Super Dad!

Today I attended a perinatal nursing conference to earn some continuing education hours I need to maintain my nursing license and inpatient obstetrical nursing certification. A friend of mine needed someone to watch her three precious kids all day while she was at work and I forgot about my conference when she asked (I rarely ever have anything to do on Thursdays) so I of course agreed to watch her kids. When I realized my mistake I asked Philip if he would be willing to watch the boys and three more kids age 5 and under and he immediately said yes.

So, I got to go spend the day learning and behaving a like a single working woman while Philip watched 5 kids under 5 by himself for 6 hours. He even loaded them all into our car (he said it fit the 4 car seats and booster quiet well!) and took them to the park! I am very impressed with my man for taking on 5 kids for the day and being confident enough to leave the house! He even made and fed them all lunch! Luckily he reported that is was a fun day and much easier than he expected. All three of my boys were full of smiles when I got home to a yummy meal and hugs! To say I'm a lucky lady would be an understatement! I don't think there are many Dads out there willing to tackle such a job.

Philip texted this picture to me just before heading to the park :)

Morning at the Park

Yesterday the boys and I met my good friend Amy and her adorable daughter Jane at the Grapevine Botanical Gardens. We had a wonderful time running around in the beautiful weather, feeding the koi in the pond and playing on (read climbing like crazy all over) the great preschool sized playground. Levi LOVES his friend Jane and asked me about 20 times before we left and in the car on the way "we go see Jane?!" When they first saw each other at the park they ran like crazy towards each other across the lawn with such enthusiasm both Amy and I were a little nervous that a crash would occur...it was like out of a movie :).

Jane and Levi both love playing in the fountain

Levi had a blast climbing like a monkey to the top and all over this web!

Joel got in on the fun too!

Amy helped Levi & Jane feed the koi...super exciting!

Levi said, "We deed da dish momma. Our dish are big, Deese dish are HUGE!"

Beautiful weather, good friends, God's beauty every where you turn...it was a great morning!

I am so thankful for my wonderful stay-at-home-mom friends! Amy can empathize with a lot of the things I deal with daily, and is always willing to listen and encourage me. I think I enjoy spending time with her just as much as Levi does with Jane; what a blessing! Thanks for the fun morning Amy and Jane, we can't wait to do it again soon!

Joel's First Hair Cut

Philip has been begging me to cut Joel's hair for about a month. For some reason I was really hesitant to cut his hair; perhaps it was the tiny soft little curls that were starting to show up along his neck and the back of his head. When Levi was a baby we cut his hair for the first time just before he turned 5 months old. He has always had super thick and fast growing hair. It really didn't phase me at all to cut his hair. Joel however, has super soft, fine hair and I was nervous to cut any of it off. Philip, however, jumped right in and used our clippers and scissors to cut Joel's hair and it turned out really cute. He looks so much older to me with out his feathered hair do!

 Here is a picture from a few days before the hair cut, you can see how mullet like it was getting and sometimes he would have quite the Farrah-like-feathered-do with the sides fanning out too. I loved those sweet, soft little waves, but it was starting to get a little bit girly and a little out of hand.

here we go...he didn't mind one bit

all cleaned up

looking like he's a toddler...where's my newborn!

Camping Trip!

This past weekend we decided to go on a last minute camping trip to Johnson Branch State Park on Lake Ray Roberts. It is about an hour drive from our house and a great park. We love it because it is on the small side and has great primitive sites right on the water. Philip was running the Warrior Dash with a friend on Saturday morning in Roanoke, so it was a good place for us to camp since it was nearest to the race. We left Thursday when Philip got off work stayed two nights and then packed up after breakfast on Saturday morning. The boys and I dropped Philip off at his race and he said he had fun doing all the obstacles while I went home and unloaded the car and gave the boys some MUCH needed baths :).

The weather was nice and cool and we had so much fun just exploring the area, playing on the playground, riding on Philip's friend's Jet Ski, hiking, fishing and cooking on the camp fire. Levi cried and whined the entire time we were packing up to go saying "Daddy, you NOT take down the tent!" and "I NOT want to go home, I want to go camping!" over and over. Cute and exhausting. We are pleased that both boys love the outdoors and see many, many more camping and back packing trips in our future.

The fishing was one of the highlights for me. During one of Joel's naps we took one of the 3 paths to the water from our campsite and did a little fishing for about an hour. Levi started out using a bobber, but was too impatient to just sit and wait for a fish to bite. Philip and I were both casting with lures and he asked if he could cast too. So, Philip tied a little lure onto his rod and we would cast it for him and then let him reel it in. It was soooo cute when he realized he had a fish on the line and reeled it in with joy! He caught a pretty little blue sunfish and even held it and threw it back into the lake. He was equally excited and interested when I caught a small crappie on my spinner. I have wonderful memories of fishing with my dad and am really looking forward to our family, and the boys making their own fishing memories through the years.

I didn't check the battery charge on the camera before we left, so unfortunately the battery was dead when we got there. Since we were at a primitive site we had no running water or electricity. I couldn't charge the camera, but luckily Philip has a fancy android phone, so we took some pictures anyway :).

our campsite

the men cooking up some dinner :)

Joel loved his first ride in the hiking pack

A friend of Philip let us use his Jet ski...we all enjoyed riding

even Joel :)

During one of Joel naps (which were all great!)

Levi caught a pretty little perch with a real lure

and Momma caught a little crappie too!

Levi LOVED hunting for and pointing out all the critters and bugs

just chillin' in the camp chairs

this cutie was pleased to eat all his meals outdoors!

roasting marshmallows just before the boys went to bed on the second night
 

I must say, it is nice to have a pack mule, eagle scout, expert camper as a husband. Philip loads, unloads, sets up camp and organizes the gear so quickly, effectively and efficiently! It lets me enjoy the experience so much and I just have kid duty while he does all the manual labor :) I call that a deal!!! All I have to do is plan meals and show up with groceries! It was a wonderful trip and one I know we will always remember. Can't wait to go again!

Ahhhh Spring!!!

I LOVE this time of year! Having two busy boys makes it all that much better. Both my guys are much happier and easier to care for when outdoors, so I am trying to soak up all this lovely weather and spend as much time outside as possible. One of the reasons I am in heaven with this warm (not hot) weather; my yard is FULL of flowers! Philip does an awesome job keeping our yard beautiful and I love watching all the plants grow, send out buds and bloom. The pond looks extra nice with its near fake water lily blossoms, the north fence and garden gate are both covered with deep red climbing roses, the gerber daisy plants are going crazy by the mail box and that's just a few of the beauties I get to enjoy!

As I mentioned Levi and Joel LOVE to be outdoors. They usually play so well together on the back deck and Joel is so content to walk (tin man style) all over the back yard (unless I have to be mean and move him away from something he shouldn't get into...hahaha). Levi is having a blast feeding the fish each day and investigating the yard. He is a little obsessed with finding worms, bugs and butterflies (NO idea where that interest could have come from).

I also love that we get to plan and plant our garden this time of year. I really enjoy watching the plants grow and am always amazed that God provided us with delicious food that just grows out of the ground. This year we have lots of herbs and of course peppers and tomatoes. Can't wait to start harvesting in a couple months! I am hoping for a good year because I actually have the ability to care for it this year with out a newborn to keep out of the heat. Levi has been helping me pull out the weeds and likes to check on the garden every morning. I see lots of salads and canning in my future ;)

Eggcellent Easter

On Friday we kicked off the Easter activities by dying eggs. While we made the eggs I unsuccessfully tried to talk to Levi about how Jesus loves us and gives us new life, just like eggs represent new life. He was uninterested. But, he loved making the pretty eggs. This weekend we headed to Plano and stayed there Saturday through Tuesday so that we could not only celebrate Easter with my family, but get in a lot of Aunt Molly time (she was in town from NYC!!!!!!). We went to the park, played games, got Easter baskets, went to church, had an egg hunt, a wonderful Knochel Easter feast, lots and lots of time outside, walks, hanging out and a trip to the Arboretum. Levi had a blast staying with Nora for so many days in a row (there was no room at my parents house with Seth, Molly and her boyfriend Ryan staying there) and he even slept with Nora in her full bed each night. I got a lot of cute pictures, so I went a little photo overboard for the post...so to get an idea of our eggcellent Easter just read the captions :)

Joel was excited to dye eggs

or maybe just to munch on some crackers and enjoy the view of the egg beautification :)

Levi loved fishing out the eggs...

and plunking a new white one into the dye.

our finished eggs...pink was by far his color of choice...so boyish ;)

All four kiddos checking out their baskets

Levi was VERY pleased to see CANDY in his basket

 

Joel was VERY pleased to find RAISINS in his basket

all four Knochel cousins with their loot

Momma and her boys before church

The Men in their Easter finest

Nora on a mission for eggs

Levi liked getting the ones in the trees

searching for eggs

Joel and Gran enjoyed a chat during the hunt

Moe got some fun cascarones and showed the kids what to do on Uncle Seth's head :)

Levi preferred to break the cascarones on his head...and did about 6-8 times ;)

Ryan was sweet to let Levi help him during Molly and his connect 4 battle

sweet babies at the arboretum

Levi and Nora enjoyed exploring the little artist houses.

the ridiculously adorable couple (yes, we all approve)

Sisters!!!

Getting a pic with 4 busy grandkids is near impossible.

Levi and Nora looked like this most of the time

Joel is determined to walk all the time and very excited about it

my lovely parents

 Easter has always been one of my most favorite holidays, and this year was a good one! I hope to include more and more religious teaching/traditions into the holiday as the boys get older because without Easter we would all be lost! I have been slowly accumulating Easter decorations for the house and would love it if Easter was just as exciting for our kids as Christmas. The Easter story is truly amazing and brings me to tears and my knees every year. Thank you Lord for giving us a new life through You!