Simon once again grew his hair out this winter and cut it once spring arrived (2012 and 2011). This year he just wasn’t as in to the long locks so he cut his hair early (Quinn, however, is still growing his).
Before:
Aaaaaaand after:
Not as huge a change as last year!
The last time we went to the aquarium both Quinn and Kieran were sick. Quinn remembers the aquarium as the place where he had a terrible headache and thus it has taken us two years to convince him to go back. He had more fun this time.
(Yes, that is Kieran, kissing a ray)
These two. Always:
The secret to the aquarium, I guess, is go on Sunday evening. It was as empty as I’ve ever seen it when we went. We had some of the aquarium and all the play place all to ourselves.
I love Beckett’s look of delight as he shoves Kieran off:
We explored and played until we were exhausted. Quinn ended the night in tears, which is really sad…but still better than with a headache.
I have been delighted to watch Asher grow from a teeny baby to a four month old to an eight month old. Asher is one cute and one loved little guy!
We met at Asher’s home so he could play on his own turf. He is still Mr. Personality – but now he’s Mr. Personality with a mouth full of teeth!
Over spring break we decided to take a mini-break and stay over night in Colorado Springs. It was awesome: we got to hang out with my awesome in-laws for two evenings, we finally took the kids to the Cheyenne Mountain zoo and I got a chance to do a photo shoot (photos coming soon!). It was a whirlwind, but it was a fun whirlwind.
On the way down we stopped by the State Capitol and explored while my husband did some work:
Then we checked in to our hotel room. My kids are SO EXCITED to stay in hotel rooms that they immediately start jumping from bed to bed, running and screaming. I’m sorry, fellow hotel guests.
The next morning we got up and headed to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. The highlight of this zoo is that you can feed the giraffes. Since no one will let me have a pet giraffe, which I’d really like to have, I am delighted by the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.
Beckett thought the giraffes were really funny….
…right up until they looked at him. Then he was hysterical.
Beckett did not feed the giraffes.
The rest of us had fun though.
The zoo wiped us out.
But we still had fun playing with grandparents.
(I love the way my mother-in-law decorates her house!)
Chuck E. Cheese represents many things, only one of which is brilliant marketing. We live close to a Chuck E. Cheese and they’ve placed their signs so that they are visible from every child seat, from any angle. Even my kids who can’t read see the sign when I’m driving and scream “CHUCK E. CHEESE! Mom! When can we go to CHUCK E. CHEESE!?”
It just so happens that for the past few years we only ever got around to visiting Chuck E. Cheese over spring break so this year I expanded that into a little white lie: “Spring break, guys. Unfortunately we can only go to Chuck E Cheese on spring break.”
The downside to this lie is that it meant that spring break found us in Chuck E. Cheese again.
The kids were happy.
How a two year old plays skeeball:
I stuck this picture in as proof that I do still have older sons. They are older, shaggier, more absorbed in video games and much less likely to smile at me versions of the younger two:
Once upon a time I was a college student who was OBSESSED with photography. I used to take rolls and rolls and rolls of film. My mom used to take these rolls of film to work with her and then sit down in front of me to show my pictures to co-workers. She’d flip the next print from the stack and then wave her hand over it dismissively and say “never mind that. She’s just trying to be artistic.” I adore this next picture because I can just see Quinn in his head thinking “Never mind Mom. She’s just trying to be artistic.”
Decisions, decisions:
So proud of the bling he “won” at Chuck E. Cheese:”
My first baby is double digits already!
On the eve of his birthday he found me and asked if I was sad to have left single digits behind when I turned ten. I thought really hard about it and realized that no, I didn’t. I felt so grown up at age ten. I don’t think I’ve ever felt smarter or more on top of the world than I did from ages ten to twelve. I told this to Simon and he just laughed and told me that’s how he feels too. So grown up. He woke up on his birthday and told me that he felt bigger, stronger and smarter just by waking up at age ten. Ten has it’s own special magic.
This boy flew into my life with his flaming orange hair, what I least expected after all my years of anticipating motherhood. He turned absolutely everything I believed to by true about parenting on it’s head, and I love him for it. He is his own person and I couldn’t have planned a person as remarkable as my first son.
I can’t wait to see who you grow into, my Sy. I love you and I’m glad you’re mine. And also? I cannot believe you still have red hair.
I am absolutely positive that my first little blonde boy was born just a little bit ago yet somehow he is five already. When did he stop being a baby!?
My Kier-io, you light up my world. You never stop making me laugh, exasperating me or challenging me to see the world through new eyes. I’m glad you’re mine, buddy.
A few of Kieran’s five year pictures (marker, crumbs and all):
(he still NEVER stops talking…)
I’m tempted to bag the whole photography thing and just write a blog filled with all the pictures I take that make me laugh out loud. Nah, not really. But funny pictures are still my favorite.
Case in point: I was trying a new reflector/background setup and I needed a quick volunteer to do some test shots. Kieran volunteered but by the time we got upstairs to shoot Beckett had caught on and wanted in on the action as well. So Kieran pulled Bex up and I fired off a few quick shots. At the time I was thinking “aw, how sweet! Kieran is snuggling Bex! These are going to be awesome!” And then I sat down to edit and realized they were NOT cuddling but instead Kieran had Beckett by the face and then the ear. So, um…yeah. We have authentic brothers happening right here. My two favorite parts are that Kieran never did release the ear and Beckett never did cry. He even tried to smile at the end. He loves his bro that much. Or something.
But doesn’t the set up make their skin look GORGEOUS while they torture each other!? HA!
This month’s The Way I View topic was interesting perspectives. For this I give you Kieran trying not to lose his cookies on the spinny thing, from several different perspectives!
Now I feel sick too!
Now head over to Colie’s blog to see how she interpreted the topic!
One of my favorite things is a picture of all of my kids, all looking at the camera. There is a certain satisfaction that comes from having everything come together in that one perfect moment. But I have to confess that pictures of all four kids together, heading in different directions or all in a pile make my heart sing. This. THIS is my life. The constant counting to four over and over again all day long. The chaos of my family.
(don’t mind the fact that Quinn just fell down in the background….)
