Brotherly Affection

Obed adores his brothers and wants to do any and everything they are doing. Ezra and Asher are pretty patient with Obed (as patient as a 3 and 5 year old can be with an almost 2 year old baby brother who has the art of antagonizing them down to a science).

The other night, after bath, Ezra sat and read a Max and Ruby (or as Obed says, "Ma and Ooby") book to Obed. I love those tender moments.

A Call from Donald Duck

The other night it was my turn to tell the bedtime story, so I told the story of when I was a little girl and my dad, who can talk like Donald Duck, called and invited my sister and I out to lunch with Donald Duck. My sister, Gretchen, and I took the call very seriously and were waiting for Donald to come and pick us up for our lunch date, life jackets in tow (since ducks live in water), ready to politely eat whatever Donald might offer for lunch... even if it was worms or fish.

Ezra and Asher wanted Papa to call them and talk like Donald Duck... so he did just that. Although the boys said they couldn't understand anything that Donald Duck said, they still sat on the phone for a good 5 minutes, laughing and giggling as Donald told them all sorts of jokes.

Weekend Activities

We've had some fun, once-a-year activities the past two weekends, which the boys have very much enjoyed! Last weekend was Northern Neighbors Day at the Air Force Base. Basically all this means is that one can drive on the base without having to go through 4 levels of security checks. They also had an airshow for those in attendance.

It was a hot day (at least hot for North Dakota) and it was bright out on the tarmac. Ezra and Asher wore their cool shades and perused the airplanes. Asher is still talking about how the "52-bomber" is his favorite plane.

A picture of B-52 Bombers (the airplane housed at the Air Force Base in Minot) flying in formation... apparently this is unusual, although I wouldn't know.
Ezra and Asher outside Asher's favorite plane.

The boys inside a Black Hawk Helicopter.
This weekend was the annual State Fair Parade. The State Fair Parade is a highlight for the boys. They have been talking about it since, well, last year's State Fair Parade.

When I think of parades, I think of floats and marching bands. This parade is what some might call unique in that the defining characteristics of this parade are large Air Force Machinery, such as nuclear missile transporters, fire trucks, tractors and combines, a freakish amount of candy and anyone else who wants to pay an entrance fee.

This is the stash of candy the boys collected in less than 2 hours at the parade. This stash does not include the 4 mini-soccer balls, 6 Frisbees, 7 toothbrushes, 5 pencils, 20 tattoos, as well about 10 Popsicles all handed out at the parade.
Asher was in his glory with all the trucks.
There were also many, many horses...
And the **best** parade job... the pooper scooper lady.
Obed with his buddy Addy.
Asher doing his "look at me, I'm Gumby" trick in order to get more candy.
A personal favorite "float" of mine is the delusional woman. Every year this woman enters the parade. One can hire her for parties if desired. Her logo says that she looks like her and sounds like her. Who is this her? Well, that would be Shania Twain and she goes by Shania Too. Yup. I'm glad Shania Too and I are not BFF's because I would feel a certain sense of obligation to tell her that she neither looks nor sounds like Shania and maybe she should pursue other endeavors. But we're not BFF's... so I'm off the hook.
Do you see her? It's Shania Too. She looks JUST like her.
My other favorite entry this year was the "Back Woods Hick Opossum Queen." You can see the queen on the back of the truck, next to her outhouse, complete with satellite dish on top. I wonder what sort of qualifications one must have (or not have) in order to obtain this title?
A highlight for Ezra today was when Applebee's came by and passed out apples, which they do every year. Ezra was eating his apple when all of a sudden...
He lost his first tooth. He was a bit concerned at first, not knowing that this is a normal rite of passage in life. But after we explained that he would have a bigger and better tooth grow back, the bloody taste would leave his mouth, and this was actually supposed to happen, he found it rather cool.

Baby House

We have begun the process of collecting boxes in anticipation of our move in October. Vince picked up several of these ginormous boxes the other day outside the local hardware store. The boxes might be good for packing light items like pillows... or for packing and shipping the boys. Either way, the boxes are large.

The boys enjoy doing "boy things" like playing trucks, cars, crash, race firetruck, etc. They also enjoy, however, playing baby. I asked them today if they'd like to take one of the giant boxes daddy brought home and make a bus or tractor trailer. After some discussion, Asher and Ezra decided they'd rather build a house for their babies. So, we brought in one of the boxes, taped in some floors, cut some windows, colored on some carpet and siding and voila... a baby house.

My "Helpers"

I love having three little boys (soon to be 4)! There are certain times, however, that I am reminded that it would be easier to not have the boys in tow while running errands... today was just such a day.

With the upcoming arrival of the new baby, there are certain "mommy" things that I need to get in order to have said "mommy" items in the house once the baby arrives. The boys are not used to these items being on our regular shopping list, so of course, a flood of questions ensue once the items are placed in the cart.

Our trip today started out with a stop at the bathroom (shocking, I know!). I had Obed safely strapped into the cart, so all 4 of us went into the handicap stall since Ezra and Asher both said they needed to use the facility as well and it's large enough to fit the cart. The boys did their thing and were waiting for me to finish and Ezra loudly exclaimed, "Mommy! Those are CUTE undies!" He and Asher then proceeded to have a rather loud conversation about what they each liked about my undies, why boys don't wear the same types of undies as mommies, and wondering if other mommies have similar undies. They also wondered who in the bathroom made that stinky smell and was it the person next to us wearing the black shoes?

We then exited the bathroom to head to the aisle which holds certain, uh hmmm, feminine items necessary for mommies when a new baby comes. Ezra was very inquisitive about what this item was and why it was necessary. After a battery of trying to dodge questions, I finally said, "there are just some things that mommies need that are not appropriate for little boys to understand yet." He seemed content with this answer... until he remembered he could read, out loud, the purpose of said item while walking down the aisle. Said item was returned to the cart by me and covered with several other items in order to end the curiosity.

My favorite part of the trip, however, was when we looked to see if there were any nursing bras. We walked back to the area hosting the undergarments, and the boys wanted to know why we were looking at the "brawers." I told them I just needed to look. Ezra and Asher stood patiently for about 28 seconds and then their inquisitive, "helpful" natures took over once again. Ezra found a rather large "brawer" and exclaimed at the top of his lungs, "this one is HUGE mommy! It would NEVER fit you!" Asher followed suit and also found a HUGE brawer. I told them it was probably best if they tried to quiet down a bit and that I would only be a moment. The boys then proceeded to try to find a "cute brawer" for mommy; "one that was smaller than the huge one." Once Obed started reaching for the brawers and pulling them off the racks, all the while laughing and yelling, "ba, ba!!" I figured it was time to go.

The other "mommy" items on the list will be purchased at a later date, when there are no little boys in tow.

First Bounty

It's funny what can hide when you're not paying attention. Our poor garden has been sorely neglected this year. Between trying to get the house ready to sell, selling the house, getting the house ready for inspection, getting ready for the coming baby, Vince preaching every week, trying to get feet under a church plant, raising support and living life with three small boys, life has become a bit crazy this summer. Sure, we (and by "we" I mostly mean Vince) have watered the garden and tried to stay on top of the crazy-bad weeds. I've gone out and collected lettuce several times. We've harvested (is that the right word??) basil and cilantro. But really, we thought we were just in the "wait while it grows" phase.

But we were wrong. Today, Vince found this crazy huge zucchini hiding under a large leaf. I guess we're somewhat past the wait and grow stage and into the bounty stage.

Creepy Date Night Toy 2

Well, after much discussion, Asher decided he wanted to go to Space Aliens for his date night with me, which was a good choice since it was only 64 degrees, cloudy, windy and there was a chance of severe thunder storms. Space Aliens is a bit (and I mean every bit of "bit") like Chuck-E-Cheese. It is a family restaurant that has video games, ski ball, etc.

After combining our stellar gaming skills, we managed to rack up 38 tickets with which to buy a special toy. Since most people have much more stellar gaming skills than Asher and I combined, most of the "prizes" Asher could choose for all his efforts required over 100 tickets... so we made due with what we had and bought a slimy, creepy space alien sticky thing and a small purple ball (the prize attendant was gracious and rounded our awesome collection of 38 tickets up to 40 tickets so we could get two 20 ticket prizes).

Asher wanted to sleep with his creepy alien last night. We compromised and hung him from the window so Asher could look at him all night, but not be tempted to actually play with him.

Monday Night Date Night

One challenge we have found in parenting right now is finding time that we can spend one-on-one time with our boys. We do a lot of family activities and things that involve multiple kids, but as far as one kid with one parent... that time seems to be difficult to carve out. So, we are trying a new thing in the Black house... Monday Night Date Night. Each Monday, one of the boys gets to go on a one-on-one date with Vince or me. Since Obed is sort of oblivious to the fact that there are others in the world besides himself, he has yet to be included in these date nights.

Two weeks ago, Vince and Asher went on a trip to the Zoo. They then rode the train around the park, had a picnic at the park consisting of peanut butter and honey sandwiches and bubble juice (soda) per Asher's request. And they ended the night with a trip to DQ.

The highlight for Asher on his date night was when he and Vince found a rubber gorilla in the rocks outside DQ. Sure, he enjoyed the train, the Zoo and the picnic... but really, how can those things compare to a creepy rubber gorilla in the rocks?

One of Ezra's favorite things about our trip to South Dakota was playing miniature golf, so this past Monday, when it was his turn to pick an activity, he quickly jumped on the opportunity to play miniature golf with Vince. They also packed a picnic dinner (peanut butter and honey and bubble juice - not to be outdone by Asher of course) and headed out.

This Monday, Asher and I will head out for a date. Thus far, he has said he'd like to go to Barnes and Noble to play trains and read books, he'd like to go "play" video games at the mall, he'd like to go out to dinner, as well as possibly go paint pottery, eat ice-cream and walk through the park. We'll see what we end up narrowing it down to... there's only so much one can do in a short 2-hour window!

Cinnamon Roll Friday

Friday is Vince's day off, so every Friday, we have cinnamon rolls for breakfast, thus, Cinnamon Roll Friday. The past several Fridays, it's been so beautiful out we have eaten breakfast outside on our back patio.
The boys started at the picnic table today, but it was only 62 degrees and a bit breezy, so it was a tiny bit chilly. The boys moved to the sun to warm up while they were eating (although Obed just brought his juice, no food).

The Oscars: Round 2

Last year, I wrote about how Obed had a fantastic fake cry. Well, not much has changed in this area. Last night at dinner, Obed wanted more strawberries... but he refused to drink any milk. So the deal was, he had to take one drink and then he could get a strawberry. Let the meltdown ensue!

Fairly soon, Obed was in fake hysterics and the whole family was trying not to laugh at his antics. Obed realized that we were trying not to laugh at him, so his dramatic act got even more involved and drama queen-esque. After a bit, Ezra and Asher started to fake cry, which caused Obed to start laughing.

The following pictures are of the whole family doing our best imitation of Obed's fake cry. First, Ezra... he has the sound down quite well (too bad you can't hear through this picture). Asher tried and tried, but simply could not imitate the fake cry without dissolving into giggles.

My imitation of Obed's fake cry.

Vince's attempt.

And now, for the real deal... Obed's most recent attempt at earning an Oscar.

A Family First

We had a family first today... a bike ride up to Oak Park. Ezra has been practicing quite a bit on his 2 wheel bike and is getting quite good (although still a little wobbly). After rest today, we loaded up on our bikes, with the younger two in the trailer, and headed out.

Ezra bit it in the alley during the first 26 seconds of the ride. But he was a trooper, got back on his bike, and off we rode.
Asher and Obed enjoyed riding in the trailer. Obed was excited to look for "bee-bee goose" at the park. Unfortunately for him, we didn't see any. They also must have spent part of the ride coordinating their cheesy smiles. I'd say they did quite well.

We also stopped for a while to play at the playground. Obed enjoyed swinging with daddy... he was pretty mellow and rather wet-noodle-ish.

Deluxe Swimming Pool Use 2

As has been the case in the past, the swimming pool has many uses. These multi-use pools can create quite the muddy mess...
A mess, which Ezra thought if he just filled the pool with more ice-cold water, would make the water look cleaner.

But then he gave up on his hope of creating a cleaner landing pool.

Obed didn't really care if the water looked clean or dirty.

Asher didn't care if the water was clean or dirty either... he just had a great time sliding and splashing.