Little Things Thursday

I've decided to make Thursday Posts about the small things that make the boys smile...

Free balloons at the Harris Teeter, make Patrick and Finnegan so happy!

Haircuts & Biscuits

The boys and I had a fun, adventurous morning out.  Why would a morning of haircuts and lunch be so exciting?  Well, it was all "on a whim".  The boys are gearing up for Birthday Party Season, and I realized that they were in desperate need of some cuts.

I called over to Doolittles, a kids salon, and they were able to squeeze us in this morning. Patrick is NOT a fan of Doolittles, even though they get to sit in "cars" and watch cartoons.  He was unhappy and let EVERYONE know it.

 

Finnegan had a blast.  While I was helping Patrick, he was re-arranging the shampoo display.  After, he sat like such a big boy while getting his haircut.  He even got a comb and helped the stylist comb his hair.

  

I had my hands full this morning, so these pictures are from our last visit to Doolittles. 

Next door to Doolittles is our favorite family restaurant, The Flying Biscuit.  It's the first restaurant we took the boys to and Gill and I enjoy going back with them often.  Here is the picture of our first visit, back in March 2008:

Patrick realized where we were, sat down in front of the restaurant door and started yelling "Thank you Thank you".  I think he got his "please" and "thank you" mixed up, but the meaning was clear - he wanted lunch at The Biscuit!

So, with nothing more than my keys and credit card in hand, we ventured into the restaurant.  I am so proud of the boys, they were very well behaved, even thanking the waitress for their food.  They got crayons and colored on the kids menus.  Patrick and Finn enjoyed French Toast Sticks, Oatmeal Pancakes and, of course, biscuits.  It was great!

Playground & Pizza Playdate

The boys and I spent the morning with our friends, The Parkers.  My friend, Jennifer, has twins Aidan and Ella who will be 2 next week.  The four kids always play so well together and, as usual, we had a great morning.

First, we visited the Carmel Road Park.  The boys loved playing on the toddler-size playground.  And, while Ella enjoyed the swings, Patrick, Finnegan and Aidan had a blast playing and sliding together!

Finn loved standing at the top of the slide, right next to it was a steering wheel.  He would pretend to drive, then go down the slide.  Repeat, repeat....

 

Patrick had no fear, he was a daredevil!  He went down the slides by himself & even climbed parts of the "Big Kid" jungle-gym.

  

After the playground, Jen and I took the kids to Brooklyn Pizza for lunch.  We were so proud of how well behaved all the children were.  The kids ate Pizza, Garlic Knots and most of Mommy's salad - YUMMY!

 

It was a fantastic morning with our friends!

Is there a beach in Charlotte?

No, but you'd think there was one in our backyard with our new Sand & Water Table!

Summer has arrived early in Charlotte, and with temperatures in the 90's, it's been time to break out the summer toys.  

The boys spend hours at their new table. 

Finnegan loves the sand - he puts it in and out of his bucket.  He even did a taste test and was NOT happy with the results.

Patrick, loves to put the boats in the water.  

Coincidentally, if you ask Patrick, boats say "Choo Choo!"

A Monkey Morning

This morning I took my monkeys to Monkey Joe's.  Monkey Joe's is a children's play center filled with bounce-houses.  This giant room of bouncies includes 2 specifically for the little-ones, and the boys had a great time. 

Finnegan was surprisingly cautious.  He made sure he sat down before going down the slide, he continued to look around for me and Patrick, and he did not do any of his outrageous stunts.

Patrick, however, was a WILD MAN!  He had so much fun climbing, going down the slides (face first) and jumping on everything.

 

I got a kick out of finding Finn in the corner taking off his socks, after I told  him he needed to keep them on.

Who needs rules, anyway?

My Little Picassos

My boys love to color.  They color on paper, on the walls and (gulp) on Mommy!

In the playroom, I have a wall that is made for chalk coloring.  We had the Home Depot mix the chalk board paint with the color of the "grass".  The boys really enjoy drawing on the walls.  

When we go outside, I have a small picnic table for them and we have coloring time every afternoon.  The boys love to learn the colors as they draw and also tell me when it's my turn to color.  They will point to the paper and request that I draw "a car", "a star", "puppy" or, of course, "CHOO CHOO".  

We have a great time coloring together and I am already thinking about where I can hang their masterpieces, as I have run out of room on my refrigerator.

Just like Daddy!

This morning I will be outside at our community garage sale, trying to rid ourselves of some junk.  Meanwhile, Gill has a morning alone with the boys.  I know he has some plans for them, including taking Patrick and Finnegan to the soccer field.

But, whatever they do, the boys will be HAPPY!!  I have never seen 2 children adore their father the way my boys look up to Gill.  

Friends have joked and called them "Little Gills" because of the blond hair & blue eyes.  What you may not know is that the boys have many of the same interests as Gill - mainly TECHNOLOGY!  Every time the boys see a cell phone, blackberry or a laptop they MUST have it.  

Patrick and Finn where a little under the weather this week, so Gill brought out 2 laptops for the boys to play with.  Two BROKEN laptops that would not turn on.  The boys enjoyed them until they realized that pressing the keys was not producing any results, and then the demands began, "On, Momma, On!"

Hmmm... if only we knew someone who could fix broken laptops

Magnolia

Magnolia is my dear sweet puppy.  Gill and I rescued her from the pound the first winter we were here in Charlotte.  That was over 3 years ago, and I still call her my puppy.  For a while, she was also my "baby".  Gill and I often joked that we would see if we could care for a dog before we thought about having children.  I ran my business from home, so Maggie and I spent all day, every day together.  She was always curled at my feet, sitting on my lap or bringing me a ball to play with.

When we got pregnant, Maggie enjoyed that too.  Especially when I was required to lay down for 3 hours every afternoon!  She and I would cuddle on the couch in the middle of the day, it was great!  Maggie would always lay right next to me and rest her head on my stomach.  Until, one day, my stomach grew too big and she couldn't put her head there anymore.  It was hysterical to see her try and even funnier when she did and one of the babies kicked her!  She started barking at my belly, it was great!

Magnolia was curious, but not so interested when we first brought the boys home.  I believe she was annoyed that they were getting so much of my attention, but she seemed to pretend they weren't there.

Now, it's a totally different story.  

With toddlers comes toddler FOOD -  Snacks all the time that drop on the floor.  

Magnolia has found herself 2 best friends.  

Finnegan loves to play with Maggie.  He gets her toys and throws them to her.  He

chases her around the couch and they both have the best time.

Patrick enjoys feeding Maggie.  

He even tells her to "sit" before showering her with goldfish and animal crackers.  

I love that my boys love my puppy.  These days, they may argue that Magnolia is their dog and no longer mine, but that's alright with me.  I believe that every child should grow up with a dog, and we've got a great one!

Our New Playroom

When we first moved into our home, Gill and I wondered what we would ever do with all the space.  3 years, 2 toddler boys and 1 dog later and we laugh at our full house.   We realized that what we were lacking was a playroom for the boys.  A large, safe place for them to explore, create and be boys!

So, we worked up a plan.  We converted 2/3 of our two car garage into a great playroom.  Gill was amazing, he drew the plans, bought the supplies and made it happen.  One Saturday, he and our friend, Brian, spent all day in the garage and when it was done, we had walls!

Then it was my turn to paint the walls.  Gill left the design up to me, and I had a blast creating!  I tried to make it as bright and cheerful as I could, and I think it was a success.  The boys love the animals, insects, fish,  cars, and, of course, the picture of Maggie.

Once the murals were finished, Gill stepped in again to install lighting, a ceiling fan and a padded astro-turf carpet.

After about 3 weeks of work, we had made an amazing room for our children.  The boys love it.  We play in their room for hours each day and now, the rest of our house seems roomier! 

Easter Egg Hunt & Train Ride

On Saturday, we went to the Charlotte Park & Recreation Easter Egg Hunt and Bunny Train Ride.  We met our friend, Jennifer and her twins Aidan and Ella for a morning of fun.  The boys love spending time with Gill on the weekend, and Finn stuck very close to his Daddy all morning, it was adorable!

First, the boys participated in an Egg Hunt for the 1-2 year olds.  They inspected each egg before putting it in their basket, it was so cute!  Finnegan even found a special egg with a star and received a special prize!

After the Egg Hunt, we went on the Bunny Train Ride.  Patrick was waiting all morning for his turn because his favorite thing in the world right now are "Choo Choos", as he refers to them.  

We had such a fantastic morning, we really love family time!