I did not think we had been up to all that much since my last post, but after looking through my pictures and Instagram posts, I can see I was wrong. Here is a report on how we have been spending our harsh winter days.
Basketball
The boys started playing basketball a few weeks ago and they are LOVING it. It is so fun to see them get excited and have a blast doing drills like "walk like a crab" and "starfish". Chris left work early one day to watch a session and I was so happy to have someone to laugh with. Everything they do is funny! Brody is incredibly persistent. When given a task, he will not stop until he gets the task completed (even if that means he is no longer following directions). He just can't stop until the basket is made or the ball is bounced into the bucket like it is supposed to be. Brady is so funny during practice; he narrates the whole time: "Mom, I did it, Mom I runnin', Mom I shoot the ball, Mom, Brody passed the ball to me". They are all smiles for 50 minutes and it is great fun and their skills are really improving. They are the youngest kids in the class but they have improved quite a lot after only 4 classes and they have several more to go before the end of the session.
I am almost positive Brady is talking to the coach while jumping telling her "I jumping". Her smile says it all.
Bikes and Hikes
In addition to basketball, we have been doing a lot of bike riding. The boys have tricycles and balance bikes and each time we go out I let them choose what they want to ride. Brody picks the tricycle every time. He loves pedaling and has ridden as many as 3 miles at a time on that bike (an incredible accomplishment on such a heavy little bike). Brady switches back and forth between both bikes and he is getting better every time he rides. It is such a pleasure to see them getting better and enjoying riding. It won't be long before they are riding their bikes and Chris and I can run after them.
We have also been doing a lot of hikes, both as a family and with friends. The kids are getting so good at just going out and finding fun wherever we go.
dueling skunk bottoms, their idea, not mine
single track tricycle riding with Aunt Kappy
someone likes blue
We recently started a music appreciation/piano class. It is a nice mix of movement and singing as well as actual piano playing. We have only had one class so far, but the boys seem to like it. I am hopeful this will be a more organized way for the boys to learn to play some music (as opposed to our at home jam sessions). In reality, I am counting down the days until one of them busts out their first Billy Joel song.
Kite flying
The other day the boys and I flew kites by the bay on a super windy day. It was crazy trying to get two kites into the air and keeping the boys from getting everything all tangled up. But it was nothing short of perfection.
Harsh winter mornings:
We have gotten into the habit of going outside first thing in the morning so the boys can "breath fire" a.k.a. see their breath while the cool temperatures give us something to call winter. I have tried capturing this on camera and have gone one okay picture and one completly original picture. I am so happy I have followed these guys around trying to capture this moment because this Spiderman picture will make me laugh for a long time!
Funny sayings:
Kids do say the darnedest thing and I find myself laughing at the random things that come out of their mouths daily. The other day after playing with some friends, Brady proclaimed he wanted to write one little girl a love letter (because she gave him a blue pencil, clearly she knows the way to his little heart). Here was the conversation:
Brady: I want to write her a love note. [pause] Probably she wants a picture of a monster.
Brody: D- you a genius
Who knew they would be romeos and wingmen at such an early age!
One day when we were driving home, I was going over the plan for when we got in the door (shoes off, hands washed, right to rooms for naps). After listing this out I Brody yelled out "Aye Aye, Captain!" I lost it. His comedic timing is perfect!
Brody also has also developed the habit of coming in close to my nose or mouth-in an affectionate way- turing to gaze into your eyes and say "You're pretty stinky". It gets me every time!
And last, I hear "D- let me see your poop" after one of them has gone to the bathroom. This makes me laugh, and cringe, every time! Such funny guys.
