My Life with the Boys: April 2012

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Some Outside Reading--March 14, 2012

Eli usually wakes up from his nap right around the time Oliver gets home from school. He loves to wait outside for Oliver and watch for the bus! During this time, I usually look through the mail, look at a magazine, etc. One afternoon, Eli thought it would be fun to read a magazine outside like Mommy. He just looked so cute sitting out in the grass, looking at Oliver's Highlights magazine!

Eli's Painting--March 7, 2012

Oliver and Eli are similar in a lot of ways, but it is interesting to me how completely different they are.

Oliver at age 2:
* ate pretty much anything we put in front of him
* willing to try new things (foods, activities, riding a bike, etc.)
* loved to play outside and never minded getting dirty
* couldn't care less what clothes he wore

Eli at age 2:
* extremely picky eater
* very timid about trying new things...actually maybe it's just pure stubbornness
* loves to play outside but does NOT like to get dirty
* definitely has favorite clothes...all of which happen to be green!

While Eli was painting, I noticed another difference. When Oliver used to paint, he would paint so forcefully and use so much water and paint that his paper would often end up tearing. Eli, on the other hand was very careful and deliberate about his painting. He ended up mixing all of the colors in the paint trays together just like Oliver used to do, but he did it very carefully. It's crazy how two brothers who came from the same parents can have such opposite tendencies! They are each unique and I love them both dearly!

"Mommy, I made a rainbow!!"

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Invention Convention--March 8, 2012

Every year at Oliver's school, the 2nd grade has something called an Invention Convention. Each student is asked to invent something (with a little help from their parents). Then they bring their invention to school and write about it. All of the families are invited to school and the inventions are set out in the cafeteria for everyone to see.

Oliver decided he wanted his invention to be a dog food bowl for Baxter. We all love Baxter, but honestly, as my dad would say, he has a screw loose. For some reason, he feels it necessary to push his food all over the storage room floor, in an attempt to "hide" it from someone/something that might take it. He has been known to cover his bowl with paper, extension cords, basically anything that he can find. The thing is, to my knowledge, no person or thing has ever taken his food, but he seems to think it is a real threat. So, Oliver wanted to invent a food bowl that Baxter couldn't push around.

He and Pat designed one that was basically a wooden box with two bricks in it. They cut the wood, screwed it together, and then Oliver painted it. It really turned out pretty great! We no longer have dog food spilled all over the floor, even thought Baxter STILL tries to push it around!

Friday, April 27, 2012

Grandma's 89th Birthday--March 3, 2012

On March 1st, my Grandma Yousey celebrated her 89th birthday! That weekend, Mom and Dad, Julie's family, and our family got together in the basement of the Villa to have a little party for Grandma! We ordered pizza (one of Grandma's favorites) and Mom made several pies for dessert! Happy Birthday, Grandma! We love you!

Addie, Ty, Brett, Eli, Grandma, Oliver

The kids love to play Aggravation with Grandma, which is one of her favorite games!

Oliver's Music Program--Feb. 16, 2012

"Education is the Key" was the name of Oliver's music program this year. The 2nd graders recited poems and sang songs about all of the great things at school. I continue to be amazed at how the music teachers are able to teach so many kids to memorize SO MANY words to songs and poems! The kids did a great job!

All of the 2nd graders at Oliver's school

Oliver was asked to sing in a trio for one of the songs. However, one of the other boys was sick, so his trio turned into a duet!

Eli's Dictionary--Feb. 15, 2012

I needed some old books for a project I was working on, so I took Eli with me to Goodwill. He was not thrilled to be stuck in the cart, so I grabbed the first "children's" book I saw and gave it to him to keep him quiet for a few minutes. The book I chose happened to be a children's dictionary, published sometime in the 1970s. Little did I know, this dictionary would become his favorite book! He begs us to "read" it to him, which basically means showing him the picture on each page and saying the word that goes with it. Let me just tell you, it is a real page turner.

Panning For Gold In Kansas--Feb. 3, 2012

There is a show on the Discovery Channel called "Gold Rush" that Pat and Oliver have really gotten into. (Okay, I might like it, too.) It is basically about a group of men with little to no experience as gold miners, who attempt to find gold in Alaska. Anyway, it has given Oliver the bug to find gold! So, on a rainy afternoon with a red plastic plate in hand, he and Eli panned for gold in the backyard. Much to his disappointment, no gold was found. However, he and Eli did end up having fun playing in the rain!

(Yes, I did try to get Eli to wear a pair of mittens, but since he refuses to put his thumbs in the correct thumb-hole, he was having a little difficulty wearing them and holding his umbrella at the same time. And, since holding an umbrella was CRITICAL, no mittens for Eli.)

Eli had a bit of an issue when he stood in the same place for a little too long and got completely stuck in the mud.

Thanks goodness for big brothers who rescue you!

Thursday, April 26, 2012

My boys--Jan. 11, 2012

As I was going through my photos, the next ones in line were of Eli playing with toy trains. I knew I had taken similar ones of Oliver when he was around Eli's age, but when I found the ones of Oliver, the photos were taken almost exactly 6 years earlier! I guess this is another advantage of having the boys born 5 years and 356 days apart...it is easy for me to compare similar photos!

My babies!

Another Project--Jan. 8, 2012

While we were in Ohio, I went to a really neat little shop with Pat's mom called...well, I'm not really sure what the actual name of it is, but we call it The Junk Shop. It is literally filled to the ceiling with all kinds of odds and ends. I've been there a couple of times before, and you never know what you are going to find each time you go. My kind of place!!

Anyway, I had seen an idea to make these on Pinterest, and a friend of mine from church made several of them and even brought one to our small group Christmas get-together. So, when I saw the pieces of wood that I needed to make them at The Junk Shop, I knew I needed to give it a try! The pieces of wood actually turned out to be old table legs, which worked perfectly.

My fellow crafter, Oliver, also wanted to make one, but found different table legs that he liked better for his project. This is how his turned out...I love it!

Lots of Cousins--Dec. 31, 2011

On New Year's Eve, we spent the day and evening with my cousins, Rachel and Andrew, and their families. It is always so much fun to spend time together and see the kids run around together!

The last few times we've all been together, we attempted to take a photo of all the kids lined up on a couch. Before too long, they are going to outgrow the couch!