra: well me and garret were telling funny jokes in the bathroom
Me: okay what did your teachers talk about?
Ezra: I don’t know.

Ezra: Daddy, someone needs to chop these weeds and mow this grass
Me sarcastically: I know, who is in charge around here?
Ezra serious: I guess i have to everything around here

Me: Hey Boys, we need to paint the chicken coop today, can you help?
Ezra: Well, um… It sounds like a hard job, I’ll see what I can do. I may not be able to do all of it.

Ezra to me, “I’m gonna tell the chicks to stay away from our hammers and stuff so they don’t get hurt.”
Ezra to the chicks, “tweet tweet tweet tweet.”

Hail Storm

We had a huge hail storm at the beginning of March. Pretty rare for us so it was a lot of fun. We also got a ton of rain with it and lost power for hours! Thunder shook the house then rain started pouring! We pretty much never have weather so the boys loved it.

Ezra in his raincoat
Ezra in his raincoat
Noah catching rain run-off
Noah catching rain run-off
Puddles!
Puddles!
Piles of hail!
Piles of hail!