4 year old biking

Oliver took a long bike ride through our neighborhood while Penny and I ran along. He was so proud of himself for completing the two miles and it's fun to see his confidence increase every time he gets on his bike.

Elliott train

Here's a video I forgot to post back in February. The boys are always coming up with different ways to make trains around the house. Here is one of their ideas.

new hats and fetch

I've been having fun playing with my new phone the last few days as it's a big upgrade from my old one. One feature I discovered today is that it is really easy to post simple videos to youtube. Fun! The best thing about the first video is that I actually thought I was taking pictures with the new phone and when I went to look at them later, I discovered I had taken short video clips instead. Here are the boys wearing their new sun hats that they picked out themselves:
 
And here is a short clip of Penny playing fetch:

Happy Easter!

The boys have enjoyed a fun Easter weekend! Yesterday began with the annual egg hunt at the community center up the street. This is the third year in a row we have attended and both boys really seemed to have the hang of it this year. We met up with our new neighbors as the kids opened their eggs. My boys did a candy swap when they got home and swapped all their candy out for some dark chocolate eggs from Gramma. They didn't complain! We spent the rest of the morning coloring eggs, which Oliver had been asking to do for the past two weeks. I was really happy with the way the organic egg dye kit turned out. After they woke up from their naps they decorated some Paleo bunny cookies I had baked while they were sleeping. We finished the day off with dinner with our new neighbors who moved in down the street. Just before bed Oliver left a card, some money, and a snack for the Easter Bunny.

This morning they ran downstairs to explore their Easter baskets, hunt for eggs and have a leisurely breakfast. We had a nice Easter lunch with Jim and Cynthia and finished off the day with a late afternoon trip to the beach! The weather was unusually warm and calm by the water so the boys quickly removed their shirts while they worked on building a dam. I hiked around a bit with Penny since the tide was low, and on the way home we all took a short hike in the woods. It was a great end to a fun-filled weekend.

Hunting for Eggs!

their new friend/neighbor, Charlie! I love the expression on her face as she tastes a bite of taffy.

Egg Dying time!

Painting on the glitter

And now for the cookie painting! I made the frosting by melting coconut butter with a bit of raw honey, and adding some of the food coloring powder left over from dying eggs. It worked wonderfully!

Easter Bunny Rabbit's snack of a cookie, strawberries and carrots. Plus his card and money.

Easter baskets

Family selfie this afternoon after lunch.

Beach trip!

seven

Happy birthday to my favorite pup! I sure can't believe you are seven already! Where has the time gone? You have changed my life in so many wonderful ways. You have helped me learn to become a dog trainer, and help me discover my love for training. We have taught classes together, filmed commercials, shot magazine covers, appeared on a local morning TV show together, and appear monthly on a local radio program. Until you joined our family, I never in my wildest dreams thought I would do any of those things! The best part is watching how much fun you have while doing those activities. Your hardest job is probably living with two crazy little boys, but you make it work! It helps that they are messy eaters and let you lick their plates. Happy Birthday Miss P. We love you!