Wednesday, July 31, 2013

July

Here are some pictures of what we have been up to over the past month.

Carter (3 years, 2 months)
Carter grew up a bit this month by transitioning to his toddler bed.  He has definitely enjoyed being able to get in and out but has generally been doing well with it.  Parker loves to wake him up in the morning and crawl in with him.
He has been trying to drop his nap which has led to an overly tired boy but he's still a sweetheart!  My favorite part of the day is seeing him after work and he says "Mommy I missed you" and gives a super big bear hug!
He is a very serious kids though he loves to pretend and use his imagination.  He loves building with the couch cushions.  His recent masterpieces includes kitchens, garages and dog houses.
He is very serious at times.  We were talking about all the rain Atlanta has had this summer and how it makes the flowers happy.  Carter says "the flowers aren't happy.  They don't have faces."  Sweet little boy!

A Portrait of Mom

Carter built a boat on the sofa and asked dad to be his first mate.

Parker (1 year, 8 months)
Parker is at such a fun age where he loves life and is always doing something new.  He gets rave reviews from his teachers everyday for his sharing, picking up and adventurous nature.  He loves to participate in the activities and is so sweet with his friends.  His favorite word is "splash".  He loves animal and vehicle sounds.  He also loves his brother "Car Car"and copies everything he does.  We even have to have two potties in the bathroom so Parker can hang out with brother.
Putting strawberries in his dump truck
Nothing cuter than a baby in a diaper and shoes.  This was after performing his flash dance routine on the couch.
Showing off his bouncing skills for Aunt B
His new favorite toy - playing the piano on the iPad

Brothers
The boys have so much fun playing together these days.  Parker adores his brother and copies his every move.  Carter doesn't mind and laughs along with him.  Here are pictures of the little cuties.
Reading books with dad
Hiking the Silver Comet Trail
Wrestling with dad
Thank anyone will notice I'm coloring on the table ~ Parker
Carter - funny clothes day at School.  Parker - Braves day at school.
Carter packed Parker in the car and drove him to the gas station for a fill up.

Outings
Between all our trips and visitors we managed to sneak in a few fun activities this month.  We made several trips to the Botanical Gardens.  It is such a gorgeous time of year with everything full and in bloom.
While Parker hung out on the sidelines...
Carter dominated the splash fountain.
And in typical Holden boy fashion, Carter sits on an animal...
So does Parker!
We made several trips to our local food trucks for dinner.  The boys love having a picnic...
Goofing around...
Enjoying special treats...


Playing on the playground and checking out the music.
And even doing a little dancing!
Mom and dad were even able to fit in a fun trip to the Tomato Festival with the Simmons' while Pops watched the boys!
Love the lead singer wearing a neck brace

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Family and Butterflies

To celebrate Aunt B and Baby Wren's last night in Atlanta, we had the Jones family over for dinner so everyone could meet Wren.  The boys were really excited to through a party.  Though it had been a very long week for Carter and he was a bit of emotional wreck.  But that didn't stop the fun!
Double Decker Coup Riding with Uncle Micheal
Carter and Parker got a butterfly kit from Aunt B a few weeks back.  Over the past 2-1/2 weeks they watched their caterpillars turn into butterflies.  The butterflies emerged on Thursday morning so we decided it would be fun for all the kids to release them together.  The butterflies kindly indulged the kids and hung around for awhile before the took off.
Unzipping the Butterfly House
Carter's Butterfly Pal
Parker's Butterfly
Parker's friend wanted to give him a kiss before flying off
Cousin Samantha's Butterfly
It was fun to have the whole family over.  We will definitely have to do it again!
Cheryl and Wren
Mom and Cousin Sara
Aunt B taking Parker for a Spin
Learning to play Pool
Uncle Micheal... the baby wisperer
Wren's future baby sitter
Melissa and Susan with out guests
Wren's awesome hat from the Jones'
Carter enjoying a Vegan cupcake
Wren getting all the attention!

A Trip to the Gardens

The boys made sure to show Wren the gardens while he was here.  This is one of their favorite places lately.  We started out on the canopy walk and looed at some of the amazing topiaries on display this summer...
And then made our way to the Children's Garden...
Parker getting up close with the frogs
The boys insist on going down the slide together holding hands.
What the end of the journey looks like
Going Again
Chilling on a Chicken
How big is Wren?  Almost a Daisy!
Afterwards, we grabbed lunch and headed to explore the rest of the Gardens.  Parker was kind to vacate his spot for Wren on the way.
We had a great day with our visitors and can't wait until next summer when we will have 3 boys running in all directions!
And tacking each other on the ground!
What a fun family day...