Out of the mouths of babes...

Isn't it funny how our kids can be such a reflection of what we say and do? Well, sometimes I guess it gives a good little glimpse of what we sound like to them. This morning the boys were playing with every kind of action figure imaginable, and I was listening in from the other room. That's when I heard Tyler say, "No fighting motorcycle guy (one of his figures)! Okay? You want go time out? I tell you, no fighting! Okay? No hit Jayden. You go time out." Then, a couple of minutes later, "Nap time motorcycle guy. Clean up. That's what I'm talking 'bout. Take nap, then wake up." Hmmm... I guess all of our instructions are being heard... even if not acted upon right away. :-)

Porcupine for Grandparents

Jayden recently asked to play with Play-Doh, and it kept him quiet and busy for quite some time. When I finally went to see what he was creating, he proudly showed me this porcupine.

He then told me that we should take pictures to send to his Oma and Opi and Grandma and Grandpa. So, here they are...

Hip Hip Hooray!

After seventeen long weeks, Tim finally graduated last week. Thank you to all of our family and friends who were a huge support during this process. Here are a few pictures of the festivities that day.

I'm not sure which of us was happier to have the training behind us! Quite the handsome graduate, if I do say so myself.

It's a family tradition. Tim with his uncle Dave.

We have a lot to be proud of Tim for. Graduating from college and from the academy within the same six months took a lot of work and dedication on his part.

After the graduation, we had a fun barbeque at our house, complete with fire fighters, a fire truck and hats for the kids. Pretty little Thais and her beautiful Mama Danielle.

Oh Tyler. Of course this boy couldn't get enough of the fire engine again. He wore the hat non-stop for the next two days. It was a fun day. Thank you to everyone who came to help us celebrate and to those who couldn't make it but sent their thoughts our way.

A Few Random Pictures

Well, the past few weeks have been very busy around here, so there hasn't been much time for keeping up with the blog. Between trenching the yard, laying the irrigation, shoveling rocks, laying the sod, a graduation and lots of visitors, we've had our hands full. Here are just a few pictures to catch up.

We'll start with a common attraction at our house lately... pajama sword fighting. Often the swords are drawn before we can even get our clothes on.

We managed to take a break as a family for an evening a couple of weeks ago to go to a fun luau. Here's a picture of our little Hawaiian family. This is the first family picture we have where Tyler clearly looks more like a little boy than a baby.

Later that week, while the sod was being rolled out in the backyard, the firefighters came by to check on the progress. Our friend was on duty, so he and his crew let the kids climb around on the truck. The big kids couldn't resist the photo opp. Tyler, however, was too busy staring in awe at the truck, the hoses and all the other gadgets. Since then he announces that he wants to be a fireman.

Another day that week, we had 10 tons of rock delivered to the house. While six men were out back shoveling rock like mad, these two little guys and I made some brownies. The best part, of course, is licking the spoons.

Finally, we have a shot of what Tyler does best... use his imagination to do all sorts of silly things around the house. I think this picture was taken the day after the luau mentioned above. Apparently, the festivities made quite an impression on our little man.