Lego Photo Shoot

The boys will frequently ask to photograph their lego constructions, but the other day, I found them conducting a little photo shoot with a few of their figures. It just cracked me up. I promised them I would post their favorite shots, so here you go. And, yes, we did actually have to paint one of the clone troopers blue. Hilarious.

What fun!

I've realized recently that the boys have some really fantastic playmates... but they're almost all girls! :) Luckily, Lily is one gal not afraid to join the boys in the light saber battle of the century! Of course, it was a pretty giggly battle... and the three bigger kiddos were so careful around our two little toddlers! Dex and Lily are warming up, above.
Dex

Jax (wearing his "Anakin robe") with Lily. The boys found that robe in my closet from my summer as a Gene Pitney back-up singer. They were convinced it was Jedi robe, so I just went with it. :)
So cute!
Audrey and Shea, playing so sweetly together.
The three gals.

Oh so special

The boys' preschool has this great tradition of giving each child a "special week." Among a mixture of treats, such as unveiling the workstations for the day and getting to bring home a plush Curious George toy fort the, the child also gets to bring a few of his favorite things from home and do a sort of show-and-tell. It was such a treat for me to see the boys glowing in their 10 minutes of preschool fame. Interestingly enough, they each chose to wear the same shirt for their big day (though their special days were a week apart). Above is Jaxon, sharing stories about Dexter's blue lightsaber (a shared favorite toy) and his blue woobie.


Shea, sitting like a big girl at one of the preschool tables.
Dexter and Mommy, during his special time. He brought the same blue light saber to share, as well as one of his lego creations. Another great part of this experience for me was listening to the questions that the other kids asked each boy during the Q & A portion. If one child asked what Dexter's favorite food was, three other kids would all raise their hands and ask what his favorite food was. Four year olds are so funny! The boys especially enjoyed hearing stories about themselves when they were babies. I showed photos of them under the bili lights at the hospital (wearing their super hero protective eyes glasses) and one of Jaxon showing off their Harlequin Color Change superpowers.

I think what I enjoyed most about this experience, however, was getting to focus on each of the boys individually. Despite the fact that I'm intentional about treating them as individuals, I so often fall into the trap of thinking of them as a pair (I mean, they ARE a pair!). But, in preparation for each one's special week, I had to put together a bulletin board of each of their lives. It was moving for me to walk through memories of Dexter's last 4 1/2 years... just as Dex. Then, to do the same exercise with Jaxon was equally touching. It's nice to have an excuse to just sit and reflect on the things that make each one of them special... and I think they liked getting highlighted as individuals, as well.


And just because mornings are one of our silliest times at home, when the kids are cuddly and goofy and generally all happy... here are a few silly breakfast photos. Top- Jax, Shea, bottom- Dex.

For the love of legos

One of the things I love about the age that the boys are at now is that I actually enjoy some of their toys as much as they do. Our week-end "wii parties," jigsaw puzzles, art projects, K'nex and, most especially, Legos, are activities enjoyed by all (well, maybe not Shea quite as much as the rest of us!). Equally amusing, is the fact that the boys like to do photo shoots with their creations. They frequently pretend they're in some sort of lego building competition and that these photos are being submitted to a panel of judges. Absolutely hilarious. Here's Jaxon with one of his creations.

And a few photos of Dex. These days, Jax is really into picking an item he wants to build and following the directions to get it done. Dex prefers to come up with his own designs. A few months ago, it was the complete opposite... fun to see how the two of them tend to complement each other. I wish I could remember what Dex called this one... I'm pretty sure it was his own version of a republic attack gunship. Yep, he's sitting next to me confirming that.

Papparazzi Party

Seth and Jaxon, getting the tripod all set up.

Mimi, Shea, Seth and Indie Leif

Sis and Indie Leif

We had our first-ever family backgammon tournament this year. I'm very proud to say I can only improve next year, as I took last place!! Crazy.... but totally fun.

Mimi and Shea, modeling her new tiara.

D.R. with four of the kiddos, enjoying their new Christmas toys!

Great Aunt Lou and Shea

As soon as Jaxon realized that Great Uncle Jim's name started with J, too, he was never very far away!

Ollie and Jonathan

Granddad and Shea

Ollie, Jax and Nichole

Mimi and Shea

At a certain point during our celebration at Great Grandpa's house, I asked Jaxon to walk around and take a photo of our various family members. These are the results of that endeavor. I was actually pretty proud of him for sticking with it all on his own!

Jonathan

Daddy

Great Aunt Lou

Great Uncle Jim

Granddad

Great Grandpa

Mimi and Sis

Nichole and Seth

Seth

Ollie and Aaron

Great Uncle Stuart and Shea

As I look at these, it appears Jaxon actually got everyone except Christopher and Sonja! Pretty good, Jax!