My Photos: W/E 6-30-12

Last weekend, my husband and I had the pleasure of taking the whole family to spend A Day Out With Thomas the Tank Engine at Edaville USA in Carver, Massachusetts.  It was a great morning and I think we created some fun memories as a family.  Those opportunities seem to be few and far between these days with both my husband and I working so much.  Special times like these are even more important because our lives are so busy and hectic.  I'm hoping to return to Carver later this summer with the whole family for King Richard's Faire.  My husband and I have wanted to go for years, but it is only now that we feel all the children are old enough to enjoy the Faire.  Have you ever attended a medieval festival before?  It looks like it would be so much fun!

Here are some of my favorite photos from A Day Out With Thomas that I have not yet shared . . .

(Click any photo to enlarge)

"You Annoy Me, But I Still Love You" 

 "Covered Bridge"

 "Lily Pads"

"The Cow Jumped Over the Moon"

Click here to view all my past favorite photos.

Silly Monkey Story: Serious Life Discussions

Our children are now 5, 5, and 8.  They have finally reached the age where they actually have serious conversations with each other.  Sometimes they even have mini debates.  As always, it is most fun for me to listen to these conversations when the children don't know that I can hear them.

Here is one conversation that stood out to me from a few weeks ago.  This completely serious chat took place between our 5 year old and 8 year old sons . . .

Luke:  "I want to be a Power Ranger when I grow up.  What do you want to be when you grow up Jake?"

Jake:  "Oh, I don't know.  I think I'll either be a regular Dad or a professional wrestler."

Although, I found Jake's statement to be completely silly, I do think it is a huge compliment to my husband that our son equates the job of being a Dad to be as cool as being a professional wrestler.

Click here to read all my Silly Monkey Stories

My Photos (W/E 3-24-12)

For a few days last week, we had unseasonably warm weather for Massachusetts.  The temperatures hit 80 degrees at one point and now we're back to 40s and 50s.  Luckily, we were able to spend some extra time outdoors before the climate went back to normal.

Here are some photos of the children enjoying the balmy weather and being able to play outside without having to wear coats.  The first photo was taken by my husband.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

"Brotherly Love"

"Sweetness"

"Hide and Seek"

Click here to view all my past favorite photos.

Letters To Karen: You Did Something Right

Dear Karen,

I know you've been thinking about what happened the other night quite a bit.  People rarely surprise you, but Jake managed to do so that night, didn't he?

You were so aggravated at the twins' shenanigans so late at night, so much so that you and your husband felt forced to punish them by promising to return their newly bought toys to the store the next morning.  Only Jake, who was well-behaved, was going to be able to open his new spy goggles the next day.

When he came into your room in tears, you were sure that he misunderstood and thought his toy was to be returned the next day, as well.  That wasn't the case though, was it?  He was crying because he felt so terrible that his little brother and sister were going to lose their toys.  Their sadness affected him so much.  Then, in turn, his surprising empathy towards them deeply affected you.

You had to think quickly about what would make Jake feel better.  It broke your heart to see him so sad.  Then you came up with the idea of saving the toys for Jake to give as Christmas gifts to his brother and sister.  You were so relieved that the idea put a smile on his face.  That's when you realized that, no matter how much he doesn't listen sometimes and how his 7-year-old-boy humor gets on your last nerve other times, you and your husband did something right in raising a good little person with such a big heart.

My Photos (W/E 7-30-11)

Once in awhile, we put in a CD and the kids just let loose and dance.  You should see some of the crazy things they come up with.  It doesn't even matter what kind of music is playing, they'll go from hip hop moves to square dancing during the same song.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

"My Big Brother Thinks He's the Best Dancer"

"But I Think I'm the Best"

"He Does Have Some Cool Moves Though"

Thank you for taking the time to view my photos this week! If you'd like to play along or see more great photos, stop by to see Lotus a.k.a. Sarcastic Mom.

My Photos (W/E 6-4-11)

Last week, we celebrated my brother-in-law's birthday.  These are only a small handful of photos from the many I took that day.  You can find more on my personal Facebook page.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

"A Full Belly"

"Wonderment"

"Brotherly Love"

"Jump For Joy!"                        "Up! Up and Away!!"

Thank you for taking the time to view my photos this week! If you'd like to play along or see more great photos, stop by to see Lotus a.k.a. Sarcastic Mom.

My Photos (W/E 2-26-11)

I took some great photos of the children yesterday.  Sometimes it is like pulling teeth to get them to just be themselves.  Other times, they are in the right mood and things just click.  Yesterday was one of those days.  The last photo reminds me of how much our three really love each other even though they fight like cats and dogs sometimes.

"Adoration"

"Fresh"

"Cracking Himself Up"

"BSF . . . Best Siblings Forever!"

Thank you for taking the time to view my photos this week! If you'd like to play along or see more great photos, stop by to see Lotus a.k.a. Sarcastic Mom.

Silly Monkey Stories: That's What Big Brothers Are For

Our 7 year old really enjoys his role as the big brother for the most part.  What does his role consist of?  Well, if you asked him, he would probably say that his job is to boss the twins around, teach them things he knows they should not learn, distract them from eating during mealtime, play with them on his terms, and most importantly . . . to make them laugh.

I think he takes that last responsibility very seriously.  I think this because, no matter how much we try to teach him that there is a time and a place for silliness, he never seems to believe us.


I present you with this evidence . . . 

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Silly Monkey Stories: Big Brothers Rock!

This year for Christmas, we allowed each child to pick out gifts to give to their siblings. I wanted to teach them that there is a lot of joy to be experienced from making someone else happy. Each child got to wrap his or her gifts and somehow managed to keep the gifts a secret from each other all the way until Christmas morning.

The twins each got their big brother a Nintendo DS game since they knew that is what he had asked Santa for this year. What big brother got the twins beat all, even the presents that Santa left for them. He had gotten each twin a Pillow Pet. I had never seen such excitement and glee on Makenzie's face and Luke gave Jake the biggest hug ever, which in turn put a huge smile on Jake's face. I hope Jake remembers how good it felt to make someone else happy like that for a long time.

Click here to learn how to participate in Silly Monkey Stories.

Click here to read all my Silly Monkey Stories!

If you have a Silly Monkey Story to share, sign Mr. Linky below with the link to your blog post (not the link to your main blog page). Please do not forget to visit the other participants and leave them comments to let them know you stopped by!

My Photos (W/E 10-16-10)

Last week for Silly Monkey Stories, I shared some photos of our two boys that I thought really illustrated their brotherly bond. Here is one more for you. In the other photos, big brother and little brother had their faces painted and they were posing for the camera. This photo is more natural. There are no painted faces plus this is just a candid shot of the boys playing together.

"Put Our Heads Together"

Thank you for taking the time to view my photos this week! If you'd like to play along or see more great photos, stop by to see Lotus a.k.a. Sarcastic Mom.