Earth Day

Happy Earth Day!!! Lowe's was giving away free trees, but we don't have a place to plant them... But, we went out and picked up trash, 1 bag for each member of our family, as per our little tradition.

I really like this tradition and the boys did a great job helping this year. I love teaching them about the importance of taking care of the Earth, and being responsible. Here they are with their full bags and cleaner world. Thank you Heavenly Father for this beautiful Earth, we will try harder to keep it the way it should be.

Paul's day off

This was Paul's day off. He originally said he wanted to take the kids to the beach when he got home from his final, but as we got closer they kept asking for "the whales! the whales!" So we went to Seaquarium instead. Paul hadn't been there before and the boys wasted no time showing him all the great things. We all had a wonderful time.

Looking for dolphins.

The sea lion show is my favorite. It's all about keeping reefs clean, and recycling, all be good to the earth messages. Love it. Matix was playing air drums to the loud opening music.

Family pic.

Both boys love this show too and sat very well during the whole thing.

Two of my boys showing how brave they are with this alligator...

But this boy was still pretty cautious, even though big brother and daddy seemed to like it. :)

Cherry-lime and watermelon-strawberry shaved ice, YUM! It was a warm day (80's), so it tasted especially delicious.

This was the last thing I saw. Lolita, a giant killer whale got me... I was soaking wet, and the boys thought it was hilarious.

Paul

He still exists! For those of you who have been asking about the invisible member of our family, here he is! The pictures are of the google maps car he spotted one day, he was very excited... This is what happens when you devote 90% of your waking hours to studying, your brain turns mushy and things like seeing the google maps car become the highlight of your day. :) Just kidding. But really, that is all Paul has been up to. He took an afternoon off after his final for 5th semester and we all went to the Seaquarium (pictures to come), but that was it. He is working SO hard. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as his exams are coming up quick and happy feelings sent his way are always good. :)

When the dates get closer I will let everyone know again, but for now it's just book time, all day everyday. We pray for him to stay focused and retain the information he studies, and for him to get the grades on his tests that he will be happy with (he is his own worst critic, and strives to be better and better regardless of how well he really does). We love you Paul and although we miss you and want to see you more, we are glad that you're putting your all into this. It is the most important thing for you to be spending your time on right now.

muffins for Barbara

We found ourselves a nice old lady in our complex, a kind of surrogate great great grandma (she is very old). Her name is Barbara and she is always so sweet to the boys. She never leaves, so one morning while baking some muffins with the boys, Matix asked to bring some to his "friend", I asked which friend and he described Barbara, "She live in our house (apartment), and has balls on her sticks (she has a walker with tennis ball on the feet)." He is so smart huh? and thoughtful. I had already planned on bringing her some, it was perfect. So we brought her some blueberry muffins, yum! They were still warm and the boys ate some on the way (oops!)...

Barbara was SO grateful. I think we will bring her some more cookies or muffins soon. The boys loved seeing her reaction, she got teary and was crying a little, I don't think she gets very many visitors. Matix asked to bake her more the next day, but I thought we should wait a few days... :)

dinosaur park

We found this new park while driving around in the Coral Gables neighborhood. It is completely fenced in and wonderful. Check out the little gate. Cute.

The boys call it the dinosaur park. :)

They stood and watched this guy play racquetball for quite a while, until I think he felt uncomfortable... Oops.

This park is so fun, pretty shaded too, so it will be especially nice in the warmer months here. Love it.

good bye to Laurel

In the evenings after the boys went down, Paul stayed home while Laurel and I went out. One night we went to see the movie Red Riding Hood. Laurel and I used to see TONS of movies together when we were roommates, so it was fun doing that again with her. We ate tons of popcorn and candy too, which is a must for me at the movies. :) I always have a blast with Laurel.

The last morning Laurel was here we met up with her at a playground on her way out of town. She flew in through Fort Lauderdale, so she had to drive back up that way before she flew back to Denver. Matix was very busy playing on this fun new playground.

Hawken played peek-a-boo with us and tried to get in on the conversation while we talked and said our good-byes.

When Matix realized that Laurel was leaving, for good, he was SO distraught. He cried and said things like, "I need Laurel!" and "Peas mommy, I go wit Laurel on airpane?". I pulled out my camera to try to catch some of it. This was after he had calmed down a bit, but he was still sad.

After all the crying, both boys passed out on the way home. :)

Fun

Laurel's room was amazing. We spent all day there everyday she was here. It was a nice vacation for all of us. There were a few days of this, and the pictures are from various times. It was SO fun. Matix made himself at home. :)

We went to the beach first. Is this gorgeous or what?

Hawken, of course, was playing with trash. He always does this, no matter how many real toys I bring.

Then it was nap time. I brought a movie for them to watch while they had a snack, then I snuggled with them until they fell asleep in the front room. I was surprised at how easily they went down, they must have been wiped out from their morning at the beach.

When the boys woke up they shared some pizza with us on the balcony. Hawken later (when we weren't watching) threw a piece of pizza and his pacifier over the edge... Down 17 floors, and we never found either... Hmmm....

Then to the pool(s), there were 2 and 2 hot tubs also, so fun. Matix soaked up as much of Laurel as he could, and Hawken and I spent a lot of the time cuddling.