Pierce and Graham's Birthday

P and G turned 4 on the 9th. 

The boys opened a couple presents in the morning.

They got watches from Monroe.

A Paw Patrol scooter

A cash register

John and Ashley had us over for lunch.  Then, we hot tubbed.  The kids loved it!

More presents from us

We may be crazy, but we got the boys a guitar and a drum.

Nana and Papa made them a PJ Masks cake.

The boys chose cheeseburgers, beans, chips, watermelon, and cantaloupe for their birthday dinner.

Opening presents from grandparents

These paraglide toys have been so fun.

They needed new golf clubs

We had a great day celebrating our 4-year-olds Covid style.  

Hiking outings

We've had such awesome weather this spring!  I was wanting to get my kids out in nature.  Our neighbors took us to Prairie Lake, a small lake near Hastings we'd never heard of.

They loved it all, but they definitely preferred being in the trees.

A snake that crossed our path

Our kids said it was the best morning ever, so we looked for other places to go.

A few days later, we headed to Liberty Cove.  It was about a 40 minute drive.  It was smaller and less wooded than we expected.  It was also chillier than we would have liked.  Their paths were wide, so the boys could take off running, which they loved.

We ended with the wooded area (Monroe's favorite)

G

P

Roe

We ate a picnic lunch in the back of the van.  Then, all three kids fell asleep on the way home. 

Our kids are hooked.  They love all things, hiking, climbing, exploring.  When we got home, I asked for other ideas on FB for where we can go in the future.

Bike Riding Boys

Our boys got balance bikes for their 2nd birthdays.  They took a little while to figure them out, but have loved them since.  They rode them quite often.  We decided that they were going to be too big for them soon and hoped they could transition straight to bikes without training wheels.  We got them 14 inch bikes for Christmas.  On Christmas morning, the bikes looked so big.  

Fast forward a few months, and the boys had little interest in their big bikes.  When we asked if they wanted to try them, they always told us no.  One day, I decided to hide their balance bikes.  We got both boys on their big bikes and headed out.  From the moment they started, they didn't need much balance support.  Within five minutes, we weren't holding on to them at all.  

Within a half an hour. they could make sharp turns and avoid each other.  They even figured out how to start themselves that day.

Graham

Pierce

Monroe did not have a balance bike.  She rode a bike with training wheels first.  We took them off at age 5.  Monroe typically learns things quickly, and it was a struggle, in comparison.  It took three riding sessions before she had it.  Even after she learned to ride, I remember it taking quite a while for her to learn to start herself and make tight turns.  

I would recommend balance bikes to anyone.  They made a huge difference with our kids.  Our boys were riding before their 4th birthday!

New Landscaping

Having a lot of time for projects meant we were definitely tackling our landscaping this spring.  Here's what it looked like before. 

The back area was empty except for ivy in the corner.  It was already tarped and rocked, which was awesome.  The front area was an overgrown mess (not yet as it's early) with no tarp or rock.

Tarped and rocked

Overgrown, some rock, no tarp

Again, it's early in the year.  Last year, it got so overgrown.

We bought Small bushes (pink Spirea) and ornamental grasses.   We used lilies and hostas that we already had.

We started with the easy side first because the other side overwhelmed us.

I transplanted these three hostas from the side of our house that no one sees.  They've done great.

Then, we tackled the other side.  There was so much muddy rock to dig up.  Some we washed and reused.  Some we threw out.  

We added a Spirea on either side of the front bush.

This feels like a big accomplishment.

All of these hostas were here.  The rabbits have been getting them, so some are still small.  We did plant the grass at the back.

Before 

After

Before

After

We are proud of this upgrade!  We didn't spend much money, but it was a lot of time and effort invested.