In the Game

Reed is really into football these days, and he does a fair amount of trash talking about his playing skills.  Tonight I saw him on the line of scrimmage ready for some LSU Tiger action. 

Football

Ryland is loving football this year.  He is engaged and going for it every game.  Today, he was on fire.  He saved 4 touchdowns by running down the runner and taking them to the ground.  The boy can run, fast.  He loves his coaches and teammates and looks forward to going every week.  Several parents and the coaches made numerous comments today about how well he was playing.  My favorite part was when he helped pull the other team's players off his buddy after a tackle.  He then helped pull his man up.  It made my heart melt.  Some other moms saw this and commented on how sweet this was of him.  That's my sweetie, Ryland! 

Hide and Seek

Where are Ridley and Reed?  I just don't know.  

I did find some pretty cute feet.  They played for a full hour in my closet.

Playing

In my longing for less stress and a slower pace, I took the kids on a walk/bike ride this afternoon after school.  We headed down to the greenbelt to enjoy the trails.  Before I knew it, we were playing in the creek and under the bridge. 

This is the last photo of the day, and I love it.  I love their sweet expressions of joy!

Too big

Reed is a fun loving kiddo.  This afternoon he decided that he would set up some obstacles and roll around on Ridley's princess ride. I think he is just a little bit too big for it, but he was having a blast. 

Sand

Dreaming of Anguilla sand, but this will do for today.  They had so much fun, and now we know that Ridley will be right in the middle of the sandcastle fun when we are on vacation.  

Cleaning Crew

It was a strange afternoon.  They boys wanted to clean!  I found them in the game room wiping everything down with damp rags.  They were even working together to clean their little kitchen set.  I am not sure what is going on here. They must be up to something, but I like it.

Who Needs Toys?

Our children have way too many toys, and I have been trying to simplify and scale back.  I realized once again that they can entertain themselves with the simplest of things.  All three of them played in a cardboard box today, but Reed and Ridley really loved it.  For well over an hour, they giggled and chatted while sitting in this box with a few stuffed animals and a blanket.  

Silly camo

The boys were playing upstairs in the game room this morning.  I carried some laundry up to their rooms, and I peaked in to see what they were doing. Those silly boys had dressed up their favorite stuffed animals in their camo clothes.  They lined all the animals up on cushions and the toy tractor to pose for a picture. I love to see them play together and use their imaginations.

Handy Reed

Paradise Pond is a wonderful, entertaining, indoor playground.  The boys were thrilled that they were invited to a birthday party, and I heard the whole week about how they could not wait to go to Paradise Pond.  So why is it that I couldn't find Reed playing in the bounce house, superhero dress up, dinosaur area, jungle gym, or even playing with the thousands of cars and race tracks?  I found him "working" on the wall on the far side of the building.  Oh my, what have we done to our children?  Maybe we have done too many projects around the house.

 

Fun outside

We started the day at Parr Park in Grapevine.  The boys were a little cautious of the splash pad when we first arrived, so we headed to the playground first. 

 

 

After sliding and climbing for a little while, the boys were hot and sweaty.  The splash pad looked a lot more appealing, so they ran over to cool off.  The first moment they hit the chilly water was too funny.  It was almost like they were in shock. 

 

 

We spent the entire afternoon playing in the backyard at home.  I love to watch them play on the swings and dig in the sand.  Reed ran over to say, "I love you to the moon and back the mostest".  (Our special little saying.) He then disappeared back into the sand box with his brother.  

 

We wrapped up the evening with a cold popsicle, and Ryland did a little jumping. It was wonderful to have Ryland and Reed at home.   I missed my boys so much, and I am so happy they are back!

Mud

In preparation for the front yard project, John Chris mowed the old grass really short and found a sprinkler leak.  It had rained the night before, so we had a small mud pit.  The boys couldn't help themselves from getting a little messy.  John Chris and I just watched and giggled as they played.  They had an absolute blast rolling around and running in the sloppy mud.

 

 

Blastball Saturday

We enjoyed another beautiful morning at the ballpark.  Ryland had a blast playing blastball with his buddies and playing in the dugout. 

 

 

Reed liked playing with the siblings.  I caught him checking out Jewel while having a snack.

 

When she came over to him, he looked away.  He was totally playing hard to get like he was too cool.  Well, I hate to tell you Reed, but she was after your snacks.  I love these fun little personalities.

 

 

Dishwasher

I heard a ton of laughter in the kitchen, so I peeked around the corner to see what was going on.  I found Reed climbing in the dishwasher.  Ryland was standing right beside him, and they both were laughing hysterically.  Oh brother!

Playing quietly

It was really quiet in the family room tonight.  Usually when it is quiet, it means there is trouble.  Not tonight.  Ryland and Reed were both playing with their toys and far off in their imagination lands.  We sat for a bit to enjoy the moment and watch them play.

 

Playing kitchen

 

The boys were on a terror roll this afternoon.  In hopes of distracting them from the constant bickering, we all headed upstairs to the play room.  I was thinking there are tons of toys, so surely they will find something fun to play with.  Of course they both wanted to play kitchen!

After pushing the kitchen from one side of the room to the other and back, the kitchen found a spot in the middle of the room.  They then argued about who would sit in what chair and what side of the kitchen they would play with.  I tried to let them work it out, but I had to intervene when they started getting physical.  I asked what was going on, and Ryland had to tell me all about it.  He was so worked up, and he was moving his hands explaining how Reed wasn't playing kitchen right.  Ah, now I get it.

Entertain us

In my attempt to pass the afternoon in a fun loving way, I turned into a balloon artist.  I pumped the balloons as fast as I possibly could and then let it go for the boys to chase.

 

 

Ryland tried to blow up one of the balloons, but he didn't have enough hot air.

 

Reed tried to blow up his balloon with the small pump.

 

Cooper realized we were having all the fun, so he started chasing the balloons as they would fly off.

 

John Chris came home in the middle of this fiasco and decided to really blow up the balloons.  He cranked up his air compressor to fill the balloons, and they went crazy when he let go. 

Sink

 

Reed is not allowed to play in our master bathroom for many reasons.  As if the medicine cabinet wasn't enough, the sink has become his new favorite spot to play.  He climbs in the bathtub and then climbs up on the side, so he can turn on the sink.  Of course the hot water is the knob he can reach, so this fun activity eventually turns into a screaming fit when the water warms up. 

He takes a few sips of water then pulls the plug to fill the sink.  And what is more fun than playing in a sink full of water?  Absolutely nothing!  No toy, that is for sure.

 

Helping Benton

 

We headed over to Dallas to enjoy some time with the Brashears family.  The boys were thrilled to see their buddy, Benton.  The three boys are absolutely hilarious together.  Benton is so close to crawling, and Reed must have noticed.  He started pushing Benton to help him along.  At first he was pushing with his arms, but he soon decided his head was a better tool.  Benton didn't seem to mind one bit.  He was really getting around quickly with the assistance of Reed.  Benton is such a trooper. 

Moss

I have asked numerous times for the boys NOT to play in the moss.  They seem to be drawn to it, and they always get it everywhere.  Today I caught their snake digging a hole, so he could hide from the monster truck.  That is the story, at least.  Needless to say moss was all over the floor and stuck to the boys clothes.  I decided to clean up the mess and eliminate the temptation.  No more moss!