Painting in the Park

There is an art studio that does Painting in the Park one Saturday a month in the summer.  I of course found out about it one week before the last one of the summer, but we were still excited!  It was set up in one of the pavillions at Kiroli park, they had all sorts of ceramics and canvases to paint, all of the supplies you could need and aprons for the kids.

H chose a little frog with an open place in the back.  He painted it very colorfully inside and out!

C chose an owl to paint. 

Can you see his tongue sticking out?  Concentration!

Our friend Alex (and his mama) joined us to paint.  These three are usually pretty wild, loud, and busy when together, but they were so incredibly quiet and still for close to an hour while they painted!  It was so nice!

The boys and the mamas.

Black Bayou

We had a little spell of slightly cooler weather that was perfect for outdoor activities, so we headed to Black Bayou for a morning walk.  We actually saw some friends there walking too!

 

 First Bench of the Morning Selfie

 (This is our traditional "guess where we are, SweetHart" picture!)

 This is what C was doing while me and H took our picture.  Sulking about 15 feet away.  Two was fairly pleasant for C, I'm thinking he's going to be a "Terrible Threes" boy.  He has certainly kept me on my toes and saying lots of prayers the last couple of weeks!

He did get over his attitude and we were able to enjoy the rest of the morning. 

 Lily pads in bloom!  So beautiful!

 Watching the water, looking for fish, spotting coins on the lily pads, noticing boats coming and going...

 C found a little fishing worm and was "fishing" with it.  This same worm has been all over town with us since then! 

 I love the sun sparkling on the water right below him.

 Smelling the pretty pink flower.  C thought it was a pink dandelion and tried to blow all of the fluff off of it.  H put it behind my ear for the morning.

 Saying hello to the turtles, snakes, and baby alligators in the visitors center.  The creatures were all snuggled up under the sun lamp.

 C will touch snake skin, no problem, but is scared of the "monsters" hiding in our house...

(Any tips for helping little ones overcome their fear of monsters lurking? )

 Taking a shady rest in the arboretum.  A few months ago when we were here it was covered in bare vines, but now it is lush with leaves and berries/grapes.

Oh, Black Bayou, we love you!

 

Snapshots

Sometimes I am amazed at the end of the day the amount of activities that it takes to keep two little boys occupied, happy and out of trouble throughout the day.  Swimming is a given each afternoon, but that leaves a lot of time to fill! 

 I found a great deal on an off-brand of a lot of Kinetic Sand on Amazon, and it has been fun to build castles, snowmen, and all sorts of other things out of it.  H went into his Treasure Box (of rocks, pinecones, feathers, sea glass and more from SweetHart and Pop) to decorate with and bury in the sand.

 I probably shouldn't take a picture of moments like this, but C was in such a cranky attitude one day (all that day) that it was almost becoming comical.  He was very excited to go swimming that afternoon but apparently did not want to get wet, and was not shy about letting everyone know it!  Terrible Threes?

 While the two older boys were off playing at a friends house, C was so happy hammering away on a toy in a little wagon.

 Gear Flowers as H calls it.  We tried this last year and it was just too hard for H, but he is pretty good at it now.  We have done a lot of art projects this summer!

 Thumbprint art.  H follows the directions and does these all by himself.  

Can you spot a bat by the moon, some clouds, a reindeer, a pumpkin in the grass, a flower and a little penguin?

 Kiwi Crate!

We love Kiwi Crates!  The latest one was a camp out theme, with a little campfire to build with a flickering candle under it.  H decided we needed to get real marshmallows and "roast" them over the fire.  We had a campfire in the kitchen. 

 H was doing another VBS in the evenings this past week, so C and I got to spend a little time together while H was off having fun. 

 

 We took Tatum for a walk, and I noticed C getting lower and lower in the stroller, and realized he was asleep!  So sweet!  He doesn't nap totally consistently anymore, and on days he doesn't, he is pretty tired by evening.

Enjoying some bike riding time.  He is pretty cute, and a lot of fun to play with and be around (when he's not feeling so terribly three!).  I enjoyed my evenings with him this week.

 

Yellow Park

Early one morning last week, we packed a picnic lunch and headed over to yellow park before it became too hot.  We were the only ones there, so we all (Mama included) let loose and played all sorts of fun games!

   It is so fun to see the boys progress and grow!  To see how a swing or something is too high for the boys and then they can (all of the sudden) reach it, or how H can now go a few rungs on the monkey bars without help, where a month or two ago he couldn't do that!  It is fun to see this growth, but makes me wish time would slow down just a little bit!

 For some reason, C really likes for me to stand at the bottom of the slide and try to shock him. 

 Swinging, C style!

 Swinging, H style!

 Brothers!

I'm so thankful that they have each other to play (and fight) with!

 I get to enjoy the sun and birds in the pretty pecan trees while they play.

Such a fun morning at the park! One of our friends was home from work that day and joined us for playing and our picnic lunch.  We ended up staying three hours and were hot, tired, dirty, and sweaty by the time we left, but it was all worth it!

 

Snapshots

 These loom bands are all the rage around here.  Some of H's buddies can make them, so I thought I would try it with H this summer, and it is fun!  He makes the patterns and loves to make them for our neighbors and family.  Thankfully the bands are not too expensive, because we are going through them quickly.

 We are enjoying having time to relax and enjoy home.  

That also gives time for picnics, swinging, and reading outside! 
I love these simple pleasures.

 I signed the boys up for the Summer Reading Program at our library.  We already read a lot anyway, but after H got his first prize for reading 10 books, he has been all about reading more and more books to "get my points."  They are officially "readologists" at the library, with their name on the bulletin board and can add stickers for each reading goal they meet.

 Ahhh, this is the life!  We swim every afternoon in the pool.  The perfect summer afternoon activity.

One of the toys the boys have has these little hooks, and when Pop was here, he thought they would go great on a nose... C still thinks it is great!  Silly, silly, boy! (Thanks Pop!)

An Oxford Fourth

Last year we moved away from Oxford and on to our new life on Independence Day, it was sort of good to be back there on the Fourth - it gave a little closure to that chapter of our lives, and I think the Fourth will always have an extra meaning of Independence and freedom for me.  So thankful to be free from some of the difficulties of our time in Oxford.  And so much fun to celebrate there with friends!

 Bedheads and blueberries!

The little ones started their day off right!

 The bunnies needed a special Fourth breakfast too!  

They loved feeding Elsa and Anna.

 Watching the parade.  The horses, kids, fire trucks, police car, and the "princess" (Miss Mississippi), were all big hits!

 Happy Independence Day! 

H has been sooo excited about his 'Merican Flag shirt, and is now loving all things in American Flag colors.

(The boys are both looking at the camera and both smiling - a miracle!  Mainly because someone else took the picture!)

 After the parade, we spent a good portion of the day at the pool.  The boys were in heaven, and then were tired out and sunkissed.  Naps were in order for all!

 After naps, we headed to the Grove for some fun!

Bouncehouses, corn dogs, lemonade, funnel cakes, snow cones, (healthy, I know...)

 Petting zoos, turtle racing, hoola hoops, and music to enjoy!

We finished off the day watching fireworks.  But somehow the three little boys were not too interested in the show, but in splashing in a pond....

A good day and a good visit had by all!

 

Back to Oxford

Me and the boys headed back to Oxford, MS (where we used to live) for a little visit.  We stayed with our old neighbors and friends.  I'm pretty sure C doesn't remember much about living there, and H didn't seem to remember too much until we arrived in Oxford, and then he started telling me all of the things we used to do, friends that we had, and when we would go to or drive by a place he would tell me what happened there.

 Baby Earnest is now almost two years old, and a fun little busy-body to play with.  C immediately found the little battery operated ride-on to play with.  Every time we went outside that is what he went to.  The battery was low and so Earnest had to help push it along for C.

 The kids set up their big seats like a movie theater to watch Cars.  They enjoyed having new playmates at the ready.

 The boys shared a bed there.  Too sweet not to take a picture of!

 H's work from the car ride over.  A list with "alligator" on it so we can remember to make one when we get home, and "Mama with a pony tail and x's and o's because I love her!"

 We had to visit some other buddies when we were there.   Swimming with Henry,

 Fun to see buddies!

"Cheese!"

We had a nice evening throwing the ball for Teddy and swinging on the porch swing together.