Puzzle Blocks, Anyone?

So, I'm aware that I shoot videos incorrectly with my phone. Try to see past my amateur videography and enjoy this little tidbit of my funny boy.

Summer=Lazy

We've been enjoying plenty of laziness around here now that we don't have to dash off to school 5 days a week, and Mother's Day Out 2 days a week. I'm still heading to the gym every M,W,F but even then, I feel like I have all the time in the world to get there. I'm not gonna lie, it's pretty nice.

Of course, summer time has it's challenges. Like what to do with a boy who has been in school for nearly 10 months and has no idea how to entertain himself. We've gone to the pool (fun, but exhausting), we've played in the yard (for a little while in the morning when it's 85 degrees and before it hits a bazillion and a half), we've watched movies (in the afternoon when it has reached that bazillion and a half degrees outside), and we've done lots of cleaning. Yes, cleaning. I decided to make the boys earn their "screen" time (iPad, computer, TV) by cleaning for me. My windows look a little streaky, but the major fingerprints are gone. :) And the living room has remained very tidy.

I have also been stocking up on craft projects for the boys to do. These are slightly more challenging for me, only because Mason cannot participate in them yet, but I still have to have some sort of supervision on the boys so my table doesn't get completely destroyed. We're still figuring out how to work around that problem, but a box of Legos seems to help.

 We also went to check out our city's new library. The facility looks fantastic, but it's pretty empty. It's almost comical how few books they have in the large new space.

Carson was pretty excited about the books he found to read. The other boys were pretty excited that they had this fun area to play in with a gigantic frog to attack. (Yeah, their behavior was not up to library standards, so we didn't stay long.)

 The boys did get a chance to sign up for their summer reading program while we were there, so I hope more of our summer laziness can be spent in reading and not watching TV or playing Fruit Ninja.

New Niece

We got a new niece yesterday. Welcome little Aubrey Jane. Well, maybe I shouldn't say little, she was 9lbs, 2oz. Gotta love those giant babies and their round faces!

We're excited for you Jeff and Stephanie! And Sydney will be a great big sis!

Memorial Day 2012

We started off our Memorial Day with our traditional Scout's Pancake Breakfast. I love to go to these because we get to see the flag raised, hear the national anthem and eat breakfast! Here are my three sons getting ready to enjoy the mornings program.

 This year they kicked it up a notch and had a fly over. The boys loved this! Mason was particularly interested in the big loud plane and said, "Plane. Flying."We got a good look at it too, because he flew over us twice. 

 After the breakfast the big boys headed out with Dad and Grandpa Brudnicki to the lake to do a little fishing. Grandma Brudnicki, Mason and I joined them for a picnic lunch a little later. Mason and I also got a boat ride, and he keeps telling us the same thing when we ask him about riding in the boat. It sounds like he's saying "shadow" but none of us have been able to decipher the meaning of it, which is unusual for Mason, since he usually speaks pretty clearly.

 Carson got to stay out on the boat with Dad and Grandpa for a little longer and ended up catching his first fish- all by himself! Dustin and Grandpa were so proud of him! I love this first picture. Maybe it's the smile, maybe it's the sunglasses, but it is for sure 100% adorable!

 And it wasn't long before he caught another, even bigger, fish. This picture also cracks me up, as the excitement seem to have worn off!

 We really had such a wonderful day together with our family. I am especially thankful for those servicemen and women who have bravely fought for this country. I can't celebrate these holidays without sharing my gratitude for my own grandpa, Perry Jensen, who served in WWII and the Korean War. I enjoy hearing his stories and learning about his excellence as a pilot. I love him for a lot of reasons, but I'm also thankful that we have him as such a wonderful patriotic example in our family.

Water Day/ Field Day

Today was Jensen's last day of Mother's Day Out this year. On the last day, they always have "Water Day." He was excited to wear his new swimsuit and to play in water all day. I'm glad I took this picture with his teachers, Ms. Ruth and Ms. Penny, in the morning when I dropped him off, because when I went to pick him up he wasn't in the best mood. He had fallen and scrapped his knee on the pavement and I think the excitement of the day + no nap made him a little grumpy. But he had a great year in the Frog Class. He's very excited to be a Bear next year!

 Carson also had Field Day today. After dropping Jensen off at school (and then going home to unload groceries) Mason and I stopped by the elementary school to check out what Carson was up to. I LOVED Carson's teacher, Ms. Little. She was awesome all year. For Field Day she made headbands for all her kids and then gave them some game paint to make them look extra tough! We're sad because she won't be teaching at their school next year. 

 Carson and his good friends from school enjoying a little snack.

 And Mason was mostly content to chill in his stroller while we walked around outside. He did throw a major fit when we got home and cried in the backyard for about 5 minutes before coming in the house. After that he snuggled in my lap and played with my hair for 15 minutes until I finally convinced him to get up and eat lunch by offering him a sucker. Yeah, he hasn't been feeling very well all week. As further evidence of that, my back is suffering from all kinds of pain because I've been picking him up a lot. Here's to hoping we both get feeling better real soon!

Sunday Morning Zoo

This morning I was treated to a little trip to the Brudnicki Zoo. The boys gathered all their stuffed animals and organized them into groups. I loved that the "arctic" animals were together. And all the monkeys were cracking me up.

They also had a giraffe, dog, bear and chipmunks. :)  

 This was my very favorite, though. Can you see the animal in the "aquarium?"

There he is- a little sting ray! (How creative are my kids!)

I have fun memories of doing similar things with my toys as a kid. It's refreshing to see my children doing the same kinds of things. 

You're Never Too Young

Carson and I had fun trying out a new skill this afternoon. His Grandma Brudnicki taught him how to do this several months ago, but he had forgotten how. Like any kid, he's pretty proud of himself for doing it on his own.

And lest you be lead to thinking that I actually know what I'm doing, be rest assured, all I can do is make a chain. Which is cool with him. :)