"silly mama"

Dec and I had a little one on one time on the carousel, so I decided to take advantage.  And D was such a good sport about it...

This stud looks so old so young ... 

Despite headed for a bathroom break, these two had to hold hands.  Not even kidding, I really think James believes that Dec is his brother... who just sleeps at our house.

post meal nap

This guy loves his solid foods.  The best part is he has only tried bananas thus far, so this little man is in for quite the treat.

He fell asleep while we were sitting at dinner.  I mean passed. out.

I tried to get every angle I could.

Because it was priceless. 

Sometimes I put Fenway on baby duty.  Keeps is cool with it. 

cuddles

D loves cooking with his daddy.  Despite his facial expression, Mike also enjoy its. ;)

[I'm growing Dec's hair out to see how it looks, hence the current fro]

This is what bedtime looks like in our house. You'd think they didn't have their own beds...

peter cotton tail

Hashing it out with the garden bunny at Pottery Barn. 

While out helping Pops rake, this one let a piece of yard work find its way down his pants, making it look like a little tail. 

g is for geisha

Trying to keep the slush out of his eyes.

[he reminded me of a geisha who didn't want to get sun on their bod]

Despite falling asleep while out shopping, this little bugger wouldn't let go of his cover.

morning surprises

And this, my friends, is what sleep training looks like. 

[not sure what it is about my kids and falling asleep with their heads smushed against the pac 'n play netting... must be some sort of comfort thing]

Mike went and got D when he woke up.  When I turned the corner, this is what I saw.  I couldn't stop laughing not only because of this sight, but the fact that his eyes were magnified in his flip shades and he wouldn't stop staring at me. 

Always attached. 

bedtime songs

Keegan was laying on our bed and I reached over him to check the monitor.  When I did that, he grabbed onto my shirt and was pulling at it.  His facial expressions were adorable, so I thought it'd capture a few.

Post bath Declyn wanted a little snack.  Unfortunately, I had to dry off Keegan so I threw a size 0-9 month robe on him to keep him 'warm'.

Not a good picture, but I wanted to capture this moment forever...

I was nursing Keegan before he went to sleep and D was sitting on my legs and together we were singing songs.  Throughout our nursery rhymes, Keegan would stop nursing, look up, and smile at me.  Occasionally he'd turn his head and smirk at Declyn.  It's moments like these that I store in my heart for when both of them are crying at the same time and things aren't going smoothly. Boy do I love these two. 

sitting tall

Jess gave me the idea of putting Keegan in his high chair and it could not have been a more perfect solution to him wanting to sit up all the time and be part of the action.

Declyn, on the other hand, had to learn to only 'borrow' one of Keegan's toys at a time before trading it for another.  And of course he always wanted the one Keegan used the more -- his book that makes all the fun noise. 

blowin bubbles

D thought it was the funniest thing to blow bubbles at the dogs.

And Cali patiently waited for her 'treat'.

Sunshine and bubbles.  Life is good. 

This pictures captures it all. 

Fenway isn't as competitive with trying to get them as her sister is.

sandbox

There was so much sand blown into the walkway that it was as if the boys had their own private sandbox.

It was such a treat to pretty much have the entire beach to ourselves. 

There's always something in his little hands, even if it's a kitchen utensil.  

dig, dig, dig

He went from shoveling snow at home to shoveling sand at the beach.

Seeing what Caden is up to.

Lobster claws were another toy favorite.

my crew

Keegan was in love with the beach-- the fresh air, the sound of the ocean, the warm sun ... everything.  

Taking a family stroll. 

Even in March, the beach is still such a beautiful place. 

sand sledding

Surfer men headed out to see how the waves are.

There was a little boy riding down the dunes on a sled, so Kristen's mom went and bought one for the boys to use.  Declyn wasn't huge on the idea, but he didn't mind pulling Caden.

Painting pictures in the sand. 

Collecting seashells. 

The stairs to the beach were washed over with sand, so the poor dunes took a little beating.  Kristen's mom taught Declyn how to slide down on his butt and he loved it.

Climbing the sand mountains that they built for Caden's digger. 

Perfecting the art of blowing bubbles. 

Keeping a close eye (but far distance) on the ocean. 

Showing the dunes some love. 

such a beautiful morning

The benefits of having your children wake up the same time that the sun does...

Even Caden was able to join us for the beautiful surprise!