Free Day at Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens!

Today we took advantage of a special one-day deal to get into Phipps for free! This is a Pittsburgh gem and I've only gone twice since living here, so I enjoyed an opportunity to go myself as well as a chance to expose the boys to these beautiful gardens! Miss Deborah (who came with us with her two, Miles & Claire) gets all the credit for finding this great deal.

Phipps is quite kid-friendly despite the special fragility of so many of the plants they exhibit there. They had a little "find-it" game for the little guys to work on as we went through the gardens. They were a little young for it, but it kept them on the look-out for different items/flowers and creatures along our way which was a fun distraction. Koen loved all the pathways throughout the jungle-like forests.

Both Nana and Gramma would absolutely love this spot, so I've got to remember to take you there on your next visit to the Burgh!
The kids really enjoyed getting a chance to let loose in the Kids Discovery Garden. Tavin got out of the stroller and really took advantage (on his knees of course) exploring all that was at his fingertips. I even had to stop him from munching on some dirt!
After about an hour and a half enjoying the Conservatory it was time to let the kids run wild at the playground. They did very well in the confines of a grown-up space like Phipps, so playtime and lunch at the playground was well-deserved.
We got home and Doug was getting some yard work done and he asked Koen to help him wash the car. Of course, Koen replied with a YES!
Tavin got to nap around 1:40pm and is still napping now (a little after 4:30pm). He was exhausted from no morning nap, lots of fun play and fresh air. Koen took a shorter nap today, but happily played in his room until just now. He and Doug are off on some man-errands. Never a dull moment when you have two active little boys to keep busy!

Another Try for the Playground

Today the forecast actually came true! Sunshine is so good for the soul!

Koen enjoyed a morning at nursery school and then Tavin and I picked him up and we headed (again) to the playground. This time it worked out very well. The boys ate their lunches, got some exercise and we ran into several little neighborhood friends, making Koen's time there even more enjoyable than usual. Tavin got right to work crawling around on the baby/toddler play area. He is so confident at such a young age and very sturdy with the slides and stairs already. It amazes me the difference between Tavin and Koen in this way. I'm sure it totally has to do with the fact that Tavin is rushing around and more daring to keep up with big brother.
Koen moves around so much on the playground that I don't get a chance to snap a photo of him much (plus I don't want to weird out all the neighbors). Above is my big boy taking a break for some PB&J.
Tavin is loving the baby swing this Spring. He just giggles the whole time. So sweet!
This picture should be next to the word "glee" in the dictionary. Utter happiness!
It was a great time enjoying the sunshine with my boys. So good to be out! I'm so thankful for a day without rain!

Our Attempt to Enjoy A Rain-less Morning

The forecast called for no rain this morning, so I was determined to get the boys outside. Koen had a wonderful morning getting off to the right foot almost immediately (I needed a break from the whine-fest most days start with!). I have to say that starting a new book last night about loving, godly discipline ("Creative Correction") definitely had me starting my day with a more positive outlook, not to mention the fact I signed up for a new Bible reading plan today, "Parenting by Design" (see http://www.youversion.com/ if you are interested in joining me), it's short and simple, but the truth of God's Word is such a stabilizer!

Ok, so Koen was in great spirits and Tav woke up happy, but quickly became quite clingy and moody, just wanting to be held. We headed up to the playroom after breakfast and it was evident that Tav would need a catnap today, so we decided to stick around the house just a little longer to give him a chance for a little sleep before what I hoped would be a fun outdoor adventure.

After about 30 minutes we woke Tavin up and quickly headed out the door. I'm not sure those of you that aren't in the Burgh understand...it has been raining here almost daily since I got back from NH. We've gotten lucky a few times with a break here and there or even a full nice day, but it's been surprisingly cool and icky this Spring. Koen was all about getting to the playground and Tav was on board because he's such a team player. =)

We were almost at the playground and I felt a cold sprinkle. I didn't tell Koen so that he wouldn't go into drama mode about it. I re-checked the weather radar on my phone, yep, it still said it should be clear, so I thought we were safe. The boys got onto the semi-wet playground equipment and had a lot of fun in the fresh air, being together and moving around outside the house. Then the rain started to spit, then pelt and then it was truly obvious this was an actual rainstorm. So, after only 20 minutes or less stretching their legs, they were buckled into the stroller and Koen took on the important responsibility of shielding he and Tavin with an umbrella on the quick walk home (he gets so proud that he can perform this special task of protection for his little brother - so sweet!).

I had packed up lunch already, so once we got home, I just changed Tavin's soaked pants (poor little crawler got messy quick at the wet playground) and we headed to Whole Foods. The boys ate in their cafe and then we got a few groceries and by the time we got home it was just about naptime. It all worked out just fine although I have to say I was super disappointed that we weren't out and about on our feet in the fresh air that whole time. I was super impressed with Koen's flexiblity today. It was a testament to me of how important it is for me to display a positive attitude and not make a big deal of it (we just went with it and we all had so much fun). Whole Foods turned out to be an added blast because we had some really kind lunch table neighbors offering compliments on the boys' cuteness and even one lady mentioned that I was a "good mom" (I assured her that this was a brief moment in time where I had the good fortune of nothing majorly going wrong, but still the encouragement was nice).

Here are the few pictures I grabbed at the playground before the Pittsburgh deluge continued...
Tavin saw Koen playing with this steering wheel and wanted so badly to reach it and be like big brother... Look how proud once he managed to stand up at the wheel and drive!
Koen and Tavin had some close encounters in the tunnel. Koen can be quite obnoxious just hanging around Tavin when they play, but I know it's just because he is dying to play with him as a peer instead of as a baby brother.
Still looks a little tired. And he's probably trying to keep one eye on big brother barreling around behind him. He looks confused, and I am too. It's May 4th and it was in the low 40's while we were out and then started raining from nowhere (literally the radar showed nothing the whole time we were in the storm!).

Morning With My Tavin

Tavin and I had such a nice time together this morning, I just had to post a few, very casual pictures of him while we were hanging out. He is so expressive and just oh so cute! I love my quiet mornings with Tav. Today we dropped off big brother at school and Daddy at the bus stop and then headed to Trader Joe's where I just enjoyed having one little guy in the cart with me for a change. We got home before 9:30am and had plenty of time to play upstairs before his catnap. He's been very lovey lately and just wants to be held. I'm all arms...how could I resist?
There were 2 other cute pictures, but for some reason I couldn't get them to rotate. He was making the cutest faces in them. I'm bummed! Anyways, hopefully you enjoyed his sweet smiles above. =)

Backyard Coming Together

Doug has been working quite hard around here lately in and out of the house getting us ready for Spring and Summer so that we can take full advantage of our outdoor living space. This week we got our tomato plants in and then Doug and Koen planted the lettuce. My roses are coming along nicely on their own. We've already had to mow and weedwack twice (so unruly, the rain is just making it all grow like weeds!). The boys are both enjoying the backyard and I'm loving that we are finally able to get out and enjoy fresh air on a more regular basis again.
Here's my basil. I hope it works out well this year. I've tried a few times before and never had much success.
Check out these muddy knees. This little guy has to learn how to walk! These cute overalls are now ruined. If we have a third it better not be a boy because there will not be a non-holey pair of pants in sizes 6 months to 24 months!
My lettuce patch. I'm sure our little "turtle" (Koen) will pretty much eat it all himself, but I hope I get a few tastes of it later this Spring.
Here's our tomato garden. Last year we really crammed them in as an experiment and have used less plants and spaced them out twice as far this year, not to mention we planted them 2 months earlier, so hopefully we get some beautiful, ripe tomatoes in a timely manner this year (last year we were still harvesting into October!).
Koen was hard at work at a construction project. Doug and I are hoping our hard work in the gardens will not be ruined by Koen's construction plans. He does have instructions on what he can dig/build with versus what he cannot, but these days you never know when he will follow-through and listen and obey.
Here are the beginning of my roses (up against neighbor's yard). I can't wait for their blossoms to fill my house and yard again!

Goodnight Wishes

Last night Doug surprised me by lining up a babysitter so that we could go out for a much needed date for just the two of us. We had a lovely dinner (on a gift card, even better!) at Girasole in Shadyside. Delicious!

Miss Kylie was so sweet to come over on short notice and lay Koen down. They had fun before bed and even took a few "goodnight" videos for Doug and I.

Enjoy my little Koen getting every last minute out of his final moments before bedtime!

Nice Arm!

Doug happened to be taking a video while also playing a soft game of catch in the playroom (I don't encourage throwing balls in the house, I guess I will have to remind Doug about that rule). Check out what happens. It's hilarious. Also, make sure to watch what Tavin is doing in the background. Also...hilarious!