April 2011

April was a busy month for us! We celebrated Daniel's birthday, rode Thomas the Tank Engine, Daniel had swimming lessons and we had a nice Easter weekend visit from Mimi & Granddad. Since the weather is warming up, we spent a lot of time playing outside with the boys. Daniel is learning to ride his push bike (no pedals, just balance bike) and Colin loves to swing! Also, Daniel started swinging on the big boy swing this month. Here are some pictures from the month - enjoy!

Daniel in Mom’s Pajama Pants

He wanted to put on my pajama pants, but he got both of his legs in the one leg and was walking around in them.

Dad and Colin

Dad Playing with the Boys

At first, Allan was pushing them around the floor in the laundry basket. They loved it! Then he realized it was actually less work to carry the basket around with them in it.

Daniel Swinging on the Big Boy Swing

Boys Playing with the Water Table

My Lil’ Handy Manny

This child will NOT keep him clothes on!

Daniel Riding his New Scooter

Happy Daniel

Happy Colin

Daniel finally learned to use the Sit-N-Spin!

Daniel’s Painting - An Elephant

Daniel was painting with watercolors. When he was done, he said he painted an elephant. Awesome!

Colin Riding Daniel’s Green Car

Colin Playing in Rocks

Daniel Crashing his Green Car

Colin Playing with a Balloon

Daniel’s Triangles

Daniel had been playing in his room and he came and told me he had made triangles. I went into his room to see the triangles. He had made them out of books. Clever boy!

Dad & Daniel Playing Catch

So one day, Allan showed Daniel how he could go pee pee in the grass. The next day, we were playing outside and Daniel said he wanted to pee outside. Allan and I both said "OK" because we were thinking that he would come over to Dad and they would go into the corner like the day before. Instead, Daniel just went right there in his pants. We had him take his pants off right there and Allan went in to get a new pair. While he was gone, Daniel ran around playing without any pants on for these great pics!

Easter Weekend

The Friday before Easter, my friend Paulette hosted an Easter egg hunt at her house. All the kids had a great time hunting for eggs in the backyard. I got a couple of group shots of all the kids and some of the boys hunting eggs. Later that day, Mimi & Granddad arrived for a weekend visit from Texas. We spent some time playing in the backyard with them.

On Saturday, we all went to the Maxwell AFB Easter festivities. They had lots of games and activities for the kids, as well as an Easter egg hunt. Daniel was all ready to go out and hunt the eggs, but when the hunt started he would not go out on the field. When I finally got him to run out there, all the eggs were already taken. He was pretty sad. Then he painted an Easter egg and we saw the Easter bunny before heading out. We went up to Birmingham for lunch (Superior Grill) and some shopping and both boys were passed out on the way home.

On Sunday, we opened Easter baskets. Both boys got a lot of wonderful goodies! After breakfast we had an Easter egg hunt in the backyard and this time, Daniel got some eggs! Mom learned how quickly chocolate can melt inside little plastic eggs! After lunch we decorating boiled eggs with Mimi. We had a great Easter weekend and visit with the grandparents!

Free picture slideshow personalized with Smilebox

Daniel's Swimming Lessons

The week after Daniel's 3rd birthday, he started his first swimming lessons. He took lessons at the local YMCA, which they start at age 3. He did a really good job and he loves playing in the water. He is especially good at kicking his legs - he makes the biggest splashes! The class was two days a week for four weeks. He is taking the next session later in the summer after we get back from our trip to Texas. Here are some pictures from his first session of classes.

Waiting for the first class to start

First dip in the water - They did this for the littlest kids separately.

Waiting his turn - They have a little platform that sits in the water for the kids to stand on while they wait their turn.

Going forward

`

On his back - Giant kicks!

Colin hanging out in the stroller

Daniel in the boat

Daniel in the locker – After lessons, I changed his clothes in the locker room. He was really interested in the lockers and wanted to go in them, so I finally let him go in and got some pictures. :)

Wilderness Park/Bamboo Forest

Today we went to a really neat park here in Prattville, AL. The park is filled with giant bamboo plants that soar into the sky. It is really an amazing site to see how large the bamboo can grow! The bamboo was planted by the original land owner many, many years ago and saved from subdivision more recently. There is a little walking trail around a small pond. It was really neat to see the bamboo and just a small escape from the everyday.

Boys Heading Down the Trail

Path Under the Bamboo

Some Beautiful Flowers in the Park

Daniel Riding His Bike

Another Shot of the Covered Path

Daniel's 3rd Birthday

This week we celebrated Daniel's 3rd birthday! I can't believe that he is already three years old. We started his birthday morning off with special birthday waffles (sprinkles) and he took cupcakes to school. His teacher sent me a picture of him enjoying his birthday cupcake at school. That evening we had cupcakes as a family and opened some of his birthday presents. On Saturday, we celebrated with his friends at the YMCA play center. They have a really awesome indoor play area and the kids loved it. It was Daniel's first "real" birthday party. For his birthday cake, I made a Thomas the Tank Engine. He loved it! After pizza, cake and presents, we headed to the gym for the bouncy slide. Daniel had a great time and a great birthday. Now he is constantly singing the Happy Birthday song. We have finally convinced him that his birthday is over for this year and that Mom's birthday comes next. Now he is always asking me "Is it your birthday yet, Mom?" Hope you enjoy the slideshow from Daniel's birthday celebrations.

This free picture slideshow generated with Smilebox

Day Out with Thomas

Today we took the boys to the Day Out With Thomas the Tank Engine in Calera, AL. They have a historic railroad museum there and this was the special weekend for Thomas the Train. I took Daniel last year in Grapevine, TX and it is a pretty neat event. They have lots of things for the kids to do in addition to riding the Thomas pulled train. This year, we sat in the car right behind Thomas, so we could see Thomas wheeshing steam as we steamed along! It was an open air car with the seats facing out, so we had a good view of the country. After riding Thomas, we went up to Birmingham and ate lunch at Superior Grill before heading back home. Superior Grill was a favorite of ours back in Shreveport, LA and we recently learned that there was one in Birmingham. It was a great day! Enjoy the slideshow!

This free photo slideshow made with Smilebox