Fun on the tracks...

My friend, Sonja and I had a free hour one morning last week so we packed our kiddos into the car and off we went for a quick photo shoot.  Once we arrived, Sam and Johan's main goals were to explore and have fun.  They even did a little dancing.  It's fun to be four!

Union Station

We visited a train museum for the first time during our visit to Omaha a few weeks ago.   Shockingly the boys  loved it!  Model trains to watch, life sized trains to explore, and street cars for pretend.  A little boy's dream museum!

I, of course, loved the beautiful light in the grand station!

Cousins having fun!

All Aboard!

Omaha Zoo....We LOVE it!

This is the reason I brought my camera to the zoo the last time we visited Omaha.  I love the fish exhibits!  (And the penguins...and now the tropic's trail.  More pictures coming soon.)

WE made it!

The boys spent over 5 hours outside each day this weekend.  Saturday started off with "The Great Dam Project".  This lasted a few hours.  There were trips around the block, picnics on the front stoop, tree cutting, cars, cars, and more cars, and time spent playing on a neighbor's swing set.  Charlie even tried out his 2 wheeler (with a little bribing by mom).  I am so thankful they all love being outside!  I love it even more that WE MADE IT!  Spring is here!  LOVE it!

Smiles and a lolli

These 2 boys are best buds when Charlie is at school.  They laugh, talk, run around, sing, dig in the dirt, and giggle and share lollipops.  Too cute!

Cross Country Skiing

Charlie and I were able to try cross country skiing a few weeks ago.   I'm glad he liked it... something we can try again next year!

Smile

Love this boy's eyes...I think they might be turning green!  Love the lashes too!

My Sweet Boys

My biggest little boy is growing up!  His second front tooth is coming in....the little boy stage is almost over.  He is a BOY!

He is beginning to pick up books to read on his own.  Works on his number scroll from kindergarten at night before bed...he's on 1600 or something like that...  He loves to help cook and he really enjoys school and his friends.  I am so excited to see what the summer ahead brings.  Bike rides?  Swimming?  I know there has been lots of planning going on about the worksite in the backyard.  We are on year 3 of worksite fun.  I am so thankful my boy is still a little boy at heart!  Love you Charlie!

The Making of a Valentine....

Happy Valentine's Day!

Naptime

My sweet baby rarely naps anymore.  He did this past Sunday and I took a few quick snaps while I still can.  What a little angel!

Day 14 - Brothers Having Fun

Charlie had an Inventors' Fair this morning at school. The boys and I learned many new things like how to make ice ornaments and how to take care of a hermit crab from Charlie's classmates! Charlie displayed how to make a wood tunnel for his trains. He did a great job!

It was a fun morning. The boys couldn't help playing in the snow a bit on our way back to the car.

More Walker Favorites

Day 13 - Clean Teeth in Style

Ben loves running around the house naked even now as the temperatures are dipping rather low in January.  He calls his blankets "warm" and often runs into our room and gets comfy then tells me "warm" meaning pull the covers up over me.  Here he is doing his morning routine....brush some teeth while running around naked as long as possible then maybe put on pants and run around with out a shirt for awhile.  

Day 12 - A New Tooth Takes A Peek

Charlie was very busy shoveling here...no real time to actually look at the camera, but I did capture his newest tooth.  He lost this tooth the day before 1st grade started.  I'm so happy it took it's time to come in, I love all of his toothless grins.

Day 11 - The Flirt

All the animals at the zoo are cute!

Day 10 - Brotherly Love

I love watching Sam and Ben's relationship grow.

Day 9 - Big Smiles

Sorry about yesterday.  Chris and I had a date with a REAL babysitter!  I will have to make it up this week with some bonus photos from this past summer.


Love the big smile on Charlie's face.  What a sweet little boy who is growing SO quickly!

Day 7 - An Apple A Day

Day 6 - Remembering

I decided to add some photos from the past today to honor my Grandma Lilly who passed away on Christmas Eve at the age of 95.

When I think of my childhood memories many of them are from times spent at Grandma Lilly's little white house in St. Thomas, N.D. Time there was spent playing cards, eating - homemade pickles, jams, rolls...., walks down the railroad tracks, and running around the outside of the house with cousins.

My grandmother was quick to smile, give a hug, and an extra cookie or two. There was lots of encouragement and love and many "that's right, my girl", "good job, my girl". I feel so blessed to have had my grandma in my life for over 40 years. Someday I hope to be a grandma as beautiful and loving as my dear grandma Lilly.

I guess I know where Ben gets his figure.  I'm about 22 months here in the little sailor suit

7 months old with my grandma at Easter time.

Ben and Great Grandma Lilly Oct 21, 2010.

My mom and grandma Oct. 22, 2010.

My dearest Grandma Lilly on Oct. 22, 2010.  The day before she found out she was sick and 2 days before going into a nursing home.

Day 5 - Sleep

Is there anything more sweet than sleeping children?

Look Who's Talking

Ben is exploding with words these past few weeks.  I remember going to his 2 year appointment and telling  Dr. Bob that Ben was putting 2 words together to get his point across.  Now we hear:

"Huuuu-ja waderfall, bear, fish"  Oh, the bears like to find fish in the huge waterfall.  Ben loves to use the word "HUGE".
"BIG, huuja mooovie, rock-ket bast off into sky, up high...pffffshhhh" Telling us about the Hubble i-max movie at the Science Museum.  He loves the part when the space shuttle blasts off.  At the end he makes the sound.  (Uncle John should also love the choice of  "Big, Huge", my MN boy.)
Other favorite sayings we hear ALL of the time:

"ME FIRSS!"  Me, first.
"Noder one."  Another one.
"Just one."  Yah, right.
"More, more."
"NACK!"  He yells this right after finishing breakfast and lunch...SNACK!
"Cane-o" Anything pointy is called a volcano.
"Up high, ky" for anything flying over head
"Ma, ma where ARE you? Down-tairs?"  Heard whenever I am not 5 feet from Ben and sometimes in the middle of the night from his bed.
"Awesome!" "Dude, Coolah", or simply "coolah"
When he's counting things, "leven, fourteen, fourteen, fourteen"
"Sam, Farley, Ma, Pa" Ben loves it when we are all together and goes through our names a few times quickly smiling and looking at each of us.  He does this in the car and at the table.

And, of course, it couldn't be a house full of little boys without:
"Poopy Sam, Stinky, Ewww" in the car over and over as his brothers laugh.

It felt like we had gone a few years without the potty talk and now we are back.  At least everyone is laughing instead of crying!

Even with all this growing up too fast....Ben is still my sweet little baby....

Sleeping at Ermie and Grandpa D's at Thanksgiving.   All of his favorites with him...picture book, mil-lk, paint brush (tooth brush) and if you look closely an "animal" curled up next to his chin.  Any stuffed beanie baby will do but his favorites are doggie, cow, and whatever his brothers are taking to bed.