Long time no write...

It's been over 3 months since I've posted on here.  We have been great and busy.  The boys are growing like weeds and are on the go non stop.  I figured I should try and get back to blogging since I do enjoy it and I know there are a few people out there who have missed my updates about the kiddos.

So, how do I sum up the last 3 months in one post?  I figured a review in pictures would be the most ideal way to handle this time gap.  Here goes...

My three little men...

An Easter get together with all of their cousins:

Happy boys and their Busters:

Zachary's drawing of his family for our meeting at school:

Nico's drawing of his family for our meeting at school: 

The 5 year-old birthday boys:

A picnic lunch outside:

Playing in the yard:

Zachary and Nicolas have improved tremendously in their swimming:

The three musketeers:

Nicolas loves his runner bike:

Charlie has perfected his pout:

A happy Charlie:

Zachary:

Nicolas has learned to wink:

Charlie's answer

Last night while we were getting Charlie ready for bed, Steve asked him if he "had ants in his pants". Charlie looked down at hid pyjama bottoms, looked up at Steve and said "no!  Lightning!"

He was wearing his Lightning McQueen pyjama...  So clever even at only 19 months!

More swimming

The boys are enjoying their swimming lessons so much.  I am so happy that I enrolled them in this session.  They are improving tremendously, especially Zachary.  He is now jumping with no problem and can now swim with his head under the water!

Nicolas is also improving.  The difference is less obvious but it's still there.  I am very proud of how much they are improving.  Here are some pictures and video of the boys in action...

Nicolas swimming:

Zachary jumping in and swimming:

Baking

Zachary and Nicolas decided they want to bake some chocolate chip cookies for Take-Out Friday.  So, while Charlie was still napping, we got started.  Charlie woke up seconds later and so he joined in on the fun.  It turned out to be a good thing since they all had a blast and it was a successful adventure in baking.  I could not believe that the boys remembered every single ingredient in the cookies even though we haven't made a batch since before Christmas!

Here are a few pictures of the messy and tasty fun!

  This was Charlie's first taste of cookie dough.  I think he liked it!!

Great Escape Lodge 2013

We decided to go back to the Great Escape Lodge again this year since we had so much fun last year.  We actually decided we were going back even before we left the place last year...  It was so much more fun this year than it was last year.  With the boys having been in swimming lessons since the summer, they are so much more comfortable in the water and were willing to try far more things than last year.  Charlie had a blast in the kiddie pool and the lazy river.  He could not understand why he could not go down the big boy slides like his brothers, but was very good at listening and not making a fuss.

The boys were so well behaved and it was the best time to go since the lodge was not busy, especially at the beginning of our stay.  There were times when we were the only ones there (or almost the only ones).  It was fun since we never really had to wait to go down any of the slides.  Both Nicolas and Zachary went down the "purple tube" - a slide that we go down in a raft - more than once.  Zachary actually loved it so much I took him down multiple times with it just being the two of us.  Nicolas didn't like it as much but had a blast going down the big green slide.

We managed to get some good shopping in as well which is always fun.  I look forward to planning our next stay there.  It will be a little harder next year since Zachary and Nicolas will be in kindergarten.  But, I am sure we will figure something out...

Here are a few pictures of our fun trip...

Steve and myself racing each other down the slide... I had a poor start at the top and lost:

The boys going down the green slide:

 Charlie having fun in the water:

Time with the cousins

The boys got to spend some time with their cousins over the holidays. It was lots of fun and they enjoyed every minute of it. 

The kids all traced their hands on an apron that read "We love Grandma's cookies" to give to her for Christmas.   Here they are with her enjoying her cookies..

The boys watching a little "Prep & Landing" with Lolo, Katie and Sabrina:

Christmas Day 2012

We had a fabulous Christmas this year.  The boys were so excited and I think that just amplifies the fun of the holiday season.  We wrote letter to Santa and of course, they got everything on their lists...

Here are a few pictures from our Christmases...

 Zachary getting the golf clubs he asked Santa for:

Nicolas opening up "Rip Clutchgoneski" a car he has been asking Santa to bring him for 2 years now:

Zachary, Nicolas and Charlie opening their Leap Pad computers from Mom-I and Pop-I:

Nicolas and all his World Grand Prix racers from Cars 2:

My boys all playing on the computers... yes, Charlie is too!