Easter 2015

This Easter had us again at my parents house enjoying family time and good food :).  This was the first year Doug and I really started to explain Easter to the kids, especially Charlie, and I was often surprised with the types of questions that would follow.  He is definitely is very curious about life and death, and what happens afterward, and he is starting to question more about Jesus, who loves Him, and who is going to Heaven.  Tough questions - good for me and good for him!!!  And as much as I think Doug would be the better to answer his tough questions, I have stopped telling him to ask his Daddy!!! :)

The kids loved Easter Sunday at church and of course, were looking forward to the Easter egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa's.  They each got one gift - Charlie got a nerf gun as the two he has bought at the dollar store have broke immediately after buying and he was so sad that I felt bad!  And Moe got an alarm clock.  His face says it all!!!  However, he was excited to have it and has loved it!  He came out of his room after setting it up and said, "me sleep, green owl, come out!!!".  That's right buddy - no coming out of your bed until the owl turns green!  I'm hoping this sleep aid comes in handy as I thought it wasn't worthwhile with Charlie......HA!

Park Fun

I almost hate to say this as I know so many of my friends from the East have had a freezing cold winter, but we were so thankful for a mild winter here!  We were able to go out on bike rides and trips to the park in January, February, and March - crazy.....and you all know that I am not a fan of cold or wind, so for us to go to the park in the winter must mean that it is nice outside!!!

Moe is a climbing machine at the playground - he is crazy and I have to be around him as I don't quite trust that he can hang on tight if he falls.  We have a few playgrounds that we go to but I like going for a bike ride and then to the park so we usually end up at the park that is the biggest!

Oh - and here is Charlie's new bike.  His old one was way too small and now he can go so much faster with less effort.  I'm sure we'll be able to go for family bike rides with him biking this year - which will be fun!  We also put Moe on Charlie's old bike but he had no clue how to pedal :).  Will try again in a few months as Charlie is too fast to push Moe around!

The pictures below show how fast Charlie can go.  Doug had no clue that Charlie was coming up behind him....Seconds passed by :)

New Editing Technique

I have been wanting to learn or at least get a preset for some of the pictures below.....but I had no idea how to look it up as I didn't know what the technique was called.  Last week I stumbled upon it in Pinterest - and I have been having fun playing around with pictures ever since.....It is the little things with pictures that make me happy and always have me taking more and capturing special moments.

Life is running by and our boys are growing up.  Charlie was in a sports camp last week and absolutely loved it.  And Moe isn't far behind his brother - already working on jigsaw puzzles that his brother just started understanding this fall - hahahaha!!!  He has a way to go, but I again am so amazed at how different these two are. 

Here are some pics from a recent bike ride stop at the ridge and to the park.  I NEVER bring my camera to the park - I usually just use my phone to capture the moments.  But Doug was with us and I needed a little practice for a very special photo shoot, so it came with us.  Then a mom asked if I was a photographer and we got to talking.  Then I realized that I should be bringing my camera with me all the time!!!!  Park and bike pictures to come later cause I couldn't narrow down the pictures very well!!!

We had a fun time!!!  I love living on the ridge where we can enjoy a mountain view whenever we are out.....really doesn't feel like we are in the city.....which I know I have said before :).

Some stories, a few pictures :)

Well, Charlie and Moe had Grandma from the mountains visit in February and boy, did she light a fire - education wise!  She is a retired gr 1 teacher, so she knows how to get kids learning.  By the time she was gone, Charlie knew all of his letters, numbers, and had a new interest for colouring and crafts. 

Little did we know that Moe also learned his letters too.  We need to get it on video, but last week, we were going through our letters with Charlie, and Moe did almost all of them.  We were SHOCKED!!!  I've kept asking him since then, and sure enough, he knows most of them.  He struggles on the letters that look the same - C, G, U, etc.  Moe is showing us that he can keep up to his big brother.  He is also holding his crayon correctly - something Charlie only just started doing regularly this winter.  I know Moe is probably hitting his milestones more normally, but still - to see a 2 year old do these kinds of things, it is crazy.

So - Grandma got Charlie ready for Kindergarten. 

Also, at the end of February, we got a call saying that the preschool we wanted Charlie in had a spot for him.  I can't believe it - but I said no thanks :).  We've gotten so used to a slower routine and I know Charlie is ready for K - that I didn't want to spend A LOT of money just to have him gone 3 days a week and be restricted to a routine when we are so not on one.....  So instead, I put him in a once a week sports class for 2 months.  And he absolutely loved it!!!!!  So much that I put him in the March break sports camp next week :):).  I loved watching him throw his hand up to answer his teacher's questions and be the first to do something......He has come a long way in two years!

Speaking of Kindergarten, we signed him up for the bus :).  He has been wanting to go on the bus for two years now, and because of many more (important) reasons, he is headed for the bus stop this fall!!!!!  I was ready for school, but I'm not so sure about the bus!

So - there's our little update.  We've also been enjoying some beautiful weather and bought Charlie a bigger bike that he so desperately needed.  Its almost time to take those training wheels off!!!!

New bed

Moe has graduated from his crib to his new big boy bed!  And he has done AWESOME!!!!  Moe has almost always been a better sleeper than his big brother, but I was worried that he wouldn't stay in his bed.  The first night, he came out twice, but then fell asleep for the rest of the night (he was on a mattress on the floor as we hadn't bought his bed frame yet).

But night two, he had the top bed of a bunk bed, and as you can see from the pictures, it has a railing on both sides.....I definitely think this setup makes him feel secure and as a result, he has only been up once in the night in over a month.  YAY!  And what makes it even better is that he is sleeping until at least 8am, and goes to bed between 7-8pm.  Way to go Moe - you are rockin bed time right now. 

Charlie so desperately wanted his bedding - sports!!!