Our Little Rock Climber

Nikolas, Lukas and I just came back from a week long rock climbing trip to Utah. It was great! It was the week were it rained every day in Portland, but it was blue skies and beautiful where we were:) So sorry.

Nikolas finally fits into his rock climbing shoes perfectly this year, so he was cruising up the routes. Well, okay, he could have been cruising up the routes, but he kept letting go, swinging on the rope and asking me multiple times,

"Now where, Mommy?"

"UP"

I kept telling him.

He finally started making some progress, with a little help from the belayer, and by the end of the route he was climbing with purpose.

Nik really does have zero fear.
Well, when it comes to athletics, that is.
He's still working on the whole,
"seperation from mommy is the end of all things as he knows them" fear.
It's a slow process.
But climbing up vertical rock faces?
No problem.

He made it!

Of course, this is a dream come true for me, as most of you know.

More to come!

Bat Mitzva Party

My cousins daughter, so my 1st cousin once removed, turned 13 recently and seeing as she is Jewish, she had a Bat Mitzva in which she participated in the services at her Synagogue. She did absolutely wonderful and I discovered that she has a most beautiful voice, much like my cousins. I was thoroughly impressed that she has learned Hebrew so well and learned to sing from the Torah better than most of the adults. Way to go Elizabeth!
I was also impressed that Nikolas and Lukas sat in the Synagogue with Tone' and I for an hour and a half so quietly that many people came up to us afterward and complimented us on their behavior. It was amazing. Though, I suppose they may have been entranced with the Torah reading and singing as even though it was nearly all in Hebrew, I enjoyed listening to the beauty of it all.
If any of you have ever been to a Bar or Bat Mitzva then you know this: Jewish people know how to through parties! We were served a delicious lunch with desserts after the service, then there was a few hours break until we all met again at the Canby fairgrounds where the party really started! The theme was "Cowboy" or "girl" rather, as my cousin is a girl. There was food, drinks, a make-your-own ice cream sundae buffet, a professional photographer who took everyone's picture and then framed it, a candy buffet (oh yes, that's right, a buffet filled with all sorts of candy for the taking!), toys for the kids, a deejay, a line dance teacher and sooooo much more. It was quite fun, to say the least. And here are some of the pictures of the day:

My little cowboys

Rebecca and her Italian Stallion
nice hat:)

Yeehaw!!!

Could Luke be any cuter with the hat and the shiny little boots?!

Oh how they wanted to climb into this wagon

Lukas and cousin Morgan

There were tables set up to color your own horse bandana. Nikolas joined Aunt Karen, Abby and Morgan as they colored away.

Uncle John and Lukas looking like tough cowboys

We all went for a walk to check out the animals at the fairgrounds.
I just love this picture.
I can totally imagine Nikolas living on a farm wearing a cowboy hat and boots everywhere.


Then we went back inside for some dancing and rocking out!
Nikolas was hilarious as he started copying the older kids and soon he
was on spinning on the floor on his back while jamming on his guitar.

Now it's time for some Uncle Chad love.
The boys were so pumped full of sugar and fun that by the time we made it home at 10:00 at night they were STILL... not asleep.

Rainy Day Crafts

I wish I could say that I have rainy day crafts for the boys every day the rain keeps us inside for the majority of the day, but I can't. I'm just not that creative with little kid crafts, although, I think I am beginning to be better at it since I have been teaching 1st grade Sunday School for the last 9 months. Needless to say, I was pretty happy with myself for pulling out the poster board, scissors and markers and making fun hats for the boys. Hats and cats that is. I don't know how that came about but they both ended up wanting to be cats as well.

Lukas wanted a crown which he colored nice and bright.

Nikolas is a Train Conductor and he colored his hat black.
I added the pink stars. I can't handle no color.

Simple Fun

The best kind of fun is almost always simple and free.

I knew this as a kid as I spent most of my childhood roaming through the woods behind our house and barn just enjoying the adventure of being out in the "wild". The only "toy" I usually had with me was my trusty machete to hack away at those pesky blackberry bushes.

It's amazing I made it to adulthood.

It is with these memories in my head that I make sure the boys roam outside every day, even through all this drenching rain that continues to continue....

or at least right after the drenching rain

Sticks

plus a large puddle

plus splashing and jumping

equals tons of Free Fun!

I love these lips:)

(free pinecones!)

Freshly Shorn

The boys were looking a lot scruffy, so Aunt Karen buzzed most of their hair off! I think Nikolas looks younger, but it seems that little Lukey is suddenly older:(
Tone' and I bought the boys these little tank tops when we were in Hawaii for our 10 year anniversary. Lukas was just a 5 month old pre-born. The sizes are 6 month and 24 month and yet they still fit the boys at the ages of 2 1/2 and 4 years! I will need to take a duplicate picture of this pose at the end of summer to see how dark these quarter Italian little boys are:)