I don't know what I'm talking about...

Dashell talks a lot, nonstop at high volume about everything, including very specific requests on how his food, clothing and toys should be handled. This morning he was asking for some raisins and he kept saying " Mama I want them in a small one. A small one, Mama." I was in the kitchen and said "A small what Dashell? " And he yelled back, "Mama! Mama, I don't know what I'm talking about." At least he admitted it for once! Of course, it only took him about 2 seconds to remember that he meant a small BOWL, but still, for probably the only time in his life he admitted he didn't know what he was talking about.

Kick, Kick, Kick

Stratton had his first ever soccer practice last night. He has been so excited about it for weeks that we were nervous he would get too worked up about it and meltdown....not that he has ever done that before. :) But he LOVED it! His coach is great with the kids and Stratton kept telling me how fast he was and how all his practicing really helped. It was wonderful to see something come so easy for him. Maybe we will finally reach a point where we can be excited for something and actually enjoy it! I think he looks great! Probably the best he'll look all summer since he won't take off any of his soccer clothes and insists that he is going to wear them EVERY day. He ran into my bedroom this morning and jumped on the bed yelling " Kick, kick, kick! I love soccer!" Now we just have to see how his first game goes tomorrow.

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a lovely and very hot Memorial Day weekend, most of which we spent out on a gravel bar of the upper Chena River. The boys got in lots of fishing and the dogs got lots of swimming and it was a great way to spend a very sunny weekend. We loved being able to spend time with my brother's family Saturday and playing with cousins. Stratton still thinks his older cousins make the best exploring partners. Stratton is a remarkably good fisherman and can cast very well all on his own. Now if only he could hook something! It is still early, especially given our late spring. Let's hope his optimism holds out long enough for the fish to take an interest in his above average casting skills.Dashell is also quite good, considering he is just 2. We still don't trust him with a real hook on the end of his line, but his satisfaction with the rubber fish on the end of his line is wearing thin. Maybe by the end of the summer....

Stratton throwing a line in.....

Brothers eating lunch together.

Testing out a rock bridge they built during a fishing break.

Dashell showing off his very well loved Batman pole.

This isn't from this weekend, but a little while ago Brigg slept out in the backyard with the boys. They loved it! They didn't sleep, but they loved it and would have moved out to the tent permanently if we had let them. They are both getting so big and the talking never stops from the minute they wake up until they finally crash at night, especially since they started sharing a room. Their nightime conversations can be epic and highly emotional arguments over who will drive the bigger dump truck when they grow up. I feel like Dash has skipped being a toddler and jumped right into being a preschooler out of sheer determination to catch up to his brother. And his arguing skills are way ahead of Stratton's. Stratton still gets stuck on the "Because I want to" loop, but Dash can come up with all kinds of reasons to get his way. Last night he got a new shirt in the mail from his Grandma that he was very excited about and decided he couldn't wait until morning to wear it. He said, " But Mom, it is just my perfect size. I know it." And, given that he will fight tooth and nail any article of clothing that does not have his absolute approval, he got to wear it to bed. Stratton has been working on his jokes and Dashell is his constant test audience. His newest joke yesterday went like this. " What would you say if you found a cow in the refrigerator? Oh no, all the milk is gone because the baby cow drank it all!" The humor level is still questionable, but the effort is definitely there.

Springtime

The Alaska Railroad Open House- Dash was fascinated by the conductor

Our new backyard hobby- soccer! I love the angle of Dashell's leg when he kicks the ball.

Stratton has been practicing since he will be starting his soccer team next week!

Explaining the finer points of how his soccer shoes make him extra fast.

Welcoming the turkey chicks to their garage home until they are big enough to move outside.

Back to exploring the woods! We are all thrilled to have the snow melted and green leaves back on the trees!

A Good Day

Yesterday(Tuesday) was a good day. Just a normal, good day. Sometimes those can feel rare and shiny when summer is just arriving. Brigg had been gone for 3 days at the beginning of the week, and it felt like forever. So we were glad he didn't have to work yesterday...at least not work at being a dentist. We didn't do anything too special, but it still felt like a really good day. We put a load of topsoil on the garden and rototilled it in, stopped and had lunch at Bun on the Run, and took the dogs to a pond to go swimming in the afternoon. Well, to be more accurate, we took Zeus swimming and Piper dipped her toes in. The contrast between the two dogs is very funny. And to top it all off, I got the bathrooms cleaned, finally stitched together the pieces I had cut out for a hoodie for Stratton and the turkeys are getting close to moving outside. It's amazing how getting a few jobs done that have been waiting can make you feel better. I don't think I mentioned before that we got turkeys. We have 5 turkeys that we are raising this summer, and they have been quite a funny addition to the family. Piper is obsessed. She gets all shaky just looking at them. I think their outside pen will have to be reinforced to keep her out more than to keep them in. It's been fun for the boys to watch the birds getting bigger and their chick fluff being replaced by feathers. Now that the leaves are finally popping out on the trees and the days are warm, lets hope there are many more good days like this one ahead.

Easter

I haven't been feeling like writing much, but it doesn't seem fair to the boys to not put down at least a little bit about this year's Easter. They both loved every minute of it. Dashell was quite smitten with his fluffy little bunny and Stratton decided he LOVES egg hunts.

Aside from the more organized egg hunts, he was constantly hiding the eggs he had and making Dash and I find them. Over and over...10 or 20 times a day. He didn't understand why I was in such a hurry to put away the Easter baskets and eggs this year.

This was the best picture we could get of the boys all set for Easter Sunday...we don't hold still anymore. I'm not sure these two ever really held still, but they seem even squirmier lately.

Dash is talking more and more. Nonstop narration and hamming it up when he isn't losing his temper. One of his favorite things is to pop his head in whatever room Brigg's in and say " Don't worry Dad!" and then run off to cause serious trouble in another part of the house.

We are glad that the ice is finally disappearing and the yard is starting to dry out. Thank goodness I can send the boys outside again!

Projects!

March has come to an end and we are in to sloppy April, knee deep in slush, mud and projects! Yes, spring is coming even here, it just takes a little longer for the snow to disappear. I have a neverending list of things that I would love to get done. Spring cleaning would be fantastic if I could catch up on the regular cleaning jobs from this week. Maybe next week. I'm sure that I will have more time then. The boys have also been on a real projects kick. Stratton built this cardboard robot with Brigg and then got to paint it all by himself in whatever colors he chose- blue and silver glitter. Shocking. He could hardly wait to take it to preschool when it was his turn for show and tell. Dashell could barely contain his envy and disappointment at not getting to participate in the painting. Somehow his little watercolor page was not stacking up to his brother's undertaking.

The boys also decided that they wanted to make jungle puppets, so I had each of them pick which animal they wanted to do. Dashell chose a lion and Stratton chose an elephant. Obviously, they both had to make on of each. They really loved this project...here is Dashell trying out his lion's roar. We heard it day and night for days.

Stratton shows off his creations- he went with a colorful interpretation of animal skins, although he insisted the faces had to be perfect. Trust our selectively obsessive child to insist on a perfect face with a multicolored body.

We also decided to go to the Ice Park at night for family home evening a couple weeks ago, even though it isn't getting dark until past 9 these days, so that we could see everything all lit up. The boys loved it! They lasted for hours, even though it was late. They went down every slide at the park at least 15 times, including Dashell diving down the really big slides on his belly all alone and then hopping up at the bottom insisting to do it again. I think having their Dad there made it that much more fun. It was a great night and definitely the most fun the boys have had in weeks. This is a picture of both Stratton and Dashell heading down the big slide all alone a time or two before going down on their stomachs became the faster and preferred way to go.

Stratton also had to taste out the carnivorous appetites of the ice hippopotamus one more time. He laid in there for quite a while....I'm not sure what he was expecting to happen.

And for those of you who have made it this far, we do have one more projects in the works. We are having a baby in July, and from the looks of things, this arrival does indeed intend to be a bit more of a project than the boys were. Count on a child of ours to make a splash!