"Her (His) name is Rio and she (he) dances on the sand,,,"

I love this shirt...on Owen especially, since he is the "petite" one...this shirt is old school...this once fit me, can you believe it?! My parents vacationed abroad when I was a little squirt and brought this back for me...and now, it fits one of my "babies"...When they have outgrown it, I want to keep it and make it into something cute...but not a quilt...ideas?!

"Oh Rio Rio, dance across the Rio Grande..."

Awe...

There is really, truly, completely...fascination in these boys towards everything Daddy does...

Boys in Bins

Boys in Bins: A Series

Dylan's doing something goofy again, sitting in a toy bin...and then you can almost see the question mark pop up above Ethan' & Owen's heads...who will get this one!?

Dylan is tight-lipped about his vote...

Alas, we'll have to wait for another day to see who would conquer in a fair duel...Ethan jumps in on his own, and Owen goes off to do some very important tractoring...

John Deere man...can't blame him...if I had my pick, I'd play with the tractors over $6 IKEA bins too!

The victor looks pleased!!!

There were a bunch of great pics in the "Dylan bin series", but this encompassed him best...super excited and open-mouthed with a drool-soaked shirt...I love this little guy!

Dylan would call this picture, "Let's break shit"...or maybe not, because thankfully he doesn't say that word yet. This is a picture of his amusement after he got over the initial shock when the bin cracked open on both ends and made a huge snapping sound. We just threw out a few of the broken bins. Still glad I won the "plastic furniture vs real/expensive furniture" discussion...there is a day for pretty things, and it will be in about 18 years.

If you can't join them, pull them all over the place...or, about an inch from where you started, if you are a little man.

Misc June

Miscellaneous pictures from the beginning of June...

Our Harley guys...

Owen in the only orange jump-suit I hope he'll ever wear...

Gramma appropriately titled this picture "Don't mess with Dylan"...take that! Tough guy.

Diggin' with Linnie at the park...

Holy crap...Owen & Ethan almost look like they are the same size in this picture!

That's my girl...my niece is pretty as can be, but can still be one of the boys!!

Owen's newest thing is walking around in Ethan's big boy shoes...and he does it pretty well!

Just look at how excited he is!!

Ethan trying out Gramma's shoes...Andy could not have been more right when he said the caption for this picture should be, "When did he turn 15?" Is there a "pause" button on this guy?!

School's out for Summer!

In the end of May, Ethan's preschool had an end of the year picnic. Daddy was able to go with Gramma, and they took some pictures...

I can't believe Ethan is already done with his first year of school. I have a feeling I'll say something similar to this at the end of every school year! Wasn't his first day like yesterday?!

And Owen and Dylan are such big boys too...playing at the Park with all the kids!

Owen & D love their hats. Even when we are inside, they will take them off the coat hooks by the front door and bring them over to us so we can put them on for them. My favorite combo is when they are wearing their hats in the morning with their pajamas still on...super cute!

D is such a boy! He looks like a little man here...marching around in his long shorts!

Break time!

Preschool Spring Concert - May 25

"Ethan, get your hands out of your mouth!" we said...Ethan is always a little nervous at first...

But he was sitting next to his little buddy, Keller, (and his crush, Madison) and was having a great time before too long. Maybe too good of a time...before the end of the concert, Ethan was plucked from his spot by a teacher's assistant, and placed in the top bleacher row, away from his buddy. They must have no sense of humor! Ethan participated throughout the concert...a total 180 from the Christmas Concert when he sat still and silent. At this concert, he sang (I could hear him from our seats!) and did the hand motions to the songs. He looked like he was having a blast! I laughed and smiled the whole time. What a sweetheart!

Parents came up to the stage to collect their kids...Mommy was a little teary in this picture, which is why my eyes look so weird. Yes, I am a total sap, and no, I'm not embarrassed about it!

Pictures with Mommy and Gramma Leslie after the concert.

Then Mommy & Daddy took Ethan to the store so he could pick out a special cupcake (Red Velvet, that's my boy!) to celebrate!

Get in my belly!

We let the kiddos run around in their "undergarments" before pajama time... I know they aren't really babies anymore...toddlers after 12-months or whatever "they" say, but they still smell like babies, and they are still pinchable like babies too...tell me you could refrain from pinching these cheeks, thighs and bellies!

There are just no words to sum up the cuteness of Owen....

My curly-red D heading for the door...gotta keep an eye on this one!

Dylan's like, "Enough of you and your camera, MOM, I'm bustin' out of here!"

New shirts!

When we were in Kentucky for the Derby, Gramma Nana sent us home with these great shirts for Dylan and Owen. Kinda like those plywood boards where you stick your head in and suddenly look like a body-builder or a Disney character. In this case, put on a t-shirt to become a jockey or a baseball player...

I love how Owen tries to look crabby when he is really the sweetest little thing on Earth. It looks like he's pulling on his t-shirt, but it's really his "softy"...

See, sweetest thing...

Dylan has his hold on Ethan's "cremote" for the TV. As usual, he is accessorizing with drool...

The drool is still hanging on...could this little guy BE any happier?!

Derby: pre-Derby

We probably would have taken this many pictures anyway, but especially since it was raining and we knew that all of our beautification efforts would soon be spoiled, we posed Prom-style in just about every permutation possible.

The challenge for every Derby-goer....how to sneak the booze into Churchill. This year, because of the rain, an obvious solution presented itself...the poncho. The irony of Andy's pat-down at the security gate still makes me laugh. He opens his jacket, gets patted down...all the while, his booze is wrapped up in the poncho that he has folded up...in his hand! Success!

Derby: Day 1

We went to the Derby this year! First time for me...third time for Andy...although this time he classed it up with box seats (thanks Mom and Dad!)...although, that is just to say that we had tickets with designated seats and dressed up in hats and coordinating outfits galore...but we probably still acted like we were in the infield...I mean, Andy still snuck in some booze, and I changed into my flip-flops and swigged out of the 5th of Jag...so, you know...we're just not all that classy. Period. My Mom scored 6 box seats on the first turn...right around where we sat in 2006 when we went to the Kentucky Oaks. Ethan was there in 2006 too...in my belly. This year, Andy and I flew in on Friday, as did my sister and her husband. It was a fast and furious weekend, filled with lots of rain, lots of good food and drink, and great company.

Mom picked us up from the airport and we had a nice lunch before heading back to the loft. My Dad got home from work and we all hung out on the balcony listening to and watching the goings-ons of 4th Street on Derby weekend. I just had to take pictures of the guys who stopped on a downtown street, right in front of my parents' loft, to sell food!

That nigh, we went to Z's Fusion, a great restaurant down 4th Street from my parents' loft. Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo were there...so it's kind of like the place to be.