A look at April in Reverse (loaded pics that way)

Last night Drew got home after the boys had baths and put on pajamas.
That didn't stop him from testing out the new riding setup.

We celebrated Easter at my mom's house with my sister's family.
(From left to right) Ben, Grace, Mom, Betsy, Noah, and Philip

Ben got new soccer socks and a soccer ball for his birthday. He and Noah decided to put on their socks and jump on the the trampoline one night. (It looks like Ben has seen Karate Kid.)

Our neighbors got new patio furniture and we got a new play house.
I have given the boys a month to enjoy it before it gets put on the curb for recycling.

The following pictures are from Ben's birthday party.

He invited his best buddies, Anna, Bennett and Paul (along with their families) to a breakfast for dinner party.

Ben, Paul, Micah and Noah

Micah, Lauren, Karie, Bennett, Ben and Noah

Finally, this is a video from my dad's 60th birthday party.
(from right to left) Betsy, Ben, Philip, Noah, Grace, Marshall, Chad and Peggy.

Bed time discussions

I will be posting pictures from April sometime soon. I just had to share a conversation the boys had earlier this week.

One night the boys were talking after I had put them to bed. I came up to ask them to be quiet. They told me they were talking about what they want to do when they grow up. Since they were clearly not tired and also having a great time together, I let them talk for 10 more minutes (until 9:00). As I was leaving the room, Ben told me he was going to wear his Spiderman backpack to college. I decided to wait until the morning to hear the rest of their plans for the future. So here it is...

When they grow up (drum roll please), they are going to eat popcorn and candy and drink soda in their beds while they watch movies.

Its nice to know they have such high aspirations for themselves as adults.

Costume Week at the Miller's House

This past Sunday was the Young Life 5K run in Bridgewater. Noah and I dressed up for our run together (me running...Noah riding). We mixed superhero costumes at will and came up with the ones pictured above and below. We won second prize in the costume contest. And yes, I did manage to wear the wig for the entire race.

Noah and Aiden dressed up during one afternoon together while Ben and Heidi took naps. They did an excellent job protecting me from bad guys. Who wouldn't be intimidated by these guys?

Heidi

Apparently the firefighter hat is a popular toy at our house. This is Heidi. She and her brother come to our house a few days a week. They are a lot of fun to have around.

Edmund

This is one of the kids I am taking care of occasionally this semester. Edmund has learned to sit up during the past few weeks. The boys love dancing and doing silly things to make Edmund smile. He has added a fun baby element to our family during the afternoons he is at our house.

One day I opened my fridge to find this guy hanging out in the door. Ben told me he was in a time out. I promise we are not giving our kids time outs in the refrigerator. This is just one more example of Ben's creative mind at work.



Noah got finger paints for his birthday. So one morning when the boys needed a bath and the weather was warm, I let the boys paint on a cardboard box outside on the back deck. Rain was forecast for later in the day. I thought I had planned things perfectly so that the rain would clean up the extra paint and the bath would clean up the boys. (I was also doing laundry which would take care of the messy pj's.) Unfortunately I did not factor in the boys' propensity for destruction. They splattered paint all over the aluminum siding of the house. I spent 15 minutes cleaning the siding (which needed it anyway) for fear that the light rain would not remove the bright red, green, blue and yellow globs decorating our house.

The boys had a great time, which is what really matters anyway.

FYI-this picture was taken before the paint slinging began

Moral of the story...never leave your children unattended with finger paints while you put the camera back in the house.

Noah's 5th Birthday Trip

We have started a birthday tradition in the Miller family. We take a special 5 year old birthday trip to the Baltimore Aquarium. Just mom, dad and the 5 year old. Here are some pictures from the fun day we had with Noah.

We saw the dolphin show.

The dolphin show was a nice break after walking around for a few hours. The whole day went perfectly and we never got bored or tired of what we were doing. It was nice to only have one child to focus on and we were able to work nicely with Noah's interests and energy level.

I really like snakes and frogs. These were my favorite exhibits.

I wanted to take this frog home.

Drew and Noah did not like the reptiles and amphibians. They were more excited about the fish. The tanks were full of beautiful marine life.

Noah was able to sneak up close to take a look at some amazing fish.

This fish (Drew will have to add the name later) loved posing for our camera.

We finished up our day with lunch and a trip to a candy shop for a special birthday treat. Those of you familiar with Baltimore will recognize the paddle boats behind us.