Weekend recap - 8/5, 8/6, 8/7 - at the beach!

This weekend we took off to see Grandma & Grandpa N. We had plans to take the boys to the beach - their 1st time!, hang out with Grandma & Grandpa and go to the aquarium. We managed to do all that AND get a little rest!

Cole being silly before we left. Taking his sock off with his teeth. He & Eli both thought his trick was quite funny.

DVD player - check. Ring pops - check. Two little boys - check!

Thing 1

Thing 2

Friday night, we got to Grandma & Grandpa's house and let the boys run around and explore before dinner. We just hung out and managed to get to bed at a decent hour!

Eli checking out Grandma's new recliner.

Cole, of course, had to give it a test ride too.

But it was much better with Grandma in it!

Whew.......asleep after a long day. Such cuteness.

A little tv time Saturday morning. I just love how they were standing together. Actually now that I look at it, Cole was standing on Eli!

Mid morning, we started our trek to the beach. I realized that I had forgotten my bathing suit so my exercise clothes (which managed to not get used) had to fill in instead. It worked out perfectly. We stopped at K-Mart to buy some buckets and sand toys and then were on our way. When we first got to the beach, we found a spot to spread the towel out and then headed to the ocean. The boys did not like the ocean AT ALL. Cole was fussy about even going near it. They much preferred to play in the sand, Eli managed to collect a whole bucket of seashells (and seashell pieces!).

Headed to touch the ocean for the first time

The boys weren't quite sure what to think of the waves.

You see how much Cole loved it.

I did manage to get Eli to let water run over his feet a few times but again, not too thrilled about it.

Scooping sand with Daddy - much safer than the water.

Off exploring - "Hi Mommy!"

Peek-a-boo

Finding seashells together. Lots of great brother playtime this weekend.

Back at Grandma & Grandpa's, Cole & Daddy practiced throwing the football.

Cole was so darn cute

and VERY proud of himself when he caught the ball.

Eli and Grandma swinging away

This was worth about a half hour of fun. The boys tried to take off Grandpa's water hose from it's reel.

"We're not doing anything Mommy - really!" (you can see Eli's white shirt on the right)

All off but tangled.....

P-U-L-L

and pull some more....

Ok, time for a break.

My two precious boys. Massive future trouble makers I know!

Sunday morning we headed to the aquarium and had a great time. It's more fun as the boys get older and they are interested in the animals beyond just running around. We watched the live dive with the sharks - Eli watched the entire thing! - and watched them feed the otters. The otters are always one of our favorite things.

Boys & Daddy in front of a cool sand sculpture.

Eli & his new turtle pal

Cole preferred to make friends with Mr. Frog

Cheese!! It always amazes me when I look at these two and that they're little reflections of me & Tim. We ask each other all the time how we made such cute boys!

Live dive was very cool. Three divers, the one in the center was answering questions and talking to the audience.

High 10 at the end of the dive.

Feeding time for the otters. It was funny watching them search for the fish. They left the fruit for later when they were sure all the fish were gone.

I love watching kids interact. Eli makes friends everywhere he goes. I love how kids talk to each other and carry on little conversations like they've always known each other.

Cole got tired and hitched a ride on Daddy. We actually went stroller-less!

Eat or be eaten.

At the skate and sting ray tank

Grandpa showed the boys how to touch them. One came up to Eli but he pulled his hand out before he touched him. They got really close to the surface!

"Hello Mr. Fishy"

Eli spent a lot of time looking at this octopus

Such a crazy creature!

Cole-crab

Eli-crab

the "I'm so cool" Daddy crab

and last, but not least, Mommy crab

Eli climbed on the hammerhead shark (against all the signs - sorry he can't read!) so I HAD to snap a picture before snatching him off. Hopefully the aquarium folks won't see this and revoke our membership!

And of course, Cole had to give it a try.

Love capturing Grandparent shots every time we visit. Amazing how quickly the boys are growing. Thank you Grandma & Grandpa for the weekend!

We weren't gone long and Cole + Monkey Jim gave it up.

Followed by Eli + Puppy Jim. Made for a nice quiet ride!!

Dancing Boys

7/31 - This is absolutely hilarious and I WILL show their future wives ones day!

Weekend recap - 7/30, 7/31

Lots of posts coming - I'm trying to catch up because, I am not kidding when I say that I have been working A LOT. We're still having fun and doing lots as a family, I just haven't had time to blog about it. Hoping to fix that now. =)

This weekend, we stuck close to home. I took the boys to the Y Saturday morning - I took my first Zumba class ever and then we went to the pool to play. I've got to tell you that I was sooooooo nervous before Zumba. I thought my stomach was going to forsake me before class. But once I walked in and saw that a) I wasn't the heaviest person in the class, b) it was obvious that I wasn't the most uncoordinated person in class and c) the instructor turned the lights down, I was ready to go. I channeled my inner "Paula Abdul backup dancer" and let it go. Such a great workout, I had no clue! Definitely adding it to my exercise plan. So after class, the boys & I hung out at the pool for a long time. They had a blast and were worn out. That equals good naps!!

We also finished up watching the Tour de France this weekend. We were quite happy with the outcome and loved watching Cadel Evans take the yellow jersey in the time trial Saturday, wearing it into Paris. Eli really enjoyed watching bike racing with us this year and has learned quite a few of the riders. You'll see below that we added our own "Cadel" to the family.

We did lots of hanging out at home, some baking, lots of playing - it was a great weekend!

I let the boys ride in the front seat together through the parking lot.

Even in the pool, Monster trucks mean fun!

Rest and snack time. Can't go anywhere without snacks!

Cole and Monkey Jim had a great nap after the pool.

Cole's new trick - modeling in our dining room window.

And of course, Eli had to try it too.

This is a funny series of shots. The boys were in the living room playing. Cole sitting on Eli turned into.....

Eli grabbing him

and flipping him onto the floor for a wrestling match. It was so funny and they just laughed and laughed. And yes, the green underwear with red sneakers is funny too!

Then Eli decided to try out his muscles and picked Cole up - he really did!

Here is our Cadel (not to be confused with this Cadel). Eli loves Angry Birds.

I had painted some picture frames on the back porch using small cups to hold them up. Eli found the bag and lined them up.

Then he ran through them.

The aftermath - but it was so fun!

Hey Mommy! The view from Mom's "climb up" window.

Baking time Sunday morning - chocolate chip cookies.

This mean "cheese" face cracks me up.

Tim took Cole to get a hair cut and Eli, amazingly, had some quiet play time.

And even under his watch, we had a massive crash. Oh no!