More summer fun

Seth and Dex, working on a space police vehicle. Dex can't seem to get enough of legos, these days! G9od thing Shea isn't interested in putting them in her mouth or he would never get to play with them!

Dex, enjoying a bit of water play.

Jax, figuring out their new wading pool.

Dex, showing me his stuff!

Sweet little Ollie

How long did it take the boys to turn the pretty flower sprayers into flower shooters?... about .05 seconds!

And the battle was on...

What fun is this!

Dex-left, Jax-right

Ollie joins in the fun

More Ollie

Sarah and I took our kiddos to the town we grew up in one morning and introduced them to Susie the Duck. It was a short visit, but we all enjoyed every second of it. It brought back fantastic memories and it was so magical to see our little boys doing the things we used to enjoy doing as small children.

With pockets filled with corn kernals, the boys were quite popular with the ducks.

This just makes me smile. Dex-left, Jax-right.

Jaxon, riding a toy I remember riding when I was four years old.

Look at that focus and concentration!

Dex-left, Jax-right

Jaxon

A quick visit with Great Grandpa before heading back... filled with tree bark treasure maps, hunting for bears, picking berries and spilling bright red juice on Great Grandpa's front steps.

And THIS is what happens after a day of fun and excursions!

Madison Reception

A few of my favorite pics from the Madison wedding reception... Jaxon, peeling garlic for Nichole's hummus.

Too many cakes? Absolutely not! They were all eaten!! Crazy!

What a great spread!

Great Grandpa, with a serious Shea.

Seth and Nichole with Grandpa

Seth and little Indie

Jax and Shea, playing in the flower garden

Hee hee

What made me laugh today?

Dexter singing his own rendition of the hokey pokey...

"You put your light saber in, you put your light saber out..." Now, picture the silliest little smile and a toy light saber and you might be able to understand why a certain Mommy got a serious case of the giggles. (It got a little tough to sing when we got to, "You do the light saber duel and you turn yourself around...") :)

Jaxon, sitting under the kitchen table singing one of his very dramatic original tunes.

Me: Jaxon, what song are you singing?
Jax: Oh, just a song I wrote.
Me: Oh really? What's it called?
Jax: Don't
Me: It's called "Don't"?
Jax: Yep.
Me: What's it about?
Jax: Well... it's about my mommy.
Me: (giggling) Is it because I've said "don't" a lot today?
Jax: ALL THE TIME, MOMMY!!!! (he's giggling, here, so I think I'm in the clear!)

Misc

Shea and Granddad... and Lolly Doll (The one item that Shea MUST sleep with... and it was mine when I was little. So fun!)

Jonathan, giving Shea a driving lesson.

One of the best things about being home was randomly finding one of my brothers or one of my parents doing something sweet and spontaneous with one or more of my children. Oh, I just wish we weren't so far away!!

Sis and Indie chat with Shea.

The boys found Seth's He-Man toys and were instantly hooked. Everyday, they insisted on reading He-Man story books OVER AND OVER AGAIN. Luckily, there were enough grown-ups around to share the duty! Here, Seth is kind enough to read to them at breakfast.

More He-Man at bedtime

Jaxon and Shea playing outside.

Shea, enjoying the yard.

Everyone worked so hard to get ready for Seth and Nichole's reception! I know the kids and I were more obstacles than true helpers, but everyone was really sweet about it. You'll notice one of the boys at the very far end of the yard. They deemed that corner Castle Grayskull, because there are several large rocks over there. When in doubt, I could find them hanging out around Castle Grayskull... playing away. Hee hee.

I think swimsuits were a daily requirement... and water play was another part of the day that made me SO thankful that the boys have each other. There's only so long I can enjoy being sprayed!

Out and About

Our excursion downtown...

The morning ritual for all three children involved shadowing Mimi as she roamed the yard, watering plants. They would carry out whatever they were eating for breakfast and Mimi became the pied piper, with three little shadows following her around. It was pretty adorable. I think my favorite part was seeing them trail around the yard in their jammies. There's just something about kids in jammies... Shea, quite pleased with herself for swiping a piece of Jaxon's cereal.

The boys helping Mimi.

Jax, enjoying his breakfast on the deck.

Jax and Shea

We had so much fun attending a concert on the square with my folks and Jonathan. We ate a picnic lunch and then walked around, enjoying the music. Here, Jax and Jonathan share a lunch.

Dex-left and Jax-right, trapped behind a chain.

Jax, trapped again.

Luckily, Dex (right) was around to come to Jax's (left) rescue.

And, lucky for me, Uncle Jonathan was a much more fun target!!!

Jax and Jonathan

Jax and Jonathan

Seriously, don't we need an Uncle Jonathan at our house ALL THE TIME? :)

Dex and Granddad, clowning around.

More clowning around!

Time to go home.

Jaxon, helping out. We were lucky enough to find this stroller at my parents' place. Believe it or not, we've never had a single stroller! I didn't buy one when Shea was born, so we're borrowing this one for awhile. It is SO easy to push around!!

The happy group.

Jax with Jonathan, Dex with me.

Madison in 100 Parts (or maybe a bit less)

It could take me a month to post all my summer photos, but gosh darnit, I'm going to do it!! Shea arrived in Madison filled with stranger anxiety... and left with hardly any at all!! All thanks to full house of family that loved her constantly! Here, Shea shares a cell phone with Granddad.

Mimi could be found most mornings in her beautiful garden. I wish I had taken more photos of all those gorgeous flowers.

The boys got such a kick out of playing under the deck. Usually, it was some sort of jail or prison and, naturally, they were prisoners trying to escape. Here, Jax is calling for reinforcements.

I still can't get over how great it was for the boys to be around my brothers. They CLUNG to them. I phrase I heard over and OVER AGAIN was, "You're my favorite, Uncle ______. I love you. I love you SO MUCH!!!" I think it was so great for the boys to be around guys. They loved the physical play and Jonathan, especially, was fantastic at being playful but firm with the boys. Must be all the great camp experience! My dream come true would be for Jonathan to come and be our manny. Of course, he'd have to accept next to nothing as pay and share a room with the kids... so... I guess I should probably just stop dreaming!!!!! :)

An afternoon at the park with Jonathan. Jax-left, Dex-right.

The shirts the boys are wearing are from the first annual Schroeder family reunion, which took place the week-end D.R. and Shea and I went to Seth's wedding. The boys got the pleasure of staying with D.R.'s folks and representing our family unit at the reunion. They had such a great time climbing on tractors and chasing the dog... and we were grateful for the opportunity to enjoy the wedding without worrying about entertaining two three-year-olds (though, I'm sure the boys would have loved Nichole's parents' farm, as well).

The boys give Jonathan a push.

Jax and Jonathan

All that playing is such hard work! The boys got used to an afternoon popsicle on Mimi and Granddad's front sitting space. It was pretty cute to see them sitting up there together. Jaxon, especially, was really drawn to the space. I'd frequently find him sitting up there playing school. Of course, the teacher was frequently doing a lesson on spiders and he almost always got bit by a spider. This meant he was no longer Jaxon, but Spiderman... I hope he's not disappointed when he starts preschool next week and there are no spiders!!