We are nearing the summer time and this weekend we partook in our annual tradition of blueberry picking. The boys did great this year by spotting the blues and putting them in their bucket. It was a good crop with all the recent rain and as usual we ate as many as we picked.
This month the boys have been busy. Last weekend we went to visit our cousins in Austin. We played in their pool and took home a score of passed down toys. Their new favorite toy is the Fireball which is a multi-car race track that shoots the cars on a spherical track. We also brought home a Casio piano which Aden immediately figured out the fart sound setting which he thinks is hilarious.
In school the boys are learning numbers and letters. They can count to 20 and name all the letters in the alphabet. Aron enjoys coloring and Aden painting. They both are fascinating to watch as they play and give us a glimpse into their imagination.
With the weather so nice we have spent a lot of time outside harassing all the creatures in the yard. They love Rollipolies, lizards and frogs. Aden has the hose out almost everyday and Aron enjoys riding his tractor through mommy's flowerbeds.

Easter Action

The Easter bunny came this morning and the kids had a blast finding eggs and opening them for the surprises inside.  Lots of excitement and squealing.

Dried Fruit Nasal Extraction

Mommy is drinking the tall latte this morning after a late night in the emergency room. As what we can only guess was a last ditch effort to not to go to bed Aden found a raisin and shoved it up his nose. At the ER I could overhear all the nurses laughing about who would get to pull the raisin out. Fortunately the extraction was uneventful; Aden was a champ. After the visit Aden felt he deserved a lollipop for being so brave so I shamelessly took him to the drug store at 11:00pm, barefoot, to buy candy. Knowing this was not looking good for my parent of the year nomination I profusely explained myself to the cashier, customers, drunk guy buying beer and anyone else wondering why I had my child buying candy near midnight.

No Diapers Required

The big news for February is that both boys are finally potty trained. Aden decided to make the final effort to achieve his new year's resolution of no diapers at school. After all the tricks in the book of offering treats, putting colorful objects to pee on, and pants-free weekends what finally worked was he would go if could stand like this...naked.

We are so proud of him and plan to celebrate by daddy and mommy going out to share a costly bottle of wine equal to a week's worth of diapers. 

Both boys are making strides in their speech. They are talking in complex sentences, singing full songs and my favorite asking "why?" 500 times a day. Good thing for Wiki to help me with all these questions. Earlier this month we took the boys for their 3 year check-up. The doctor noticed Aron's adenoids were over sized which could be the cause of his apnea and may have to come out. Aden struggled with ear infections this last winter and she noticed he had residual fluid in his ear that could be affecting his speech, so both boys are going to see and ear, nose and throat doctor later this month for evaluation. 

Also this month we are gearing up for Rodeo. I took Aron to get a new pair of boots (Aden is a tennis shoe guy). As soon as he walked into the boot store he threw up his hands and started screeching at all the shoes. He was in boot heaven; if only his closet looked like that. I let him loose and he tried on pair after pair. Once he picked out a sharp pair of black boots we went to get him a belt. He selected the one with the largest buckle which had a cow on it. Then I told him he needed a hat. We went to try on cowboy hats and he adamantly told me, "No mommy, those are lady's hats." So we didn't get one but that didn't stop Aron from feeling good. He walked out of that store with a cowboy strut, winking at all the ladies. He looked good!

Non-flammable? Challenge accepted.

Yet another eventful Christmas and New Year. This year the boys grasped the concept of Santa Clause. They understood that he brought presents and that he had reindeer. On Christmas morning Aden came down the stairs first to see his new tractor and identified Santa has having come to see him. Both boys enjoyed unwrapping presents and playing with their new score. Vehicle toys were the big hit this year. Santa brought them a riding tractor and scooters. While dump trucks and train sets were also welcomed with enthusiasm. Aden has taken to driving the tractor around. He can maneuver in reverse and tackle obstacles. He has run the battery out twice driving it up and down the street showing it off to his friends. Aron is a whiz at the scooter and has equally spent time outside riding down the street. He has gone down steep driveways and learned to use the brake. For New Years our street had a block party with fireworks. They spent most of three hours driving around with the other kids and then kicked off the illegal fireworks with sparklers and pops. It was their first exposure to firecrackers and they did great being responsible in participating. Unfortunately they didn't make it to midnight for the grand finally but chose to go to bed early in preparation for their birthday. The next morning they woke up eager and ready head to the doughnut shop for their free birthday doughnut. On the way there I was talking to them about turning 3. Aron proceeded to tell me he was already feeling old and Aden was in denial yelling at me, "No, Mommy I am two!" We are starting to accept our new age and excited about bringing cupcakes to school tomorrow. I let Aden pick out what type of cake he wanted to bring and he naturally selected chocolate with chocolate icing and yummies (M&M's). The teachers should be appreciative.

Kung Fu Fighting

I don't know what magic powers these special pajamas hold but as soon as we put them on they channeled the great Chinese Kung Fu warriors. Aden was unstoppable with the flying kicks and Aron was a flurry of feet. They clearly must be watching Kung Fu movies at daycare.

As if to say....

"I can't believe mom dressed me in this sweater vest."

"Yay! Mom dressed me in a sweater vest."