The Great Outdoors

Here are a couple pictures from the first time we met mom and dad out at Bo Woods with their camper. Both kids love being outside! 

Turtle in a Turtle

Papa brought over a turtle for Beckett to see! We put him in the turtle toy box because Beckett said they would "be friends". 

Water Baby

Yesterday afternoon after library, Beckett had a blast with the hose! 

Zoofari!

Harper, Beckett, and I met some friends at Scovill Zoo today. It was a beautiful morning and a lot of fun to play and visit the animals. 

Jayme and Braylon met at our house so we could drive over together. We got there about 9:30 so the boys had a half hour to play on the playground before going into the zoo.  Here they are having fun with the playground equipment and each other.

Braylon peeks through the tunnel to say hi.

The boys played chase on all of the up and down ramps.

They climbed up stairs and down dinosaurs.

Miss Ava arrived!  Kristin and Lindsay (with Ava and Vivienne) arrived around 9:45, so we all played together. I think Ava was the bravest of the bunch!

Also brave? Beckett!  He wanted to touch the snake the zookeeper had out for people to see.

Braylon took a turn, too.  Beckett described the snake as "Soft and slippery."

Next up: Crocodiles!

Beckett: She's taking forever. Kristin and I joked that this could be the story of his life...

The boys were ready to move on and visit the groundhogs and meerkats (Timone).

Our sleeping beauties: Vivenne and Harper.  They are two months apart, almost exactly like Beckett and Ava are.

Beckett is telling Ava he will protect her in the snake house. Haha!  They are good buddies. :)

Braylon, Jayme, Kristin, and Ava ride the train!  ALL ABOARD!  Beckett didn't want to ride - he wanted to push the stroller around and chase peacocks instead.  

Here, I imagine Beckett trying to save Ava from the wolves.  "Don't worry! I'll protect you!" Look at the wolf - he's checking them out... 

Time to go BYE BYE...Beckett gives Ava a hug and she pats his back.  

Beckett told me he was a kangaroo in his cage when I took this picture. :)

Harper was peaceful and content the whole time. 

 After the zoo, Kristin, Lindsay, and I took our kids to Steak and Shake. We had lunch and ice cream and then headed home...

Beckett played himself OUT!

What a fun morning.  Next week, I think we are meeting at the park.

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day weekend was so much fun this year.  Dad's sisters, Kathy and Nancy, came to spend time with us, and Uncle Bob and Booker the Black Bearded Doggie came, too.

Here are some highlights of our weekend together:

Little Miss Firecracker is ready to meet her family:

 Here, Beckett gives Aunt Nancy a tour of his pad:

 Aunt Nancy and Aunt Kathy meet Harper Jane.

Uncle Bob has the magic touch with babies.  He has plenty of experience with his kiddos and his wonderful grandchildren, too.

 Aunt Kathy bonded with her new little girlfriend right away.  Harper loved it when she sang L-O-V-E!

The whole crew!

Beckett lounges in his chair, soaking up some new summer rays.  Lexi's trying to steal a nibble of his snack.

 One night we went to someone's land and made a campfire and enjoyed the sunset.  Aunt Kathy held Harper and chatted with her for a little while.

Meanwhile, Beckett enjoyed his campfire hot dog!

We found a perfect marshmallow roasting stick!

And made some delicious S'mores.

 Little Miss Memorial Day wished everyone well when they left.  It was a wonderful visit!

Adventuring

We went to Bo Woods today to camp. We splashed in puddles, looked for fossils, took some hikes, caught bugs, played at the playground, looked for animals and caught a toad

Look closely on the tree branch to spot our camping buddy. 

Meet Mr. Toad! Beckett described his skin as bumpy on the back and smooth on his tummy. We taught him one of the differences between a toad and a frog is the skin. 

We caught Mr. Toad several times. Poor little guy!

Our new rain boots came in handy for splashing and inspecting puddles. 

Tonight we are going to have a campfire and make s'mores again! 

Zig Zag

Beckett took out each marker, one at a time, and said he was making "zig zags". 

Cabana Boy

Beckett asked me for some milk. When I came back to the playroom with it, he was wearing this hat and said, "hey, mom." It cracked me up. Then he said, "ding the Hakuna Matata song!"

Trainer

I have been working on a 10K training program and this is my third week. Most of the time, I have a trainer with me: Harper or Beckett. Little ladybug won today! 

Fun Day!

We had a busy day today! Beckett "exercised" with me and then we had breakfast. We played farm and dinosaurs (you can see our set up in the background of this pic). Then Mee Maw and Papa came over and we played. I packed a picnic lunch and we went to Bo Woods to hike and play on the playground there. Both kids loved it. Harper was wide-eyes and she even cooed today. Beckett and I searched for Sheir Khan and explored moss, acorns, and sticker bushes. 

We played outside we hen were got up from nap, wrestled in the grass and played baseball. Then we watered all of his plants in the garden, which turned into a fun game of splash! We came in and had dinner, took baths, and now he's watching Ice Age while the little miss is snoozing on my lap. 

It was a wonderful day, full of smiles! 

Big Brotherly Love

One day prior to her 7 week birthday, Beckett loves on his little sister. I love her expressions, almost telling us how she feels about him! He tells us how he feels about her: "that's my sister! I love her! She's so cute!"

On a side, fashion note, I hate that I had taken off her bow, buuuuuut the last picture shows how she felt about the bow. Happier without it on, wouldn't you say?? A sign of things to come? 

She's such a doll - so so sweet, just like her brother. How did I get so lucky?!