Spring

Hurray for warm weather!  Tyn's gotten pretty good at going down the slides alone.  I love that there are sooo many parks her to choose from.  

 A friend of mine showed the boys around her family farm.  The boys loved it--cows, goats, chickens, dog, cat.  

Tyn was very excited about the animals, but was very frustrated that the chickens and cats wouldn't let him pet them.

We call this "rock-a-baby," and the boys, especially Tyn, love to do it.  

 We found these two dump trucks on the side of the road with other trash waiting to be picked up.  One man's trash is two little boys' treasure!  They have loved these things!

 If only I could keep our home from looking like a construction zone--they mostly now just like to dig dirt with their little shovels and dump it somewhere.  

 Garden time!  Hurray, hurray, hurray!  Ked took this picture.  Nice centering, Keddo!

Ked has been a great helper in the garden.  And he doesn't get into much trouble or wander off like he used to.  :)  Putting up the deer fence.

Sunday afternoon with my three favorite guys

just lyin' around. . . on the hard floor

3.2 for 32

 Ked ran the last half mile or so of the "3.2 for 32" with me.  Or rode on my shoulders.  Love this smile!

 Sam and the boys tracked the path on the bike and greeted me at several points.  Made it a lot more fun!  Since you kind of have to walk a portion of the race anyway, I hung out with them a fair amount.  

 Wish I'd taken a picture at the beginning of the race when we all let go of the balloons together.  Pretty neat.  It was fun to hang out with Ked for a little bit afterwards, while Sam took Tyn home for a much needed nap.  

This was the day that Ked, after getting many greetings of "Hey buddy!" and lots of high fives, become obsessed with camouflage.  I had previously been unsuccessful in trying to get him to wear some camouflage hand-me-downs, but this evening he went through his drawers and produced a long sleeve shirt and sweat pants that he wore as pajamas.  And was excited to realize he had a few more camouflage items.

Big Helper

I love it when Ked takes his own initiative to help me with household chores--emptying the washer and loading the dryer.   

Of course, no noisy task (when the washer was still running and waiting to buzz) is complete without the earmuffs.  (I may have been using the blender at the time as well.)

Ked, 3 3/4 years old

CA visit -- Beach Day

Our last day home, we finally had a warm enough day for the beach!  And it was a great one.

We loved getting to spend so much time with Wendy's family, who were also at the ranch.

Tyndale totally loved the water (even as frigid as it was), which made me really happy!

Sam and I even got to go in the water together!  (Courtesy of Wendy and Joseph watching the boys.)

The waves weren't awesome, but they were decent.  I'm getting old, though, and can't last in the water that long.  My feet were blocks of frozen, aching lead by the time I got out (itchy pain while thawing!), and we weren't even in that long.  (It was a bit on the colder-than-usual side, though.)  The water was so unusually clear, though!  Beautiful.  I love being in the ocean waves.  I miss it.

Joseph and Porter

The way Ked loved the beach made me really wish we had a huge sand box.  He was so content for so long, by himself or with others.

Ked's typical furrowed-brow look.  He was loving it.

Ked also liked the water a lot more than the last time.  :)

He got in before I'd changed him.

The guys.

Tyn and Porter also loved chasing seagulls.  It was  funny watching the two of them run off together, far away (usually after a bird), never looking back.  

It made me extra happy that it was a good day for finding lots of horse shoe crabs (and shoes and rocks).  I've missed that familiar sensation of feeling your heel sink in just the right way and knowing there's a big one down there!

CA visit -- other family visits

It was so nice to have a longer trip home that wasn't so scheduled.  We got to visit a lot of family and spend a little more one-on-one time with them (though never enough!).

We got to spend half a day with Gramp Z.  He remembered who we were for the most part, and it was fun to get to talk to him and have the boys interact with him.  He was very happy for our visit.

Tyn claimed Gramp's BYU hat and walker.  (Great choice on the hat--there were a few others.)

The only great grandparent my boys have left.  I hope they will remember him!  Ked was impressed when I told him Gramp used to be a pilot.

 After a park visit with my Aunt and cousin and her kids (no pictures, unfortunately), we walked over to visit Rod, my oldest brother, at his fire station.  

Ked demanded the earmuffs for this visit.  He was very intimidated a lot of the time (scared of all the vehicles and equipment and what might potentially make a loud noise), but really fascinated and enjoying it too.  Especially being in the driver's seat, as you can see above.  

Tyn thought it was pretty cool too.

It was great to visit with Kate's family and finally see their new home!  And scope out all the plants in their backyard.  :)

Wendy and Joseph, Kate and Mark, us

Kate and me

Carson?, Tyn, Hailey, Porter, Ked, Tyler?

Luke and Tyn

We also got to spend some time with Jason and Ann's family--at their place, Trevor's, and at the ranch.  Here's the monthly birthday bash.  Jason and Ann and their kids, and Wendy and Joseph with Porter.

CA visit -- the good, the bad, the pretty

Thankfully it wasn't when I was driving just with Ked earlier that morning (without my cell phone) that the tire of the borrowed car went flat (although I secretly always wonder if I could change it myelf).  It was while Sam was with us!  

And there was a rainbow for us to enjoy while we waited. 

CA trip -- the Ranch

I loved being back home, and especially showing the boys around the ranch-- the many little things that mean home to me! And of course, they loved everything about it.  Except having to go back inside.  I also thoroughly enjoyed pruning about 20 small fruit trees.  It almost surprised me how much I enjoy that type of physical labor and how "in my element" I felt.  I was definitely born to enjoy the outdoors (and warmer weather!!!).

So cute with the horses.  Tyn was always trying to feed the animals something they don't eat.  

Porter, Tyn, and Ked

Tyndale loooooved Butter.  No wonder I couldn't get him to eat the whole trip.  (Mom, there's a dog outside the kitchen window!  How am I supposed to sit still and eat?  Let me play with the dog!)  It impressed me that he suddenly knew not to go for the animal's face, as toddlers seem to do.  He would always go to his side and put his hand on the dog's neck, sometimes petting, sometimes looking at the dog's face and talking to him, and a lot of times just standing next to the dog; one hand on its neck, the other hand with his thumb in his mouth.  

The boys were very excited about all of Grampa's tractors and ranch equipment.  Ked didn't even need his earmuffs!  Tyn never did go for a real ride, though, as minutes before this picture was taken, I'd lost Tyn (19 months) for a moment and found him running wildly away from the big, noisy, oncoming tractor!  Bad parenting moment, I tell ya.  Dad saw him, though, and saw me running madly towards Tyn, even though Tyn never saw me until I was just about to scoop him up in my arms.  (He as too busy looking back at the tractor as he ran away to the right of it.)  Yeah, he wasn't about to let go of me to join them on the tractor for a picture.  Unfortunately, he didn't seem to learn his lesson about not wandering off!

 My dad, Ked, Porter, family friend

Ked and Tyn, practicing being like Grampa!

They boys loved the little tree fort playground their older cousins built.  Tyn especially was a fan of the slide and the tire swing.

 The three amigos.  I love seeing our boys getting to enjoy their cousins!  And we loved having Porter around all the time!

I got a lot of exercise pushing these three around on this thing.  And breaking up fights over who got what toy.

Ked and Poter (Wendy watching) playing in the big puddle.  Ked had a lot of fun kicking water to Jewels (neighbor dog who loves to jump and snap at water). Sam had fun siphoning it all away later.  

Trampoline fun with some cousins--Jenna, Ked, Hailey (who was a great helper with Ked!), Tyn, and Luke. The boys loved their cousins!  (And now when Ked meets any new kids that he has fun with, he thinks they are his cousins too.)

 I'm always trying to get Ked to wear jeans.  I told him when we're on the ranch, we wear jeans.  It worked.  A few days after we got home, he told me that Grampa was a cowboy, because he has horses.  

 Love this one of Porter.  He ended up going under.  But look at that 90 degree angle!

It always impresses me how my boys don't need any toys or things to entertain them if they just have some open outdoor space, dirt and sticks.