Times Two Plus One: Loads of fun

The boys just crawled into bed following our first ever family living room camp-out. For whatever reason, camp-outs and sleepovers have been hot topics at our house for the past few months. D.R. and I finally agreed that it would be fun to see how the boys handle a living room camping trip and, needless to say, it was a hit.

We watched a movie, ate popcorn, made s'mores (for the record, marshmallows under the broiler are SO yummy), told stories and cuddled on the couch. Normally, the boys are in bed around 7, lights out by 7:30, so we were curious as to how late they would stay up in our living room. At 9:30, after a good hour of the silliest I've seen the boys in a long time, they announced they were going upstairs to sleep in their bed... and that was that! Too funny!

It will be interesting to see how the boys do tomorrow with such a late bedtime tonight, but I suspect it will be okay. It felt great to have this time with them, while Shea was in bed. They got both parents' undivided attention for a good long while, and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. We just might have to make this somewhat of a tradition!

Anyway, in the spirit of fun... here are a few photos of other recent activities that had us all smiling.

Dex

Jax, mixing up some more paint and Dex, admiring their art.

I love that the boys accept the art projects I frequently throw at them. Not only do they tolerate them, they really seem to enjoy them... most of the time! On this particular day, they enthusiastically squirted our paper-covered kitchen with tempera paint and experimented with mixing colors together in their squirt bottles. To top it all off, they got to enjoy a mid-day bath while Mommy washed green footprints out of the carpet. Aah, the price I pay for new activities!! :)

Dex-left and Jax-right, enjoying a game of catch with Daddy.

The boys have been really missing D.R. a lot, lately. He's had a lot of long hours again, with call nights and moonlighting shifts. It's heartbreaking when the boys will turn to me, mid-day and say, "I really miss my Daddy." It's hard when Daddy leaves for work before they get up and doesn't get home until after they're in bed. Luckily, Daddy is all play when he is home for an evening. I get such a kick out of watching all three kids flock around him, anxious to soak up as much Daddy time as they can.