On sports, some more...

Malachi and Mathias play football together all the time. Malachi is so tender and careful. He hands Mathias the ball and Mathias takes the ball around the kitchen as fast as he can with a big smile on his face, wobbling back and forth... He is met by Malachi when he re-enters the living room and is tackled (very gently) to the ground.

I wish I had gotten better pictures of this. This is Malachi kicking the "baby" football and Mathias toddling joyfully around - just happy to be on the field.




Micah is still taking Tennis lessons. Yesterday, Daddy got to come on the court with him and play some games. Fun memories.




Malachi watched the dunk contest that was on a few days ago... It's no surprise that this display ensued.

DIY bathroom "remodel"

Long story short: we found water in the hall. After three or four experts paced through our downstairs, they concluded that our toilet was leaking. So we pulled up the vinyl flooring and found... mold.... all the way down to the concrete.

We had to scrape up the old flooring, pull out the vanity, pull out the toilet, and redo. We finally finished this last weekend. (the hall still needs work - but we have a working, mold-free, bathroom!)

Cousins

What a gift to spend a morning with some family! Alana and Moses (and Uncle Mat) met us for some swimming and breakfast while we were in the cities.




And this is where Moses gives Mathias the old, "No seriously, get off my sister's lap" pull. :)

everyday with the obrien boys

From the recent snow storms to indoor play time, these are the things, and faces, that fill our days. :)

Rediscovering the outdoors

Our first walk around the neighborhood since September. And not only was I thankful to be walking outside, I was thankful to be WALKING... and able to push these chunkers around. There was so much to talk about, discover, and play with.



The boys decided they would show the ice who's boss...


Carrying around pieces of ice, like we own the place...


But then the ice takes a shot back... (The boys were laughing so hard, they couldn't get up. So fun!)


Malachi wonders what ice tastes like...


and he thinks Micah should try it too...


There is something about running that brings a smile to the face of children. (especially when he just mashed his brother's head into a snowbank...)



Puddle jumping...




A tree that still has it's leaves??



The boys raved about how much fun the morning was! And if you were wondering... Mathias enjoyed the fresh air from the stroller... he fell asleep briefly and enjoyed a lolipop while watching his brothers. (he's still working on his footing in "outdoor" shoes)



Let's do this again...

LOOK OUT behind you!! At the mall of america for a (small) family vacation! :)



Riding rides at the MOA!


and you've got to do a little shopping while you're there too!



and EATING at the mall of america is awesome!!

A peek at home education

There is much I would like to say on this topic. I have enjoyed home educating Micah so much this year. I can tell when my son is getting overwhelmed and when he's just being a lazy daisy. We can go off on tangents about the rotation of the earth in the middle of reading time, if his interest is peaked. If he gets a special interest in space one week, we go with it. We go gather all the space books, puzzles and videos the library offers and find the answers to all our questions.

And we share moments throughout the day, where Micah remembers lessons of the past and asks follow up questions... or reviews his math as we pick up food at the grocery store... 'six drinks in this pack plus six drinks in the next pack, is twelve drinks altogether!'

I feel so honored to educate someone I feel so completely invested in. No one wants to see my son succeed more than I do.

And as a bonus, Malachi has jumped on the band wagon without prompting. He asks to sit and draw while Micah works. He want so do puzzles that review his letters. And he looks for opportunities to practice "writing his name."

This first picture is of Micah and Malachi eating a jello mold we had made of the structure of a cell. Yum, cytoplasm!