What The Boys Have Been Up To

Yesterday's post was very exciting and I felt like I needed to dedicate that post just to the new baby. But, as you might have guessed, just because I took a moment to post about the new baby doesn't mean the boys haven't been keeping us busy as usual! =) It's actually been an encouraging few days of behavior with Koen. A combination of my refreshed attitude and the Lord giving us a blessing of encouragement I believe. Yesterday Doug picked Koen up from nursery school as I got to have lunch with a friend after the ultrasound. Koen invited Tavin to stand in line with him as he walked in from recess (his teachers are very happy to include siblings at times like this which is so nice), then he held his hand in the classroom while they waited patiently to be excused. How sweet!Doug had to stop at Whole Foods after nursery school and here are the boys on the new bridge that just opened between S. Highland and Ellsworth. Aren't they the most adorable urban puffy coat wearers ever?Koen was a big help to Daddy at Whole Foods and we all met up at the new North Way East End location where Doug had to drop off some lunch for the workers there. The boys got to check out the new play area and break in a few of the toys. They loved it!The evening was a low key family night which was great. Not to mention that Doug made me a dinner that was amazing after the boys went to bed. Lobster tail with pappardelle in an alfredo sauce. Superb! Thanks, babe!

Last night was a rough one for Tav as the drippy nose he's had now has definitely turned into a full-blown cold. He was really uncomfortable and woke up feverish several times. Poor little guy! This morning he was not himself, so he and I laid low and hung around the house.

Koen and Doug on the other hand had quite a busy morning. They were both so excited to wake up to a small snowstorm and enjoyed getting out to shovel right after breakfast. Here's their snowman penguin.They called our neighbors to see if they wanted to go sledding and sure enough they did! So, Alex, Doug and Koen, Delia and Huxley headed off to Mellon Park. Meanwhile, Tavin and I kept playing and snuggling...Here are the cute buddies sledding!
And then trudging up the hill with their sleds. Koen absolutely loves the snow!On the way home Alex asked if we could watch the kids for a bit so he and Hilary could get a few things done. No problem! Koen has been craving some Delia time and I felt bad for Tavin that he missed out on time with his buddy, so it was perfect to have the little friends with us for an hour or so. They all do so well together. Here are a few of them enjoying the hot cocoa, popcorn and orange slices I had for them as a warm up snack when they returned from their sledding adventure.Needless to say the boys were pretty exhausted from their morning. Koen due to a lot of physical effort and Tavin due to lack of sleep and this yucky cold, so we put the boys to bed early in hopes of leaving the house early to get to a friend's house up North for dinner. Well, the plan worked great. Tavin slept hard and fought the cold symptoms enough for a good nap. Koen was out cold and then woke up just in time to leave. We jumped in the car and headed up to a dear friend's house. Friends from early in our marriage who now have 5 kids! It was a lot of fun to hang out with them, see life in a family of more than 2 kids (they are amazing about the chaos!) and share a meal together. Unfortunately I forgot to get any pictures, but it was a great night. Koen really enjoyed their eldest son (age 9) and they played so well together. We barely heard any silliness from him. How refreshing! There must be hope for a less silly phase in our future perhaps? Tavin did well hanging in there with his cold and definitely seemed to be rebounding, but he was quite cuddly with me (which I never mind). We just laid the boys down and will probably head to bed soon ourselves. It's been a full weekend, but a really nice family one.