Fireworks

The past couple of years, Micah and Judah have struggled some with 4th of July fireworks because of the noise level. We did not do a big show this year, but instead bought a couple small "fireworks" after the holiday to try at home with the boys. We happened to be out at the lake for "blackout camp" when we did this.
They were good. Not too much, not too loud. The funniest part for me was watching over the course of it, Micah and Judah's expressions. They are watching the same thing, Micah's expression changes over time, Judah's, doesn't.

I took a lot of pictures, very fast ones. If I scroll through them fast enough, it almost looks like video. It makes it more obvious that there is some change in Judah's expression. The change is subtle, and all in the eyebrows.

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...

Friday's Fave Five: July 9

It's been a while for me. Again. But I love it, so I back. And linking up over here.
We were out of town last Friday. Went to visit a lot of my husband's family, and tried to make it seem more like our first vacation as a family of 4! Back for a while now though, so things should be (maybe) regular. These are my top moments over the last two weeks...the things that make my heart excited for life!

1. family vacation. We headed out of town last week for a retirement party and decided to try to make it into our first "family vacation" with the boys. We took our time getting there and getting home, as both boys pretty much hate the car, so we would stop for an hour or more at a time at places we could let Micah run around and play and just let Judah be free from the seat. The travel time wasn't as bad as I thought, and it was great to enjoy some extra time together as a family.

2. running.  My husband and I decided that this would be the week to really start getting back in shape. I could put some blame on having 2 kids under 2, but I really just haven't made it a priority. That is over. Judah is getting more consistent with sleeping through the night, but still usually wakes up sometime in the 6 am time-frame, so I figured hubs and I could take turns running in the morning/spending time with Judah before Micah wakes up. We decided on Mon/Wed/Fri since we don't have early meetings to get ready for. And I am 3 for 3! Feels good!

3. bible reading. I read about some people starting the "Bible in 90 Days" challenge and since that is the series we are about to go through with our Middle Schoolers at church (the goodness of reading the Bible) I got really excited and decided to take the challenge. It has been great! It is fast, but I think this helps me to enjoy the overall story throughout. I have a Bible app on my iTouch and this helps me a ton to be able to just read whenever and wherever I am (and with only one hand needed) and I don't have all the extra notes/commentary to work through and make my readings longer...it's been a good experience for me thus far!

4. 4th of july with micah. Last year Micah slept through any fireworks...as did Judah this year. But hubs walked Micah down the road (where a local church was handing out watermelon) and sat on the lawn so they could view the fireworks from our local baseball stadium. Micah seems to be a little more serious in situations like these, just taking it all in...observing everything he can, as quietly as he can. So young, yet already seeing that personality (seen in the video below)...

5. open house. We are not moving, or having an open house...but I am striving to make my house more open in general. I would love for someone to stop by during the day and me not be embarrassed by the clutter/dishes/mess around the house. I would love to have more people over for meals and not have to spend all day cleaning because I haven't worked on it all week...so these are things I am working on...making my house more inviting. Making it a place where we feel free to have people over more often, and just because...it's happened some recently and I have greatly enjoyed the extra time spent with people in our home, but I would love for it to be happening even more often...