Let the potty training begin!!!

I took this picture of Cole this morning, hanging out on in the bathroom.  Typical guy stance.  He sat there for about 20 minutes just kicking his feet and reading.  :)  I am impressed!  Of the two, he showed the most resistance to the idea.  Then yesterday, I offered them one Skittle for every time they did #1...and a Starburst for everytime they did #2.  They went crazy!  We spent ALL morning on the toilet and soon they were fighting over who's turn it was.  I had to bust out the little potty chairs, so they could be on it at the same time.

Here is where the potty's now reside in the kitchen.  In front of the TV and beside the bathroom.  They can choose the big toilet or the little one.  I figure its good to get them used to both, as I can take the little ones in the car with us on road trips.  We still have a LONG way to go.  But the potty training has officially kicked off!  I can't WAIT to get rid of diapers!!!  Can you imagine how much money we'll save?!?

The Start of SUMMER!

The pool is open, the sun is shining and the easels are back for the season - the boys couldn't be happier!  Yesterday, we washed all of our paint pots and re-filled them, then made our way into "Kid Town" for a little creative painting.  It was cute watching them standing there, quietly selecting their colors and swirling it onto the paper.  

As I watched them, I was remembering last summer, when I had to stand beside them while they painted.  It was all I could do to prevent them from smearing paint on their faces, or running off with the brush and painting graffiti on the side of the house.  :)  Last year, our painting activities lasted 15 minutes at the max.  I can see how much they've grown.  

Yesterday, they spent a good chunk of time painting.  Sometimes, stopping to take a quick run down the slide before returning to their picture.  Calling out to me as I worked in the garden, "Mom!  Come look at what I did!"  My sweet little artists.  Summer is here at last!!!

Stop talking!!!

Cole's new favorite thing to say is "stop talking!!" which is accompanied by a hand to the face out-stretched. Sometimes he'll even cover my mouth. It is so funny! Kevin and I will be talking about our day when in he stomps...ordering us to "stop talking" and ordering mommy to come and play with him. If I find myself humming a tune? Tommy will say, "stop singing mommy!" I mean really? Am I THAT bad?!? :)

These boys are becoming more and more opinionated everyday!! They can do EVERYTHING by themselves. "No mommy! Tommy will do it!!" "No mommy! Cole will put on his shoes!" Today I had to put Cole back INTO the car just so he could climb out on his own.

While I love the new found independence, it is a bit exhausting. Getting in and out of the house can take upwards of 20 minutes these days. It's hard to stay focused when your best friend is 2 feet away from you! They are silly and giggling most of the time..which I LOVE...but it can also be such a drag when I am running late. So please consider this post a warning. We are now running on "island time" around here. Not by choice - believe me!!

Okay...time for me to stop talking.

Ice Cream Meltdown

Cole realizes his ice cream fell on the ground. The lip quivers and then the REAL meltdown ensues!

The Firetruck

The other day, we decided to take the kids for an ice cream cone. The local garden center up the street from our house has expanded and last year added a petting zoo and an ice cream shop. It's a great way to keep the kids busy while you shop for plants, shrubs, gardening supplies, etc. Well this year, they completely outdid themselves. They bought a fire truck. We had NO idea of this until we arrived (with two little boys wearing fire hats as usual) and Cole and Tommy almost started hyperventilating in the car. "FIRETRUCK!!! MOMMY!!! LOOK!!!! DADDY FIRETRUCK!!!"

Needless to say, this is going to become our newest hangout. The boys spent a good 45 minutes playing on the truck and could not even be lured away with promises of ice cream cones. We *eventually* got hot enough to need a cone. Here are some pictures...