First soccer game

The boys have been enjoying their grocery cart together lately. Beck will ask to go into the cart, and Theo will come over to push him around. Then Theo will point to himself and to the cart, and Beck will ask for help getting out of the cart. Then I help Theo get in to the cart, and Beck pushes Theo around. Beck is a little stronger than Theo, and Theo weighs a little less than Beck, so Beck moves a lot faster than Theo does, but they both seem to love it.

Grocery cart fun

More awesome visitors

I forgot to add these pictures of our dear Auntie Alexis when she visited Easter weekend. She brought treats for all--three Babar books for the boys (which they LOVE, despite the colonial overtones) and prosecco and Cadbury eggs for the grownups. We love you, Auntie Alexis!

Emily and her daughter Eleanor came to visit last week while Claire was here. Good luck to Mommy Alexa defending her dissertation this week!

Zoo Trip

Yesterday I asked the boys, as I often do in the morning, what they want to do that day. I was expecting that I would get the usual response, which is either grunting or "LAWNMOWER!" from Beckett. Instead, Beck said, very clearly, "zoo!" To which I had no response, because I didn't think he knew that word and we hadn't been to the zoo for months. So I asked, "why do you want to go to the zoo?" Beck said "ANIMALS!" Stunned, I said, "let's get our coats and shoes on, then!" And we went to the zoo.

It was an awesome day at the zoo. The first stop was the lions, who we haven't seen in a while because they are not on display in the winter months. But they were out and walking around. Dada Lion took a nice big poop and one of the lady lions had a long drink at the pond while the other lady wrestled with Dada. Then Dada came over to the window right in front of us and roared for about two or three minutes. He was so close that his breath steamed up the glass. I know that all of this is horrible animal abuse and evidence that the animals are stressed and all of that BUT it was awesome nonetheless.

Then on top of it the zoo is renovating and so a huge part of the middle part outside is torn up. There are a dozen or so excavators and backhoes and front loaders and workers all digging and dumping and working, which is a show in and of itself. The elephants were also up and around, as were the tigers, but the lions and the diggers were worth the price of admission (which is zero, because we have a $50 annual membership). And we were gone and back in less than 90 minutes. All in all, a first class day at the zoo!

Theo walking in his boots-with his hands

Visit with Auntie Claire

Last week our dear friend Claire spent the week with us from New Mexico. The weather was positively dismal (rainy, bone-chilling cold) but we still managed a few walks and excursions. Claire also built us a great playhouse for the boys, which lives on the deck now for the muddy season until we move the patio furniture out.

The boys took to Claire very quickly, and by the time I got home from work Monday (Claire arrived Monday morning) the boys were very comfortable with her. They especially enjoyed her palpations of their bellies to figure out what they had eaten.

Rainy Tuesday walk through Green Lakes State Park. I offered Theo to ride on my back and he pointed to Claire instead.

Claire building the playhouse in the dank cold drizzle.

This morning I took Theo to the farmers' market and Beck went around the block with his lawn mower accompanied by Dada. We also had a little wrestling on the crib mattresses as I remade their beds.

Theo photobomb!

This afternoon when they woke up from naps we went out for another walk around the block with both lawn mowers and then spent a long time in the swings in front of the house.