We have been busy with swim lessons the last couple of weeks.  Austin is doing a fantastic job in

Level I lessons.  He is working on his swim stroke.  He loves going to lessons and really enjoys the water.  Colton has been to a couple of lessons this time around and he is doing a good job of watching and waiting patiently for the lessons to be over.

Colton is a two-year-old!!

We started out Colton's birthday weekend on Friday evening when we got home.  We had two packages waiting on the doorstep!  Austin helped Colton open his packages from the Behrens' and Uncle Jon & Aunt Clare!  He has been carrying his new puppy everywhere and drove the Thomas Engine all over the house on Saturday!  Colton was also excited for the candy that was tucked in each box!  Both boys ate their dinner so that they could have a piece of candy for dessert!

Charlee's birthday was on Saturday and her party was Saturday evening.  We went over to her house for homemade macaroni and chesse followed by birthday cake & ice cream!  These two little friends had a great time celebrating eachother's special day!  Since UNI was the only Iowa team to win this Saturday, Colton and Charlee are standing on the fireplace chanting, "U-N-I, U-N-I . . . "  I'm not sure what Colton is holding on to but Charlee is holding the magic wand that Colton picked out for part of her birthday present.  

 Saturday morning we filled Colton's bedroom, hallway, and the basement with balloons.  When he woke up it took him a few minutes to get excited about the balloons.  I think he was still trying to wake up when Brian and I walked in and started singing and tossing balloons in his crib.  He was not amused at first but he quickly came around once he saw how happy the balloons were making Austin!  The two boys played upstairs with the balloons until it was time to eat breakfast. 

Before lunch the kids jumped in the bouce house that Charlee got for her birthday present!  Jake was nice enough to bring it over and help Brian get it set up.  The kids had so much fun bouncing and it was such a beautiful day!! The little kids sat together at the little table and ate chicken nuggets, apple sauce, and baked beans.  They all sucked down their juice boxes as fast as they could too!  After lunch they went downstairs and played in the basement, which was also filled with balloons.  Brian gets all the credit for blowing up all the balloons, by the way.  He did an excellent job!

Present time!  All the kids wanted to help open the presents and things went pretty smoothly.  A couple times Austin had to sit back and let Colton try to open them on his own.  He wanted to help but sometimes his helping would end up with him opening the entire gift. 

 

 Here is a shot of Colton and Charlee opening a gift together.  In this box was a bag of balls that Colton proudly lifted up to show everyone as soon as they got the box open! 

 

Here is a shot of Colton with a couple of his "noisier" gifts.  The fire truck and the little green truck both make sounds.  These trucks have now already been driven all over the house!! 

 

 Here are Austin and Colton waiting patiently for the singing to begin.  Colton blew out his candles a couple of times.  Each of the kids was given a turn to blow out the candles on the cake!  Then we served up cake and ice cream.  Such a beautiful day outside, we spent a lot of the afternoon in the backyard.  Great day for Colton.  Can't believe my baby is a two-year-old!  It was so nice that the grandparents could make it as well as Great Grandparents Jerry & Donna!  Carol & Alan came from Des Moines and Uncle Nate was the only uncle who could make it!  It was a fun party and Colton had a wonderful day!

Puppy Cake!  I thought it turned out okay and since Colton knew what it was right away, I considered the cake a success!! 

Nap Time!

The boys have been coming to find me to tell me that they are going to take naps.  Hmmmm. . . sounds a little suspicious to me, but I just say "OKAY!".  I walked in the living room a little while later to see what was going on because they were being so quiet. . . They were cuddled up behind the recliner together; "sleeping".  Austin seemed to be taking nap time a little more seriously than Colton was.  Of course it only lasted a few minutes, but they sure keep me on my toes as to what they will think of next!

Visitors!

My friend Lisa came to visit from Kansas City.  Her in-laws live in Washburn so it was the perfect opportunity for a grandma/grandpa visit while also getting to see eachother!!  Colton and Aiden were born on the same day so it is fun to see the "Birthday buddies" interact.  Austin, Colton, Lexi, and Aiden had fun playing catching and chasing eachother all around the backyard. 

 There is always time for some "Ring Around the Rosies".  Colton loves falling down!

 Here is a picture of all of us.  This was the closest we got to all the kids looking at the camera at the same time.  Lisa, Lexi (smiling adorably), Aiden (checking out Colton's snacks), Colton (concerned about what Aiden is looking at), Austin (not sure what he was looking at), and me!

 As you can see in this picture from Colton . . . Aiden successfully got his hand on a few soda crackers.  The bag was near by so Aiden got another handful and shared some of those with Colton.  These little guys are so adorable!!

Cuddle Time!

 Austin and Colton have been jumping on the couch with Brian in the morning this week to "cuddle up" for a few minutes before we all have to go our seperate ways!!!