boys will be boys....

 Micah jumping

 Judah jumping

 Micah, tongue always out

 Judah having fun jumping

 Micah and Judah painting the floor

 Digging in the dirt

Judah learning to work hard

 Lots of playing in the dirt

 Micah with a worm

 playing barefoot and dirty feet

 Judah's first time with a roasted marshmallow

 Micah taking a "bath" outside

 Micah and Judah getting clean after playing hard outside

Dirty hands, but the marshmallows are still finger-licking good

I love these boys and I love that they love everything about being boys!

Outdoor Boys

We've got some boys that love the outdoors, and if it wasn't so hot and humid right now, we would probably spend a lot more time outside. Looking forward to camping with 3 boys in the future. I think they'll love it.
For now, a glimpse into the world of outdoor boys during the summer of 2011...

Judah @ 15 months

Micah @ 2.5 years

Micah and Judah playing "together" in the sand. Judah with a pacifier so he won't eat the sand...anymore...

Micah driving the bulldozer at Dutch Wonderland in PA.

Judah relaxing on the bulldozer at Dutch Wonderland in PA.

Running in the grass, in the front yard, in a diaper. Perfect summer activity.

Micah playing a combination of golf, baseball, and something else that involves a giant inflated ball. And yes, he is likely a lefty, though he is still quite coordinated with his right.

Judah saying "baby" as he pats Micah's head. Getting ready for baby Carroll #3.

Micah on an inflatable slide at a friend's birthday party. He loves the water.

Judah playing in a pool at a friend's house, but wanting the water to be deeper..."get me out, mommy."

When there is not time for a slide or a visit to the pool, there is always the hose right outside...

Micah and Judah on a tire swing while visiting with Pappy in PA.

Judah, "what?"

Judah and Daddy on the lake for July 4th. He would rather be in the water or running around freely than on the boat and in a life jacket...

Micah and Mommy posing for the camera on the boat for July 4th. Nice that we can both share the sunglasses...

Judah tubing, but wanting to be IN the water.

Micah and his "swimmies" that have helped him with his independence in the water this year.

Micah and Judah on the hammock at the lake after a long day...

Tough Boy

Micah is getting faster. Running. Fast like I sometimes have a hard time catching him when we run around the house...
And as he gets faster, the falls get harder...
I think this might be the worst yet. Granted, a little distraction can calm the crying rather quickly in situations like this, but I think it was the hardest fall, the most blood on a knee, and the most crying for a fall...so far...

Right after it happened. Well, after the crying had stopped and he was distracted with a peanut butter cookie and a girl.

The next morning, as he was showing it off. We have helped him learn to love a good boo-boo! This is before he fell on the carpet at church and opened it up again. Poor guy. Then on the way out from church he fell again, opening it once again as well as scraping the other knee...he tends to fall a lot when he gets tired...

I have a boy!

And he is ALL boy!
And I love it!
But the moments when the tears flow, and maybe even the blood flows, it gets a little harder having a boy. Having 2 boys!
I know that falls are inevitable, so we have tried our hardest to make falling seem like a very okay thing. We just say funny words like "bonkers!" or we say "awesome" like it was a really great fall, or we just don't pay attention...and most of the time the tears do not come in these instances.
Micah had a good fall recently. He was outside, holding Matt's hand, stepping down a little step and just slipped a bit. Matt helped him back up and we all went for a walk around the neighborhood. When we got back we continued to watch him play in the front yard and it wasn't until then that he was squatted down in a way that revealed the scrape on his knee! He never whimpered one bit, never touched it or complained or anything...hopefully he stays this tough (although I do look forward to making boo boo's better with my kisses too!!).