We have embraced the sunshine with so much time playing out in the yard. The water table was filled, the squirt guns busted out of their packaging and our boys are happy. There’s just nothing like it. Levi got soaked the other day and then chilled (it is still May) so he stripped down to his underwear and soaked up some sunshine. I only wished he would have taken off his socks and shoes, that is such a fashion no-no.
The last picture is so funny, Carlos is trying so hard to not let Abbie get his food…he succeeded, but not for lack of trying on Abbie’s part!
We’re back in the gray and rain but have high hopes for this weekend. We’re planning on camping at Fay Bainbridge this weekend, if you wanna join us just give us a holler. Should be great times!

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Does it get any cuter than little guys in catcher’s gear? It’s a proud mommy moment for me, that’s for sure.

Starting at 9 am EST get your free single-size package of M&Ms, Milky Way, Snickers, 3 Musketeers, Twix or Dove. Just go to http://realchocolate.com/ and keep reloading until you can fill out the registration form. Every Friday the free chocolate will go faster and faster as more people find out about it. This will be my second week of free chocolate, remember you can win up to 4 times! This Friday is special, they are giving away 500,000 coupons so hopefully that means the Free Chocolate will last all day!

Mars is giving away coupons for free “Real Chocolate” every Friday starting at 9:00 am and ending at 11:59 pm. Each Friday the first 250,000 people who register for coupons will get free chocolate. That’s right, 250,000 each and every Friday through September 25. And better yet you can win up to four times! You are limited to a total of 4 coupons per household, but you can only get one coupon each Friday. You should receive your coupons by mail in approximately 6 weeks after winning them. Enjoy the chocolate!

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It’s hard to even remember back 5 years ago to when my little guy was just a teeny mush-ball of a baby. He slept ALL the time, so much that people would as us if he was ever awake. Now they ask if he ever sleeps! He was perfect and he stole our hearts the minute we met him.
Carlos is amazing, funny, passionate, smart and thoughtful. He still loves to cuddle every morning and every evening, even though he’s a big 5 year old now.
Happy Birthday, Carlos Stephen…may this one be the best yet!

Mary has been working out tail off with planning out the garden. We’ve got peas, carrots, lettuce and broccoli starts coming up and the next round already in the ground. The beds are weeded and ready to produce, I even have my herb garden going nuts with mint. Should be a great year for produce for us. Can’t wait, there’s nothing like a carrot fresh out of the ground. Now if only the weather would cooperate…..

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Some random pics from our latest trip to Party City….always have fun in there!

We had a problem awhile back with our boys getting out of bed a bazillion times every night before finally falling asleep. It was overwhelming for us all, Dee and I would miss out on our only non-hectic time together and the boys were tired.
So we did the “Get Out of Bed Once” Pass. Each boy has a pass, and he can use if to get out of bed one time to take care of whatever need arises. Sometimes it’s an extra hug and kiss, sometimes a trip to the potty or a drink of water. It’s worked wonders and the boys, for the most part, only come out of their room one time. To make it work there had to be a consequence for coming out a second time. For us, it’s having to sleep upstairs in the playroom (they don’t have to sleep there all night, we’re not monsters…we bring them downstairs after they fall asleep). The other night both Trey and Carlos ended up in the playroom, and it turned out to be the sweetest moment. They weren’t goofing around, they knew it was time to sleep, so they snuggled up and fell asleep. No matter how they bicker, fight and push eachother’s buttons….deep down they truly love eachother.

It was a free for all…28 preschoolers running around in the yard…yeah, 28! There were a couple older/younger siblings in that count but for the most part the kids were 4-6 years old. What a blast. The biggest hit was the squirt guns and water balloons. Did you know that 50 water balloons + 28 kids = gone in about 2 seconds? It’s true, that’s the reality. Seemed like so much more when I was filling them up. The squirt guns provided hours of entertainment and we have a perfect yard for lots of kids to be doing lots of things. The sun was shining and everyone had a ball so it was a success! Carlos is also now “in love” with a little girl named Sammy, she spent most of the afternoon doing his hair….and he doesn’t have much hair but he sat there and was great with it.
Dee got the 1/2 Spiderman/ 1/2 Batman cupcake cake which was cool and the boys loved it. Who doesn’t love thick sugary frosting with a little cupcaketo go with it? The kids all played well together, so glad we have a big yard!
The “afterparty” was fun as well…the Skittles vodka even made another appearance. A few families stayed after the party and we BBQed while the kids played more and the grownups chatted more.
By the end of the night, Trey had crashed on the couch and Levi and Carlos were happily opening their presents.

We celebrated with my parents today! We were lucky that the one “non-Mom” in the group, my dad, was willing to make his famous John Wayne Eggs and Bloody Mary’s for us and we felt pampered. Dee had built my shelf in the big picture window in the kitchen for my martini glasses, SUPER COOL. The boys made us the sweetest self portraits and they really did a great job on the details, looked just like them down to Trey’s hair, Levi’s baby blues and Carlos spiky do! They also worked with Nana and Papa and made us a cool candle holder that is proudly on our kitchen table. We found a really neat photo/memory album that the boys recorded “I Love You Nana” so she can play it anytime she wants to hear their sweet little voices. Then we put some of their favorite memories and some pictures in it, too.

All in all a great day, loved just kicking back (white trash style in lawn chairs in the parent’s driveway) and watching the boys play on their new scooters. Came home and actually took a nap, yeah I know, that NEVER happens, and got the place cleaned up from yesterday’s birthday party.

I hate to break it to you all, but I have the BEST mom in the world. Hands down. Thanks, mom, for all you do and for who you are. You are an inspiration to me to be a better mom!