Neighborhood Fun!

We had such a fun weekend with our neighbors! The past couple summers we have spent many nights around the fire, roasting marshmallows with the gang on Howard Street....and since it was such a warm evening Saturday night, Clare and Sam decided to start the ball rolling with the first bonfire of the season! :-) 

Camden loved being part of the action and watching all the big kids run around!

Someone came up with the idea to line the kids up by the fence for a photo op. Best idea ever! We will have to make this an anual thing now :-)

Surprisingly, the boys were the first to appear (and little Emma) :-) 

Eventually, all the kids made their way over and the adults started clicking away :-)

Leo sure loved his S'more....so much so that he wouldn't put it down, not even for a picture - ha!

Love this group of kids and their families! 

Sunday morning brought another fun activity....our 2nd annual Howard Street Boat Race!!

Brett and Jack worked hard on their boats prior to the big day!

While the big boys worked on their boats, Camden had fun exploring the grass!

Brett woke up bright and early Sunday morning ready to race! He was excited and loved showing off the boat that he made!

Last year he made a raft, and this year....a Pirate Ship! 

The neighbors met at our house first for pictures. Brett was eager to greet Carolyn and see the boat that she made!

Hanging out while we waited for everyone to arrive :-)

Then...time for pictures of all the kids!

Since Camden was still napping, I stayed back with him and sent the camera with Kyle.....and these are the only two pictures he took! I guess he was just having too much fun to bother with action shots :-)

The kids eagerly put their boats in the water as soon as they got to the park..

And they were off!!

When Camden woke up, I quickly put him the stroller and walked to the bridge near North Creek to watch the boats cross the finish line! 

Emma and Anna watched for them too :-) Next year they will be old enough to participate!

Unfortunately, that is the last picture I took because Brett arrived in tears :-( Somehow, his boat got lost along the journey and he was devastated. He did come up with the idea to quickly make a new one which helped ease his disappointment....but it just wasn't the same as having the one he worked really hard on.
Despite the disappointment during the boat race, we had such a great time with our friends and look forward to many more neighborhood activities this summer!

Easter!

Easter morning started bright and early when Brett came into our room at 6:30, ready to find his and Camden's Easter baskets! He was so excited and searched the whole house before finding them by the front door :-) 

Brett was all smiles while he looked over his spread from the Easter Bunny :-) 

Camden's first Easter basket.....filled with bubbles, a bath toy, and a hanging toy for his car seat. Also some chocolate for mom and dad :-)

He was a happy baby and loved being part of the excitement! 

This year we decided to try the community Easter Egg Hunt at the Retirement center in Chelsea. Kyle warned me about his bad memories of these massive hunts from when he was a kid and would walk away empty handed....but I convinced him to let go of his memory and let Brett experience it for himself. Well, long story short....I should've listened to my husband! There were so many kids and seriously, within 30 seconds or so, ALL the eggs were gone and Brett ended up with only one little egg in his basket. If you want those eggs, you have to be quick...and by quick, I mean running as fast as you can with no worry of who you might run over! Like me, Brett is cautious in big crowds, so the poor kid just didn't have a chance. Lesson learned for next year!

No Easter is complete without a real Easter egg hunt where you actually collect some eggs....so Sunday afternoon the hunt was on....in our front yard :-)

Camden was happy to sit on daddy's lap and watch! 

After the search, it was time to open up all of his eggs to see what he got! 

We had such a wonderful time hanging out together.,..our first Easter as a family of four!

My three boys at play....LOVE IT!!!

Me and my little loves :-)

Later that afternoon, I dressed the boys in their buttondowns and we headed over to my parent's house for Easter dinner. But before we left.....pictures of course!

My mom is just the best! She set up a scavenger hunt with clues to lead Brett to his Easter gifts from them, And she didn't even take credit....she told him that the Easter Bunny visited their house too!

Brett found the first clue on the front porch next to one of his dinosaurs :-)

Throughout the scavenger hunt, Brett found many different surprises, like candy, new books, and last but not least....a new lego set! Here he is putting it together on the back porch. Yes, it was that warm!

Then it was time for dinner! I had to take a picture of my moms beautiful centerpiece. I swear, she is the best decorator I know! 

She even had a special Peter Rabbit plate and cup for Brett to use. I hope I am as good of a grandma as she is one day!

All the fresh air and excitement wore Camden out - and just at the right time so Kyle and I had free hands to eat...ha! I couldn't help staring at our perfect, beautiful boy though. We are just so lucky to have him and Brett!

5 months old!!

 Our happy baby at 5 months old!!!!

Camden continues to grow and change like crazy and I seriously cannot believe he is already 5 months old!! His newest fete is rolling over from his back to his tummy! He has been so close for so long, and finally a few days ago he did it! I was talking on the phone with my friend Deborah and mentioned to her how close he was.....and then a few minutes later I looked over and he was on his stomach! Since then, every time we lay him down, he rolls over! At first he is very proud and happy, but it doesn't take long for him to try crawling, and when it doesn't work, he gets so frustrated! He wants to move! Camden also continues to love his hands and wants to put everything in his mouth. He also loves to suck on his little thumbs which is just the cutest thing ever! He has mastered grabbing and holding on to toys now, and his favorite is little Fan Fan the Deer (a teether).  Camden lights up every time Brett enters the room and doesn't take take his eyes off him when he around. Brett is so good at making his baby brother smile and giggle, and asks to hold him every day :-) I sure do love my boys, and watching them together is the best!

Easter eggs and Pirates

Last night we dyed Easter eggs and made Easter egg pirates! 

All setup and ready to create!

Working on one of the pirates! Rrrrr!

Dying eggs :-)

Brett had fun drawing pictures with a white crayon and then dipping them into the colors!

Love my handsome big boy!!

Brett put his favorite eggs in this little Easter basket :-)

I had fun dying brown Easter eggs...love the natural colors!

And here's a close up of Brett's! Notice the cool designs!

And look at that! Pirate eggs! I think this was Brett's favorite part :-)

Happy Easter everyone!!!