HEAVY ON THE BOYS

The Day the MiniVan Died

Here are the boys enjoying their new, more spacious ride. We are now the proud owners of a 2004, new to us, black Suburban. We bought it from a sweet family that knew good friends of ours. We like to think it is full of good Karma! But oh, the story of how we came to need a new vehicle...

Once upon a beautiful Sunday, we decided to help our cousins take their RV for a ride. On the way to where the thing was stored our van died, completely, on the side of the freeway. We had it towed to a nearby shop and we were picked up on the off ramp in a nice big RV. Great memories!!! We loaded up, said good-bye to the van and finished our hike and picnic plans.

Luke loved the RV and asked if we could just replace the van with one of these. Jeffey was quick to observe that if we bought one, we wouldn't even need a house! Would love to see how long that would last.

The kids went on a hike with the Dads, while my sister-in-law and I cleaned up lunch. It was a fun day, despite the minor hiccup.

That was the last time anyone besides myself saw our van. It was a good car, but we decided that it was better to pass it along to someone who could fix it without spending a small fortune and get something else. I am so blessed to have a very money wise husband who is good at finding deals on craigslist. We never drive brand-new cars, but I am in LOVE with my Suburban. It is full to capacity most days with carpool from school or preschool and it will be a great time for Brian and the boys camping this weekend. It literally eats gas, but everything has its pros and cons. It fits our growing family and runs great!

Daddy's big day

For Brian's 34th, we spent the night at the Suns game. My sister and mom helped with the kids and we had a great time. Those cool necklaces we are wearing mean that we got to go under the stadium, eat all the catered food we wanted and watch the players come out of their dressing rooms and run through the tunnel. I have a great friend who's husband works for the Suns and he was wonderful about arranging the whole thing for me. It was fun to see Brian so giddy and we walked down the stairs and be so close to the action. Some friends of ours happened to be at the game also, so we got to chat with them. We didn't have to pick up the kids till the morning so it was a very relaxing night.

We had a brownie cake for breakfast with candles to suprise daddy. Daddy got a fun picture collage from his boys to put in his office.
Happy Birthday to my best friend in the whole world, as Lukey would say! I love you tons and love getting old with you.

Spring Break 2011

Spring break means we do a whole lot of this! For the first few days we just chill in the morning and it is wonderful. The boys get to play all day and see friends and cousins. We don't ever sleep late in our house, but not having to get dressed right away is a treat. We eat big breakfasts and play. This March break started with Ben's birthday and then lots of fun. We went to the library (usually just a Lukey/Henry/Mommy thing), had gymnastic camp, went swimming, for walks and bike rides and cooked with mom. Two weeks always flies by so fast and then we are all ready to get back to our routine. Just the right amount of time at the right time of the year.

We tried unsucessfully to cage the babies while we were cooking, but working together they shook the gate free in about ten minutes. I'm pretty sure Liv was the brains of the operations and H provided the brute strength!

Lukey built this awesome monster out of Trios! Lot of lego, lincoln log, and block building.

Ben started baseball this break also. I think he looks so handsome in his little uniform. He loves it and this makes the 1 1/2 hr practices 2x week and 1 1/2 hr games a little easier to stomach. Henry is not the easiest to manage around swinging bats and hurling balls right now!

Silly Lukey wearing the turtle necklace Papa and Grandma brought him from Hawaii. We got to watch a video of them in a helicopter. The boys thought it was great. I scored some perfume and the older two got shark tooth necklaces. It was a fun treat.

This little man was so happy to have his brother home to play with all day long. He loved showing them the things we do when they are at school.

Spring Break- Lifetime Playdate

Great friends + Water = Fun times for spring break!

My boys spent the day swimming and eating with all their girls. I love all these sweet kids that make it fun for us to hang out with our friends. Jeff and Megan are two of a kind!

I love how girls know how to pose and boys...well no clue.

Exhibit #2....love Ava's sweet face.

Between their great camera and never-ending supply of treats, the Anslemos always make it a party.

Funny faces with Ben and Emily
It was a great day and we are going to miss our buddies when they move away. Good thing they are buying a huge house so we can go visit. Fun way to end spring break.

Benjamin Turns the big 7

Birthday dinner was substituted with a lunch at the train park by Daddy's office.

I can't believe Benjamin is seven. We were sitting tonight looking at all the old posts on the blog and watching how fast everybody is growing up, Ben is changing so much right now. He has lost a ton of teeth in the last few weeks and has more wiggly ones. He continues to be the easiest little man to parent. He takes care of his brothers and obeys his mom and dad. He is an organizer and likes things to be in their places. At school he excels and is a great buddy to his friends. He loves to play the Wii and Cool Math Games on the computer. He loves to draw and build things out of boxes. I marvel as how mature he is becoming. He also loves anything to do with sports and would be content to sit with Brian on the couch staying up late watching basketball. He is a March Madness freak and is learning the hard lesson of how not to pick all the local teams so you make it a little further in the bracket. We are very proud of him and love him so much. Ben, it is a pleasure to be your mom.

He got to pick a sugar cereal for breakfast and everyone enjoyed picking the marshmallows out of their lucky charms.

Birthday happy meals with cousins at the "grassy area". Ben's birthday fell on the first day of spring break, so it meant no school for the event. Lucky boy!

Ben's teacher giving him a birthday squeeze.

Ben requested shark cake pops to take into his classroom. They were a big hit with his buddies.

He shared a train cake with Sean from Grandma Jones.

Instead of a big party, Ben chose to have some of his buddies over for a movie night. All the kids got tickets and could "buy" popcorn, treats and root beer floats.

Ben told us this was the best party ever. I think they all felt big because they got to stay up late and play soccer in the backyard in the dark. He has the best little friends and if was a very relaxing night for me too!
Happy, Happy Birthday Baby Ben!

And then we had a Sammy!

After a few years of agonizing over the decision whether or not to get a dog, one weekend we aquired Sammy. He came very well trained, and with all the extras of a well-loved pet. We had some good friends that needed to move and didn't think it was best to take him with them. The boys are so happy to have a pet and I must admit it has not been that big of an adjustment. The boys have been so great at doing the "Sammy" chores and I haven't had to feed, clean up or get him water in the last month. He really is a great dog and I enjoy the companionship when Brian is at class or studying. He follows me around when I lock the doors and check the boys, and when Henry is crying he comes and stands beside me. We couldn't have asked for a better pet and he fits right in.

Sammy loves to go for walks and run free at the grassy area. He occasionally walks the boys and they are still learning how to make him obey. Henry LOVES him and I think he is as excited to see Sammy in the morning as he is to see me. He gets right down next to him and waits for Sammy to lick his face. Henry then says "Dog" and proceeds to lay on, pull on, and just generally torment him all day long. Sammy tolerates it all and goes back for more. It is fun to watch Henry growing up with a pet. I have to say, even the non-pet person in me is enjoying having a dog. Thanks to the Anselmos and Ainsworths for all their hard work that we get to benefit from. And although you won't see him in any of our family portraits, we are proud dog owners.