bathtime with ...FOUR!!

a bit crazy to say the least, but lots of fun! it took my sister and i standing next to the tub the whole time to keep this from getting too out of hand. we did this several times on the trip and all the kids loved it. it was basically a non-stop laughfest...well other than this first picture. the little ones weren't quite sure they wanted to be in the bath. they did warm up and have a great time, but we weren't too sure from the start. and it is SUPER hard to get a pic of the 4 together, so that first one was the best i could do.

after the bath, ethan and abbey had some fun with the towels. ethan has started this thing where he'll say "mama, take my picture" and then give a huge grin, but close his eyes. he thinks it is hilarious.

mee-maw & grampies!

it was wonderful to get to visit with my parents (as well as my sister and her family of course) this past week. i know the boys loved getting to see mee-maw and grampies again. it had been much too long since they were out here over christmas. hopefully it won't be so long until our next visit.

they were a HUGE helping in getting us to the plane on wednesday and here are a few pics* while we waited to board.

thanks again for all the help, mom and dad! we loved getting to see you and had a wonderful visit.

*and yes, you'll notice the binky. desperate times call for desperate measures. now ethan is allowed to have the binky in bed AND the airport/airplane ;)

a day (or two) at the park

the weather has been perfect the past 2 days, so much cooler than in oklahoma, that we have made 2 trips to the park.

day 1, we went into frederick and were able to visit with sue, a friend from my mom board, and her adorable daughter gabby. we had a great time and the kids were able to feed the ducks. the ducks were so excited for the corn and we became overrun quickly!

sue, gabby, ethan and i. miles wasn't the happiest little guy that day so he spent a lot of time in the bjorn with mee-maw.

abbey and emily - love how they always match!!

silly faces!

day 2, we spent in a park near my sister's house. we started off the trip with a walk up to a train exhibit. unfortunately, you couldn't climb in train, but they had fun looking around outside. afterwards, we spent some time on the playground. i love being able to be outside at lunchtime, the weather is just so much cooler than we are used to.

fun in the rain!

morning rain shower = best outdoor fun! they had such a great time playing outside and splashing in all the puddles. it was the first time ethan had played with an umbrella, and even though he had a princess umbrella, he thought it was the best thing ever!

mee-maw and miles

a trip to the east coast

a trip to maryland and miles' first plane ride! and mine alone with the two boys!

the boys did great. thankfully, since our normally 3-hour flight was stretched into 5 hours due to bad weather on both ends. i was so proud of them. and we even received a compliment from a passenger sitting in front of us who said the boys behaved better than his kids would have. i was thankful to hear that since by the end of the flight i (along with my two guys) were starting to lose it. all in all a good flight...makes me not as scared for the return flight, especially if it is only 3 hours.

the boys are having a great time with their cousins. it is like a built-in playdate all day long. looking forward to the rest of our week out here and lots more playtime. we don't get out here as often as i would like and i love for the kids to have such a great time visiting family. we surprised my parents, who arrived today, and they were very excited to see the boys. ethan and miles are loving the time with their mee-maw and grampies who they hadn't seen in 9 months. much too long!