Capturing Zeke's Window

The caption of this post has two meanings. In capturing Ezekiel's window, I tried to see the world from his perspective; but I also had to take these pictures with in this very busy child's window of patience. In a mere 20 minutes Sam and I managed to keep Zeke focused and snapped away. What resulted was a number of photos with a decent represenation of the joy Zeke sees in life and the joy that he radiates to others. He is a happy child and loves to laugh and fake laugh just to get others to join in his clowing around fun. I was all for bribing Zeke with a lollipop and oh did he reslish this treat at the end. Of course, when daddy showed up at the end of the photo shoot the smiles on Zeke's face got bigger, the laughs got louder, and the fun was bubbling over for him. This boy LOVES when his daddy is home and will rough house with him. Zeke is Hans' replica, they have the same chin, smile, and those dark brown eyes. Here is a few of the pictures of Mr. Z's 2 year old world.

 

Don't we all wish we had these long lashes!

This would be the grin that crossed Zeke's face when his daddy showed up.  I swear there is an extra twinkle in his eye in this picture.

A 2 Year Old

Our little guy turned 2 and is now a full fledged toddler running, climbing, and trying his hardest to jump with two feet off the ground. Zeke is our wild one and is always full of energy, a loud laugh, and is always looking to be chased. We spent his actual birthday preparing a special apple pie, and our little chef couldn't have been happier. He requested pancakes for his birthday dinner and blew candles out a top his blueberry pancakes. He loves all things to do with kitchens and cooking....guess what his favorite thing to see at Ikea is...yes, the sample kitchens. The last time we were there he got very upset in the check out line because he wanted to go back and see the kitchens again and kept yelling, loudly, "See ninen, see ninen". Ninen is kitchen in Zekeese. A few days after his birthday we had a small chef themed party for him at our house and were blessed to have a few neighbor kids help us celebrate. This boy was SO excited to have kids come over and was squealing with glee as they sang him happy birthday. How is it that our baby is 2? Time goes way to fast.

Ride 'em Cowboy

A little rodeo fun. We love a good rodeo: cowboy boots, denim, broncin' bulls, waving American flag, dirt, country music, under the stars, hootin' and hollerin'....only there do you get all of this.

Apple Picking

I love to go pick fresh produce, and our boys enjoy it just as much.

Invasion of the Breitbachs

Some of Hans' siblings and his mom came to visit us in September. We loved the company. Some DC sites were visited, we did some mild hiking, swam, relaxed, and enjoyed catching up.

Stopping to Smell the Roses

Stopping to enjoy a few moments that I know I will miss when these boys are grown.

Sammy Boy

A Little update on our Sam.

Sugar any one?

Z and Sam earned free donuts at Krispy Kreme from the summer reading program at the library. Of course they were thrilled, who doesn't like sugar?

A Few Thoughts Before Turning 2

As Zeke's second birthday approached, I realized just how fast time goes. My baby was turning two, where had the time gone. A few memories in photos.

A New School Year

We are in full swing with this school year, my much belated post of the first day photos finally made it. This year, after much prayer, we decided to try homeschooling. We have joined a wonderful Classical Conversations community and our whole family is embracing it.

Butter and Sugar...mmmm

Last weekend the boys and I decided to make a batch of homemade cinnamon rolls. We spent most of Saturday morning whipping up a batch of the Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls. They were DELICIOUS!!! Our freezer is now stocked with many pans of these gooey and buttery treats. Yum!

Touring DC

A few weeks ago my brother and his family came for a weekend visit and we took our first tour into DC.

Earning His Keep

Sam was recently started on a commission. Like an allowance, but he earns his money by helping out and completing some chores. When he fills his chart he earns some $ to spend, to save, and to give. At our house we think Dave is pretty smart and we are loyal followers of his advice. If you don't know Dave Ramsey, check out his show on his website. We all benefit from Sam earning a commission, he builds some confidence and a sense of accomplishment; and we get help cleaning around the house. One of his chores he frequently helps with is cleaning the kitchen windows and wiping off all the little boy finger prints that gather there.

The Big 2 is Coming

Zeke will be 2 in just a few weeks. I recently asked him what he wants to be when he grows up and his response was, "Two!". It is really hard for us to believe that our littlest guy is going to turn 2 already. This last year has gone by so fast. Here are a few recent pics of our Z. He is a wild and crazy man much of the time and he keeps us laughing. Zeke is always good for some goofy faces and showing us some of his latest moves, which we call "tricks". He loves to hold our hand and walk along like a big boy when we are out and about. I just love looking down at his sweet smile and those deep dark eyes.

A Taste of Soccer

Sam just finished up his first soccer experience. It may not have been the most structured practices, but he had a great time. More than anything he learned how some basic sportsman skills and that sometimes you get knocked down and have to get back up and keep trying.

Just Another Day of Play

The boys love to spend time playing in our basement. It is full of toys and a place that can become whatever they imagine it to be. Sometimes it is a landfill, other times a grocery store, and on this given day it was a construction site with lego buildings and lots of trucks. I think toys that require imagination are the best. Legoes are one of these toys and a toy that you never out grow. This mama likes constructing with legoes, too.

A Little Bit of Country

We miss wide open spaces and the country air of back home. City life is not for us in the long run, but for now trips to the countryside will do. Hans loves getting out and being around horses and his boys enjoy it just as much. They may enjoy sitting a top a tractor more than a horse, though. We have been blessed that Hans has met many people who have welcomed him to come and work with the horses and ride at his leisure. Even more blessed that these many people have welcomed our family to enjoy their piece of heaven on earth.

Camping Trial Run

In October we are planning to do some camping when the weather is not so hot and when the vacationers have left the area for the most part. A few weeks ago we did a trial run to be sure we could all handle sleeping in a tent together and also to create a master list of must bring items. The boys had a great time. Sam learned to chop wood and use a sling shot. Zeke loved "grilling" us some food on his play grill and jumping in puddles with his big brother. We all enjoyed getting out of the city and feeling the cool breeze amongst the trees.

A Lil' Scavenger Hunt

The boys and I do not venture too far from home yet. The traffic is something I avoid, which also means we have to get creative with finding things to do close by. Luckily we live close to nature preserve. Somehow it took me three months to get there, even though it is just over a mile away. We will be going back for many visits for sure. I made a little scavenger hunt for the boys for our first visit.

Summer Lovin'

Thank goodness for a decent phone camera to capture some of the little moments with the boys.  I don't lug my nice camera with us to often when I am flying solo with the kiddos.  Here are a few of what we've been up to this summer.