Art Fishing Easter Soccer Boys

Oh goodness SPRING is here.  Thank goodness.  The boys are overjoyed at being able to play outside, Ed and I are grateful for tired boys at night.  Graham is exhausted at night.

Last weekend we took Jr. fishing - thankfully Nanny came over to watch Graham.  Jr. did great in the boat and enjoyed fishing for a couple hours.  We only had troubles when we woke him up to soon from his nap.  We didn't catch anything, and he was bummed, but Ed and I were hopeful that there would be more days like that to come.

Easter weekend was a blur.  Nanny came to town, we had the Wileys over and the kids rocked out on easter eggs filled with candy.  We had a second egg hunt at Nona and Papa's in the afternoon with Faith.  The boys got so spoiled with candy until their mom ripped it out of their mouths.  She is so mean.  So unfair.  Honestly, I love my kids, but those two Gremlins they turn into after sugar ingestion - stink.  I know I am an old stick in the mud...

Jr. started soccer this week!  He was kind of spacey and full of energy, but he is a good athelete and he LOVES to play with the boys.  The coach has twins Jr.'s age so he is well preparred for a lot of energy and a lot of explaining.  This is where it starts.  The start of activities...

Graham is so busy these days, busy keeping up with his brother, busy terrorizing us with his "terrible two-ness".  He is getting his two year molars and man he is a stinker boy.  He still has bouts of amazing sweetness which melts our hearts.  Damn he is cute too - super curly hair and beautiful blue eyes.  He is a super flirt too. 

A sunshine over buildings. Jr. draws some AMAZING pictures.

Fishing on the Missouri with my buddy.  It was cold, but he did great. 

Mr. Fish

Fire tender.

Graham and Uncle Brian.

New boots!

Jr. helping his little brother put his boots on.  He is an awesome big brother and helper.

Mr. Cool.

I LOVE those blue eyes.

Jr. sharing his peep Easter morning.

Easter family photo.

YAY!  Nanny!

Helping Graham gather Easter eggs.

Graham chasing Greta.

Easter loot!

Jr. wowing Janeen.

Easter egg hunt #2 at Nona and Papa's.

First soccer practice.

Jr.'s first soccer practice. 

Florida

I can't believe it has taken me this long to write about our Florida adventure.  When people ask me what we did in Florida - I tell them - we went to the beach.  The boys loved it.  I loved it.  We also went to the zoo and took an awesome boat ride on the Naples Bay, but mainly we went to the beach.  MIL and FIL have the best beach.  Jr. also swam like a little guppy.  He wall walked and hung out  on the steps of the pool.  He was wet most of the time.  We had our own apartment that was nicer than our house, the boys got to meet Uncle John and Colleen.  It was a fantastic trip.  I can't wait to go back....  Thanks MIL and FIL for the amazing week.

Flying was okay on the way there and on the way back, um, less than okay.  Graham was a little monster.  Jr. was a champion though.  He did get pretty crabby when he was woken up from his nap by his brother screaming Eddy and slapping him in the head.  Who can blame him?  Next time we fly, he will be better, or Ed and I will drink more...

Jr. still says that he misses Grandma and Gramps.  Graham says Ock all of the time.  It is either about Uncle Ock or short for Walk.  The boys loved seeing their Uncle Ock and Aunt Patty.
My favorite photos from the trip - just looking at them makes me feel tan again:

Monkey boat at the fabulous Naples Zoo.

Jr. got to feed a giraffe.  Graham was hiding back there.

Joshua the camel.  Jr. was thrilled!

Graham on the beach.

The Naples Bay boat tour.

Gramps and the rasin boys.

Best photo!

We bribe Jr. to pose in family photos with us.  He is only there under penalty of death.

Sand crab.

This One Is For You MIL

MIL checks every day to see if I posted something, so, MIL this one is for you.

Nothing much has been going on around here, well a lot as usual, but nothing worth noting. We are just preparring for our big trip to Florida. Mostly mentally preparring, but gathering and checking off of the lists. I am also getting ready for my last day of work - FRIDAY! It is scary, for the first time in darn near 7 years, I will not be working for the DEQ, not be working with my husband and not be able to walk or bike to work.

Change is good.

Change is good.

Anyway we can't wait to come see you all in Florida.

Jr. is obsessed with wearing silly hats. He is either wearing his plastic hardhat that declares him "Boss" or his fire fighter hat that declares him "Junior Fire Cheif". He also insists on carying around his "Seaturd" or lizzard as we call it. He is in that obsessed phase where you can't argue with him, you can only distract him long enough to take the hat or Seaturd away.




Lemon Coleman is doing well. I swear I can feel him/her fluttering around in there. And golly gosh I am HUGE for only being a little over 3 months pregnant.

How To Play With A Toddler

By Brian Vibbert.



Directions, find a sort of wet dirty dish rag. Wrap it around a toddler's mid section. Treat toddler like a sort of yo-yo. Involve dogs. Warning this activity requires intense upper body strength, because man that kid is heavy.

What is it again that is the father of invention?

2010

First things first. HAPPY NEW YEAR! A few days late but nonetheless, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We spent New Years Eve curled up like pill bugs in our house eating late and cold Pizza Shit pizza and playing Big Game Hunter. Ed was asleep by 10:30 and I am being very generous with that estimate. If you timed him by the time that he closed his eyes while sitting on the couch and started snoring I will give him 10:08, but I kicked him upstairs by around 10:30. I made it until 11:30 playing video games with Aunt Nancy.

Then we were off to Clinton. Last year it was a four day fest of eating and drinking with all of Ed's BFFs. This year it was smaller and shorter which made for a nice quiet house, it was just us and the Vibbert-Hinmans. Junior was the only kid other than Wally and they still had one bedroom to spare. Thanks to Brian and Angela for the wonderful time. Junior got to ride the four-wheeler and see the fire truck.





On Saturday Junior and I snuck into town to visit his Auntie Liesel and the Beagles. Junior's favorite part of the day was chasing Liesel and the Beagles and checking out the cool fish at the Iron Horse. Ed Sr. got to escape and do some snow 4-wheeling with Brian and Angela.





We rushed home to watch Denver lose to KC (DAMN IT AND MUCH STRONGER LANGUAGE THAT I SHALL NOT USE ON THE BLOG ABOUT HOW DISAPPOINTED I AM AT DENVER AND WHAT IN THE CRAP WAS JOSH DOING BENCHING BRANDON MARSHALL?!?!?!?!?) Thanks to the Moogs for feeding us AGAIN and hosting us during the football game AGAIN. We owe you big time.

Then we rushed home to toss the baby into bed and tear down Christmas. While I was packing away the Dickens Village, I got to thinking how different our lives are going to be when I open up these boxes next year. How different a 2 1/2 year old is going to be and how different his parents will be. I got a little chocked up wondering if Junior will still love his Santa snow globe or the "Horsey" figurine that pulls the chocolate wagon in our Christmas Village. Then I corrected myself and my ridiculousness, he is going to be 2 and a half, he will be awesome, the things he loves about Christmas will make my heart swell and I will have those memories to share with him when he is older. I will also have to expand my brain to accommodate Medium Shrimp Coleman AKA Blinsky and his or her Christmas memories.

I would say that by far my favorite Christmas memory of Junior this year was when he opened one of his gifts (I think it was the tool set) and CLEARLY said "Oh My God!" Where does he learn stuff like that? The other one was how much he loved Claws, but feared him so greatly.

I am already looking forward to having a yummy Christmas cocktail next year. 2010, you are going to be nuts, but we can take it.

Thanks!

Thank you!

Those are the best words I can describe our Christmas.


Thanks to Nanny for spending 3 days penned up with us and entertaining one busy little man. Thanks for all of the great gifts and thank you for the prime rib. Thanks for doing dishes at least 2 times a day and thanks for all of the laughs - especially for the laughs.


Thanks to Doo and Sheree for feeding us on Christmas Eve and all of the sweet loot.

Thank you to all of the Colemans for filling the underside of our Christmas tree with absolute magic! We are NOT opening the drums, not yet anyway. Needless to say, Jr. LOVED all of his toys. He is still working his way through them. His mom LOVED all of his new clothes, so so so cute. His new blanket is dreamy and he insists on sleeping with his "Seaturd" or lizard.



Thanks to Jr. for providing constant entertainment.


Thanks to Ed for my new iPod, and all of my other amazing gifts. Thanks for being an amazing husband again and again.



Thanks!

Lime Coleman - 12 weeks and I am done with morning sickness. It was like a switch went off - yay! My tummy is already poking out. Even if I suck my gut in, there is a firm lump just above my pant line. I should be able to feel the little lime soon.