March Mud-ness...

We have had more beautiful weather this week, so some trips to the park were a must. We haven't had any snow on the ground for awhile, but man is it muddy! As soon as we walked in the door from the park Anna would have to take off her shoes, pants, and once her shirt. They were that covered in mud. I know dirt and mud are essential to every kid's childhood, and I'm not opposed. I just wish I were better at getting out the stains. My mom is a stain removal miracle worker, but sadly, that was not passed on to me. :-)

I love the two pictures above because a.) Anna and Ben are playing together - so sweet of Anna to push her little brother on the swing, and b.) Benjamin's facial expressions are too perfect. The first one shows him gripping the sides, holding on for dear life with a very concerned look on his face, and the second one perfectly captures how much he ended up loving the swing.

Here are few more pictures from that day. Anna loves balancing on things and pretending she is doing gymnastics or is in a circus. This same day, we took a walk to the library. It was especially fun because Ethan was at the library studying, and Anna was so excited to surprise him. Ethan enjoyed a little break from the books. Oh, and let me say that the Moby Wrap (baby sling) is back in full force. After using it pretty often last summer, I realized I hadn't used it at all during the winter months. When I was at the park the first time, I thought it'd be perfect to sling on Ben so I could climb around and play with Anna, as opposed to carrying Ben in my arms (which isn't sustainable for very long since he is 25 pounds of pure chub and constant motion). I use a side hold that is very comfortable, and Ben-Ben loves it too. I used it for our walk to the library too...so fun to have him snuggled close.

Two little cuties. They were both going for the farmer look this day - Anna on purpose and Ben had no choice. We did a lot of pretend play with planting and farming. Anna doesn't have any overalls, so this jumper had to do. She felt authentic enough. The second picture shows Anna helping Ben learn how to walk. You can see how much he enjoys it (although it's a little fuzzy) and Anna loves it too. She likes to go as fast as possible without making Benjamin fall over, which still happens pretty often. Good practice for Ben...and he won't usually do it with Ethan or I, silly baby.

Precious picture of Ethan and the kids getting home from church and relaxing on a Sunday afternoon. And the final picture - I took the kids bowling with the SKIP program a few weeks ago, and of course Anna loved it. She even got a strike...with the help of the bumper rails. Ben just sat in his stroller and enjoyed some snacks. Well, I guess that is plenty for now, but I do have a video I want to post of Benjamin, and I want to fill you in on some of the sweet and some of the frustrating milestones he is hitting. So, you can look forward to that in the next few days. Have a beautiful week!