Dave's Half Birthday

We did absolutely nothing to commemorate Dave's birthday, but I wanted to give a little update on how our big guy is doing and give a glimpse into the life of a 3.5 year old.

A quick rundown of Dave's current likes and dislikes...

Dave loves:

• Rhyming.  Seriously, the kid is crazy good at it.  And he does it constantly.  
• Telling stories.  We have to remind him to inform other people that a story is "real or not real" because they can get a little over the top!
• Playing with action figures.  He is obsessed with the Avengers.  Dressing up as them, playing with his Captain America shield, etc.  And he is usually off killing giants or witches.  
• Playing with or in water.  Give the boy a hose and he is a happy camper.
• Ike.  He really seems to enjoy his company most of the time.  Especially now that he is moving around and more active. Here's a video of them taking a bath.
• Oatmeal.  He eats it every single morning.  And sometimes he eats two bowls.  Weird kid.  He is also a big fan of bacon.  But who can blame him for that!?
• Reading books.  I really hope this one continues!  The kid absolutely loves books and I love reading to him.
• Giving hugs.  He insists on giving people a hug (and if you're lucky a kiss) whenever they leave.  It's super adorable until he forgets to do this and then throws a tantrum because I won't drive after them for a hug.
• Music and making songs.  Dave is very well versed in several genres of music and has strong opinions about what we listen to.  Some of his favorites right now:  The Black Keys, Lecrae and Trip Lee, Foster the People, and Skrillex (heavily influenced by Dad)

Dave dislikes:

• Naps or bedtime.  This is still a daily struggle in our house.  It is starting to go a little easier, but I have a feeling that he will fight us on this one for a while.
•  Ike.  Okay, dislike is a strong word, but Dave still is adjusting to not being the center of attention.  I would say he has finally gotten to where he likes Ike more than he dislikes him, so that's good.
• Wearing a shirt or shoes.  I am not sure how he developed this, but he sometimes goes entire days without a proper shirt or shoes.  However, he must wear a shirt to bed and nap. 

So that's Dave in a nutshell.  Here are some pictures of him and his craziness this past week.

Mowing the yard (right after the lawn guys actually mowed).

Cheese!

Cruising through the sprinkler.

The water got him!

And he is trying to get a drink.  He had water in his truck, but had to try it this way.

Sweet karate moves.

Throwing his Captain America shield.

Love the smirk.  He really thinks he is hot stuff.








Good gracious that was long!  He really is such a joy (most days!) and he is definitely helping me learn patience.  I think I will be a pro at raising a child by the time I am through with him...maybe I will write a book to help finance some college education.   :)

The Smiths Come to Wabash

Last Tuesday, we had Britt and the kids over to hang out for the day while Chad went to a class in Marion.  Sophie and Caleb showed up bright and early, so we headed upstairs to keep everyone contained.

This was Caleb's smile face.  

Future composer?  

Sophie showing off her Captain America mask.  Caleb looks skeptical.  












Britt came over after getting Zac up and around, and by then it was getting nice outside.  We headed out so Dave and Sophie (plus some neighborhood ladies) could ride around in his truck.




Loving life!

Caleb insisted on wearing Ike's helmet around.














We even fit in a trip to the park-5 kids are difficult to move around!

Learning to swing by themselves.

Have I mentioned that Ike loves to swing?

Caleb is getting so big!  













After the park it was (finally) nap time!  Everybody went down pretty easy except Sophie, but she made it eventually. 

Ike got booted out of his crib and fell asleep on the floor.  He looks so much like Dave here.







While everybody else was asleep, I snapped a couple pics of baby Zac.

Not a big fan of sitting still.

He is a very alert baby, look at those eyes!







Well that about sums up our day hanging with the Smith clan.  Dave had a blast as always, and even Ike is starting to get into the mix with his cousins.  Can't wait for more fun times getting the kids all together!

Visit from the Smiths

Brittany and Chad came up with the kids last week, so we were able to spend some quality time with the cousins!

Here are some pictures from the night they arrived (with another post to come from the day they spent at our house!)...

Sophie playing with Ike.

Josh with baby Zac!  .















Playing tag.

I think this was duck, duck, goose!

Going off to hide from grandpa.

Great hiding spot.

Ike gets plenty of attention with Sophie and Caleb around.

Time for another adventure with Thumbelina (the kids always request a story about her).








I love getting all of the kids together, they are so funny to watch and listen to.  Dave and Sophie sat and told stories forever, each one getting crazier.  They sure have great imaginations!  Next time I will have to get a video of their tales.

Mesker Park Zoo Trip

While we were down in Evansville, we headed over to Mesker Park Zoo since we get in free with our Fort Wayne membership.  Sweet perks huh? It was Ike's first visit, and probably Dave's fifth or so.  We like zoos!

Ike enjoying the rainforest section.















This jaguar was super intense.

New animal species?  Half jaguar, half David!

 Josh and the boys (and jaguar of course).

Dave playing with the giraffes.

Checking out the hornless rhino.

Bat-Dave!

Almost big enough to ride on shoulders.












As usual, we had a blast at the zoo.  And this officially ends my posts from the Evansville trip!

Evansville Part II

As was probably obvious from the first recap, we didn't do a whole lot other than hang out (which is why we love going down to visit!).  Our main purpose for trips to Evansville are to see family and relax, and I think we accomplished both those goals this time!

The weather warmed up considerably, so we spent a lot of time in the pool.  




Dave navigating his ski doo.

Ike really enjoys the water.

Dave not cooperating for a picture.

And he finally smiles when Ike looks away.

Dave washing up his new wheels.

Ike and Papa Charlie.














On Saturday, Dave and Ike got up bright and early to go fishing with Papa Dave. 

Reeling it in.

The boys and grandpa.










We went over to Dad and Kyra's for one last bit of hanging out while Josh and Tony went golfing.

Dave helping Papa Charlie till up the garden.














Then Josh and I got to go out for a date Saturday night!  (Thanks to everybody who watched the kids for us all week!) We were able to get away quite a bit over the course of a week.

The boys and Gamma before we headed back home.








So we had a great trip!  It is always nice to get to spend a big chunk of time down there so it doesn't feel like we are rushed.  Hope everybody else had as much fun as we did!

Evansville Part I

 So I took way too many pictures while we were in Evansville last week.  Consequently, I am having to break up the visit into multiple posts.  Here goes...

 We started off right by helping Papa Charlie cook some steaks-





 Such a good helper.

Seasoning is very serious work.













Dave was up bright and early every morning, and everyone worked hard to keep him quiet so Josh and I could sleep in a bit.

Dave and Andrew working on the world puzzle.








On Saturday, Josh, Tony, my mom, and Andrew all participated in a golf scramble.  The kids and I went over to dad and Kyra's to hang out.

Dave and Papa doing some yard work.

Such a cute face!  Standing up like a big boy.









We hung out a little by the pool on Sunday, but it was pretty chilly at that point.

Trying to get warm-and not at all pleased by my picture taking.

Ikey and grandma Kyra.

Family picture on Mother's Day.












I think the next couple pictures are from Tuesday or so...gets confusing after a while.  Anyway, here's a few from hanging out with Gamma.

Hey, who put me in a planter?

I guess he forgave her!

Dave giving me a ride in his new (to him) wheels.







Alright, I think that sums up the first half of our trip!  More to come soon!