Potty traning, day three

We are so proud of Patrick. Today marks the third day of potty training and we are accident free! Hershey kisses and matchbox cars go a long way, and we are hoping he is seeing some of the other benefits. He is getting so big, so many changes in just the last few weeks. In addition to the big boy pants, Patrick was able to hike over a mile at New Harmonie State Park today and he rode his bike 1/2 mile at Grammie's house last week. He was even big enough to go four-wheel riding with Daddy and Uncle Mike on some wooded property close by after dinner one night last week. He has mastered his basic colors, is working on counting and identifying shapes, and is pitching in more around the house with simple chores. We let him take some of his birthday money to Rural King and he chose and paid for a new John Deere toy. He and Lucy are playing better and better together each day, a sign that each of them are getting older. Where does the time go??

Hiking

Today was a beautiful day, so we decided to pack a lunch and head out to New Harmonie State Park to hike. Patrick did great, hiked maybe 1.5 miles and Lucy was content to be packed on Daddy's back. As perfect as the weather, the gnats were absolutely horrible -- so we enjoyed our picnic on our picnic table in our back yard!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Daddy turned 31 yesterday and we had a nice celebration down at the Bretz house. Patrick decorated a empty can with Daddy's favorite things (a pen holder, of course) and picked out a silly Sponge Bob card. We also enjoyed fresh ground coffee this morning, thanks to Daddy's new grinder. Daddy's big gift is yet to come, tickets to Glenn Beck's Comedy Tour playing live at a local theater on Thursday night -- we are both looking forward to that! Happy Birthday Daddy!

Silly girl

Lucy loved the huge lollipop we gave the kids as a souvenir from our Orlando trip. Better than that, I think she was just happy to have us home!

Patrick's 3rd Birthday

Just another Patrick face telling a tale....
Airplane cake!!
Three, yes that's how old I am...
Caught it! Good one!

Patrick turned 3 years old on Friday, May 22nd. We had a great day, kicked it off by going to the Indy 500 parade downtown and then having family over at my parents to grill out and celebrate. Per Patrick's request, I managed to pull off an airplane cake hours after we flew back into town from Orlando. Favorite gifts included- what else - the John Deere logo to add to his growing team. It was also fun to throw around the new baseball with Papa, learning how to use a glove and tee ball bat. Good preparation for the Cards/Reds game we are treating Patrick to in July with my parents. Sometimes the most treasured items were the least expensive or thought over -- the balloons and big lollipops brought back from our trip were a hit with all the kids! A great end to the week long vacation in Indy/Orlando, but always happy to be home in Evansville. Check out the slideshow for more pictures of our day....

Swimsuits!

We broke out the slip n slide today for the first time, well, ever. Patrick enjoyed it, Lucy was didn't care for the icy water or the feel of the grass under her bare feet. Just what we expected :) But she did look cute in her swimsuit! We also lost a huge limb last night at the bottom of the hill, I couldn't resist this photo of Patrick watching his Daddy, obediently staying where he was told but still so transfixed by the clean up.

Belated Mothers Day

Behind every sweet moment....
You can usually find a sneaky little boy just waiting to strike....


My Mother's Day was a couple of days late, but worth the wait. I worked all weekend....and so did Daddy from home while trying to manage the kids. My gift was a beautiful watch with an engraving on the back, very thoughtful and sweet. Today the kids and I went for a long run and then packed a picnic out to New Harmony and played for the morning. So my Mothers Day gift today? Daddy working so hard so Mommy could have today.

Summer 'do

Mommy caved and gave the barber the ok for the buzzcut, something I think he has been wanting to do for quite some time. It does look cute, and should be cooler in the summer months!

George and Jerry

We have seemed to acquire two new pets -- George the turtle and Jerry the frog. George was found by Daddy under a pile of straw he was moving around in the backyard, Jerry was found wedged in the foot of Patrick's shoe this morning when Mommy was trying to put it on. In both cases, Mommy and Daddy were taken by surprise!

My Daddy and I

Hanging out with Daddy on a lazy Sunday afternoon as dinner smokes along behind us....

Cheese!

Nice smile.