Oren's Four Year Photo Shoot

Believe it or not, our little middle is turning four in less than a week! 

Katie did a bang up job on the photos as usual. Here they are if you'd like to take a peek...

Man, I really love that face. Thank you, Katie!

xoxo

From the mouths of babes

So a few weekends ago my friend Lauren was in town visiting and we were cracking up at something one of the kids said and she gave me some great advice. She said the best thing you can do for your kids is to get a notebook and write down all the silly or sweet things they say so they (and you!) can read back through them one day and remember all those little moments you might otherwise forget. Brilliant, right?

 

I thought today I'd share a few of the hilarious things that have been heard coming out of Oren Henry's mouth of late. (Thanks to Josh and Abby for contributing to this list as well ;)
 

Oh, and the format of this post is blatantly stolen from Annie, because her "spoken in the shop" posts are always, always, always my favorite!
 

On spicy food:

Me: Oren, why are you spitting your food out?

Oren: I got a pep in that bite

 

 

On april fools:

Oren: Dad, you have mud on your seat...

Josh: I do?

Oren: APRIL!!!! Hahahahaha!!!!

 

 

On birthdays:

Oren: All I want for my birthday present is you so I can unwrap you and love you forever!

 

 

On nicknames:

Oren: My favorite teenager mutant ninja turtle is Ralph.

 

 

On tag removal:

Oren: Mooooom, somethin' in my shirt is daggin' me!

 

 

On deep thoughts:

Abby: Whatcha thinking about, buddy?

Oren: Thinkin' ride a hammerhead shark.

 

 

On efficiency:

Oren: Can you hold me? Cuz I'm a slow poke and you're a fast poke.

 

 

On stranger danger:

Woman smiles at Oren at the coffee shop

Oren: (Loudly) Why that lady make that faaaace?

 

 

On conservation:

Oren: Sometimes I just lick my boogers, and put them back in my nose.

 

Easter (in 45 photos or less)

This post is chock full of photos to remember the day by. All the usual suspects. Coloring eggs, setting out carrots for the Easter bunny, Easter morning and the big basket reveal, bunny pancakes for breakfast, an egg hunt, gratuitous pictures of the baby in her first Easter bonnet, a terrible posed photo with the bunny himself that no one wanted any part of aaaaaand most importantly, carrot cake.

  hip, hip! that was fun.

St. Patrick's Day

That mischievous leprechaun was back at again last night ;) This is seriously turning into one of my favorite days of the year. This time he TP'd the house, barricaded the boys in their rooms with green crepe paper, left a box of Lucky Charms for breakfast and turned our milk green. Ha! So much more fun than your typical Tuesday morning. Some pictures below if you'd care to see.

(The last two years St. Patty's days here and here.)

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Stay safe today!

Life Lately

It's March! It's March, it's March and tomorrow it's supposed to be 55 and sunny! We've spent the whole winter slogging through with out much to do and then as if with the flip of the calendar month life somehow got the message that spring is on it's way and life picked up the pace. We actually managed to leave the house the last couple of weeks for reasons outside of school and work. And looking at the month ahead and all that we have planned, things are, dare I say, even beginning to look busy?

We'd been feeling bad for the boys, having been cooped up inside for so long with it being such a cold winter. (-20 degrees was the norm there for awhile.) So we decided to surprise them with a trip to an indoor water park in Columbus. We didn't tell them about it ahead of time and I managed to sneak the bag full of swim suits and towels into the car without them noticing. We just told them to put on shoes because we had a surprise for them. We stopped first for lunch at one of the few places around here that you can order a hot dog off the menu because Wes had been asking for a hot dog for weeks (I think he was craving summer as much as we are). Then we headed south for the big surprise :) They had no idea where we were until we actually got inside the building and then holy cow were they excited. Wes's jaw literally dropped when he saw where we were, it was so cute. Needless to say they had a blast. We could hardly keep track of them because they were so excited and running in a million different directions. We actually did lose Oren a couple times (of course) but overall it was a total success. Ever even seemed to like splashing around in the shallow end although I think she was a bit overwhelmed by all the people and noise. It was just what we needed and the boys fully wore themselves out, which was perfect for the long drive home.

We also got to celebrate Josh's sister Nicole's birthday a few days ago. We finally got to try out 3 Palms, which everyone has been raving about. I now see why. It's the only place I know of in the area that's making traditional style pizza like the kind you get in Italy. Gosh, it was good. And their meatballs? Amazing. I wanted to try everything on the menu - and I intend to over time (we will definitely be back.)

And Lauren came to visit! And her husband Adam and they brought superhero LEGO sets for the boys (because they're geniuses) and that occupied them practically the whole day while we got to lounge around chatting and catching up. This was her first time meeting Ever and I think they hit it off quite well ;) After lunch we made sure to stop by Mary Coyle for ice cream because one can not come to town without partaking of the Coyle. We even let Wes get his very own sundae for bringing home an excellent report card the day before (I usually make the boys split one). This was basically the best day ever.

These kids of mine. Man, they're just the sweetest. Oren has turned into quite the little kitchen helper. He wants to help with everything when I'm cooking these days, and I'm more than happy to oblige. I like the one on one time it affords us while also teaching him practical skills and responsibility around the kitchen. Also, the sooner these kids can make meals around here, the better IMO. Let's just hope this interest sticks. 

And how cute is that picture of the boys together in Wes's bed? They decided to have a sleepover together friday night. They are best friends and I love it so much. Not to say that they don't fight over toys or what tv show to watch, but for the most part they are the best little brothers. I'm so happy they have each other. Built in best friends. 

Then we have Miss Ever. Growing and developing by leaps and bounds these days! She rolled over for the first time (from belly to back) the day before she turned four months old. She laughs, blows raspberries, has found her toes and started eating solids. I'm just completely enamored with her. See that little face up there? When she flashes me that smile I'm a total goner. You want the car keys? A whole new wardrobe? A trip to Europe? Your wish is my command and you may have whatever you'd like. Resistance is futile.

How is March treating you guys so far? (Anything's better than February, amiright?)