Bearded Boys!

 Shawn got Jack Connelly(UMD hockey player and 2012 Hobey Baker Winner) beards at a hockey game and the boys have had a good time playing with them.   Culley giving his bearded smile! 

Breck showing off his beard.  They needed the hat to keep the beard from falling off.  Aren't they cute!  

Trip to IL

 Shawn and I took a trip down to IL to see my sister and brother-in-law before the arrival of their first child. Here is us on the plane (that we just about missed) 

 Out the window

 The 4 of us out on the deck enjoying a nice evening in between rain showers.  

 We did have some pretty intense games of Ticket to Ride.  Although we also did relax too.  Erin and I worked on the baby room and some other projects while Nathan and Shawn played some golf and basketball.  All and all, a wonderful time!

 IL still has pay phones....who would have thunk it?

 Visiting the Bradley Campus before we headed home.  

Had to get a picture for the boys.

Cullen being silly.  We were getting ready to head home in pj's. 

Thanks Grandma Dee and Grandpa Gary for such a fun time!  We really appreciate you taking the boys so we could enjoy a little time to ourselves!

Had to get one last picture of Breck and Grandpa's black eye!  On the first day my dad went in to Breck's room to get him up and when he got close to the bed, Breck popped up and hit my dad's eye.  Nice shiner, huh!  Sorry Dad! 

Easter!

We spent a wonderful relaxing weekend in Duluth for Easter this year. As much as we missed being with our families it was so nice to be at home, get things done, and be together the 4 of us. Here is Breck finding some eggs Easter morning.

Cullen finding some, too!

The boys with their baskets.

Shaking the candy inside. I love how excited they get about the littlest things.

My amazing, fun, and crazy family.

Enjoying the beautiful weather, trying our their new bubble blowers, and causing trouble! The best way to spend time together!!

Landscaping

Watching our first ship going under the bridge up close this year. And to our surprise 2 boats came in back to back. I don't think I have ever seen that happen in the 12 1/2 years I've lived here. Pretty cool!

Daddy's work buddies. All suited up in their mud boots and work gloves. Ready to help!

Our landscaping project in progress. What will soon be a garden!

And Culleybear completely exhausted from all the work took a lil snooze on the couch!

Weekend in Rochester

We finally made it down to Rochester for a weekend to visit the Carroll's. It was the first time we had seen their new house (which was beautiful), our first time at Bounce World, and our first boat ride of 2012! The kids had a great time, but the parents enjoyed themselves as well! Here Breck and Shay are excited about going jumping!

Cullen running through a maze/obstacle course bouncer.

Breck right behind him, probably playing chase!

Yes the parents played, too! Shawn and another guy seeing if they could break the record set by a 6"4' , 250# guy. Neither of them came close but they sure had fun!

Cullen the dog, Shay the elephant, and Breck the giraffe (Alyssa went home to nap so we didn't get her in the pic) on the way out the door after a full 2 hours of running, jumping, sliding, and playing! We had a lot of fun.

Of course, my camera battery died and I didn't have my charger so I didn't get any of the rest of the weekend. We played at the park, Shay and Breck had a movie night/sleepover, parents played Mexican Train, took a hike, went to the lake and took a pontoon ride. Lots of fun packed into one weekend! Thanks for a great Spring Break!! haha

Duluth Aquarium

The boys got a membership to the Aquarium for their birthdays and we are having a great time there. We love playing in the water! They have a replica of the 5 Great Lakes and boats to drive through them. Super cool!

Cullen enamored by the "big, big, big, fish"

Breck watching the turtles race. For some reason it's all about racing and winning at our house right now. So even the turtles had to be "racing" in his mind!

Back to the water again. And yes, they do wear rain jackets and water boots and still end up wet. That must mean they are having a good time! Cullen loves to splash and sink the boats.

Breck doesn't get as wet, but he does have as much fun! He likes the locks and watching his boat go from high water to low water. He even let me sneak a picture in the middle of his "trip". We are going to have LOTS of fun here!

Day at the Lake

We went down to the Lake for the first time of the year to throw rocks a while back and I never got around to posting some of the pictures. Here the boys are standing on an old anchor.

Around Duluth there are many Ariel Lift Bridge replicas/sculptures and this is one that is in Canal Park. They are all very unique and have lots of cool designs on them. I'm not sure how many there are, but I would says dozens scattered through town.

Once we made our way down to the water, it was rock throwing time! Basically they assume the position and start firing. Sometimes they stand next to each other and I am just waiting for the time one of them takes a rock to the head. Hopefully, we stear clear of that event!

Four ducks kept swimming by thinking they were throwing food. Luckily the boys were 0-4 in hitting them too.

It's funny to think how excited they get about doing this activity over and over. But they love it and I love being down by the water. It's a perfect way to spend our days.

Happy Throwing!