Introduction to James, Elias, and Cora

 Celebrating the nation's independence was a lot of fun!  Just check out this progression of pictures - complete with a grand finale!   I'm so proud of these patriotic boys!  James still insists he'll attend the Naval Academy - he would be a perfect fit too!   And ouch!  He's fine and already completely healed up - thank goodness.  You can see how he is balanced on the steps and then just got a bit too excited! 

Hard to believe that it's already July!  We are enjoying a wonderful summer so far.  The garden is going great and we've spent a lot of time outside.  The boys are growing so fast - hard to believe I have a 5.5 year old and a 1.5 year old now!   So fun to spend time outside when you have these beautiful flowers in your backyard!  Tobias has such a green thumb.   Enjoying the rainy days too. Love this picture!  James (my little rule follower) with the umbrella and Elias (my little tactile man) has taken off his shoes and is ready to get soaked. James and I went to a local water park.  He wouldn't smile for a picture with me, so we made angry faces instead! Elias loves his tractor!  He will go on walks around our neighborhood pushing his tractor around. James is learning to ride his bike without training wheels.  Cool guy! Our boys love their outdoor pool!  Perfect size for those 2 to splash aro...

If my family were flip-flops! If my family were Lego men! Elias loves to play outside and has a little tractor that he zooms around our yard! James had a picnic at school and all parents were invited.  Tobias and I both attended and it so special! James' track team photo. Wiggly bunch of kids though!  Haha! We spent a wonderful Mother's Day weekend in Florida. Elias found a new way to get around on Grandpa Sunshine's walker. The boys always fun with Grandpa and Grandma Sunshine. And, of course, we just had to visit the Jacksonville Zoo. Time for a family picture. We had a lot of fun on the beach.  James loved to boogie board. Elias woke me up really early one morning so we watched a beautiful sunrise over the water. Enjoying our sunrise walk. Zoo time! Love this one! Those eyes are just too sweet! We went to Florida specifically to have Elias dedicated at the church we attended in Jacksonville. ...

During the last few weeks we've visited family in Kansas and both boys have grown like weeds!  We had a great time visiting Tobias' family in Kansas.  Elias is now old enough to join in some farm adventures too. My boys on the 4-wheeler.  Fun times! Can you see Flat Stanley on the 4-wheeler too?  James' class had recently read Flat Stanley so we took James' with us to the farm. James introducing Flat Stanley to a baby chick.  I wasn't as brave as James or Flat Stanley!  It was amazing to hold a baby chick! The boys show Flat Stanley some cows.  Chore time - feeding the cows! Both boys loved the cows! James shows Flat Stanley how to get eggs from the chicken coup. James' even had the opportunity to try and milk a cow, which is more challenging than it looks.  Grandma Edie even made ice cream from the cream!  Wow! Both boys are animal lovers.  Elias loved all the farm dogs and they loved him! ...