Keller Family Fun

Bernheim Forest

2011-11-05T20:19:00.000-04:00

Today, we went to Bernheim Forest for a few hours. Perfect day for it!!

Climbing in the Possumhaw Holly Trees

"Cluster III" sculptures

Holly trees. Lots and LOTS of Holly trees!

I think this was the first time I've ever seen a yellow Holly tree. I loved them! (There are orange ones, too, but I wasn't as smitten with those.)

Loved this carving in the middle of one of the ponds

My boys

Looking for (and throwing leaves at) fishies

"Aww, Mom!"

I told Glenn to smile, but not make a goofy face. This is what I got. I can't look at this and NOT giggle.

"Climbing" up a hill

Glenn loves his Daddy

Sean was (and usually is) all about jumping off of rocks. And anything else, really.

My boys, again. Love them all so very much.

Pumpkins & Horses

2011-10-15T21:36:00.000-04:00

Every year, around this time, Joyful Noise (the children's choir) and some parents get loaded onto the church bus to take a trip to Gallrein Farms and Rev. Kathy's house.

At Gallrein

Playing in the hay, the barrell train, and the hay, again!

Noah, Savannah & Glenn, on the wagon to the pumpkin patch.

Waiting for everyone to finish paying for their pumpkin picks...

After the pumpkins, we hop back on the bus for the short ride to Rev Kathy's house. There, we grill hotdogs and then make & eat s'mores. Yum!

This is Max. He's a total sweetie and he LOVES marshmallows. I'm pretty sure he's trying to use ESP to get somebody to drop one. Or twelve.

Parents & grandparents chatting & hanging out in the garage (out of the wind) while the kids run around like the crazy people they are.

Sean likes the swings

Glenn liked being in the trees (can you tell he had Doritos with his hotdog?)

After lunch, it's time for riding horses. Glenn wanted nothing to do with that - he'd rather play in the hay in the barn, which he did - but Sean took a ride on Lexie and did wonderfully!

Many, many thanks to Ron for driving the bus and to Rev. Kathy for opening her home (and subjecting her sweet horses) to all of us!!

Music Men

2011-09-26T13:26:00.000-04:00

Sean's 3rd Birthday

2011-09-26T12:51:00.000-04:00

For some reason, I can't get the pictures to upload in order - some Sunday pictures are in the middle of Friday's, for example - and I can't rearrange easily, or without some creative language on my part, so I'm just going to leave the pictures as they loaded.

Friday, Sean opened presents from Mommy & Daddy (and Glenn got a couple of presents, too.) Saturday, we journeyed to a park in Bardstown to party with my side of the family. Sunday, all of the Kellers gathered at our house for some additional party fun.

Saturday, at a park in Bardstown

Partying at the park is exhausting!!

Music Man

Sunday

Dinosaur World

2011-08-15T10:16:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, we decided to skip church and take the boys, and Jessica, to Dinosaur World. I don't have the names of all of the dinosaurs, but most of the pictures explain themselves.

Playing with the "rocks" before we even got to the ticket counter

Ack! A dino ate the kids!!

One...

two...

three!

Raawr!

This butterfly, and one other, just loved me. Glenn would "swack" them off, and they'd come back and land on my face, in my hair, on my shoulder... Wild.

The Mammoth Garden

I have no idea...

"Photosaurus" The guy you see after you pass DinoWorld on I-65

Sean didn't want to sit on the feet. Not sure why. He does everything else that Glenn does.

But jumping off the platform is an excellent idea

Funky flower on the path by Photosaurus.

Fossil Dig

At the "bone yard"

Sean, leading the way out

At the picnic area & playground

Falls of the Ohio

2011-07-17T00:43:00.000-04:00

Today, we took the boys to The Falls of the Ohio to (hopefully) see some fossils & walk/climb/slip/fall around on the rocks.

The ramp to the riverbed

Sean felt the need to wear Glenn's new "gobbles"...

Asking the boys to stop & wait is very often a waste of breath.

The tree to the right of Glenn had limbs (from another tree or two) and debris that the river left behind in the recent flood. I'm guessing it took a lot of work to clean up the ramp & steps after said flood.

Off the ramp & onto the rock

Very large tree from who knows where, placed & smoothed by the Ohio River.

Explorers

He looks totally capable of finding/causing trouble, doesn't he?

Scott likes to get artsy-fartsy with the camera. The space between top & bottom rocks was maybe 6-8 inches.

Scary tree!

More driftwood/debris, way beyond the usual river's edge.

Rocks in the roots of this downed tree.

I have no idea why Sean got so excited about a picnic table, but he had to climb on it.

Although more humid & a lot muggier than I care for, and the boys ended up with a good deal of algae on their shorts (the green spots are slick, just so you know), it was another fun outing.

Next day trip? Dinosaur World!!

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-20T17:06:00.000-04:00

We spent Sunday & Monday of the weekend at Granna & Pada's lake house.

Naturally, the first thing the boys do when we get there is go to the closet & pull out the bag o' construction toys, and play with Pada.

Granna bought a nifty pool to keep on the deck for some water fun. The slide was a bit (ok, a lot) wobbly, but the boys didn't care.

A boy after my own heart.

The slide makes a good hat. Or sun shade. Whichever.

Sean jumping in while Glenn lies blissfully unconcerned

Maybe he shoulda been concerned?

Or not. All is well.

Sean's first Push Pop. Not sure if he wore as much as he ate, or more...

Glenn's mess wasn't nearly as big.

"Getting" Pada

Another good lake visit!

Tybee Island

2011-06-14T12:53:00.000-04:00

In April, we took a trip to Tybee Island, GA with my Mom & Dad. We stayed in a great condo right on the beach.

The view from our balcony

The boys inspecting the balcony upon arrival

Our condo, from the beach, about half-way to the water.

This was really one of the widest beaches (from the start of the sand dunes to the water) that I think I've ever been on.

We saw lots of ships coming & going

Sean enjoying a little morning sun

One of the many "condo kitties" climbing a tree, just in front of our balcony.

Fort Pulaski

One of the bunker entrances. We got a tad bit turned around going in & out of these, but they were pretty cool

Me, Sean & Glenn at one of the many cannons still at the Fort

Sean was interested in messing with every cannon, in some way, as much as possible.

Glenn wasn't AS hands-on as Sean, but we managed to capture a pic or two.

Sean wasn't just "hands" on, of course...

At the top of the Fort.

The boys, including Scott, loved it up here.

Me? Not so much. See the edge on the left? That's the end of the wall... and a long fall to the concrete below. The cause of a major amount of anxiety for me, the whole time we were up there.

I couldn't get us down fast enough. The boys, naturally, didn't share my feelings.

This condo kitty totally has the life. If there's reincarnation, this is what I want in my next life.

Tybee Island Light Station

Scott, Glenn, Sean and I all climbed to the top. The boys did just fine going up. I thought I'd pass out. Of course.

View from the top.

My sweet boys & I

This was, I believe, a seat from one of the games at the Amusement Park that was on Tybee Island until some time in the 1990s. (Now in the museum across the street from the Light Station.)

The kiddie pool.

Sean simply loves jumping into any pool and whether or not the adult with him in the deeper pool is ready to catch him, matters not to him. There really is no 'relaxing' in the pool when Sean's around!

Brotherly love!

Condo kitties!

I think there were 7 or 8 that were regularly in this spot, and the Condo Association feeds them regularly. They're not much for human interaction, but they were kind of entertaining when they weren't laying around.

Scott got some great evening pics

Another excellent trip. And I'm totally ready to go back.

Glenn's birthday, party 2

2011-05-28T18:33:00.000-04:00

Glenn's birthday was celebrated, with my side of the family, on Easter this year.

Gammie makes the bunny cake every year - whether she's attending or not. And he's always so cute!

Glenn loves his Nanny.

We also celebrate Nanny's birthday at the same time as Glenn's, since they're only one day apart.

Sean hunting Easter Eggs

Glenn scoping out some more eggs

"I don't know, either!"

Checking the haul

Katelyn checking her eggs

Jessica was quite happy about hers

Doug provided the "egg opening" music for Lauralyn & the rest of us

Becky helped Sean open his

Glenn's Party - #1

2011-04-16T19:52:00.000-04:00

Waiting for the party to start...

Pre-food play time

Time for cake!! Glenn had been looking forward to this (aka asking "When???") since we picked the goodies up the day before...

He's on a Transformers kick

Waiting for the singing

I don't know who he's talking to, or what he's saying, but he appears to mean business

Yum!

Don't know what he wanted more - the cupcakes or the rings on them.

Ethan, Sean & Glenn enjoying some cupcakes

"Messy? Me? Surely not."

Presents!!

Couldn't leave Sean out of the action

A camera!!

Helping Ethan liberate Buzz Lightyear

Say "Cheese!"

Ethan's still working on Buzz's liberation... it took a while, even with the help of Optimus Glenn.

Sean took over 100 pictures. Maybe 5 turned out somewhat visible.

Taking a moment to chill

Pada's trying to figure out how to get Buzz's wing tucked in.

Sean & I viewing the pictures he'd taken so far

Must take more!

Partying & picture taking makes a boy tired. (Glenn took a nap, too, but there's no photographic evidence of that one.)

Spring hasn't sprung yet ...

2011-03-03T13:19:00.000-05:00

... but my boys are totally loving this preview day!

Christmas with Granna & Pada

2010-12-20T10:19:00.009-05:00

Do you think Sean's having a good day?

Both Glenn & Sean got remote control Lightning McQueens from Tina & Ted. They LOVE them (Sean cried & cried & cried when we had to put the cars up, so he could go to sleep and asked for his as soon as he woke up this morning.)

Sean's investigating one of Simon's boxes
Granna & Pada gifted Glenn with the much-asked-for and long-awaited "Handy Manny: Big Construction Job" set. Glenn's playing with it as I type.

Granna was called from one end of the house to the other to help open, put together, and play with the new toys
Trying to figure out how this thing works...
Glenn & Simon with the construction set
Watching football while playing

Simon got a rocket ship that was quite a hit, too.

Watching the fun

Vroom vroom!
Sean got a Weebles Musical Playhouse. Weebles have changed a lot since I was a kid!

Daddy trying to figure out why Glenn's Lightning won't run.
Fixed it! (Here, Ethan's asking if he can have a turn at it.)

Got Weeble?
Don't know who had more fun with the cars, the boys or the men.

Maggie, on the other hand, didn't dig the cars too much at all when they were moving. (Sitting still, they were at least worth sniffing.)

Excellent day filled with family, fun & lots of love!

Just playing in the back yard

2010-11-04T14:01:00.004-04:00

Halloween at the Zoo

2010-10-22T10:49:00.013-04:00

Lisa & Jessica joined the boys and I for the Halloween "party" at the zoo. This is the first time the boys and I have gone to this, and I'm certainly glad I didn't try to take them by myself!!

Here's Jessica (as an Indian girl) in front of Bumpkin. I tried to get Glenn to stand with Jessica, but Bumpkin was talking to everyone, and Glenn was having none of that.

Sean is gesturing at his costume. I think. Or not. Maybe it was the pumpkins. Or just asking me what the heck I was taking a picture of. We may never know.
I know what he's pointing at, here. He was nuts about all the pumpkins.
Sean wore his costume for about 2 minutes.
I have no idea what he's doing here, but it's cute!
Glenn's tired of waiting to get moving (Lisa & Jessica were making a potty stop) and Sean was getting tired of the costume.
Let the trick-or-treating begin!
Sean stopped to point out every pumpkin for about the first 5 minutes. I was glad when he moved on to something else.

At one point, I turned around and Sean had vanished - into the hay maze. Glenn & Jessica weren't too far behind (you can just see Sean's head, in the back row)

He really wanted to get a closer visit with the ducks
Glenn would wear this costume, mask & all, 24/7 if I'd let him.
Had to stop again to chat with the ducks.
Lisa & Jessica
Jessica was more than willing to stop & have her picture taken with all of the characters - Glenn, not a one.
The non-living characters were fine & dandy, tho.

Dinosaurs!!

We stopped to eat at the dinosaur area, so the second half of our trek was in the dark.

I think that Jessica was more than a little disappointed to find that all of the sweets in the candy land area were made of either plastic or wood.
Jungle Book
A rare shot of Glenn walking around without his mask
Snakes!
Glenn & Jessica
Sean loves to try to drive.
I had to climb in the van to get him out - another little boy was just about stomping, saying, "Sean! It's my turn! Seaaaaaan!" No idea who he was, but he heard me saying Sean's name & picked up on it.
We discovered that Sean digs Twizzlers
We already knew that Glenn likes to cheese it up for the camera (here, we were waiting for Jessica to get out of the 4-D SpongeBob ride)
Giant Legos!

Last bit of fun was the Carousel. Nicely lit up for the festivities.
Sean's first ride, I believe.

At the end of the night, everybody was still smiling & willing to sit for a picture. That's the sign of a good time!!

Sean's Birthday at St Matthews Park

2010-09-23T20:05:00.012-04:00

Today, my sweet boy turned 2!!

We went out to breakfast (which Glenn complained about the whole time we were there), then to have pictures taken (which Sean didn't wish to cooperate for) and then to a great little park in St. Matthews to meet up with friends Jenny, Sadie & Evie.

Glenn
Scott attempting to crawl through the tunnel with the boys. Just look at Sean's face!

In one of the little league ball fields (I think we carried home far more of this dirt than was necessary...)

Glenn's loving Evie again

Sadie & Sean enjoyed climbing around, and altho I was certain he'd be tumbling off at any moment, he never did.
Check out how filthy they got playing in the dirt!

Swing time

I held Evie while I was on a swing, so Jenny could push Sadie, and Evie was loving it!

A very good day!
(Family party pictures to follow)

Fun with Gammie & Gampaw

2010-09-05T18:18:00.007-04:00

Today, after church, I took the boys to Bardstown so we could see Gammie and Gampaw.

The boys had an absolutely WONDERFUL time playing with Gammie.
Glenn was trying to get Gammie with the bubbles (I can't remember his exact words, but something was said about bubbles all over her head) while Sean was using Gammie's legs/pants as support while standing on a basketball.

I think Gammie enjoyed herself, too. ;)

(Sean's standing on the ball here - notice the grip he's got on her pants)

2010 State Fair

2010-08-22T21:38:00.006-04:00

The Mules & Jacks are my favorite animals, so I'm glad we got to see them this year (last year, we went after they'd already gone home.) Glenn actually pet almost as many of them as I did.

I'm not usually a big fan of clowns, but Sean was crazy about the shoes this guy was wearing!
Cool dude
Lots o' balloons, and they weren't even finished yet.

This was my absolute favorite cake. I love Starry Night, and to see it in cake form is even better!
My favorite in the woodcarving display.
This is by my almost-uncle, Bobby. He always has a piece of work in the fair, and I really like this year's.
Fireman Sean

Farmer Glenn!

The only way anybody in our family was going to see the Border Collie show...
Sean's shoes do not feel good on the skin. (And he wasn't digging the view from Daddy's shoulders, either, so that didn't help.)

Another good day at the fair!

4th of July Weekend - Winchester & Lexington

2010-07-04T21:25:00.009-04:00

Every 4th of July weekend, Scott runs the Bluegrass 10k, in Lexington, and we usually spend the night before with his parents in Winchester.

On Friday, after dinner with the fam, including an aunt & cousin, we returned to Granna & Pada's house, where Glenn quickly found the bag o' toys.
Scott & Mom chatting in the kitchen
Time for bed!
Getting comfortable
Contemplating
Ahhh... (Sean actually slept in the spare bedroom with me. Scott & Glenn slept on the sofas)
At the festival, after the race.

Glenn's first project was a sand-filled moon
Simon filled a football
Sean was entertaining Pada
until he noticed the camera close by. Or maybe it was Daddy, who could free him from the stroller...
The finished product
Glenn, being Glenn
Riding a "train"
And his first pirate ship ride, ever! (I convinced Ethan to ride with him, so he wouldn't be scared... it wasn't necessary, tho. My boy was brave!)
After a successful ride, Glenn got a "pirate patch"

Hangin' with Gammie

2010-07-02T14:02:00.003-04:00

Literally!

I've really been slacking

2010-06-19T17:16:00.008-04:00

I'm so far behind on posting, I should be ashamed. I don't think I'll ever catch up... it's just so much easier to post pictures to Facebook, than it is to Blogger. But I know that some of the few who check this blog don't HAVE Facebook, so I should at least keep up a little bit. My apologies.

And on with the show!

Three times now, I've taken the boys to Kentucky Gymnastics Academy for their "Open Gym". For $5, each, the boys can run amok all over the gym and jump, bounce, swing and generally go as wild as they like, for an hour. And there are virtually no rules. (Take off your shoes, put the car back when you're finished with a ride, and no balls on the trampolines.)

The boys love it!

We always meet my friend Jenny and her daughters there. Sadie is now taking gymnastics classes, she enjoys it all so much!

In the back of the gym, there's a really long trampoline for running, jumping, etc., and then crashing into the foam pad at the end.

Action shot of Sadie. Don't know who Glenn was laughing at, but it's highly likely that he was just laughing in general.

There are several balance beams
And the bars. I don't know the technical name...
More trampoline running
Sean usually gets in the foam pit at least once
aaaaaand back to the trampoline

This is the first time Glenn got the hang of the hoops. (No pun intended.)

Sadie climbing the rock wall
and coming off the hill in the previously-mentioned car
Glenn doing the same thing

and one more time!

Does it get any better?

2010-05-05T22:47:00.000-04:00

Catching up - Sean's birthday

2010-04-08T09:58:00.007-04:00

I'm annoyed by how far behind I am in posting pics... my only consolation is that so few people check this thing on a regular basis, there's probably nobody who notices...

Sean's first birthday cake

Party #1 with the Kellers

Sean liked Simon's bike

Partying wears a boy out!
Playing with the new big toy after a nice car nap

Party #2 was at Lisa's

Glenn running around outside like a maniac ... as usual.

The Naked Chef

2010-01-18T21:56:00.003-05:00

So, after I give both boys a bath, Glenn (who likes to air-dry) and I go into the kitchen - me to further fuel my Diet Dr. Pepper addiction, and Glenn for who knows what. I ask said boy, "Whatcha need?" He says, "Something from the frigerader." Ok.

He opens the frigerader and says, "I need some eggs."
Me "You want to eat some eggs?"
G "I need to crack dem."
Me "If you crack them, I cook them. Are you sure you want to eat eggs?"

After making certain that he will EAT the eggs (the last 2 times he asked for eggs, he decided he didn't want them after they were done), we take the carton to the counter and I get a bowl out of the cabinet. He proceeds to 'help' crack them. Then he says, "I need to misk them" and I hand him a whisk. Glenn begins to misk the eggs and I yell to Scott that he has got to get the camera & get a picture of this...

And yes, he did eat the eggs. Go figure.

New Puppy

2010-01-17T09:12:00.002-05:00

According to the Humane Society folks, Noodles is a Retriever/Lab mix... I'd say he's a mix of Lab & Dachshund (and I really hope that the Mom was the Lab.)

We just got him on Saturday (1/16) and so far, he's a good boy. Just gotta get over barking at the cats.

Yearly Art Project

2010-01-09T20:56:00.002-05:00

Since Glenn's first Christmas, the grandparents have gotten "art" for Christmas. This year, Sean got in on the painting action. I don't have pictures of the finished works this time, but Granna & Pada, and Nanny & PawPaw really liked them. Of course.

New Year's Eve Fun

2010-01-06T09:20:00.002-05:00

A Sad Day...

2009-12-21T22:26:00.002-05:00

Our most loved Caesar died yesterday and I miss him terribly. He was a wonderful friend, companion, guard and playmate for me and the boys.

Rest in peace, my sweet friend.

Catching Up - 4th of July

2009-10-22T20:00:00.008-04:00

Scott always runs the 10k race in Lexington on July 4, so this year (as is also usually the case) we stayed at Granna & Pada's house on the night of July 3. Using the term "fireworks" very loosely, we let the boys enjoy a little bit of a show. Sean was inside, enjoying the show with Granna & Maggie (the dog.)
Most of these photos explain themselves.

Talk to the hand.

I just love this picture. Not sure what he was watching, but I'm sure it was Scott or Ethan doing something marginally unsafe.

July 4, after Scott finished the race
Glenn, running his own race with Simon (and coming in second. Simon is FAST.)
Glenn's first "sand art"
Chilling with Daddy
First pony ride. Not looking so sure about this...
I couldn't let go of him for a second, but he said (after) that it was fun.

Because my rear end doesn't need to be the first thing you see here...

2009-10-17T09:58:00.002-04:00

State Fair Friday (8/30)

2009-09-04T08:34:00.003-04:00

On Friday, 8/29, Scott took off work and all went to the State Fair. Glenn was very excited about seeing all of the animals... then, when we got there, he wanted nothing to do with any of them. Except the puppies in the show ring. (However, when we went back through, while waiting for the midway to open, he did pet some pigs & sheep.)
Glenn had to get on the bus at least 4 times, regardless of the fact that it wasn't going to go anywhere.This is Glenn's first ride on a roller coaster. The video below is his second ride, but it's still his first coaster. He was so excited!He's also a fan of the bumper boats.

A great time was had by all! (Well, almost all ... I think Sean was a bit disappointed that he wasn't allowed to run amok, too.)

Sean - 11 Months

2009-08-24T22:28:00.007-04:00

I'm so far behind on posting pictures, it's just not funny. I'll get around to them soon. I hope.

These pretty much explain themselves...
Sean's walking now - lurches around like an inebriated duck, but he's walking several steps at a time.

Learning to walk

2009-07-25T10:36:00.004-04:00

Sean's been using a "walking toy" here at home, but when we went to play with Jenny & Sadie on Thursday, Sean discovered Sadie's tricycle. Perfect for walking practice!!

I should also point out that the sweet boy turned 10 months old on this day.

Naughty Boy & Piano Men

2009-06-30T10:09:00.003-04:00

Continuing the fine tradition of piano playing...

Sean is completely obsessed with playing in Caesar's water dish. I cannot figure out how to keep Sean away, while still allowing Caesar access... anyone with any ideas that don't involve locking the dog in the kitchen, please let me know!!
Fortunately, I raised Caesar to not care if someone is around him while he's eating...

Day Out With Thomas

2009-06-11T21:31:00.006-04:00

Scott took Glenn to the Kentucky Railway Museum on the 6th to see "Thomas". Since I was not there, I know next to nothing about these pictures, but I'll give you the basics.

Leggos! Lots and lots...

and LOTS of Leggos!
I'm gonna say Glenn's doing a thinking pose on the giant Leggo Thomas, and not picking his nose. Yeah. That's it.
Making his wish-list already, no doubt.
Look at that face! So sweet!!
I think this is an old steam engine. A real one.
Playing in one of the tents. This place was the cause of not one, but two melt-downs. Glenn didn't want to leave the massive amounts of trains on tracks. Not even to go ride on Thomas, and certainly not to come back home.

It's Thomas!!!! Scott said Glenn heard the whistle, saw Thomas, and took off running.

Daddy & Glenn. Sorta

Glenn wouldn't smile, so Scott said, "Show me the mad face."

Glenn's souvenir
Had to stop at the Thomas crossing on the way out.
Glenn & Scott had a great morning together!!

My birthday

2009-06-11T21:19:00.001-04:00

My birthday was on a Sunday this year, so we started out the day with church. I actually got myself & the boys ready, out the door, and to church on time! (That almost never happens.)
One of the best bits of the day was that my cousins from Atlanta (the Turners) were in Kentucky for the weekend and joined us for church.

Then it was back to our house for some time together before the boys and I headed to Lisa's house for the joint birthday party (me, Gammie, Lisa and Alex generally celebrate our birthdays together.)

Sean LOVES Pawpaw's cane. He is nuts about the mirror and, after a while, got into honking the horn.

We attempted to grill burgers & hot dogs, but ran out of gas early... so, indoor cooking it was!

Ben, Natalie & Mary Alice playing with bubbles (before the gas ran out)
Glenn quite enjoyed the new pool. We'd just gotten it the day before & the water was still pretty chilly, but he didn't care at all.
Mary Alice aka Little Lifeguard

Glenn and I
Glenn, Natalie, Mary Alice, and Glenn

Christy and I

At Lisa's

Gammie and Sean play well together

I had to trim down the number of pictures of this post, but I couldn't NOT use any of these with Gammie & Sean... they all just look good!
Sean lunged for Gampaw at one point. I wasn't sure how it was going to go, but they both appeared to enjoy the attention.
The birthday people, during singing. (It's always a mess of a song, when there are this many birthdays at once, but it's fun anyhow.)
Jesse is great with Sean, and here, Sean was almost asleep...
... then he saw the camera, and BAM! He's not sleepy anymore
I'm sure he's thinking, "Lemme take a bite out of that nose"

My sweet boy and I
I'll admit that I detest the way I look in this picture, but I'm posting it not for the people in the picture, but for the rocker. This is the very rocker that my father bought for my Mom, 35 years ago, when she was pregnant with me. It lives on Lisa's porch now, but I love that I've rocked both of my boys (albeit briefly) in the same rocker that I was rocked in.

Lest anybody think he's being neglected, there are so few pictures of Glenn in this post because that boy was WILD on this day and he was playing non-stop, either in Jessica's room or outside. I barely saw him after we ate!

Early Birthday

2009-06-11T20:14:00.004-04:00

We celebrated my birthday with the Kellers during Memorial Day weekend.

Here's Tina, Sean & Pada, waiting for a table at IHOP. Sean was doing some serious squirming.

After lunch, we went back to Tina & Ted's house for some "hang out" time.

Despite the look on his face here, Glenn loves going to "Simon's house" and playing with all of his toys.
Simon's a very safety-conscious bike rider. (I'm sure he wears pants when he's actually riding...)

Glenn insisted on wearing Simon's helmet, but my boy's head is just too big. So stickers were put on Ted's helmet, for Glenn to wear. I hope Ted took them off before his next bike ride...

Sean is always happy to ham it up when the camera's pointed at him.
Learning to play the drum
And, of course, coming after the camera
My boys in the middle of the mess.

Sean - 8 Months

2009-06-06T20:47:00.006-04:00

If you remember the monthly posts from Glenn's first year, you might recall that Glenn was big on playing with the sign. Every time.

Sean did that for a while, but now he's aaallllllll about the camera. Doesn't matter what he's doing. As soon as he sees a camera pointed at him, he goes straight to "gimme" mode. Or turns into a real ham. Or both.

Caesar is oh so patient with the boys.
My sweet nakey boys
Sean came thisclose to launching himself off the sofa, in his quest to snatch the camera from me. Fortunately, I expected it and was prepared to catch him.
Sean had been standing at the sofa... then he heard me turn on the camera.
This boy will pull himself up on anything and everything that will stay still long enough. This includes people. And animals.

Glenn's growing up too fast.
And is a fan of Goldfish, as you can see.
Trying again, with the sign.
Glenn is the ultimate close-talker. It's especially cute when he's also whispering.

Boys in the Bath

2009-06-06T19:50:00.001-04:00

These days, I can't give a bath to just one boy at a time... Since Sean started crawling (and learned how to get to the bathroom), if Glenn's in the tub, Sean has to be, too. And the same goes in reverse.

No, Glenn isn't about to whack Sean with the brush.

These boys love bath time!

Glenn's 3rd Birthday Party

2009-04-19T11:07:00.021-04:00

Glenn started out the morning of his third birthday with a couple of presents from Mommy & Daddy, and some crazy hair.

Obviously, Caesar was truly excited by the whole process.
Immediately upon inflation of Thomas, Glenn jumped in.
Sean likes it, too.
I just happened to find this cake in a magazine while I was waiting for Glenn's turn for a haircut last week (his morning hair was way crazier before that), and since Glenn's really into dinosaurs lately, I had to give it a try. I learned a few things not to do, but overall think it turned out pretty well. Glenn said, "Cool!" when I showed it to him the first time.

For this party, we invited Scott's parents, his sister & her family, my friends Jenny & John, and my parents. (We celebrated the birthdays of Glenn, Scott & my Mom with my side of the family on Easter - I'm a flake & didn't take the camera that day, so I'm waiting to get those pictures from the people who were smart enough to have a camera handy.) I couldn't have asked for better weather, since the biggest present to Glenn was a swing set from all 4 of his grandparents.

Scott & Dad (aka Pawpaw) hanging out on our new sofa.
Sean putting on a little show for Tina & Pada (different from Pawpaw, of course)
Glenn got a new ball from Granna & Pada, and was happy to go outside under Ethan's supervision.
Scott put this together in the days before Glenn's birthday and Glenn already loves it. Of course.
That's Sadie (daughter of Jenny & John) that Ethan's helping to get on a swing.
Ted, Scott & Ethan
Sadie checking out the slide
Glenn & Sadie making use of the "old" slide.
Simon quickly found Glenn's truck (see old post, "New Truck!" for the origin) and then Glenn found Simon and the truck... We're all very fortunate that Ethan likes entertaining the little ones so much!

Sadie staying safely away from the crazy men on the truck. For now.
Somehow, Simon gave up his steering duties to Sadie. She is quite the little driver.
I'm guessing the driving got a little wild & Ethan took a tumble... I hope he didn't land in dog poop, but it's likely that he did.
Time for cake! (And Mater party hats)

I love this little face.

Glenn got a Diego from Sadie (and Jenny & John) - he's very into Diego & Dora, too.
Granna entertaining Sean with a cup. Or is it the other way around?
The Swansegars
Scott's amazement at the fact that his Mom got him wine for his birthday (which is later this week)... until he realized it's sparkling grape juice.
Scott has a new friend.
Cake, ice cream, Diego & new shirts. What more could a man want??
I didn't catch it with the camera, but Sean was trying hard to get a bit of Granna's cake every time she lifted the fork to take her own bite. That's my boy!

Glenn & Daddy checking out one of Glenn's gifts.
Glenn had to take a little bit of a break & play with his Mack hauling truck under the table.
Simon slowed down for a few minutes, too.

But the slow-down didn't last long!

Don't know what she's doing here, but it's a cute picture.
Sean thoroughly enjoyed playing with the box that Glenn's truck came in.

All 3 on the truck now. There was a minor battle over steering, but it got figured out fairly quickly.
Scott playing with his new birthday toy.
All that partying & attention wore the littlest boy out. And the dog.
I'm 99% sure that if I'd left Glenn alone, he'd have been asleep within 10 minutes.
We all had a great day!

Time to start helping again...

2009-04-17T14:53:00.003-04:00

I have many other pictures that I need to post, but these are too cute to not put up now (and there are only 3 in this batch vs I don't know how many in the others...)

The first big mow of the season, and Glenn's right there helping. This is quite the improvement over last year, when he absolutely had to watch the mowing being done, but insisted on sitting in the lap of the non-mower.

Sean - 6 months

2009-04-04T19:03:00.007-04:00

Sean loves to play!
When he starts jumping in this thing, look out! I'm seriously expecting him to move around the room in it before long.
He's following in his big brother's footsteps when it comes to remotes.

Obligatory sign & destruction thereof

Such a sweetie
He's always in such a hurry to get back to whatever he was doing that I often have trouble getting his clothes back together after a diaper change. This boy is on the move!
I couldn't take a bunch of pictures of Sean without Glenn wanting in on the action. Here's he's playing with "The Stick" (something no runner should be without).
He's getting so tall...
Back to Sean - naked boy playing with coupons/ads. He loves to play with paper, and the more colorful it is, the better.

Cuteness

2009-04-04T18:49:00.003-04:00

Frank engaging in some wishful thinking.
This is what happens when Glenn is sure he doesn't need a nap... he passed out while "hiding" from Daddy, at around 7:30 pm.
I tried to put him in his bed, but he was having none of it, so we sat back on the sofa. He zonked right back out.
Sean was obviously not having the same sleepy problem.

Another "no nap" day. I try to get him down for a nap around 2 and some days I just don't have it in me to keep fighting him on it, so he wins. Temporarily. I think he finally crashed around 3:30.

Weekend in Atlanta

2009-04-04T16:33:00.026-04:00

On Friday, March 6, we loaded up the car & headed to Atlanta, to meet up with Scott's parents for the weekend.

Why Atlanta? Because, for Christmas, Scott & his Dad got tickets to the NASCAR race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. I picked that one because I thought it would be fun for them, and why not pick a place where I have friends & family that I could also spend some time with?? I'm so smart.

The drive down took WAY longer than it should have, thanks to a semi that got stuck under an overpass on I-24. The detour that we took, and the time spent sitting in traffic before we could get off the interstate, added a good 3.5 hours to the drive. Yuck. We arrived at our hotel around 11 pm.

Glenn was in quite the good mood Saturday morning.
Showing Sean some love
My very good friend, Teresa, met us at the hotel and we all loaded up for a trip to Stone Mountain.

Here, we're waiting for our ride on the Sky Lift. I was a little worried that Glenn might freak out on the thing, but he loved it. Thank goodness.
At the top of Stone Mountain.

Glenn & Granna helping each other to navigate the giant rock.

Me, wearing Sean, trying not to fall & break my neck on said giant rock.

Glenn showing off his new Stone Mountain train.
Glenn wandering around on his own for a bit, and me trying to get Sean to give up the fight & go to sleep.
Me & my sleeping babe. That's Teresa in the black sweater.
After Stone Mountain, we went for a late lunch at Maggiano's. Glenn greatly enjoyed the Pesto Linguine.
Teresa & Sean
Me, Teresa & Glenn
That evening, I decided to give Sean a bath in the sink. He splashed that water ALL OVER the kitchen area. I'm surprised the microwave still worked. I finally had to drain the water so that I could actually wash the boy.
Glenn enjoyed a bubble bath under Granna's supervision.
Sean, all ready for bed, trying to eat both of his hands.
Sunday

Obviously, Glenn's not quite ready to get going yet... I love the way Sean's looking at him.
Scott, Glenn, Sean & Dad (aka Jon, aka Pada)
While the men went to the race, Mom/Granna and I went to visit my cousin, Christy, and her beautiful family.

Mary Alice & Sean
Ben, Natalie, Mary Alice, Glenn & Sean
Glenn is usually such a ham for pictures, but I guess today was the exception.
Ben, Natalie, Glenn & Mary Alice
Love the look Glenn's giving me here.
The girls just loved Sean.
Ben, helping his Dad dig a trench for some logs. (I wonder if that project ever got finished...)
Glenn needed to pitch in, of course. You can't have any kind of tool out around that boy, without him wanting to help. (And I use that word, "help", loosely.)
Glenn moved the dirt from the ground to the top of a log. Not sure what the motivation was for that one.

Swinging!!
This was the first time Glenn had ever been on a non-baby swing. I couldn't believe he didn't fall off, or freak out, at any point.

Jumping around on the trampoline with Natalie & Mary Alice

Sean wasn't very exciting. He got in some much needed snoozing on his Granna - and she didn't complain about that one little bit!

The pool. This was the cause of many near-coronaries for me. Glenn runs around like a crazy man when he's outside and he's never been around a pool like this before, so I was really conscious of it.More diggingOn the slide

Mary Alice & I on the hammock.
Glenn sporting a nice little lump that he got while trying to safely exit the trampoline. He cried for about 30 seconds after he fell, and then he was on to the next thing. (It didn't bruise up nearly as bad as I thought it would, thankfully.)
Dinner outside on a gorgeous evening.
"Big" Glenn & Sean
The two Glenns. (Glenn's holding a snake [fishing bait, really] that he found)
We left Christy's house & got back to the hotel around 9pm - just after the men got back. We all had an excellent day on Sunday.

Great weekend - and no troubles at all on the drive home on Monday. Excellent trip.

Sweet Boys

2009-03-05T23:28:00.002-05:00

Glenn just after a bath, and Sean just before pajamas.

Sean - 5 Months

2009-02-24T11:02:00.004-05:00

Just after a nice bath.

Naturally, Sean had to destroy the "sign" before I could even get started... taking after his big brother already.

After I gave up on trying to straighten out the sign & finally put clothes on the boy.

Tumblers

2009-02-17T15:09:00.004-05:00

Sunday, Feb 15, we headed to Midway to celebrate Ethan's birthday. Simon is a very VERY active boy & has learned how to "tumble". This is Glenn attempting to do the same thing - and do "hand stands", as well.

(This was taken with the digital camera, of course, so there's no sound.)

And yes, that dog is wearing a diaper. She's... in season.

I'm all for creativity...

2009-02-17T10:35:00.003-05:00

But isn't yogurt for eating??

Obviously, Glenn doesn't think so. And that's why he's always confined to the highchair when he's got the messy stuff.