Everyday Superhero's

 No, this is not a preview of Halloween.  First of all, I am not that caught up on my blogging.  And second, I took these pictures on a beautiful day in September while my little guys were sporting costumes that they like to wear on any normal day.  I was actually able to convince my little guys to dress up as something other than a superhero this year for Halloween, but that is news for another blog post...

Captain Max America...

  

And Sammy Spiderman!!

 Everyone in our neighborhood should feel safe as these amazing superheros continue to protect us from all the bad guys.

When they are not busy fighting crime, they like to hang out in the yard and be silly...

And let us not forget their cute little sidekick, the Amazing Jack.  He is currently in training for superpowers and is impressing everyone with his problem-solving skills and ability to scale large chairs ...

 

Fun on Wheels

Literally two days after Sam turned 3, he learned to ride a two-wheeler.  Such an amazing genius!

Now we can go on family bike rides!  These pictures were taken on just such an occasion on a nearby trail, the East Brandywine River Trail.  We all had our bikes and Sam did really well on his first big outing with pedals and without training wheels.  He and Max even did some off-roading down a few mountain bike trails. 

Even though there are no photos to prove it, even mommy was on a bike this outing.  Suprisingly, I didn't even crash!

While the boys really enjoy riding their bikes around, they also enjoy other two and four-wheeled vehicles that require little to no man-power but provide a lot of thrill...

Last summer a friend of mine gave us this gator.  Max and Sam have taken it on countless rides around the yard--the thing gets a ton of use.  Well, now that Jack is big enough, this 12-Volt machine is working overtime!  All three of them go on rides around the property.   Jack LOVES it.  He will climb on in and try to drive it himself if the brothers are too busy riding their bikes or something.  He can make it go, but he doesn't steer very well...

Our neighbors gave us this little 12-Volt motorcycle a couple of years ago and it has just been sitting in our garage with a dead battery and no charger.  I finally got around to figuring out how to get it going again, and Max and Sam have been having a blast riding it around the yard and up and down the cul de sac.  (Notice my super cool mini-van in the first picture.  Sexy, right?  I LOVE it!! )

Of course Max and Sam love it when Daddy breaks out his dirt bike, but now they have to compete with Jack for riding time.  JR had a such fun riding on the green machine with Dad...

My Baby's First Birthday

My baby had his first birthday just over a month ago.  It was a little bittersweet, as I was sad to officially say goodbye to his babyhood yet excited for all of the fun a toddler brings.  Everyday Jack learns something new and just gets cuter and cuter by the second, but it was and is a little hard to think about my baby-snuggling days being over.  Jack's first year went by the quickest of all the boys--I guess our life just gets busier as the older ones are becoming more involved in activities.   When I reflect back on his first year I wonder sometimes if I really got to enjoy it.  Life with little kids gets so busy and crazy that sometimes it is hard to remember to just slow down and enjoy this precious time.  I think I will always long for more time.   In my mind this is the main reason we aren't having anymore little Blane bundles.  If we add anymore kids to the B-hive--anymore madness to this mayhem, I won't get to enjoy any of them.   So, Jack, you will always be my baby!

Here is Jack eating breakfast on the anniversary of his birth.  Extra sharp cheddar, grapes, pancakes and sausage are his favorite breakfast items.  Of course he got all of these on his special day!

It was a beautiful day and the birthday boy had a blast playing outside--his favorite place to be!

Both of his big brothers took him for a ride in the Gator (one of his favorite activities these days)...

Mimi drove all the way down to help celebrate Jack's big day!

Isn't he just delicious?  I love this sweet little treat!

Max and Sam enjoyed opening Jack's presents for him...

And Jack enjoyed playing with them... 

And of course there was birthday cake.  Wait.  Jack only got a puny little cupcake.  Oh well, I don't think he minded.  

In fact, he really enjoyed ripping it apart.  Thank goodness there were only crumbs from a puny little cupcake to clean up--Jack is quite the mess-maker...

Paul and I felt a little bad that we didn't have a big party for his big birthday, but I actually think Jack preferred it that way.  He had a great day full of all his favorite things.  Now I just hope he listens to me and stops growing so dang much.  I want to keep snuggling him for a long time to come!  (He is such a snuggler!)

The Rest of August

What a busy month August must have been.  I can't believe it is already the middle of October and I am still trying to catch up with August.  One of these days I might actually be doing this in real time, but for now I do not have that kind of time so instead I will keep trying to catch up with the ever-growing eventful past of a busy life with three little boys...

Much to our surprise we had a wonderful crop of tomatoes this year.  This was by far the best yield we have had since moving out here.  I just did the math and it is our 4th year of growing tomatoes in PA.  That seems amazing.  Anyway, it has never been as good as our worst crop in UT, but we will take what we can get, especially were homegrown tomatoes are concerned.  Tomatoes are by far my most favorite food on the planet.  Anyone who knows me knows that I can power through pounds of them just sliced up with salt and pepper.  I miss these simple and fresh summer dinners...  Fortunately, my awesome hubby helped me bottled several jars of them so I can at least have the homegrown essence in tomato dishes throughout the winter...

I needed to take a picture of the boys to school to put above their coat/backpack hook.  I  was really amazed at how well the boys cooperated...

The superheros of the B-Hive have been in hibernation up until Batman Max reappeared near the end of August.  I love when they dress up like this and use their imaginations.  Max is really quite creative.  They love to have me be the bad guy and chase them around the yard.  This game only works when Jack is asleep, however, as he complains (understandably) when we all take off running without him and he is just way too heavy for me to carry.  So, we try to take advantage of the naps we get from Jack (which have thankfully gotten quite regular and lengthy), and use that time to play board games or runnning games, or playdough or crafts. 

Max had a dentist appointment and was so stinking cute that I just had to snap a few pictures.  He is the perfect kid when he is sitting in the exam chair--he answers all of their questions like such a big boy, and he is super cooperative and never complains.

  I can't imagine that any other kid in the world would be so calm and amenable during a dental exam, but I was recently shocked to discover another little guy who could be just as sweet when fingers and tools and water and air are all up in his mouth:  Sam.  Yep, my very strong-willed second child is just as good at the dentist as his big brother.  This is a shocker because I suspect Sam inherited my sensitive teeth as he complains when I try to brush them and has difficulty eating ice cream and other cold foods.  But, Sam was the perfect patient at his checkup recently.  He goes to a different dentist, however, and the photo-op wasn't there without the sunglasses so I didn't get any pictures.

I will end with the pictures of the current craziness in our life.  We are remodeling our master bathroom, and it is taking a while.  It is our fault, really, since we had told our contractor we wanted it done in July (while the boys and I were away) so that was the time frame he carved out for us.  Unfortunately, Paul and I hadn't made any design decisions before I left so this project is dragging on and on.  One day it will be done and will be awesome, but for now we are all cramped in the boys' bathroom down the hall and giving our new basement bathroom a lot of use.