Our big boy

This is Phineas Benjamin. He will be 4 years old in 15 days! Here are a few things about him:

1. He is a lover AND a fighter. He does all things, good or bad, with zeal and abandon. He is strong-willed and stubborn, just like me.

2. He is too smart for me and for his own good. This gets him into trouble a lot, but it's pretty awesome watching how quickly he learns, how observant he is, and how curious. He has been doing well in preschool this year even though he doesn't always want to go.
3. He is an artist at heart. He loves to "do art projects." He is certainly his father's son. He loves to draw and glue and write and build things. He also loves to break and destroy things. Go figure. :)
4. He loves to help me in the kitchen when I'm baking or making meals. I struggle being patient when he wants to do this, but it is always so much fun.
5. He loves playing on PBSkids.org and the iphone, and knows his way around both just about as well as I do.

6. He is my cuddle bug.

Our baby

This is Silas Henry. He will be 18 months old tomorrow. How the time flies, exponentially faster than with the first child. Here are a few things about Silas:

1. The best word to describe him is SWEET. He has the cutest smile that he shares easily and he makes friends wherever he goes.

2. He is busy, busy, busy, and he wants to do whatever his big brother is doing, and then some.

3. He has no fear and has had bumps and bruises to prove it. The photo below was taken moments before he fell off that stool while holding that pencil and nearly bit a hole through his bottom lip. YIKES! I guess that's the price you pay for being adventurous. Phin was never like this (he is still somewhat of a fraidy-cat). So this is a whole new world for mommy.

4. Silas is a helper. He is great at cleaning up (unless he made the mess and is being asked to clean up) and LOVES to throw things in the trash can!
5. He LOVES to carry around multiple pacifiers and switches them quite often.



6. He started walking at 10 months and has never stopped. Unlike his brother, who still wants to ride in the stroller or be carried everywhere, Silas is perfectly happy when I put him down and let him walk on his own.

Spring has Sprung!

And we are making the most of the outdoors.

Here's Phin and I playing on our front walk. He and I drew the train together as a team, and he drew the trestle bridge and water beneath the train all by himself.

Phineas took the picture below all by himself. Quite the artistic eye, huh?

Caleb took the boys to the park one Saturday morning, while I was at a brunch for the women in our church.

Nightsledding...

"...deserves a quiet a night."

Fun in the snow with Uncle Todd and Aunt Brenna at Great Grandma Jane's house.

And, of course, what goes better with sledding than hot cocoa!