Alex's Last Day of School

Well, Alex did well during two short trials and not quite as well for his two full days of school. He cooperated, played, and napped but refused to eat and clearly cried a lot because his little eyes were puffy both days. I think he would do well once he adjusted to the routine and I would sure make the most of the kid-free hours, but I was the one who ultimately threw in the towel. I don't want to see Alex unhappy and since he's my last baby I don't see any reason why he can't be a baby a little longer. I'll keep my little guy home with me and postpone getting a life of my own for a while. Ben will hopefully be starting pre-primary (kindergarten) full-time at the public school in February so it hit me that I won't have them home forever.

Meanwhile, we've had some fun in the beautiful weather. It's been colder this past week but still quite nice most days. We discovered a new playground last weekend with a huge pirate ship for the kids to explore and thank goodness Matt and I were each watching a kid because they were hard to keep up with in the maze of paths and ladders.

Alex had a blast and loved running away. Cute trick as long as I can follow!

Ben got his workout climbing up all the chain ladders.

The guys playing in one of the windows. It was really a kid's dream playground and we'll definitely return.

The location was terrific as well because it's on a hill overlooking the river so we had great scenery for our picnic.

Hard to see, but if you click on the picture you'll see a group (flock? gaggle?) of black swans with white wings flying over the water.

The indoor activity of choice is definitely mario kart on the wii. We got a second TV so we can finally take advantage of our downstairs study/playroom and its comfortable recliners. We've started patching Ben's eye every day and this is both encouragement to wear the patch and a helpful activity to strengthen his weak eye.

We've had fun playing in our own yard as well. We don't have a lot of grass but there are patio areas all around the house that are fun for driving. Occasionally the cars sneak inside as well...they boys have to keep me on my toes somehow.

cheese!

The guys love their playhouse and slide outside and these beautiful days make me happy to be outside as well. Last winter was one of the wettest on record and this winter is shaping up to be one of the driest.

Thank you, gymnastics, for teaching my boys how to jump. Now how do I turn it off? Thank goodness these are carpeted stairs.

This is quite possibly the most boring video I've ever uploaded and that's the beauty of it. After watching the boys fight all afternoon, I threatened to take this toy away if they couldn't play nicely with it. They quietly played together and took turns for a good 15-minutes...a moment for the record books.