It has been non-stop cousin time for Hayden and Noah the last ten days. Samuel and Lily have just left and the boys loved every minute of the time they had with their cousins. Swimming, coloring, playing, snuggling, eating, watching videos, singing, bouncing at the gymnastics gym, hugging - you name it, they did it! What fun it was to see all four of them together and see how sweet my two boisterous boys can be with little Lily. Samuel never gave up trying to keep up with my two rascals and you could hear as he was chasing after them calling their names or saying "wanna run?" .... we had the best visit just being together with them, and as always, we continue to look ahead to the next time.
The boys sit and wait for the firework show to begin in Anthem. We drove up and enjoyed a "3rd of July" BBQ and swim with our friends, Derek & Dora, who live in Anthem. When it was just about dark, we drove over to the community center and soccer fields and found the perfect spot for watching the show. As the lights went down over the field, we were treated to a wonderful display of colorful sparks and splatters of light across the sky.
Here sit two cute little boys, wearing cute little flag t-shirts to celebrate the 4th of July. Chris and I had matching flag shirts too, but of course my camera battery died right after taking these shots. Figures! We spent the actual holiday swimming and BBQing again, this time with Grammy, Grampy, and Uncle Jeff, and then went over near the Wigwam Resort to watch the fireworks over Litchfield Park. On our drive, we were able to see several other firework shows in the distance and it was fun to hear the excitement coming from the boys as they spotted them in the air. Though they both had their ears covered a bit due to the noise, we again were treated to an awesome fireworks show.
Today we had a chance to drive over to San Jose and see my cousin, Lindsey, and her new baby girl, Summer. Ah, sweet sweet Summer! We met my aunt Sandy at Lindsey's house too and all walked to a wonderful little park right down the street from where she lives. This area of San Jose, called Willow Glen, is a gorgeous community with tree lined streets, a library and school within walking distance and a little strip of shops and restaurants just a few blocks away. Not to mention fabulous weather - I can see why Lindsey loves it there so much! We gave the boys a chance to run and play while little Summer enjoyed some fresh air and loving looks from her mama. Following the park, we drove a few blocks and ate a great lunch at a Mexican cafe and then walked around a bit, burning off some calories, only to top them off with some frozen yogurt!
Making some adjustments ....
Who are these new friends you might ask? Why, they're our snail friends of course! Hayden LOVES finding snails all around the backyard at my parent's - last summer he and his cousins attempted to keep some as pets, only to wake up in the morning to find them gone. Imagine! During the three weeks we were with my mom & dad, the boys found several dozen snails, of all sizes, to "keep" and check on throughout the day. Most we lost, either due to the warm afternoon sun (yes, that kind of loss) or because snails just don't seem to stay in one place, but a few baby snails managed to stay put for a few days inside this tub and Hayden made sure they had plenty of leaves and branches and dirt to be comfortable. Also adding to the fun was that I had just finished a unit in Science with my students about caring for and learning about land snails, so it was neat to be able to show Hayden some things that my students and I experienced together in class. Though eventually even these little guys slugged their way on to better places, both Hayden and Noah had fun finding their friends day after day after day. See you next summer little friends ...
Hayden, Grandpa, & the "Big Rig"
What could be better than waking up to the beeping and downshifting gears of a garbage truck coming for an early Monday morning pick-up? For these little boys (whom I might add look pretty adorable in their matching "jammies") it doesn't get better than this! Wide eyed and full of excitement at 6:30 in the morning, these two flew out of bed and raced to the front porch to watch the magic of the garbage man ... ah, what a way to start the week.
