Goofy Kids

I wanted a picture of the boys in the sweaters I found in California but in every picture at least one of them was making a face.  I finally gave up and said do your best.

A stocking stuffer straw.

What a better way to end the year but with a smile.

Four Months

Rylan is 4 months old.  He is a happy smiley baby with big brown eyes and long eyelashes.  

Christmas 2019

Christmas morning at the boy's home.  We put our family gathering on hold until Tito comes home.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve church with a new baby but without Tito.  He was in the hospital recovering from a bad case of norovirus.  We missed him.

Christmas Cookies

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Our tradition of decorating cookies will all the sprinkles, marshmallows, peanuts and any other stuff they can find that will stick to one cookie while wearing Christmas hats continues.

Three Months

I Don't Want My Hands Dirty!

The weekend before Halloween the boys and I made Halloween cupcakes.  They took some home and the next day Stacy sent me these photos of Gavin.

He didn't want to get his hands dirty.  I guess he didn't care about his face.  

Family Ressemblence

All 4 boys at approximately the same age.  

Oh No

Gavin was upset one day after the trash and recycle was taken because in his words "the dump it truck left a beer can"  it was actually a Pepsi can but it upset him because they were supposed to take everything.

Fast Asleep

Stacy sent me this picture after our day at the museum.  He had crashed on the couch with is leg up in the air.  What a funny little guy.

Dump It Truck

We gave Gavin this garbage truck for his birthday or as he calls it a dump it truck.  We also took him to the museum and had a picnic for his day out with just us.  He rode all the way to and from with it on his lap and wanted to take it in.

All the boys had fun playing with it.  A few weeks before his birthday we had gone to the City's Touch a Truck event and he was not happy with the dump it truck because it wasn't the same color as the one that comes to take his trash.  Luckily this one is, but the trash can that came with it is yellow but his is green.  He seems to be okay with that.

He is obsessed with the garbage truck.  We have to go and wait for it as soon as he hears it coming and he says Hi dump it truck when it comes to his house and waves to the driver who always waves back and sometimes toots his horn.

Happy Big Brother

Trevin is all smiles feeding Rylan.  He is a very loving child - always the first to say Hi Gram and Tito and give us hugs.  Always runs to hug and say good-bye when we leave.  He enjoys playing games and is very competitive (and usually wins).  He draws wonderful pictures for us.  He says school is boring but I think he really likes it - he is a good reader and a fantastic speller.

Halloween

Getting ready to carve pumpkins on a snow day the day before Halloween.

A ghoul, Marshall from Paw Patrol and that famous Norwegian painting - The Scream.

And our newest little monster!

Two Months - Two Faces

Rylan is two months old today.  

Hungry Face

Happy Face

Cupcakes

The boys came over Saturday to bake Halloween cupcakes.

Of course as soon as they were in the oven the bowl had to be licked!

The finished product.  Not the best picture but the only one with all 3 boys.  As you can tell the frosting and sprinkles were sampled.

When Gavin got up Sunday morning he ran to tell me the cupcakes and sprinkles were still there.

Acolyte

Today was a very big day for Kaiden.  It was his first Sunday serving as acolyte.

In his robes ready to go.

Lighting the candles.

Helping with communion.

He told me he was scared.  But he did just great.  We are so proud of this kid.  He is so smart, a great conversationalist, is a great big brother and has a special place in his heart for his Tito.

One Month

Such a big stretch for the little guy.

Three!

Happy Birthday Gavin!

Meet the Grandparents

We were not able to be at the hospital when Rylan was born, but we got to him as soon as possible to give him some love.

Rylan Parker

Born August 31st at 10:24 am.  7 pounds, 7 ounces, 20 1/2 inches

Eldorado Springs

On one of the really hot days in July we packed a picnic and headed to Eldorado Springs to cool off.

We had to put our feet in the stream.  The boys thought it was too cold to begin with but soon it didn't bother them.  That happens when you are having fun.

Of course rocks had to be thrown.  The bigger the better.

They were fascinated with the hummingbirds.  

We hiked part way up the mountain.  All three of them could have made it, but Gram had to stop about 2/3rds of the way up.  I'm not sure if it was age or dehydration or both.

We had a great day even if we didn't make it all the way up.

Fun at the Library

One of the programs at the library this summer was building a fort.  They supplied blankets, boxes, etc and let the kids have fun.  The boys fort came complete with front and back doors, shelves and a refrigerator with food (blocks of cheese).

Afterwards we went to a park and had a picnic.  While we were there a day care center came for play time.  One of the girls was from Kaiden's class and they were delighted to see each other.

The Longest Train

Gavin always wants Tito to play Legos with him.  He usually wants to make a Bar-B-Quem or a Dump-It Truck or a Snow Plow, but this day he wanted to make the Longest Train ever.  So they did!

First Day of School 2019

Yesterday was the first day of school.  Kaiden is in 5th grade, Trevin in 2nd.  

Water Fight

We made sponge balls one hot day and had a great time!  By the time we were done, everyone was soaked.

That even included Tito who tried to hide on the porch.

Seven Eleven

A little late posting this, but we went to 7-11 on 7/11 to get free Slurpees.

Are We Going To The Musuem Today?

Ever since school was out the boys would ask each morning "Are we going to the Museum today?"  We go to the Museum of Nature and Science several times a year and they do not seem to tire of it.  So we packed a lunch and went one warm day.  They wore their swimming trunks with the hopes the splash park would be on (it was).  They wanted to do the hunt for the elves that are hidden throughout the museum in different exhibits and painted into the diorama's. They have done this so many times they pretty much know exactly where to look but always have fun.

They stopped in the play area of the dinosaur exhibit and played with the puzzles and the puppets.

They found this chair on one of the floors and had quite a bit of fun with it.  I sat in it and ended upside down and had to have a little bit of help getting out!

Botanical Gardens

There was a free day at the Botanical Gardens so we packed a lunch and headed out.  I wasn't sure if the boys would be as interested in the gardens that I was, but they did have a good time.  There is a children's garden with rocks to climb and a stream to wade in that kept them entertained.

This was taken after lunch and Gavin was still eating.

The quality of some of the pictures is not very good.  This was inside the greenhouse of tropical plants.  The boys like the terrariums where the poisonous frogs were kept the best.

There were big hills that Kaiden and Trevin kept rolling down.  Gavin couldn't quite figure out how to do that, so he crawled down backwards and had just as much fun as his brothers.

Contemplation

Sometimes when you ask him a question he does this and says um before answering.

One, Two, Three.....Four

Come September there will be a fourth brother to love.❤💓💖💗