We Four "P's" and Our Pod

The Running Games

AJ wants to be on a soccer team very badly. The only problem with that is that he's not so thrilled with playing with other kids on a team. We decided a good introduction to sports would be to sign AJ up for the free running camp hosted by the Gate City Striders here in the city. The kids are put into "camps" by age group and get to play games that focus on fitness. It was a great introduction to an organized activity without having to spend tons of money on gear just to find out that the kiddos didn't like it.

Well as expected, AJ wasn't thrilled with joining the group or listening to a coach's instruction. But we pressed forward and he completed all EIGHT weeks of RUNNING! (Let me decode that for you....I spent eight solid weeks begging, pleading, and bribing AJ to participate in activities that involved RUNNING in 90+ degree heat with 120% humidity. That's eight weeks of ME running around in shorts, sweating MY buns off and going home mentally exhausted trying to outsmart a three year old...all while doing an activity that I DESPISE. (really...I run from the couch to the fridge and back before commercials are over...and that's IT!) Getting a group of three year olds to do ANYTHING at the same time is a lot like herding cats.)

But all that said, we felt it was important to start teaching AJ about commitment and about good sportsmanship, and cheering on your team. I'm not sure if it all sunk in, but he worked hard to win the prize of his choosing....a STUFFIE (just like Ryan's).

Running Games - Week #1

Week #3 - We got AJ to wear the name tag. That in itself was a victory!

Flex those muscles!

We don't have a whole lot of pictures from the weeks in between #1 and #8. Trust me when I tell you that there was a lot of sweat, tears (mine), and that we I did a lot of running. But finally....WEEK #8!!!

Stretching before his big race to the finish line.
He was extra motivated by the "uniform" they gave him (free t-shirt and hat).

AJ with his cheering section!

And of course, all that hard work, dedication, and commitment to his "team" meant that he EARNED his prize.

And so we celebrated with ice cream at Friendly's.

June 2014

We pretty much spent the month of June at home in our back yard, at various parks around the city, or on short outings with friends in the area. With two very busy boys, sometimes it's best to just stick close to home. :)

AJ's first new car!

Of course we celebrated father's day in June. I posted this collage tribute to my Facebook page. For those of you not on FB, you missed it...so here it is...a tribute to all the best dads I know!

The boys made Adam a Father's day card. (The monkeys are actually they're thumb prints.)

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming....The AJ and Robert Show in the back yard.

I have no idea who they were spying on, but they both love to creep on the neighbors.

Don't forget to take time to smell the flowers!

Playing with Grammy!

Harley and Lulu love the spring weather too. There's nothing like a good roll in the grass!

Play date in Newburyport, MA with Miss. Charlotte!

Robert works on Momma's next heart attack.

May 2014

Because I'm so far behind in my posts, I think the best way to catch up is to post by month. So without further ado, here is the month of May. :)

The beautiful spring weather let us spend LOTS of time outdoors. The boys enjoyed ditching heavy winter coats and boots for lightweight sweatshirts, sneakers, and...monster mitts.

This is as good as it gets. I don't think I'll ever get a picture of BOTH of them smiling at the same time.

AJ LOVES to paint birdhouses as his craft project. Never in a million years did we think the birds would take up residence in his works of art. But really, how could they resist? He did after all paint the interior to match the colorful Monet-esque exterior. We actually had SEVERAL bird families move in to his bird houses. Unfortunately, the bird houses at Joann's fabric store are not built to withstand spring rain showers. (oopsie!)