Summertime Fun and More

Aaron in his "Car" in the pool. Patrick loves it too so likes to share it.

Patrick sure loves his brother!

Aaron is looking cool in his shades riding in his fish boat.

When it's 100+ degrees in AZ you have to find something to do in order to keep children occupied. So we spend LOTS of time in my parents' pool. Patrick LOVES to be in the water and plays hard while in it. He and Papa play games and race. Patrick likes to cheat in order to win and then gets mad when Papa wins. He says he doesn't like it when Papa "cheats." Aaron likes the water as well and is often asleep in the water at some point or another. Papa is pretty good at getting him asleep in the pool! He's very content and when he's sound asleep enough we put him in the recliner on the patio to nap. It's a good thing Aaron likes the water or we'd be in trouble! Patrick would be in the pool ALL the time if he could. When not in the pool we try to find fun things to do indoors. As shown in a photo above, we went to Build A Bear Workshop with Patrick's friend, Evan, and Evan's sister, Reagan. They made Shrek that day and had a great time. We have also gone to McDonald's to play at the play area for some fun. Patrick is in his second level of swimming lessons and is doing well. Tomorrow night he begins VBS for the entire week for 2 1/2 hours each night. This will be his first experience with VBS. Hope it goes well. I begin teachigng Study Skills camp at Sylvan on Tues-Thurs nights this week and next. Pray it goes well and that the boys do well. They will be with Nana and Papa or Daddy depending on the night. I hope Aaron takes the bottle better than the last time I worked. I have only been away from him twice so far. So I am excited about teaching the camp, but not about being away.

OH, AARON has ROLLED over again! This past week he rolled from back to belly. He doesn't roll often which is ok by me for now. Otherwise he'll be all over the place!

Fourth of July

We had a nice day. We headed over to my parents' house for pool time and grilling out. Mel and Brett joined us after a visit to Urgent Care (Brett hurt his ankle). The boys both really like the water. Patrick can spend hours in the water, but likes it best when there is someone in there to play with him. He invents games to play and also the rules that go with them. In the early evening we came home. Mom and Mel joined us to watch the fireworks. We were able to see them from two churches nearby. Aaron even seemed to be watching them and never flinched at the noise. Patrick thought they were pretty. It was a nice day to spend with family.

Aaron is wearing his "Fourth of July" outfit that Grandma bought for him. He's too cute!

Aaron's Bad Mood

Aaron fell asleep in a bad mood and wasn't afraid to tell the world how he felt.

Happy Birthday Chris

From the brother who tried to distract you from young college girl campers.

Grand Canyon

Ok, so we went on our first camping trip. We bought the pop-up in September in WI and it got out here in Jan. We stayed in it one night in WI, but didn't really have to get things ready. So this was a true first for Patrick, Aaron, and I. We met our friends Dan and Linda Schuhmacher and their children Josh, Alexis, and Abreanna along with Dan's Parents, Fred and Betsy Schuhmacher in the Grand Canyon. We left Monday morning. We were all ready to pull out onto the main road out of our neighborhood and Patrick announces that he already needs to go potty! GRRR! So Mike backed up and went back around to the house. I took Patrick in only to have him "dribble!!" We stopped a couple times on the way up, mostly because Aaron needed to eat. Upon arriving at the Canyon we set up, well Mike did most of it, and visited. They hadn't met Aaron yet so that was quite a treat. We all made dinner and enjoyed each others' company. The kids played very nicely and were thrilled to be together again. We couldn't have a campfire so our time sitting outside was a bit limited. It was rather chilly (30s and 40s) at night so we had to use the heater. The bathroom was right across from our site which was nice, although there were NO showers. I wasn't thrilled with this. There were showers available, but you had to leave the campground and drive down the road. Not my idea of fun. Aaron slept very well for his first night in his pack and play. The next morning Mike and Dan hiked a bit into the canyon. The rest of us hung out and got breakfast ready. The guys arrived back in time to eat. We then got ready to head to the tower lookout about 25 miles away. It was Aaron's first ride in a backpack. He did well, once he was fed! It was very pretty and the boys hike up all the steps with us. That night we ate up leftovers. Then we decided to head out to view the sunset. That was a neat experience. Mike was also able to look at a couple planets through telescopes that were set up for a star gazers event. The kids were able to shower in Dan and Linda's camper which was awesome. They were FILTHY as they had been playing in the dirt most of the day. They treated the dirt like sand and were using buckets and shovels. It entertained them, but boy were they dirty. Patrick's skin color was gray by the end of the night! The next morning the Schuhmachers all packed up and were off by around 8am or so and headed back toward WI. We took our time and packed up and headed home with lunch in Flagstaff and a drive through Sedona. We got home Wednesday about 6pm. Showers were much needed that night!Aaron trying his hand at driving in the McDonald's parking lot during our lunch stop.
Mike setting up the camper under the supervision of Abreanna.
Abreanna and Patrick switched chairs which they thought was extra funny for some reason. Aren't they cute? They got along well and both seemed to have "attitude."
Patrick's new shirt from Aunt Linda and Uncle Dan.

Joshua gets to hold Aaron.

Ball O' Ice Cream

Dan purchased the green ball you see that makes ice cream. It was a fun science experiment for the kids. They all helped add the ingredients. Once everything was inside, then they had to shake and roll the ball in order for the ice cream to form. They seemed to have a good time and the cookies and cream was pretty tasty!

Aunt Linda and her godsons.
Great picture - nice hand in there Alexis!

Aaron's first backpack experience.

Visit to the tower

Patrick and Abreanna holding hands and walking with Mike. Aren't they sweet???
Aaron sporting his new hat from Uncle Dan (Aunt Linda too)!
Aaron hanging out on our bed in the camper. Not sure how he's feeling about this right now though.

Wildlife Etc.

The Elk were VERY interested in our camp. We were able to see them up close twice in the same day in different locations. Patrick spotted the first group in the morning. This photo though was from the second group that came around dinner time. They seemed to enjoy the leaves off some of the trees. They certainly weren't too afraid of all of the people around.

Daddy with his boys and Goddaughter, Alexis.
Deer up close on our walk to the point where we saw the sunset. Mike thought it looked like it might be good enough to eat. The ranger didn't seem very amused by his comment.
Aunt Linda, Uncle Dan, and Aaron out at the point where we viewed the sunset.

Beautiful Sunset...

The great sunset we were able to witness on our last night at the Grand Canyon.
This is our VERY dirty child. You would have thought his skin color was gray! The kids sure had fun though. Nothing like playing in the dirt as if it were sand. They even had their buckets and shovels out. Not my idea of fun, but they sure enjoyed it. The showering in Dan and Linda's camper that night for Patrick was truly a wonderful thing.
Alexis holding Aaron one last time. She sure enjoyed seeing and holding him.
Grandma enjoying holding a baby. She was always very willing to take over. Thank you! It sure was nice as Mike and I were able to eat etc. while others held him.

Patrick and Aaron hanging out on Patrick's bed. Aaron's pack and play fit just right where the table would go. Aaron slept very well which was a nice treat!

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

We love you Daddy! Thanks for all you do for us.

Happy Fathers Day

A song for Fathers and Sons.
Harry Chapin - Cats In The Cradle.

A Tribute to The Dads in our lives

Even though I probably haven't admitted it enough, to my dad who is probably the #1 influence in my life. He has taught me the most of anyone.

To Angie's Dad without whose guidance and big heart, I wouldn't be married to the best woman in the world.

And the 4 musketeers. The four of us became dads together. We are a constant reminder to our kids of how to keep playing and keep it fun.

There are others whose pictures haven't been posted and they are only left out for lack of space and time. However, each of you is important in your own way so today we salute you all.

At 7 weeks old...

Aaron rolls over from belly to back!

Six Weeks Old Today

Aaron is sporting some of his Harley Davidson clothing. He received his onesie from his Godfather, Dan and the booties are from his Great Uncle Bernie and Great Aunt Teri. The onesie reads "If you can read this, the bib fell off". Too cute. Had to share these photos. All the Harley lovers will appreciate it!

Aaron is 6 weeks old today. Seems unreal. He certainly is growing. What a precious blessing we have. It was the first day without "help" around. Mom and Dad Obert headed out this morning. It was wonderful having them around. It was weird to not have them here today. But as the day is coming to a close I can say that we "MADE IT!" Although dinner still hasn't been made. Oh well.

MEMORIAL DAY

We decided for our last outing with mom & dad we'd go for a boat ride on the Dolly Steamboat on Canyon Lake. It was a scenic, narrated tour. Sometimes you are able to see different wildlife. We saw some birds and ducks, but that was it. It was a beautiful and peaceful ride though. It was the first boat ride for both boys. They both did very well. Patrick thought it was Grandpa's boat! This was rather amusing.




Children had to wear life jackets. Patrick wore his well. Aaron didn't have to keep his on, but we decided we needed a picture with him in his jacket anyway. He certainly didn't want it on and let us know very quickly!