Pictures....

These are all out of order... and randoms... I don't have my computer right now, so I am just using ones I snapped on my phone.  I just thought I needed some pictures! ;)

I am not sure what SJ's deal was... BUT, This is 3M - where daddy works! :) 

Shaving cream anyone?!
John wanted to get in on the shaving cream action... clearly he was a bit confused as to where it should go.... LOL

SJ was hanging out with daddy... so, of course they had an Oreo snack! :)

Papa Steve's "Old Timer" glasses!

John is so cute in these glasses! :)

The biggest Cheesy Ham I know. Biggest. 

Stephen's fine art skills... EEEK. 

I took SJ to the library one morning while JR was at school.
SJ LOVES books, it was a hit! 

SJ "needed" to do the kid computers.
He was nearing a big fit about the computers because I told him he was not going to use them.  After I broke down and told him he could, all he wanted to do was try on the head phones.  (Notice the computer screen is on the "sleep screen" and there was nothing coming out the of head phones...)  One fight I was glad I avoided. 

The potty training obsession begins!!!  He is obsessed with going potty.  
I would say that we are still pretty far from being trained. I have to remind him all the time, and he needs full assistance.  If I don't get there quick enough, it is a mess.  He is a strait shooter...  : /

SJ and his un-ties.   Yes, if you are trying to count them... he has on 3 pairs.
If only you could see the back view-- it is cheeks, and all cheeks! :) 

More of the triple unties situation! Maybe he has 4 pairs on in this picture??

This is a pretty "old" picture... from a month ago?
The boys wanted to have toasted mallows - so Ryan made a bonfire with I got the boys dressed.
It was super fun, for all of the 3 minutes they lasted! :) 

SJ and his mallow.  He did not want his toasted!   As soon as he though his mallow could possibly be compromised by the flames it was nearing he started screaming in fear it wasn't going to come back.  He has his raw. 

Too bad this is blurry... It would have been such a cute one! 

<3  Brothers <3
They both wanted theirs cold.  No one even roasted a mallow after all that! 

John and Stephen standing by their snowman! 

We all got together for my mom's birthday this year.   It was fun to surprise her!  We all had pizza, tres leches  cake and chipped in on a charm for her bracelet.  

Blowing out her candles!

(Her party was the same night we made an offer on our soon to be new house in Woodbury!!) Wahoo!!

SJ enjoying a popcorn snack! :)

JR and SJ were HUGE troopers one afternoon last week.  I had to run about 6 errands, yes 6!  I needed to get them done and they needed to come with... I totally bribed them saying IF we got them all done and they didn't cry at any of the stops, I would get them an ice cream treat.  It worked! ;) And, right after this we went to meet Sue and Ryan at the new house so the boys could run around and play a little bit.  It ended up being a fun day- even though I was a bit nervous as it started out. 

SJ and his cookie ice cream

John has taken a big interest in Papa Joe's "tree things"
Ever day as we drive on 494 to bring John to school, he always asks  what the "things out there are?"  And I never knew what he was talking about until it dawned on me! It was the tree tubes Papa invented!! :)  He has been asking all about what papa does at work, how he grows trees, how the trees get into that "thing," and so on.
One afternoon, as we were outside, John came running over to Ryan and I and said, "I made a tree thing like Papa Joe for Nana and Papa Steve!! They have a new tree!!!  SEEEEE!!!!!"

A few days later and John was checking if his tree "thing" was working.
He looked up and said, "How does that tree get in this THING?!!!" 

THE FOOT PHONE!
I wasn't here for the original "foot phone" but... here is Ryan's take on the situation:
SJ had fallen and got hurt, Papa Steve said something like, SJ is hurt and needs to go to the Dr.    Suddenly John dialed up the Dr. on his foot and had a whole conversation with the Doctor-- "Doctor! Doctor!!  You come here and help my bro-der?! He hurt! You Come?! OK, Good! Bye!"

John helping his brother get out of lot 11 safely.
We went walking up there with Ryan one night after work last week.   It is so beautiful up there and the weather sure helped!! :) 

Brothers! Cheese!!

Sunny March days!

This March will be one I will remember! :) It has been such great weather! I LOVE it!!
We have been playing outside just about all day, everyday.
Today, we were all playing outside by 8:15am.  John was catching bugs (warning to all bugs: do not come to Nana's house, you will not make it off this property with all your limbs, or even alive for that matter!)  and climbing the little tree in the sandbox. :)
SJ has perfected climbing up the ladder on the swing set and going feet first, tummy down on the slide.  The yard is littered in balls, bats and little plastic hockey sticks.  We did a nature hunt for all of papa's plants that are coming up, SJ even sung them a little song "ni-ni-P-ants" (as John chimed in, "NO! Morning PLANTS!") this went on for a while.
John and Stephen have had almost everyone of their meals this week outside on the deck, and our heat is off, the windows are open and I am thrilled! Spring it here! :D

We did take a little break from our outside fun to drive to St. Olaf to pick up Auntie Alana today- Let's just say, I drove way past Northfeild... and got us very lost. : / However, the boys were screaming with excitement the whole ride down.   When we finally got there, we picked her up and headed back to good old Mendota Heights.  Alana got the boys a couple new books (thanks Auntie!!) and she read them to the boys- one about starting school and one about little bears.  Very cute.
This morning, (early this morning, to the tune of 5:30am) John found some nail polish in the mud room, painted his finger and said, "look mom, Nolly Polly! Ya, Ya likes Nolly Polly!!"  : / Yes, John, she does... (luckily it was white polish, and he only got one finger done before I stepped in and stopped all the "fun" ;-)

E-O-N

Ryan and I have full conversations spelling every word out.  F.U.L.L. C.O.N.V.E.R.S.A.T.I.O.N.S.
John has tried to catch on.  A few weeks back, it was a Saturday morning and Ryan and I were trying to make our plan for the day.  We were deciding between taking the boys swimming or to the zoo.  As we spelled everything out, John piped up, "E.O.N.!!  Park!  Mom, we are going to the PARK! E.O.N!"  (All with one hand on his hip, in a very serious manner.)  We thought it was pretty funny and very clever at the same time.

Well, since then, if John isn't feeling "heard" he will say yell, "E.O.N.! I want some milk! E.O.N!" (or, a snack, or outside or to go swimming...)  
Or, if he wants to feel like he is "part of the conversation" he will chime in as Ryan and I are spelling things out with, "E.O.N., yea, work was good today, yea, it was." 

Un-TEEs!! AKA: Unders

Stephen is obsessed!
He is constantly taking off his pants, pointing to his parts and then bee-lining it to the nearest toilet as if he is about to burst with urine.  I am not really sure where this sudden burst of potty training interest came from, especially because he is a bit young for boys to train...and he is terrible with his aim and timing for that matter!
Tonight, he went digging through the dirty clothes pile to find some un-tees.  He found a pair of John's Toy Story ones and proceeded to get them on.  He put both legs through the waist hole first (good,) but then put both legs through one leg hole and up they went... all the way up past his belly button.  Ryan and I got a good chuckle out of it especially because his meaty little buns were sticking out the bottom of his shirt as he ran trotted around proclaiming UN-TEES!! UN-TEES!! with pure satisfaction on his face, it was pretty much a strut around the kitchen, he was wearing John's unders, he put them on him self and he had just peed in the little green potty all over the floor (while sitting on the potty.  Like I said, the aim is terrible.)  Not five minutes later, he had put on three more pairs of unders he found of John's.  By this point, it was a safety hazard-- he was doing a mermaid walk around the basement.
Have a gotten this lucky as a mom?! Am I going to have 2 kids that are super easy to potty train?! If so, I have earned it! HA

Moving Update

Things are coming along!
Last week, on Tuesday SJ and I dropped JR off at school and headed to Sears to return the appliances we bought for the other house and picked out ones that are a little different for the new house.  We also got to return the disposal, and water heater.  :) We are now getting black appliances and I am SO excited to see them and use them! They are being delivered on the 24th. Yahoo!
I have been calling around to get prices on the cost of running a couple gas lines... so far I have nothing set in stone for this.
On Friday, our Realtor, Sue met us at the house so we could see it again, measure the laundry room, re-look at our "plan" for the kitchen appliance rotation, and let the boys "pick out" their bedrooms.  (they are identical rooms... it was mostly just for them to see the house)  I actually went about 45minutes early with the kids and let them run around the backyard playing and collecting pine cones.  They had a blast!!  Both of them didn't want to leave, John has been asking "can we go to our new blue house yet??"  That's a good thing...we were worried about the transition for him and SJ.  I hope that is a sign that it will be smooth...!
Over the weekend, Ryan and I got everything from the sub-basement moved into the garage, we got all of the outside toys and "stuff" by the back of the house moved into the garage. And, we went through all the boy's clothes, took out the ones that don't fit, re-organized them and packed their clothes for AZ.  And, we got started on our new washer/dryer stand. :) We cut the big pieces of wood, and measured the rest.  The boys woke up from the sound of the table saw, so the wood cutting party was over, but that's when we headed outside with the boys for some hockey, tee-ball, and volleyball practice! We grilled wings for dinner.  It was SO nice out, I <3 spring!
We have TONS to do still, but we are making progress!  
Moving while you are not pregnant (& on bed rest) or nursing/have terrible mastitis is a breeze! ;)  I love that I can help with everything -- it makes things so much easier!
This week, I need to get paperwork/address changes made, do more organizing and then next weekend we are moving everything we have into the garage here, except for what we need for the week- we will be "packing" suitcases for the week with clothes and essentials.  THEN, we close the 23rd and our truck is rented out for the morning of the 24th.  Ryan and I are going to start in Bloomington, put everything from storage into the moving truck, then go to Patrick's move everything from the garage into the truck and unload it ALL into our new house on the 24th.  THEN, the unpacking and organizing begins!!!  Words can not describe how badly I can't wait to have systems in order, places for everything, bins and labels on things and less of a cluttered/messy/disorganized life! haha