Sad/Happy

Dash got upset about something Liam did and I happened to have the camera right there.

So I told him that I'd take a picture while he's sad and later when he's happy again. Then we'd compare.


It was funny how quickly he recovered. And he really liked comparing the pictures. I'll have to try that again!

Grey's Games

Grey's getting all sorts of personality. They manifest themselves in the games he plays. Here's his favorites:


1) Floor Attack. If Sean or I (and sometimes his brothers) are laying on the floor, he scuttles right over, giggling, and lands on top of our faces with a wide-open mouth.

2) Binky Battle. It all started when he was real real little, with Squeaky Bink. When he was crying despite having the pacifier in his mouth, we would wiggle it around his gums. It'd squeak and distract him from his sadness. Thus began his lifetime love of playing with his binky. His favorite thing is to have us grab the binky with our teeth (not the rubber part) and have him steal it from us. Then we steal it back. Back and forth. We teach thievery early in this family.

3) Refrigerator Raid. Anytime he's in the kitchen and the fridge door opens, here's there in less than three seconds. He tries to climb in and suck on anything he can reach.

4) Mouth Sharing. He's really good at sharing his things. But he only offers it to your mouth. Works with a cracker, not so much a toy car.


5) Toss & Chase. The kid loves balls. He tosses them away, chases it, tosses, chases, etc. Who needs a friend, he can play catch with himself!

6) Container Filling. Everything must belong in a container and Grey is happy to put them in their place. Very helpful when putting away Legos. This also manifests itself in tossing toys over the back of the church pew.

7) Head Turn. Grey pushes my head aside so he can play with my ear. He thinks it's so funny.

8) Run Up the Stairs and See How Fast Mom Hurries After Me. [Mama panic face] [baby delighted face]

Nature Observatory

I noticed there was a nature observatory nearby, I thought we'd check it out one night when Sean was working late.

There was a big room full of books and puzzles and such. Books on various things, likes trains (interesting choice for a nature observatory)...


And puzzles about the alphabet (again, I don't necessarily see the connection to nature)...


Okay, okay, they did have lots of nature objects to explore, different furs, actual nature-y things. (Dash donned the turtle shell and gurgled "ribbet, ribbet." Um, let's talk about our reptiles and amphibians, Dash)


Even taxidermy!


Grey was craning his neck the whole time to view the birds hung around the room.


Then we went on a quick, unplanned nature walk. Which was fun but MOSQUITOES. So many bug bites. Still, I made us all stop and take this quick photo, because, really, how could I not. Worth the itchiness.

Cabinet Bed

They put pillows in there and pretend they're napping. Cute. (now go actually nap during your naptime!)

From the Phone to You

I've got some more photo/instagram pics for your enjoyment. Special bonus: VIDEOS that I finally got off my phone. Whee!

Chalk got all over everyone's feet... and in Grey's mouth.


The kid just loves seeing himself on the camera. He knows how cute he is.


We brought this book home from the library, I read it once, then Liam read the whole thing to me perfectly. It does have a pretty easy pattern to figure out, but still. Dash read it to us one evening and you can get the idea of his usual sentence cadence (especially when asking a question- the last word is so super high!).

A kind family lent their fabulous backyard for us young families to gather- a sampling from one evening:








We put their little slide back together and they were all over that thing... and then haven't touched it in a month.


I love the playgrounds that are next to a lake. Perfect for contemplation.


Crazy climbers think they can do anything.


Right, so this is way back from the Fourth of July, on our walk to see the fireworks. Just makes me giggle. And we decorated their shirts by spraying it with bleach. It looked cool, but then the shirts started falling apart as they were wearing them. Bummer.


Little baby, big field.


Sunset at the playground.


What good bikers. Seriously, did you see how Liam could glide on that Strider bike? Impressive kids.


Sometimes, you just gotta selfie.


A little sample of the baby Grey giggles.


The twinners have been a bit fighty recently, so we thought they might just need some time apart. So we went on separate dates with the kids. Liam, Grey, and I went to Petsmart to see some animals and then to Home Depot. Both kids adored the carts with driving wheels. (See how Grey always has an eye for food?)


Dash and Sean ran some errands and visited the local giant snowman. We wave to him every time we drive by. Incidentally, Both twins were constantly asking about the other the entire time.


Grey had a very opinionated evening.


Watching our church friends' clown show at the library! Too funny.


Sometimes I spend time to make extra special food and then Liam and Dash don't eat any of it (perhaps that's why I don't do it very often). But I can always count on Grey to wolf it down. So what if he eats stale Cheerios with the same amount of gusto. Here Grey, have as much risotto as you want.


One of the very first times Grey climbed the stairs. Now it aint no thang. Coming DOWN is another story.


Bubble wall at the Mall of America.


Another example of those climbing maniacs.


Back when Grey was first learning to clap. Oh it's so precious. What do I do with these hands? Oh, I put them together. How 'bout that video's ending, right?


Big brothers helping out little brother.


They have been talking about the fair and the ferris wheel for at least a month. The fateful day finally came on Saturday. Look forward to a post coming soon...

Take Ten

I was taking some pictures of the kids earlier and they'd request I'd take two or three. But then it escalated to taking ten pictures, all in a row.

So... I took ten pictures. Dash started out strong.

And then petered out by the end. But he insisted I finish out the round of ten.

Liam, when it was his turn, thought for a moment and asked for ELEVEN pictures.

He was so proud that he'd "won." Always competing, those boys.

Sipping Grey

I think he's got the hang of it.

Also, this:

caught ya.

Bathing Brothers

And thus Grey's bum makes it's first appearance on this blog.

It's so tiny and squishy- a crawler toosh. No walking muscles yet.

Liam and Dash love taking baths with Grey. Even though it's been going on for a while, they'll still ask "all three?!" incredulously.

Dash is happy, really, he just has his "bad guy" face on, which I think has become his dominant facial contortion these days.

Grey likes it too, but he does relish the time after his brothers get out when he can have all the toys and water to himself!

National Night Out

Have you ever heard of National Night Out? I hadn't. But I got an ad for a party just a couple blocks away, so we tried it out with some of our fantastic friends.

There were lots of fun little games, a bounce house (Liam and Dash made one lap and scurried out for the next event), free hot dogs and root beer floats, and an inflatable slide (a favorite for sure).

They even handed out prizes. You can never have too many frisbees!

Liam snagged a bandana and didn't care that they only had the girly heart ones left. It came in handy when it started raining and we had to run home for cover. Nevertheless, it was a fun night!

Eye Wrinkles

Sigh, I love him.

Consumer

Give this kid a cracker and a banana and call him a happy clam.

Or maybe a schmear of blackberries. Or ANYTHING. Because this kid eats everything all day long.

Except peas, he drops those on the floor.

Plethora of Parks

There are so many parks around here. Honestly, we'll be driving somewhere new and spot a new playground. "There's a park!" "There's another one!"

We have three parks within easy walking distance. We're talking a couple blocks, people. Amazing. Our favorite two are just a short drive away.

We have to give them nicknames, of course. There's School Park, Watertower Park, Church Park, Spiderweb Park, and Lake Park.

The only problem is that most of them are grounded in little pebbles or really coarse sand. It's rather a chore to keep that stuff out of Grey's mouth. I have to bring a couple toys to provide a moment of distraction from the "food" beneath him.

I gotta tell you, I feel like we're fitting right in here in Minnesota. The Midwestern girl in me feels right at home.