The boys

A few weeks ago we had the boys pictures taken, again by our friend's sister-in-law.  We've loved the work she's done in the past, and were just hoping the boys would cooperate.  A little anyway.

We met Missy at the Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis.  The boys were delighted, since all she wanted them to do was throw rocks in the river -

That started out ok, until they boys started finding rocks that were a bit buried in the mud...

And then Charlie looked like this.  Hee hee!  He was in heaven.  They both were.  We've always said we didn't want posed shots - and these certainly are our boys in their natural state!

Zach has never loved having his picture taken, other than short phase when he was about two.  While he's not showing off his great smile in this photo (above), it still captures him well.

Awww.

 Yes, this one is definitely posed.  How did you guess?

We love this one.  Zach wanted his Mario (Sonic?) guy in every picture, which we resisted until we were wrapping up.  So here he is, refusing to smile at the camera, holding his latest treasure.  And there is Charlie, looking with fascination at his big brother.  There they are - our boys!

Last days

Wednesday, May 23rd was a day of lasts - Zach's last day of preschool and Charlie's last day of ECFE.

When I dropped Zach off that morning I overheard some moms saying how sad their daughters were that preschool was ending.  Zach and I had talked about it, and while he said it was a little sad he wouldn't be able to play with his friends three days a week, he was excited for summer and eventually, for kindergarten.  I was curious to see how he'd react when the day actually came, but no, there wasn't a lot of emotion for him.  I, on the other hand, was a little sad to drive out of that parking lot for the last time!

Zach's best buds from school - Wyatt and Brett (and Brett's brother Riley).
Can you guess what similar interests they bonded over?

Mrs. Hulse - Zach's teacher for the last two years.  She is staying home with her own kids next year, so we're even more grateful he got have her as his first teacher!

Charlie, of course, was oblivious it was his last day of ECFE.  So I didn't put a lot of effort trying to take pictures of him and his "friends" - better known as the kids he's played next to for the last 9 months.  Instead I just tried to catch him doing some of his favorite things...

All of these were taken in the large motor room, where in addition to the fun stuff you can see, there is a little roller coaster, some slides and other climby-stuff.  When we get to ECFE, Charlie goes into the classroom long enough to wash his hands, but then makes a run for this room, bypassing all the art projects, the sensory table, etc.  He's a large motor sort of guy!

Tuesday night was Zach's school program.  The kids do a "play" based on a popular kids' book - this year his class did Pajama Time by Sandra Boynton.  I alternated between the camera and the video camera (well, Scott's phone anyway) while they sang a bunch of songs, and I wish I'd had the video going when they sang "Put Your Jammies On!"  The kids love it, as they get to be loud and silly.  And I missed it!  Oh well, I hope you enjoy the play and some of the other songs... (beware: some of these songs will get stuck in your head, and that's not really a good thing!).

Zach's Preschool Program May 2012

The Willards in the Dells - Part 2

I am starting to think that by the time my kids leave home, I am going to have hundreds of thousands of pictures of them having a blast in pools with Scott.  Here are some more for the collection:

 

After a yummy dinner, we headed back to the resort and out into the sand again:

Quack Quack!  Whenever Charlie sees any birds, he starts laughing and making his bird noises.  He loves 'em - he followed these around, pointing and giggling, for quite a while.

Group photo time!  I didn't set us up in a good spot with the setting sun and shadows, so I played around a bit with these...

Better light!

A sunset boat cruise for the big kids while we put the little ones to bed; all together now: row, row, row your boat...

Whew.  You would think after a day full of amusement park entertainment, swimming, and many adventures outside on the beach, the kids would sleep in a little.  Wrong!  Sunday morning they were all up bright and early.  And since nothing was open at that hour, especially on Mother's Day, we had breakfast and hit the road to get home and back to our normal routines (and our own beds!).  But we'll be back!