waiting on the bus

Day 2 of school...Day 1 on the bus. & thank goodness Ms. Adalia will be M's bus driver again this year.

an epic battle

Batman & Superman team up to battle Bane!

At times things were tense...

...weapons were drawn...

...power rays were shot.

In the end, daddy, I mean Bane, didn't stand a chance.

Maybe next time, Bane.

memorial day weekend extravaganza

It all started off with out of town visitors in the form of Gabe, Bobbie, Curtis and Cordelle. Everyone could get excited about that.

The weather wasn't too cooperative so one evening consisted of plenty of Just Dance

 They were all surprisingly good...& so cute.

 Twister finished off the night.  Again...they were surprisingly good! M preferred to work the spinner.

Day two...off to the beach!

 The boys are just getting started. First up...dump out the sand toys.

 Next...running, digging, and general mayhem!

Watching E figure out this water shooter was hilarious. Andrew helped, but he eventually did it his own way. There was more than one shot in the face...followed by unstoppable laughter.

 the men in my life...love them so...

This is my favorite picture from the day.

The weekend wrapped up with a couple of cook-outs and runs in the rain. The boys and us were more than exhausted...in the best way possible.

school's out for summer!

We reached the end of the school year and M has "graduated" to become a Firefly! He had such wonderful experiences at school this year. From the friends that introduced the world of superheros to him to the teachers and what he learned, we couldn't have asked for more. We all celebrated the start of summer with a picnic at the park...a very cold picnic at the park.

 E had fun too!

more ice skating!

The weather warmed up today and the ice was perfect for skating. Let's go!

 M started off a bit on the grumpy side...refusing to even move. (The sun was hurting his eyes.)

Then, a fellow skater gave M his bucket to "play" with. I'm telling you, it was like he waved a magic wand and turned a total grump into this...

 

 Tag!

 You couldn't stop him from skating.

 E had fun in his big snow boots. & looked quite adorable.

This is the only picture I got of the two of them together.

you could say M had a good day...

...but that would be an understatement.

M is all boy these days, and that includes an obsession love with all things with wheels.  Make that thing with wheels a firetruck, perhaps, and you have a really excited preschooler.  We are fortunate enough to have a firefighter in our circle of family friends here in Anderson so we got quite the tour for this little man on our last visit.

He was pretty quiet at first, as is his usual, but quickly found the driver's seat of the fire engine to be quite comfortable.  James, our firefighter friend, showed M how to turn on the lights and a variety of the cool gadgets they use to help them save lives, as well as stay safe themselves.  In return, M started talking and didn't stop.  Seriously, I think M would have given him his entire life history, if we all had the time.  Thankfully, James is a sweet guy with two little girls of his own to talk his ears off. When it came time for us to go, the suggestion was made that M should stay and have lunch with the firefighters.  I believe M's exact words were, "OK!"  I think he was ready to suit up and get to work!

This was my first time in a fire engine too, and I managed to turn on the siren...by accident!  I was convinced that M had turned it on until James informed me that it was, indeed, me.  Who knew those switches were on the floor boards?  Oops!

While we were sitting in that massive piece of equipment, and smelling the smoke stuck in their gear, I couldn't help but think about what it must feel like to be a firefighter.  Not only in the hard work and courage it takes to be one, but also, what it feels like to be such a role model to kids.  Their uniforms might keep them safe while doing their jobs, but they are their super hero "capes" to kids like M.  It's unconditional, and immediate.

This is an experience that M won't soon forget.  There is no doubt, he was 100% comfortable with his firefighter hero today.

a bike with 2 wheels!

but no pedals...

just beachy...

Play ball!

The time has come to introduce M to all the fun, semi-organized sports the spring and summer have to offer.  T-ball was first.

After M was convinced that the bat wasn't a telescope, we were ready to play.

M naturally chose a left-handed batting stance...and what a swing!  There was some real power behind that.  The most adorable part was when M hit the ball, looked back at daddy, then THREW the bat and ran after the ball...every.time.  I love his enthusiasm!

 I think we need to fashion some bases so he understands, you think?

E was the cheering section.

Who's up for a beachside picnic?

It's Memorial Day weekend, the weather is perfect, Aunt Dana is in town...Yep, time for a picnic.

Sometimes, I wish we had a backyard, but then I realize that we wouldn't have gone out to the beach if we did...so it's not so bad today.  It was a truly beautiful backdrop for some quality time with family and friends.