i love cardboard

After recently watching this amazing story about Caine's Arcade, Cash and I decided to put some of our packing boxes to better use. I would take this sort of imaginative play over any kind of technological device any day. And while it took a lot of self control to not let out the crazy designer in me to take over the whole thing... it was so fun asking him questions about what needed to go where and let him do most the work.

(not sure what this was for, but it seems very outer space: we come in peace)

(alien target practice)

(control center)

(secret alien spy hole)

(blast off rocket mode)

first day of school

Today Jack started the first grade. Something about him having his own desk and eating lunch in the cafeteria made him suddenly seem so grown up. He was so excited to go back to school. A kid after my own heart. I loved elementary school. The homework, the school supplies, the new outfits come September.

The day was so quiet and calm (especially my morning with Cash in preschool as well), and I found myself continuously looking at the clock wondering what he was doing. How did he do in the lunch line. Did he make friends at recess. 

For most mothers who would be craving the time apart, I found myself a little homesick for him and realizing it was an end of an era. 

Cash's first day of school a few weeks back: 

a camping we will go

Ryan took the boys camping this weekend for Father's Day with his Dad. They couldn't have been more excited. Here are a few shots of their adventures so far... both landed their first prize fishes. Victory!

 Brothers rule.

Cash was very excited to tell me he helped gut the fish with dad and it was "so cool". Gross.

 

  (I love that Jack took is sketch book with him on their nature walk. This is one of his pictures he sent me afterwards.)

one weekend

A snapshot of the weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

rake, jump, rake, jump

I am so happy old man winter gave me one last day this week to rake up my leaves. This is the final week for the year, of our green waste garbage-can pick up, so I was happy to finally get around to it. 

Cash was my helper... by jumping in every pile I would create. As much as I wanted to tell him no so I could get done quicker, I couldn't help it - there is not much fun in raking leaves if you can't jump in them. Max surveyed the whole project from his baby walker and ate a few leaves here and there I'm sure.

We picked out our favorite leaves to smash in books and then headed in just as the temperature began to turn. It was a nice couple of hours.

i'm here, just not really

I'm here.
Just adjusting to life with new baby - 3 boys - and little hope to ever leaving the house again.

This is one attempt to get my life back, so I am making my first blog entry since Max's debut. I have yet to document his mighty arrival... to take a picture to post... and if I tried to do any of those things, I probably wouldn't be on this blog entry right now.

So instead, I am going to start leaving "awesome" Cash's quotes of the day (it's his new favorite word)...

Awesome Quote #1:
Last night while we were eating dinner, mid bite Cash stops, turns towards the baby swing where Max is slumbering, and with mouth full points at him and exclaims, "That baby is awesome."

Then turned back to his food and munched away.

Awesome Cash. Just awesome.

cash's new do

It's very bizarre to build a snowman one day, and then play in the sprinklers the next. But I am not complaining. I am more then happy the snow came and went. Good riddance.

I took Cash to get his first official haircut yesterday (my attempts a few months back to cut his hair were disastrous and better off forgotten since I made him look like a pumpkin headed girl). He looks so clean cut, I hardly recognize him. I almost wonder if it has made him nicer, as if his mullet had all his meanness.

a long day

Yesterday was a long day. Cash and Ryan fell when our nephews and a long board went under their path just as they were walking across the room. They both came down really hard. Cash hit his head, and my heart stopped. I picked him up and he screamed a half scream - then went limp. I lost it. I've never been so scared. We continued to try and rouse him, but with not much luck. We rushed everyone in the car and headed for the ER. I'm so glad they just opened that new Primary Children's wing at the Riverton Hospital... I know an ER is an ER, but Primary Children's is so amazing, and I just feel better knowing everything they do and have is for these little monsters we love so much.

After tests and scans, we could stop holding our breath. He checked out okay, and we could finally leave and let him fall asleep.

Thank you to Aunt Shelby for coming to pick up Jack and Tanner from the Hospital. Thanks for Grandma and Grandpa Tanner for letting Ryan and Cash crash all day with you while I had to go set up the primary party I was in charge of after our hospital episode. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Leigh for taking Jack the rest of the day to hang out, he had a blast. And thank you for all your phone calls and texts. We are so grateful is he okay and that we have so many wonderful friends and family around us.

why i love cash

This may be a strange attribute to desire in your children, but before I had kids, I always wanted a kid who would dress up as a super hero or in their tutus when out in public. Cssh is making all my dreams come true with his latest fashion statements of wearing his Batman mask to everywhere we go - and I mean everywhere. If Batman cannot be found, he pulls out his backup plan of wearing these old snowboarding goggles we have in the winter gear bucket. I don't know why I love it so much, but I do.