Dyeing Easter Eggs

Early last week we decided to to dye our Easter eggs, and Caleb was SO excited because he found a Star Wars (he is slightly obsessed with Stars Wars these days) decoration kit. I didn't take many pictures, as I was trying to include Luke in the activity, but still trying to keep him from making a huge, and very colorful, mess. 

While Luke was very interested in the process, Caleb was absolutely disgusted. I used vinegar to make the colors brighter and his sensitive nose just couldn't handle it. His expression in the picture shows his distress...

Posing with their final product. 

(Caleb was still pretty overwhelmed with the smell-ha!)

**I later remembered that last year I used Raspberry vinegar that I found in my cabinet because I forgot to buy regular vinegar, which may explain why the smell was an issue this year and not last! I'll remember the sweet smelling stuff next Easter for Caleb's sake!

Could they be any more different?

Oh, my boys.  They are so full of energy and so funny, yet so, so very different. They don't look alike and they don't act alike. 

Meet Caleb...

 Caleb is the classic, first born Type A personality kid. He's a rule follower to the extreme and will probably be in charge of Safety Patrol at his school. When he was two years old, he would sit on my bed and watch a show while I got ready, simply because I told him to. When he was just over 27 months old, we transitioned him to a full size bed and he never (not once) got out of it for the first year. He is trustworthy, always 100% honest, and is happy to share one of his fruit snacks. When I told him I wanted to take a picture of his shirt to send to Marshma, he stood perfectly still, hands to his side, and smiled. 

Meet Luke...

Luke is the typical second born that refuses to talk because yelling loud enough will get him what he wants. He doesn't mind to get dirty and sticky, and is never seen wearing a clean shirt. He won't wear a hat, sunglasses, and yanks socks off the second that I put them out. He tells me "No!" way more times a day than I can even come close to telling him. He stands up and jumps in his crib, and then throws himself down for fun. He will hold out his hand to share a treat with you and right before you take it, quickly pop it in his own mouth, and then laugh. He loves to snuggle with his blanket and cuddle in your lap. When I asked this two year old to let me take his picture so I could send it to Marshma, this is the pose he chose.

Yes, these two boys are so, so very different, and these pictures sum it up very well. They each bring something different to the table, and they make our family just right.
We love every single little detail about them both, and cherish these (sometimes long ) days, because boy they sure are growing up fast!

I can't wait to see what they do with these personalities one day...

An Answer for Everything

Caleb has an answer for everything, and many days, I feel like I am living with a teenage boy. We are working on NOT arguing, talking back, saying he wants to live somewhere else, etc. and I really wasn't prepared for those issues yet. 

Tonight he started whining about something, and after a while, he "lost" his Kindle time. (He always plays games while I put Luke to bed.) His whining turned into a fit, and after a warning, he "lost" his Angry Birds Star Wars time on my phone. 

Later, we talked about it, and he said he was sorry, but (in his words) the devil made me do it. He followed that up with You know I'm not perfect and I sometimes do bad things but I can't help it.  

Can't wait until he turns 15...

What Happened to Spring?

A little over a week ago, the boys were so happy to finally have some spring-like weather and spent over an hour outside playing on the deck together. Luke successfully emptied 99% of the sand out of the sandbox (we were planning on starting fresh this year anyways) and Caleb went through a lot of bubbles. They were so content, and I could tell so happy to simply be outside.

I love that they just sit in the house together...

Sadly, this was our deck this week. 

Seriously?!! What happened to spring?!!

Swim Lessons

Back at the start of January, Caleb began taking swimming lessons at Cardinal Splash, a swim school associated with UofL. While it was supposed to be group lessons, Caleb was the only one signed up for his time slot, so we scored private lessons for the first session! Alex, his instructor, is awesome with Caleb and pushes him more and more each week. (Which is why we requested Alex again for the second session that we are in now.)  They've worked especially hard on freestyle, with Caleb kicking hard enough for his feet to be on top of the water, and a little on backstroke. 

Check out those kicks!

Still a long way to go with diving! ;) 

Luke enjoys Caleb's lessons too. He likes to run around and cozy up with Cardinal Splash's director, Leah. He is such a stinker! 

Since Aunt Paige has class nearby on Thursday nights, she's been able to come and see a few of Caleb's lessons, which he loves!

Old Navy

This was his idea. ;)

Caleb's Night

Back at the start of January, we started a compliment jar with Caleb and he worked really hard on a few behavior issues we were having with him. He was SO excited when his jar of compliments was finally full. We told him that he got a night with just Mommy and Daddy, and he got to pick what we would do. I gave him lots of ideas, suggesting everything from bowling to Chuck-E-Cheese. He decided that for his date night, he wanted to have dinner at Sake Blue, a (really yummy!) Japanese grill by our house and then go out for dessert too. We happily obliged! 

He was very specific with his order: a California Roll, salad, steak, and rice. And, this guy ate like a little piggy! I was shocked at how much he ate!

While we tried to talk him into the Pie Kitchen or Graeters, he wanted a Blizzard, and honestly, we didn't mind having to eat one too. ;)

We are proud of you, Caleb! 

Ava's 5th Birthday Party

A few weeks ago we celebrated at the Louisville Science Center for Ava's 5th birthday party. There were cool experiments to watch and Ava even got to make her own ice cream. Happy Birthday, cousin Ava!

Learning about the concept of symmetry while painting a butterfly. 

Luke didn't quite follow the directions. ;)

The Cousins

Caleb, Eli, Ava, Luke, and Reagan.

Making ice cream using liquid nitrogen

Our Week

There was a little "dress up" play this week.

 Luke experimented with markers. He kept pointing to his arm saying, boo boo.

Packages arrived from Marshma & Papa!

According to Luke, they were sent from Baw Pa.

Mr. Independent (something Caleb still to this day hasn't aspired to) had to take over when I finished.

The boys also did a little painting.

It was a great week!

Cheeeeese

I say numerous times a day how much I simply adore this precious child. Even when he is being as naughty as could be, I still can squeeze him up and kiss on that precious neck. He's Mommy's little buddy these days, that's for sure (and I LOVE that).

Our Last Night at Disney

Sunday afternoon PeePaw and Grandma Beth had to leave, but after naps, we decided to head back to the Magic Kingdom for one last hurrah.

We had dinner at The Contemporary, and Caleb L-O-V-E-D his dessert...ice cream with all the toppings!

After dinner we made it to the park just in time to walk up and see the musical light parade. The boys were in awe!

Look out- Crazy driver!

Love Creed's expression... 

Baby Luke just chilled in his stroller and waved at every single car that passed by. Sweet boy!

After the big boys got off the cars, we walked over to ride the new Little Mermaid ride. Sadly, poor Luke got hit with the stomach bug right before we got in. Creed took him back to the hotel (Caleb and I rode and then caught the fireworks before heading back) and apparently Luke got sick on the (crowded) bus back to the hotel. Creed gets "Dad of the Year" for handling that!

Sweet and very pitiful boy! 

 He was actually up a few more times during the night. Thankfully, we had a washer and dryer, and I was able to get more towels and laundry detergent sent to our room at 2:30am. On a side note, if you call housekeeping in the middle of the the night and request towels and detergent because your baby is sick, they still end with call with Have a magical day. Really? I would be fine with I sure hope your day gets better. :)

After only getting a few hours sleep, and having to get up at 6am to catch a bus to the hotel, this is what he looked like... (and what I wanted to look like!)

He slept from the moment I strapped him in until we landed in Atlanta, and then again until we landed in Louisville. (I joked that the other passengers thought I probably drugged him!) 

Even with the rough end to our trip, it was an amazing vacation. We ALL had a blast, and loved spending time with PeePaw and Grandma Beth. 

Thanks, PeePaw & Grandma Beth!!!!!!