Boat ride and Hymn sing

 Brian was asked to help lead singing for a hymn sing on a paddle-wheel boat.  The church was selling tickets to ride, sing, and help support their community ministries.  It seemed like a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon together as a family...
though I worried about the kiddos falling through the railings (they didn't) and that we would be too chilly (it was heated).

 The boat was relatively small and enclosed, so I was relieved to see that I couldn't lose the wee ones on it.  There were two decks; the below deck was a walled dining area and the above deck was a railing porch area, though it was encased in plastic and had heaters.  There were 3 stairwells to explore to get from top to bottom.  Plus there were two open railed areas for letting the breeze blow in your hair.

Brian and the keyboardist sang from the top deck, belting out favorite hymns in harmony.  

Tam and Jude loved running around exploring the ship...They liked helping daddy sing too, but mostly liked walking around the boat...especially the stairs.  Both Jude and Tam loved going up and down the stairs and peering out into the water.

The boys also liked standing at the bow with their heads pressed up against the rails.  That is, I let them do this until Jude proved to me that his head is still small enough to fit through adjacent rails...as well as the rest of his body.  (Don't freak, I had a firm hold on him and we weren't going too fast).

Tam's wearing a new coat I sewed up for him.  I like it ok, but I think it is a little big.  Tam loves it because of the big pockets in the front.

We had fun watching the paddles turn too.

Red noses, rosey cheeks, fresh air, happy squeals, great songs, and lots of love...

A great afternoon together!

(and 2 tired boys who slept well that night).

Wordless Wednesday - Cars

Snow must wait...

My boys need to ride!

Yipee

I swear my kiddos are such nutty sweethearts!

Tamlin
In Star Wars I, little Anakin is so excited he exclaims "Yipee!"  The first time I heard this, I laughed out loud, since NOBODY actually says this even though you see it written all the time.  Now, I stand corrected.   It isn't nobody, it is nobody except Tamlin actually says "Yipee!" when he's excited.  It makes me laugh every time too.

Other Tamisms:
"I have an idea"  which is followed by some activity he wants to do, usually instead of going to bed.
"I love you" to everyone.
"Good deal"...I think he picked this phrase up from his daddy :-)


Jude
While playing outside with trucks, cars, and chalk, I sketched out a hopscotch board for the kiddos to jump on.  Tam has played this game before and right away starts tossing a pebble and leaping around (vaguely in the squares).  Jude toddles around and mostly plays with (or tries to eat) the chalk.  Ten minutes later, Tamlin is back on the car.  Jude walks over the hopscotch squares and...attempts to jump!  Just like the big kids!  With his lack of coordination, the best he can do is a squat and back up with no air time, but he thinks that he is awesome and giggles like a maniac.

Judisms
Signing please, roaring with his toy alligator and monster, saying go, go, go while walking quickly after his brother on the car.

Momma's helpers

The boys are such good helpers when it comes to washing the dishes in the sink.

Jude delighted in using the sponge on his bowls.  Tamlin chose to play with a cup...and trying to toss the water out of it.  Bubbles were also key to making this task fun.

Tam decided to "drink" the soapy water...yuck.

Jude followed big brother's lead and drank the soapy water out of his bowl.  

Well, he attempted to drink the water but mostly it dumped down his front.

Whoops!  Sorry, mom, for all the spilled water...

you were going to mop the floor anyways, right?

Well, Jude didn't really need a bath after this water play :-)

A toothy grin showing that he really enjoyed playing with his brother in all this water :-)

NIght-time readings

Before bed, we always read a book or three.  Usually, we grab the board books for Jude, who still is a bit rough with the printed words.  He also likes books with flaps to lift or places to touch different textures. 

Anyways, Jude favorite book...the book he carries over to be read, or clings to when I put him down in his crib...is "Tickle, Tickle" by Helen Oxenbury.

The book only has four pages with a single sentence each...but it ends with a bang.  Yep...it ends with "Tickle, tickle, under there."  This means everyone gets tickled under their chins, which leads to tons of giggles.

Jude is so awesome with this that he now starts to tickle himself when we get to the last page!

Tamlin has just started being patient to hear longer books with less photos.  We have tried a chapter book or two, but often Tam's attention span doesn't hold past a few nights.  We've been reading about "The Littles" and general collections of fairy tales.  Tam still favors books that deal with cars, trucks, trains, or dinosaurs.  Really, he isn't that picky...he even grabs my old Little Golden Books to be read (even if they are about little sisters or dolls and are 30 years out of date).  I think it is sweet.

I know I love this little time I have with my boys all participating in one of my favorite pastimes.  Sometimes the world goes all soft and wonderful while I'm holding a snuggly little boy who's my son, kissing the top of his head, while he turns the pages while reading his book. 

Wordless Wednesday - Aunt Shelly Visits

Great to have my sister visit for the weekend. The boys were thrilled...

especially waking her up early in the morning by jumping on her bed.