Strawberry Picking (a little late)

I forgot to post this a few weeks ago when we actually picked strawberries, but I just came across these pictures and wanted to share! I took the boys strawberry picking at Butler's Orchard one morning and they had a great time. Kyle wanted to only pick while we were there and save the eating for later. He filled one basket by himself and helped me with a second. Max, on the other hand, never had more than a few strawberries in his basket at once because he couldn't stop eating them! At one point he just plopped himself down in the middle of the row and had a "snack" while Kyle and I kept picking. We ended up with about 4 lbs. of strawberries and Max insisted on putting his basket of stems on the scale to be weighed as well :). We came home and made strawberry smoothies which we all enjoyed! We ate some for lunch the next couple of days and froze a pound - we still have yet to decide what we're going to do with those!

Splash Park

Today I took the boys to Splash Park. It's a super fun water park nearby. Kyle has been numerous times over the past couple years, but this was the first time Max got to experience it for himself. Kyle had a blast as always! Max was very timid at first. He always wanted to hold my hand or have me carry him. He would cry if he got splashed too much, which is strange to me because he loves splashing in the bathtub or spraying a water gun directly in his face. I guess it was just a little overwhelming for him since there was SO much water there! He did enjoy watching Kyle and I get wet and he ate lots of snacks and we watched Kyle run around like a little fish! Finally after almost two hours there Max started to warm up and I think the last half hour we were there he had a fabulous time! He got pretty brave and was very proud of himself. He started running under and in the water and being silly with Kyle.

Kings Dominion

We spent this past Saturday through Tuesday at Ma and Pa's house. They got us season passes to Kings Dominion so we spent Sunday and Monday at the park and had a great time! The weather was beautiful and the park wasn't too crowded. On Sunday Jason and I took Kyle. On Monday we all went - Ma, Pa, and Max, too! This was Kyle's second year and he loved it just as much as last year. His favorite rides are the roller coasters (he can ride three) and the log flume. He's definitely adventurous when it comes to rides! He even puts his hands up on the roller coasters. Max is a little adventurer as well even though he mostly stayed in the kiddie area. He was up for trying anything and just went right on every ride he saw and we suggested. After every ride was over he would immediately say "again" and often would get off the ride and instead of heading for the exit gate he would just climb on another car, plane, etc. ready to ride again. Fortunately it was not crowded at all so he was often able to do just that! He really wanted to ride a train (which is what he called the roller coasters) . . . as soon as he's tall enough I'm sure he'll be right in there with Kyle! It was fun riding rides, eating yummy food (like ice cream and funnel cakes) and playing games. I think we ended up bringing home about 8 stuffed animals! And we got some great pictures to commemorate the days!

Kyle's first trophy

Kyle received his first trophy today for playing his first season of t-ball. Kyle got to play on the Nationals this year. They were the last team to receive their trophies and Kyle was the last one on the team to receive his trophy. So after patiently waiting almost an hour he finally got his trophy and completed his introductory year of baseball. I'm not sure if baseball is in his future (at one point he mentioned that he's not sure if he wants to play again next year because it's too much hard work, but he likes going to the games) but he seemed to enjoy it for a season.

Kyle's last day of preschool

I can't believe the day finally arrived. This past Wednesday was Kyle's last day of preschool. He's growing up way too fast . . . I can't believe he'll be in kindergarten next year! They had a special graduation ceremony at his school to celebrate this milestone. The kids all entered the room in their graduation caps while the traditional graduation song was playing. This was followed by them singing 3 songs to all the families. There was a special lunch and presentation of gifts to the kids. It was a very nice way to end the year. Kyle has had such a wonderful preschool experience these past two years. I'm so grateful we found such a wonderful school for him to attend. He truly enjoyed it and will miss his teachers and friends very much. We look forward to a fun summer and hopefully he'll enjoy kindergarten next year just as much!

Mother's Tea

Kyle had a Mother's Tea at his preschool on Friday. Invitations were sent out a couple weeks ago and it was a special day for Mom and child. Jason stayed home to watch Max so I could spend some special time with Kyle. It was such a sweet morning with him. He was so excited for everything they had planned and couldn't wait to perform and present the gifts he'd made to me. They sang 4 songs: "I Have a Very Special Mom," "Skinny Marinka Dink," "Uno, Dos, Tres Amigos," and "My Dearest Mommy." Then we had a delicious lunch/tea time. This was followed by a yummy dessert that Kyle personally made for us (one for me and one for him) of angel food cake covered with strawberries, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream! Then he presented me with gifts that he'd made. The first was a beautiful laminated picture of me and the answers to some questions his teachers asked about me. The second was a flower pot decorated by Kyle. I was so proud of him and I just loved how proud he was of all the hard work he put into making this day special. He gave me the sweetest smile after every song as if he was just waiting to see my reaction and see if I loved it as much as he hoped I would. It was a very special day!

His answers to the questions:

My Mom is "32" years old.

She is the prettiest when she "goes to church."

My Mom likes to make "cake when it's my birthday."

My Mom always says "I love you!"

My Mom is funny when she "makes funny faces."

I love my Mom so much because "she gives me hugs and kisses."

A Day Out With Thomas

Today we took the boys to "A Day Out With Thomas" at the B&O Railroad in Baltimore. The boys had been looking forward to it for months! We took Kyle to a similar event in Strasburg, PA when he was 3 so this was his second visit. It was the first time for Max and he was in awe! They both had a great time! Max waited in line to meet and hug Sir Topham Hatt. We all rode on Thomas the Tank Engine (including Ma and Pa who joined in the fun for the day) and Max thought that was the best thing ever! They had lots of miniature motorized trains running indoor and out and both boys loved watching these! They had train tables to play on and Max spent some time there. They had 3 different moon bounces which Kyle spent a lot of time playing in and had a great time! They had a clown who performed and both boys thought he was very entertaining. We ate lunch there as well. We also visited the gift shop and got some souvenirs of the day as well as had our picture taken with Thomas of course! They also got balloon swords made (twice, since they popped the first time after getting carried away with them) and Thomas tattoos. It was a very full, fun day of entertainment! I think it was everything Max hoped it would be (he literally talked about it daily for a month before we went and I wasn't quite sure what he was expecting) and everything Kyle remembered and then some!