Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Aiden is really growing fast and is such a stinker right now!

Throwing pennies in the fountain

John's good friend from work, Mark, gave him a going away gift for the boys. Lots of pennies for the fountain! We have enjoyed many lunches with Mark and throw pennies in the fountain each time. Thanks Mark!

New Car!

We can all fit in the back seat. I didn't say we had A LOT of extra room, but it works as a secondary car and actually its a little easier to get them in and out quickly than it is with the van.

Packed in the car!

Luke's waffles

I am not sure that I enjoy making waffles too much anymore!

Crammed into the train at the zoo

Cool swing at the park

Historic Bridge Plaque with my maiden name "Morse"

Walking across the historic bridge and very thankful they have that sturdy white fence

Automobiles: If you are interested in buying a new car, but you would like to look without the hassles of a salesperson, you can borrow our kids! Yes, that's right, just let us know the time and place. We have been car shopping this week and it seems that if you take the boys with you, the sales people are guaranteed to leave you alone. Completely alone. We have debated a new car for some time now because our Jeep Liberty is 10 years old and all five of us cannot ride in it together. So, when we need an extra car or when there is inclement weather and a 4 wheel drive vehicle is needed, we have a small problem. We wanted a vehicle that could accomodate three car seats, would have 4 wheel drive, and would be somewhat fuel efficient. A 4-door sedan is fuel efficient, but not good in the snow or big enough for us. Another SUV would be great in the snow and plenty big enough, but it requires lots of gas. We finally found our solution and purchased a Subaru Outback which has a lot of interior space, holds all three carseats, is 4-wheel drive, and is more gas efficient! The boys are really excited about the new car although they were very confused about giving up the old car. Liam even asked how we would get the new car home and wondered if we would carry it on top of the van.

Trains: During our busy week of car shopping, I failed to take many pictures. We visited the Zoo this week and rode the train three times, but we only managed to get one picture of me and the boys on the train.

Planes: John will hopefully be on a few less planes this next year as he has decided to take a new position. No, we are not moving this time. He accepted a position in the cardiology division at Medtronic, which is a Minneapolis based medical device company. He will be working on the leads that are used in pacemakers. Although it was a very difficult decision to leave his current job at Upsher-Smith, we are hoping this will provide more opportunities for him. I am hoping he has a little less travel as well, at least fewer international trips.

Extremely Hot

Liam and Luke helping Daddy mow the yard

Liam followed John the entire time he mowed the yard. Luke made it most of the time and was pretty hot and tired at the end.

Worms and Dirt (Oreos and Gummy Worms) with our friends. We had 13 kids total.

Aiden's favorite part of the bouncy thing

Jumping!

We visited "Maple Grove Days" in our town and the boys were so excited to sit in a real firetruck, ambulance, street cleaner, and a police car.

Riding in the cars at Maple Grove Days

Riding the horses

Aiden and Luke jumping around

We have had a year of extremes with weather. With an extremely cold winter and virtually no spring (just an extension of winter), we jumped right into summer this week. With temperatures in the high 90's with high humidity, it felt like over 100 degrees outside. Due to the heat, pretty much all of our outdoor activities this week had to involve water. The playground equipment was too hot to slide on and the driveway felt like you could fry an egg on it. I do not want to sound like I am complaining because I am not, but it was quite a surprise to have this kind of heat in Minnesota. It was very nice to swim when it is actually warm outside and we did not have to see if the temperatures would be warm enough for swimming.

We had a really fun play date at our house with some of our twin friends and a few neighborhood friends. We were swimming, jumping, and sliding for nearly 4 hours and the boys were exhausted afterwards. We made "dirt and worms" (thanks for the idea, Grandma Carrithers), threw water ballons, and had lots of fun. Thanks to all our twin friends and neighbors for joining us!

My Brother's Helper

Aiden and Daddy relaxing

Dancing in the Rain

Liam with his green frog umbrella. He is always reminding us that green is his favorite color.

Aiden

Maybe a little too much brushing for Aiden

Brushing Aiden's hair before school. Aiden was pretty tolerant initially.

Liam pulled a chair over in the sun one morning this week so that he could watch the boy next door mow the yard. Of course, Luke and Aiden had to join him.

Watching the lawnmower

John and Grandpa Carrithers bought us a bird feeder recently. I had my doubts as to whether it would be quiet enough around here for the birds to visit our feeder, but apparently they don't really care. We have some seriously hungry birds in our area! We have filled this thing up about 5 times in two weeks.

Luke is stacking up toys on Aiden's highchair for him to play with

Although we have some not so great moments, for the most part the boys play pretty well together and typically offer to help each other out. Aiden is becoming more and more involved in whatever Luke and Liam are doing and he follows them around all the time. He is pretty tough for his age and gets knocked around a fair amount, but he keeps on going. Luke and Liam are always watching out for him too. Liam is very good about bringing Aiden his pacifier if he is fussing and Luke is quick to talk to Aiden or share his food and toys when Aiden asks for something. I have a few pictures from this week to illustrate some of my points.

Couple More pictures....

Baseball in backyard with new bats from Grandma and Grandpa

Popsicles at the pool

Yummy!

and a little sticky....

Aiden at 18 months

More with Grandma and Grandpa Carrithers

This picture of John and Aiden was taken a few weeks ago at the small Hennepin County Fair we went to. It was printed in a small local newspaper.

Aiden is helping John water the plants (and himself). It is finally hot here and very humid.

The boys are helping Daddy repair the drapes that they pulled down. Supposedly, the new anchors will hold up to 238 lbs. The boys love to look out the window when they are supposed to be sleeping.

Reading books before bed with Grandma and Grandpa

More books!

The boys had a wonderful couple of days after the 4th of July with Grandma and Grandpa Carrithers. They returned to school on Thursday and the first thing their teacher asked was what they did over the 4th of July. I was thinking they would say that they went to the baseball game because they have been talking about it, but they said that they read books on the deck with Grandma and Grandpa. Funny since we only did this one night while they were here, but they always seem to remember the little things. Thanks for the visit Grandma and Grandpa!

Aiden turned 18 months old on July 2nd. He is really funny right now and so animated at times. When he goes to the grocery store with me, he says "Hi" (somewhat loudly) to everyone we pass. He is saying all kinds of words and is much farther along in his verbal capabilities than either Luke or Liam at this age. He repeats almost everything and studies his brothers when they are playing. He has a good understanding of words as well and will do things like put on his shoes when we ask him to. He is also quite insistent and makes it very clear when he does not approve of something.

Happy Fourth of July!

Aiden on the slip and slide with Daddy's help

Making some "dirt and worms" that Grandma brought for us

Yummy!

Luke is so clean...

Liam is showing us his worm

Luke on the slip and slide!

Aiden loved his beach towel almost like his blankie

Taking a bite out of the ball that Grandma and Grandpa brought

Sitting the the shade and watching the boys run around like crazy

Posing with Daddy at the baseball game

Luke and Liam at the Twins game

Ice Cream! Liam likes vanilla with M&M candies and Luke likes chocolate with Oreo cookies. Yes, they are definitely very different!

Go Twins!

Luke and Grandma

Coffee and Juice on the front porch

We are enjoying a beautiful 4th of July weekend in Minnesota with Grandma and Grandpa Carrithers. The boys are having a wonderful time with the extra attention and love having someone else to talk to. We have done lots of outdoor activities including a Twins baseball game, grilling some ribs, bike riding, and swimming. The weather has been ideal to be outside and we are making the most of it. Enjoy the pictures, I think most of them speak for themselves!