Pool Time

Nolan came downstairs in a swimming suit as a subtle hint: "Hey, Mom and Dad - fill up the pool!"

We bought an Intex metal frame pool for $200 at Big Lots last year. We pulled it out of the basement and started the set-up process.

Poor Nolan could hardly stand the wait. Actually, he couldn't stand the wait. Within a few minutes, he was in the pool. So was Matt.

Of course, we filled the pool up to about 2/3 final volume and realized the pool wasn't as level as we needed it to be. Intex pools require a really level surface for safety, so we emptied the pool so we could really get the ground level. The boys didn't mind: pool filling, part 2 was just as fun as the first time around!

The second fill-up. This time it was really level!

Chautauqua Safety Village Birthday Party

Matthew and Nolan were invited to a friend's birthday party at the Chautauqua Children's Safety Village in late May. The kids were so excited, as the Safety Village is incredibly fun and a place the boys know well from field trips. It was also a pirate birthday party, which made everything even more fun!

The kids were asked to choose partners, and my boys chose each other. I love that they automatically choose each other. They also held hands - I had to catch this moment on camera to preserve for future moments when they may not be feeling quite as close!

The kids were taken outside to the Safety Village cars and allowed to drive around the block a few times. My kids were in absolute heaven!

The kids then had a "treasure hunt" around the Safety Village to find pirate loot by flags. There were also a few Easter Eggs hidden around the Village, and the boys ran around with the other children to find them!

There was a ride on the beloved Safety Village train, and the kids all piled into the train car for a tour of the entire Safety Village.

We went back to the party room for some lunch and cake - Matthew was rather inventive and created a strawberry sandwich.

The kids hit a piñata next. There is nothing more fun for children than whacking at a piñata. There is also nothing more terrifying for adults than a blindfolded child with a bat.

Nolan was among the first to go, due to his smallish size. Matt was the last in line, due to his rather impressive batting skills. The candy was poured out on a nearby lawn, since the piñata proved rather difficult to actually break.

The kids had a fantastic time at the birthday party and were thoroughly happy and tired after the event!

Another One Bites the Dust

Goodbye, tooth number two. We're sorry to see you go, but Matt is very happy that the tooth fairy is going to pay a visit tonight!

According to Matthew,

"The tooth fairy comes and turns your tooth into dust. The dust makes you have good dreams and is called good dreams dust. Then she leaves you money."

Hopefully the rest of his teeth will stay in his head for a while - the tooth fairy is going to go broke!

Kindergarten Math

Matt cracks me up - they are studying subtraction in Kindergarten and he obviously likes math, since he went on to create his own problems on the back of the paper.

I can't believe the school year is nearly over - it is amazing how far the Kindergarten class has come. At the beginning of the year they were learning basic number quantities, and by the end of the year they are adding and subtracting!

Baseball Season

I can't believe we're nearly done with our tee ball season. The boys love playing, and they are going to be sad when it ends. Fortunately, soccer starts next week, so they'll have another sport to keep them busy.

As an added benefit, Matt ran into an old friend playing for the other team. He was rather surprised and excited to see her.

And since she has a little sister Nolan's age, our boys were quite happy for the rest of the day.

Nolan is hilarious as he plays baseball, because he can't see a thing with the batting helmet on. The smallest size is still way too big for him, so he runs around the bases and hopes he is heading in the right direction!

Hang Time

My mom bought the boys a trapeze for their swingset last year, and we finally set it up. The boys have been having a lot of fun with it. This is so much better than the disc swing with the frayed rope that pricked their hands - Matt has had a great time trying to do acrobatic tricks on it!

Local Wildlife

It is always... interesting when the boys show up at the sliding glass door with something they found in the woods. This time, it was a live specimen: our neighbor boy found a snake and brought him over.

As exciting as Mr. Snake was, I have to say I was even more excited when they released him back into his native environment!