{FaCeS}

I can't help but feel bittersweet when I think of how quickly time is passing and how these amazing times that I am having with my boys are soon to be only memories. Jared will be in school in the fall and Ashton is only a year behind him. I am enjoying (almost) every moment of every day that I am able to spend with my guys. They are so sweet and they crack me up about every 5 minutes. Despite the trouble they get into, despite the rocks in the gas tank of my brand new lawn mower, or the flooded bathroom, or the dead lizard placed on my keyboard earlier tonight, I will look back on these times with fondness. So here's to stopping and relishing in the the moment. These are some post bathtime pictures I was able to get tonight. It is very rare for them to actually LOOK at the camera, let alone smile, but we got both, even if the smiles are silly ones.

{PaiNtBoggiNg & HoRsEbAcK RiDiNg}

It all started when I passed the craft aisle.

I said, "Boys, want to paint some trucks?"

We got home and I got out the paint and set it on the table. I walked into my room to get some paintbrushes. When I came back......

My fault for being so trusting

Yeah, he's definately a Hawkes.

Kathy took the boys around the yard on their first horse ride last night. They bawled for about 10 minutes after she left. They love that Kathy! She's definately amazing!!

XO

{potato bugs and wildflowers}

The boys are growing and all the while exploring. This is our first time having our own private yard for adventures and the like, and they are DISCOVERING. Two adventurers discovering new things, thinking they are the first to uncover these exotic organisms. These species was quickly named the "float" after the way the little umbrellas gently "float" away with the breeze.

The potato bug. Probably the coolest thing ever created by God. If you leave them alone for a moment, they will bravely uncurl and reveal their little white speckled bellies. But if you PRY them open, it is much quicker, as Jared discovered(above)

I LOVE watching my boys uncover the world. The way their eyes light up, and you can almost see the gears turning, wondering.

"Flowers for you!" Quickly becoming a common phrase at our house, they love making their mommy smile, and flowers do that.

I (we) made this for my Mom for Mother's Day, soon realizing not only that it is backwards (I'm dislexic maybe?) but that it will not fit into the trunk. Sorry Mom. It's the thought that counts, right?

{CaMpiNg}

We took a mini camping trip the other day while Dave is home visiting. I will post details later, but for now, enjoy the pictures! *update*

I promised I would blog about this so I guess I will and not try to get out of it by posting tons of pictures. I just figured that each pic is worth 1000 words, so I am good for a while, right? I guess not, I will stop cheating. So we went camping. Well, just for the day. The place had a sign up that said no overnighting so we just hung out there and crammed the whole experience into one day.

Here is Ashton "fishing" (no strings attatched) on the bank of a very very swift river (hence his overprotective Mommy {says Daddy} is making him SIT)

Jared had been waiting FOREVER to go fishing and he was so excited to finally be having the experience with his Dad.

#1 rule about camping: you will GET DIRTY!! Especially if you are two and you are a boy and you are Ashton.

Throwing rocks into the river




He is so serious about this..

getting a closer look at a bug

Look at the streak his tears made in the dirt!!

Our first family fire!!!

This happened quite a bit. But he still wont go pee on the toilet at home. Go figure.

So happy to have their Dad back!!!

Me playing around with slow shutter speeds. Wish I had my tripod clip!!!

Dave teaching the boys to USE A HATCHET!?! They are 2 and 3!!! I guess I might be a tinsy tiny bit protective. But not OVER protective, right? RIGHT?

YUP.

He was pretending to be Harry from Harry and the Hendersons(his favorite movie of late)

Camping me. with glaring eyes or something. Dave gets creative with angles and such..like the cutting off of faces and whatnot.

My most alluring look ever

He fell down and got "blood"

HAT HAIR!!! so cute!!

Ok these pictures are my fave because it has been a LONG time since s'mores and I have always looked forward to the first time I could feed my children S'mores...(forgot how messsy they are in the hands of an Ashton)

And...DAve announced that he has never actually had s'mores before!!!! What the?!?

He loved them after he got done saying something about diabetic shock..

Ashton was on my lap while eating them and he had my pink blanket on him...we were all stuck together in a big marshmellowy sticky....ENTITY...of some sort. You can't get that shcrap out in the washer.