And, In Funny Ian News...

1.  Me: "I'm tired."
     Ian: "ROAR"
He recently learned the word "tiger." It sounds an awful lot like "tired" I think.







2.  The average person spends 3 years of their life sitting on a toilet*...so I can only assume that's reading on the throne as well. So how many years will Ian spend reading on a toilet when he often grabs a book to have a diaper change?

3.  Apparently the sound a penguin makes is "Digga digga digga di-GAH"

Yes, I know this picture is impossible unless taken at a zoo - there are no naturally-occuring cymbals at either pole.

That is all for this edition. More to follow I'm sure!

Duck Day

The ducks needed a visit today, so we went down to see what they were up to.

Ian now knows ducks say "quack." The ducks were happy to find someone who spoke their language

"Quack quack quack quack"

And Oliver orchestrating ducks, they were very interested in what he was doing. He would also occasionally throw food to them too.

My men :)

After the ducks was play time! Mostly running time! They managed to attract 3 more kids in their game, and it was toddler heaven.

Oliver was so happy, he kept hugging Ian over and over again. It may sound corny, but nothing fills my heart as much as seeing these two be such best friends.

Happy Mother's Day!

Spare Time

They opened a new bowling place here and Oliver's been begging to go! We decided to surprise him one day...

After Nich showed him how to do it, Oliver developed his own form. I have to say, a 34.5 pound kid with a 6 pound bowling ball. Not too shabby!!

He decided we should stand back and watch him. This is how it went down every single time -

And Ian happily ate french fries when he wasn't playing with the air to dry your fingers

 

And Oliver and I in a virtual race car. It totally freaked him out! He still talks about how much he doesn't like driving. Good!! Ha ha!

 

Kid Day!

My goal today was to only do stuff with the boys. These two are seriously best friends! Here's our day in pictures...

While I was making play-doh (a recipe that actually works!!)

the boys were playing in beans

Watching the dogs run around outside

It's ready!

Play-doh with cookie cutters and toothpicks

Ian wasn't impressed. He ate crackers.

Oliver was far more impressed and making starfish

Once Ian sat on my lap, he really developed interest and began mixing colors. And tasting it. And rolling it on his cheek. And more tasting.

This started as a birthday cake, then turned into a toothpick monster

I think he got into it!

Are they dancing? Hugging? Nope. Wrestling! (Tackling...well, Oliver calls it "football" because Nich has taught him the art of tackle football)

Oliver wanted to be superman, and loves matching Ian, so they became super heroes.

Hide and seek

More "football"

Sunshine!

Snack time! Pudding to be exact

Nap time on the couch with a Daisy dog

Then we went for a nature walk (it warmed up and was a beautiful day)

We found "treasures"

Oliver's artwork made from the things we found. I like how he arranged the rock in a pathway. I don't know if that's what he had in mind, but it's cool to me none the less!

 Kid favorite: Spaghetti and meatballs for dinner

And how much fun can you have with a bowl?

 LOTS!

Bath time. Or splash time here

In pajamas and these two found a new favorite way to bounce on the trampoline. Ian on his belly with Oliver straddling him, and periodically sitting on him. They crack themselves up. Ok, and me and Nich too.

And books before bedtime!

Ian seriously reads like this often, and I have tons of video of him reading aloud. His new favorite things to say are animal sounds, (today's being a word that sounds an awful lot like "snake" and "Ssssssssssssssss") and every book he reads contains chickens, roosters, ducks, and now snakes. Even this one - "Green Eggs and Ham"

That Play-Doh recipe for anyone interested:

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup salt

1/2 cup water

1/2 Tablespoon oil

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

food coloring

Mix all but the food coloring in a saucepan and cook on very low heat, stirring continuously, until it (suddenly) turns into dough. Knead dough, then divide into balls. Add food coloring and knead.
 I doubled the recipe today.

We had a fun day! It was a nice change from the norm, and I knew Oliver was really needing a day to let loose after all the days of being sick, and then me trying to catch up for all the days spent quarantined with the lovely hand foot mouth disease they contracted. And so tomorrow we'll go back to the norm, but it's always nice to have a day just for kids!

Dr Pepper Ad

Everything I need...my boys and my Dr Pepper!

Even babies like it! (No he didn't drink it, just likes to "mouth" it)

And toddlers like it! (Yes, Oliver did have a few sips and LOVES it)

Which one should we submit to Nich's favorite beverage company?

Vacation! Of sorts. Ok, not really

We went to Gammy and Papabear's house for vacation! We had a great time on the last day. Here's our last day there!

The boys...Oliver looks like he's up to something...

Run!

Ian loved Oliver guiding him up and down the sidewalk, stearing him around with his shoulders. Very cute

The boys playing with toys their father (and aunts and uncles) played with 30 years ago Those old-school toys really ARE that much better!

Papabear is a giant here

With a good vantage point and some tasty food.

What happened the first few days you ask? Ian came down with a miserable case of hand foot and mouth disease and had fever and a rash. The worst part was the blisters in his mouth that made it impossible for him to eat, drink, sleep, be happy. My poor baby, he was MISERABLE. But he's fine and dandy now! Just the blisters on his wrists, feet, and buttocks that don't seem to bother him, although after seeing the amount of pain he was in from his tongue and throat, I don't think he'll ever view pain the same way again! Now, Oliver's got it. Sigh. But it's not NEAR as bad, and he's mostly sleeping it off. Thankfully he's not in the pain Ian was in! these are the photos on the day Ian really started acting himself, and when Oliver was first coming down with a fever.