He sure is lucky he's cute because he's pretty darn sassy sometimes!

 The kids and I met some of our good friends at the zoo after church on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Erik had to stay home and finish mowing the lawn so he wasn't able to join us. It's really nice being able to pop into the zoo for a couple of hours thanks to our zoo pass. The kids always enjoy seeing the animals. 

 John's goal is to always find the best hiding spot. Today was removing all the blocks from the end table and then climbing into it. He was pretty proud of himself!

 Will still "rests" in the afternoon in his room when John naps so I use the time to catch up on projects. I came in from doing some yard work and heard the pitter patter of Will feet running around in my bedroom. He dressed himself up and was waiting to show me how awesome he looked, complete with Minnie mouse ears, sunglasses, a toy wrench and my slippers.

My grandma passed away somewhat unexpectedly last month. It was a really hard time for my family losing her. I went to the Mukwonago Library with the boys for a class and to play in the children's area. We walked past the photo of my grandparents and I saw that someone had placed a plant with a Thank You note on it below their picture. It made me happy, proud and sad all at the same time. My family has done so much for this community and to see that someone took the time to thank my grandparents in this way was a really cool thing.

 John loves to share toys with Murphy. He was going to the toy bin at my parents' house and kept taking him the little stuffed egg babies that the dogs like to play with.

 The house is done! Well, mostly done. It still needed a little paint touch up on the trim & siding and our painters are coming to take care of painting the front door, side lights, cement block and some other miscellaneous things on the exterior. All in all, the house looks amazing and is everything we hoped it would be!

 Sometimes babies wake up sad from nap time and just need some snuggle time with momma. This was one of those days.

Erik had a quick business trip and wasn't due home until late this evening. I needed some groceries and decided to take the boys to Costco to grocery shop and have pizza for dinner. They were both so good while we were there that we got a special ice cream treat to share. The boys were pretty excited!

I've started getting up before the boys wake up and before Erik goes to work so that I can take Stella for walks. I heard there was a snapping turtle that hangs out down by the cul de sac. We got to see her on this particular morning. Don't worry, we stayed far away so that Stella didn't lose her nose!

On a hot day there's nothing quite like sitting on the patio while the kids play in the water table and blow bubbles.

His sleeping positions are always so funny to me. I never know what I'm going to walk into when I go to check on him before I go to bed.

It was a warm afternoon and evening and we didn't feel like making dinner. We took the boys to Kopps for cheeseburgers and custard. Erik walked the boys back to the car and it was the cutest thing ever. It seems hard to believe how fast they are growing up. I wish I could push pause on a daily basis.

Another installment in the "funny sleeping positions of John" series.

We woke up this Sunday morning and I looked outside as I was getting my morning coffee ready. There's nothing quite like seeing your patio table shattered all over your patio. I put on my rubber boots and swept it up followed by the shop vac. Ahhhh, weekend morning bliss. PSA: Don't leave your patio umbrella open or you, too, will wake up to this. Lesson learned.

We went to the Mukwonago Library for a playdate with some friends and there was a Newfie named Zappa there for the kids to read to, pet and snuggle with. He was the nicest, and biggest, dog I think I've ever met. I've always had a love for Newfies so I'm not sure who was more excited to meet him, me or the kids!

Some mornings I lay out a picnic blanket and let the kids have a picnic in the living room while they watch their PBS Kids shows. It's funny to me to see how different the two of them act during a time like this. Will sits nicely, quietly eating his breakfast and watching his show and barely moves during the entire series of pictures I took this particular morning. John is all over the place eating and playing. Some of the difference is definitely due to their ages, but its also a really good reflection of their unique personalities.

 Another visit to the zoo! We met some friends of ours there and saw lots of animals (again) and this time we took a train ride.

Trying to take a picture of John and I together on the train proved to be both difficult and hilarious.

After the train, the kids wanted to do the Merry Go Round. My friend gets motion sick so I braved it and took 3 boys on at once. They all did great, except for the crying once the ride was done.

Erik was on another business trip so that night I took the boys out for dinner and custard to Murf's in Waukesha. Will was a big boy and great helper and carried the food tray outside all by himself while I pushed John in the stroller. The boys ate a good dinner and then we went back inside to get their custard. Will's favorite right now is green mint and they didn't have it as an option for the flavor of the day. He was pretty upset until the wonderful worker offered to put green mint syrup on his vanilla custard so that I could mix it up and give him his favorite. We sat on the patio and enjoyed our special treat. The boys always amaze me at how good they are when I take them out for dinner on my own. I think ice cream dates when daddy is gone on business will become a regular summer time treat for us.

 

 John sometimes has a hard time with utensils, but when it comes to eating frozen custard he has no trouble getting it to his mouth. Ha!

He wanted to see himself while I was taking these pictures, hence the extra funny faces.

Erik came down with a cold right before Father's Day so we decided to have a relatively low key day. We gave him his presents first thing in the morning (a Metallica CD and some pyrex - I know, exciting). The boys enjoyed helping him open his gifts and snuggling up for some pictures with daddy. We made breakfast at home and  the boys and I took him mini golfing and out for lunch to Moorland Golf Center. It was really hot and really busy, but we still had fun. Erik and Will golfed 10 holes and John and I headed to the shade for some water and sherbet by hole #3.

That afternoon Erik relaxed and watched the US Open. I pressure washed the sidewalk and patio and then made dinner. All in all it was a great day celebrating my husband who is the best dad our kids could have ever hoped for. We love you, Erik!

Stella has an overabundance of stuffed animals that she sleeps with and carries around. This monkey got dropped one morning and I thought the positioning was quite funny. 

Will's friend Henry and his awesome mom, Dana, came over for a water playdate in our yard. We set up the water table, kiddie pool and sprinkler and the boys played outside on this hot day for the entire afternoon. Words can't describe how much I love this little boy and his momma. We have the best times together and love spending time with this sweet family. 

Will discovered Erik's lawn mowing headphones. He thinks he's the coolest kid ever when he gets to wear them.

 I was making breakfast and walked into the living room to check on the kids. I came in to Will wearing the headphones while in his pj's and snuggling with Bear. 

John loves books at this age. I tried to capture a picture of him sitting nicely reading. He saw me and decided he didn't want to sit anymore. Silly little goose.

Another day, another daddy business trip. I took these to send to Erik so that the boys could say good morning to daddy. Will decided to be shy. John gave me his cheese face.

 We went shopping with Grandma to the outlet mall and Will picked out his very own ladybug umbrella, complete with antennae. We went to Grandma's after and played for a little while. Will helped pick up black walnuts and it was a little rainy so it was the perfect excuse to use the umbrella.

 Check out this cool dude. In case you couldn't tell, he put his sunglasses on all by himself. 

We went to the Nixon Park splash pad with our "book club" friends (a great group of women that I met through the Mukwonago Library). The kids had a blast and it was a beautiful day. We packed lunches and the moms hung out while the kids ran around and enjoyed the water. 

 We had Murphy for the night while my parents went to a wedding. Will was "measuring" his paws with his pretend tape measure. Murphy is the best dog and just rolled onto his back so that Will could measure his paws.

Will loves maps and globes and looking at different places on each. He has learned a lot from his favorite show, Little Einsteins, and can even name a number of states on a map, as well as a few countries. He wanted me to print a map for him and was so excited that he has one to take with him in the car to look at. Also, the skeleton pajamas with the fireman badge is a pretty good look for him.

John has discovered the joys of coloring. Sometimes he even colors on the paper and not just on the table, floor, furniture and fireplace. 

Sometimes its important to take a break from coloring and show momma your belly.

We have the best driveway for bike riding so we take full advantage. John loves riding on the tricycle now, though he can't quite pedal yet. 

We got this toy story two-wheeler with training wheels from my cousins as a hand me down and Will loves it.

 John thinks riding in the grass is pretty funny.

 Will likes to show off for me and pose with a big smile when he rides his bike.

I told him to watch where he was riding. Don't worry, he was ok. He does this on purpose just about every time we are outside. Silly boy.

This is the look John gets when you tell him "no" at the dinner table. Specifically, I told him no to putting his fingers in his mouth and trying to make himself barf. I have no idea why he thinks that is funny. Always the comedian, that one!

 Another day, another mess.

 When it gets quiet in the house and both the boys are awake I usually come in to find Will on top of John with a couple pillows or both of them getting into some kind of trouble. In this case they were laying on the floor together watching a show. It's fun being pleasantly surprised by the two of them and seeing how sweet they can be to one another.

 We built a train one afternoon and both boys were fighting over the train car. The next morning we got up and the first thing John did was go to the train table and start playing trains before his brother could beat him to it. This was even before he had his milk which was a good indication of just how important this train was to him that morning. He usually grabs me by the hand and pulls me to the fridge if I don't have his milk ready immediately upon coming down the stairs.