Monkey Business

This morning I took the boys to the zoo as the weather was cooler and school is back in session, so I expected it to be less crowded then it usually is. I was right in my thinking and we had a very enjoyable time. Most of the animals that we saw were out and visible and most of the primates were in a playful mood. When we got to the chimpanzee exhibit, which is a very large enclosure surrounded by full view glass windows, I pulled the double side by side stroller right up to the glass that was the closest to the baby chimp. Kyle was sitting on one side of the stroller, while Jacob was laying flat on the other side with a blanket draped over his canopy to block the sun and allow him to sleep. As soon as we appeared at the window, the chimp that appeared to be the baby’s mother started walking towards us and as she stood face to face with us (only the thickness of the glass separating us), she clearly made the curious pointing gesture to see what was behind the blanket that I had draped over Jacob. I peered down and saw that part of Jacob’s leg was sticking out of the blanket. I opened the rest of the blanket to show the chimp my baby and she looked with a curious turn of her head… She ran back to her baby and started doing tricks on the ropes up above, shortly after the baby chimp followed suit! Right before we left the exhibit, she returned to get one more glimpse of Jacob, it was almost like she understood that he was my baby- a mother to mother appreciation! It was very heart warming, I had never seen such a strong interaction between a zoo animal and zoo goers.

Morning Joy

Most mornings I wake up to at least one or two little boys by my side (or back or belly or above my head...)! But this morning I had the privilege of cuddling with all 3 boys... What sweetie pies they are!

*Sorry about the image quality, Mike hasn't quite figured out my camera yet... heehee!

A smile to make your day

We have had a hard time capturing Jacob’s full-face light up smile on camera… Well finally, here they are folks! Until now, every time we brought the camera out, he was too interested in figuring out what the big black one-eyed object was that he did not want to smile for us. A baby’s smile sure makes my day, I hope it makes your day too!

First Day of Preschool

Today Josh had his first day of preschool! Last year he did a wonderful small home school preschool program with some friends, but this year will be the first time he is around kids and teachers that he hasn’t met yet. He was very excited and had a great time. He has always had a hard time with new people and new places, usually attaching himself to my leg for quite awhile, but this time he walked right into the classroom holding my hand and let go as soon as he saw the toys! All it took was a kiss and a hug (and many pictures of course!) and I was off without a fuss. A few of his playgroup friends are also in the class, which made the transition easy, but he seemed so grown up this morning… sniffle, sniffle! My baby is growing up!

Getting ready for his first day...

In awe of all the toys!

This is him telling me that he had a great day, but he likes playing with Grandma's playdough better then the preschool's playdough... notice the body language!

Not quite ready to go home yet... "One more ride in the car, please Mom!".

Kyle McQueen

Kyle is our light-hearted goofball! The problem is that in most of the pictures we capture of him, he looks so serious and/or grumpy! Anyone that has spent a good amount of time with him knows that he will entertain himself for hours playing, singing, dancing, or just outright being goofy with his little prances around the house. Frequently, he will have his blanket over his head as he aimlessly makes his blinded way through the house. He has also been seen scooting around the family room on all fours with his head dragging on the carpet or tiptoeing around with a book on top of his head and his tongue sticking out. This picture is a good reflection of the goofball that he is!

Some of his favorite toys these days are the Disney Cars, and he can spot Lightning McQueen (the little red sports car) from a mile away! In fact, just yesterday he found a pair of Joshua’s underwear with Lightning McQueen and was dragging it around the house showing everyone how happy he was to find him. When I showed Mike this picture of Kyle, the first thing that came to his mind was the scene in the Cars movie when Lightning McQueen is winning a race and sticks his tongue out. Do you see the resemblance?

A Splashing Good Time!

We savored up another warm day with water play in the backyard and I had fun taking pictures of the action. The boys are really starting to interact through play and they are always laughing at each other! It is neat to see such different personalities get along so well. Josh is our fish and loves to splash, jump and just be goofy in the water while Kyle waits patiently for his chance to be alone in the pool so that he doesn't get splashed or tackled by his brother... In the end, they both end up worn out, cold and hungry!

Do they look cold and tired or what?!... We had everyone asleep by 8PM! 

Jacob is Baptized

Jacob was baptized this morning at church, what a joyful event!

family picture after the church service

Jacob in the baptismal gown that Mike's grandma had made for him when he was baptized

After church at Grandma & Grandpa Barker's house

6 week comparisons

One of our favorite snapshots of Josh, when he was a baby, was a picture from when he was 6 weeks old. We tried to capture the same look with Kyle and Jacob to see how they compared in looks and size... With both Kyle and Jacob we had just about everyone tell us how much they looked like Josh, so we love comparing pictures! They all obviously have their own unique look, but definitely pass as brothers! The room that I took Josh & Kyle's picture has been painted bright colors and we must have gotten rid of the outfit that they were wearing so Jacob's picture is a bit different- but you get the idea!

 

Mini Frattatas

I had a few friends over today for a playdate and I made frittatas for the first time... They turned out great! I mixed a few recipes that I found to get what I wanted and this is what I came up with: Mini Frittatas 1 ½ cup shredded potatoes 2T vegetable oil 4 egg yolks 8 egg whites ½ cup chopped onion 2 garlic cloves 1 ½ cup frozen chopped spinach (thawed slightly) ½ cup parmesan cheese Preheat oven to 375 and spray muffin pan with non-stick spray. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet and pan-fry the shredded potatoes until golden and crispy. Disperse the hash browns evenly in the muffin cups. Using the same skillet, sauté the onion, garlic, and spinach until soft, also disperse into the muffin cups. Beat the eggs until foamy and double in size and pour evenly into the cups filling them about 80%. Sprinkle the cheese on the top and cook in the oven for 30min or until they look puffed and golden. Let cool in the pan for 2-3 min and then use a rubber spatula to loosen from the pan. Makes 12 frittatas.

Corn Starch Finger Paint & Dad's Birthday

This past week, we celebrated Mike's birthday with finger-painted cards and birthday cake. I guess we have been in a crafty mode lately and decided to try a homemade recipe for fingerpaint... it was easy- just 1/2 cup cornstarch, 1 cup water, a minute in the microwave, and some food coloring! The boys had fun making a mess and of course, Kyle had to taste it... I think he thought the birthday cake tasted better! Dad got a new BBQ grill for his birthday & enjoyed his cake and cards- Happy Birthday, honey!

Josh helped with the candle blow out.

Lovely colors and neat texture!

Let the mixing begin!

Yuck!