Alex is FOUR!

We had Alex's fourth birthday party on the 14th. I can't believe my little boy is FOUR!
He was so excited! Luc and Sam were too!

Digging in!

Valentine's Day Party

Alex had his school Valentine's Day party. Even though there are only 16 kids in his class, it seems we make out very well for every party. We came home, dumped it all on the table and were amazed! Here, the boys admire the stash before they dive in.

Strawberries and a cute boy

We bought strawberries the other day and when we got them home to make our fruit salad, we couldn't believe how big they were! There were two strawberries that were bigger than Alex's hands! Of course, he wanted to show them off and I was too busy concentrating on his cute smile that I didn't realize you couldn't really see the strawberries. Trust me, they're huge.

A Future?

Do you think they have a future in synchronized swimming?

Christmas Part 2

Christmas at the Hartzells.

Alex rocks out with Evan's new guitar.

Evan got a new guitar from Aunt Jenny and Uncle Jeff. It was a big hit!

We got Mom an electronic Soduko. She's laughing, but Dad knows this will be a new addiction.

Alex had a great time handing out gifts!

Cousins! Alex, Evan and Katie. Adam is back in there somewhere!

Alex and Katie

Merry Christmas!

Evan thinks that someday he just might be able to shimmy under the baby gate to come downstairs. Here he is Christmas morning. He had heard someone special had been at our house!

Alex was thrilled with it ALL! But Evan... "Gimme my juice!"

The spoils! Well... some of them!

The biggest hit was a train table with all the accessories. That's what the boys spent the whole day playing with. So now we have to actually finish the game room to have an official place for it!

Christmas Eve

We have a tradition of getting the boys new jammies for Christmas Eve. In theory, they will then have cute new jammies for Christmas Day pictures. (Although last year, Evan threw up all over his.) Trying to wrangle these two for pictures is a nightmare. Mommy and Stella are ready!
The boys with Mommy!

Cheesy grin, but that will do it!

Merry Christmas!

After Service Fun!

Alex and Evan check out the manger. MMMMM. Sugar Cookies!

Evan sits up at the table with the big kids!

Evan and Daddy!

Milk and Cookies with Santa

Mommy took the boys to have milk and cookies with Santa on Monday. It was so much fun. Evan was far more interested in the cookies than he was in Santa...as you can tell by this picture.

But Alex really got it, telling Santa that he wanted trains. He had told me before we went that he wanted shirts and batteries, but settled on trains when we got there.

The Hazards of Being a Mom to Boys

On Thanksgiving Day, I was on the couch at Grandma and PeePaw's. Alex thought it would be fun to dive on me. He was right - for a while, it was. But eventually, I said, "Ok. All done." I forgot that with little boys, there is always one more time.

So when he jumped, I grabbed him, but grabbed him just below the waist. He turned in the air and the back of his head nailed me on my cheekbone. He's lucky because if he had hit me with his face, he definitely would have broken his nose! Instead, Mommy ended up with a mild concussion. Made for some good stories!

When we got home, we decided to reenact. Here we are:

Horseshoe Curve

We went to Horseshoe Curve a few weeks ago for a lunch playdate. It was great fun, even though it was a rainy day.

Here is Evan watching the train:

Alex was amazed!
And of course, what little boy wouldn't be fascinated by a pile of rocks!

Alex just kicking back and enjoying the view!

Alex loves his cousins

Here he is watching the bear show sitting on Adam's lap... Then he and Katie get closer. Look at that cute love!

Butler Farm Show pictures

Every year, we head off to the Butler Farm Show. This year, Evan was really into it because he got to interact with the animals even more. And this year, Alex got to participate in the bike race and the pedal pull. Maximum cuteness! Our kids have no fear of animals, even when a goat takes a nibble ...
Sweet cow!
Pappy took Alex for a golf cart ride!
Gearing up for the bike race!
Katie and Alex take a trip around to practice before the race.
Seriously. How cute is that?
Here's his "class" - the tricycle/big wheel group. He came in second and got a medal. He was SO excited!

A Day in DC!

One really cool feature is the tunnel where you get to pretend you're a termite! The boys thought it was a riot. Unfortunately, so did about 20 other kids.

And Evan tries to bite Mommy's ear.
What was most fascinating to the three year old? The chain that keeps people off the grass!

Alex and Evan ride the horsies!
The elephant inside the Museum. Both boys LOVED it!
Mommy is saying, "There is no mud puddle to your right. It is an illusion!"
All day long, Evan would point at animals and say, "Awww!" Here, he looks at fake camels.