More Summer Fun!

*This is Bryan* Sorry for the lack of updates this week. We have been dealing with two sick little boys. They both had a nasty little stomach bug and we spent most of our time doing laundry and trying to protect our furniture from projectile awfulness! I’m now convinced that home insurance should have a “toddler-projectile-puke-clause”! In between the bouts of sickness we did manage to take the boys to their first swim lessons. That was quite entertaining! After the first night Becca assigned me the task of holding onto Nater-tot! Jordan was content to be held or just sit on the edge and play with the basket of water toys, while Nathan just assumed he already knew how to swim! It was a full upper-body workout keeping that boy from jumping right out of my arms and into the pool!


Now we are in the process of packing for another long road trip (your prayers for safety and sanity are greatly appreciated!). We are heading to Georgia to visit all our family! I’m sure Becca will have an update when we return. Tonight we met up with my parents at Chick-fil-a so they could get some quality time with the boys before we leave. They were keeping Bryce and Brayden tonight so Chick-fil-a was the only place we could go without getting asked to leave! The boys had a great time, they love chasing after their big cousins.

I love watching my boys play together. I’m so thankful that they have each other. I pray that their souls will be knit together like David and Jonathan (1 Sam. 18:1) and that they will always look after, encourage, love, and spur each other on toward love and good deeds! I pray that they will each love Jesus deeply and that they will walk with Him all the days of their lives. Every boy needs a best friend, someone to keep them “sharp” and hold them accountable. What a special blessing it is to be able to grow up with one under the same roof! “Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

These are some of my favorite things the boys are doing right now.

1. Nathan and Jordan have learned to give high-fives

2. Jordan sings all the high notes of his favorite songs

3. Nathan climbs on every single piece of furniture we own

4. Jordan can act like a sheep, horse, cow, and duck.

5. Nathan loves to be read to and will bring us books until the shelf is empty

6. Every time I get near the floor the boys think it’s an invitation to wrestle!

7. Both boys love our dog Cooper and have to tell him goodbye every time we leave the house

8. Jordan gives kisses

9. Nate gives hugs (and bites)

10. Both boys like to get my remote and have me chase them around the house

Preschool Play Day At the Gym

Our city recreation center hosts a preschool play day every Thursday morning and we were finally able to take the boys today.  Nathan and Jordan loved it!  They just ran around that gym barefoot for 1 1/2 hours. 

Jordan's favorite word while sitting on the "sit-and-spin" was "WHOA!"  He was cracking me up. :)

Nathan can climb on every piece of furniture in our house so this was the perfect climbing gym for him!

Tired Jordan takes a short rest.

Oh, and here is our new playroom at the house. Yes, Paige, I have my kitchen table back and my living room is free of toys.  I feel like we can actually have company over for dinner again.  Life is good.

Slow Down Summer!!

Our short summer months are flying by at the Calvert house.  It is always a special treat for the whole family to be home from school for a couple of months.  The day after we got back from the beach we celebrated Father's Day.  The boys and I got Bryan a new electric griddle so that he can perfect his pancake-making-skills.  The boys were so excited to see Daddy open his big present.  I did have pictures to post but I just noticed that Bryan is wearing black Nike ankle socks with his flip flops.  I thought that sight might be a little too scary to share on the world wide web.  But, it was a very special day.  Bryan is the greatest.  He never gets tired of playing/wrestling with Nathan and Jordan and he takes such good care of all three of us.  He is a great leader of our household and I praise the Lord for that.

We took Nathan and Jordan to a waterpark on Monday.  We had intentions of getting some great pictures of the boys playing in the water, but they were so crazy busy that neither of us could ever escape the toddler area to grab the camera and take some pictures.  They were hilarious!  I kind of thought that maybe I would leave with dry hair since we were playing in the shallow toddler area...no such luck.  I was soaked from head to toe when we left that place.  We are kicking ourselves for not buying season passes earlier in the summer.  There's always next year. 

Today we took the boys to our church preschool play day at a local petting zoo.  Jordan loved the animals from far away and Nathan wanted to dive right into the pens with the animals.  I have a few pictures from our animal adventures today. 

Nathan LOVED petting the goats.  He gave them lots of hugs.  Thank goodness they were friendly little goats!

Jordan preferred the bunny.  The bunny was soft, cuddly, still, and didn't make any funny noises...that's Jordy's kind of animal! He does NOT like surprises.

Oh, and the best news at our house is that we finally turned our guest bedroom into a playroom.  It is glorious!!  We bought some awesome storage cubbies at Ikea, cute canvas paintings and a great rug at Target.  VIOLA!  A play room for my wild and crazy BOYS!

So long for tonight...I'm off to get a few things done before my bedtime.  :)

We're back!

We survived the long car ride...thanks to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Elmo's World!!  On the way to Florida, we stopped in New Orleans for one night.  We had to visit the French Quarter while we were there and Vivi was so excited to see the church downtown where Princess Tiana was married.  I just love her little fairytale world. 

You can't visit the French Quarter without stopping for a famous beignet at Cafe Du Monde.  Nathan and Jordan LOVED them.  Bryan said they were like a glorified funnel cake...whatever.  I think they are one of a kind and absolutely delicious!!!  Oh it makes my mouth water just to think about them. 

I had to take a picture of this mini downtown New Orleans parade.  It is just so "New Orleans!"

We finally made it to the beach.  We spent the mornings in the sand and the afternoons by the pool.

Jordy played it cool most of the time.  He was so serious about digging in the sand.  But, Nater-Tot was wild and crazy in the sand!  He was covered from head to toe every day.  Look at his face in this picture!

Nathan and Vivi wrestled in the sand too.  We got so tickled at them playing together.

She was still laughing...don't worry.  Bryan was monitoring the craziness!

After a dip in the ocean, the boys needed a snack in the shade.

In the evenings, we got cleaned up and headed out for some fun.

Can you tell that Baby Georgia will be here soon?  Jenn, your baby bump is so cute!  YAY!  We can't wait to welcome her to the family on August 3rd!

Merry-Go-Round :)

And a train!!  (You see the little strawberry on Jordan's head?  He got so excited when he saw this little train that he toppled over his own two feet.  Poor little guy!)

Actually, I guess I should fess up to the fact that the boys had HORRIBLE restaurant behavior on the trip.  They were so exhausted, hot, and hungry after waiting for our table which makes a bad combination for a 16 month old little boy.  Bryan, Grandad, and I took turns walking outside with the boys during the meals so that all the other hundreds of people in the restaurant were not completely disturbed. 

Here they are waiting so sweetly for our table to be ready.  My cup of ice water kept them very entertained.  :)   Don't let those sweet and happy faces fool you!  They turned into little terrors when we put them in high chairs at the table.  I think it makes my forhead sweat just to think about it.  The joys of parenting...right? 

After we got back home this weekend, we took them out to lunch on Father's Day and it was not nearly as traumatic. Thank goodness.  My sweet baby boys were just a little too tired after a day on the beach.  Poor little guys. 

Jordy has learned to smell the flowers from his "Pat the Bunny" book...so stinkin' cute!

We had such a wonderful time on our beach vacation.  I can't wait to take the boys back to the ocean again!  Nathan thought the waves in the ocean were hilarious and Jordan could dig in that sand all day long.  Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you that I got pinched by a crab.  I am not kidding.  I was holding Nathan and walking into the ocean and "ouch!"  I guess I stepped on that little crab and he just reached right up and pinched my foot.  I screamed and ran back up the sand and Nater-Tot was laughing hysterically!  We definitely made some good family memories.

Packing.

Yep. I have been working all day long on packing up the family for a trip to the beach.  It is quite a job, especially when I have two little helpers.  They "helped" with the laundry, "helped" give Cooper a bath, "helped" pick out their clothes from their closet, and they "helped" pack snacks for the road trip.  I think I still have several hours of work to do before I go to bed tonight, but it will be worth it when we cross that Florida line on Sunday.  We will be driving in a big van with Aunt Jenn, Uncle Jason, and Vivi...yes...we are crazy.  That will be four adults and three children in one car for a two day car ride!  You can go ahead and start praying for us now.  HA!  I am armed with Elmo videos, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse videos, lots of stickers, a variety of snacks, and some of their favorite books.  My sweet parents will be following in their car behind us so if it doesn't work out well to all ride in the van, there might be some seat shifting going on.  I can't wait to let you know about our trip when we return.  See ya in a week!

Guy's Night!

*This is Bryan* Becca left around noon today for an overnight trip with some of her girlfriends, leaving just us guys to fend for ourselves! I hope she has a great time but more importantly I hope I can get this house back in order before she returns! I can’t begin to tell you what twin 16 month olds can do to a house in less than an hour. Imagine two tiny cyclones spinning furiously out of control and everything they come in contact with gets tangled, knocked over, wet, moved, bumped, unplugged, turned-off, turned back on, hidden, stepped on, stuck on, stuck in, etc, etc. I did have a GREAT time with my boys and even though I am exhausted, I can’t wait to start it all over tomorrow morning. Here are a few pictures from our night.

First we went to Petsmart so we could watch the dogs play who were staying in the Pets Hotel. Cheap entertainment! When they saw the big white dog, they started saying, “Coo-Coo-Cooper”. He really does look like a giant version of our dog.

After we left Petsmart we went over to the mall to walk around for awhile. We watched the merry-go-round for a few minutes and then stopped by the Disney Store to pick up a prize. One Goofy+One Pluto=Two Happy Boys!

Then we headed home for a few crazy hours before bed time. Jordan decided to feed his snack to Cooper. When I told him “No”, Nater-tot decided to help by eating the gold fish off the floor. (Sorry Becca)

I caught Nathan putting magnets in Cooper’s water bowl! (one of his favorite hobbies). While I was washing his hands Jordan put two more magnets in. Like I said, Little Cyclones!

We finished up the night with a few books, an episode of Mickey Mouse, and a half dozen hugs. I have two sweet boys and if they sleep all night I might just have to make them waffles in the morning.

Guy’s night was fun but I really missed my wife tonight. I don’t know what I would do without her. Thank you Lord for blessing me beyond measure with an incredible family!

BEST picture ever!!!

These are my three most favorite people in the world and my new favorite picture.

We celebrated Bryan's birthday all weekend...so fun!  My hubby turned 32 yesterday and all he wanted from me for his birthday was a homemade ice cream maker.  HA!  So of course I fulfilled his wish.  We tried it out on Monday night and that ice cream sure was yummy.  I just love celebrating the ones I love on their birthdays.

What's new at the Calvert house?

-The boys are beginning to beg to go outside (ALL THE TIME.)

-The boys are totally into shoes and if they see shoes laying on the floor, they will search feet until they find who needs to be wearing shoes.  So funny!  Here is a quick pic Bryan took on his phone when Jordan insisted on wearing his Daddy's shoes.

-Only two more days of school!!

-Today was our "Ketchup War" at school : 300 fifth graders armed with ketchup bottles to reenact the Civil War.  Totally fun, but totally stinky!

- I'll be starting a new biblestudy this summer - "Stepping Up" by Beth Moore - YAY!

-One of my students gave me 3 mini bundt cakes from "Nothing Bundt Cakes" and they are so heavenly.  I just enjoyed one with a nice cup of coffee...that was the perfect ending to this crazy day.

- Bryan told me today that I needed to "let go of my inner dork."  REALLY?!  Okay, so I have a lot of dorkiness inside...but I choose to embrace it!  What's wrong with that?