The Great Outdoors

 Nate and I have had a blast hanging out with the boys lately. We have been spending a lot of time outside at baseball games, going to parks, eating out, and as of this Memorial Day weekend, swimming. Except for the swimming part (which I will explain later), outdoor activities have been really fun and sometimes even a break for mommy and daddy. We went to the water fountains at World's Fair Park and they LOVED the fountains, even though the water was pretty cold. All 4 of the boys walked up to the fountains together, realized they were the only boys there with t-shirts on, and then one by one tore them off. Then you could see their minds working as they each calculated the risks and rewards of splashing around in the fountains and then all proceeded to enjoy the water in their own way. Alexander was a wild man, Benjamin was cautious, Winston just immersed himself and Theodore preferred to be held.

This past weekend we went to the zoo and the boys got a kick out of the chimps. We were brave and entered the zoo with no stroller which forced the boys to hike the zoo on their own and forced us to herd them like little ducklings from exhibit to exhibit. I must say Alexander is extremely patient to wait on his brothers who dawdle and stray, and he even helps guide them by taking their hand and walking them to the next destination. Most of the time they take his hand happily and go along with him. It would be totally understandable for a 3-yr old to get anxious and impatient but not him. I think he seems to understand that we are doing our best to get where he wants/needs to go. He even lets Winston wear his Spider-Man suit!

Winston

Baseball season is over now but for a while there we had 2 games a week, which seemed like kind of a lot. They were short games and the trips chowed down on snacks the whole time so it was a good experience overall. Alexander was about 25% into the game so I'm not sure whether we will play again until he asks to play.

Now to the swimming. Don't get me wrong, it is fun. But it is extremely stressful and you can't play zone defense in that game. It is best to be man-to-man and you can't take your eyes off of them for a second. They all love the pool which we are happy about. But it is definitely going to take a few summers before we feel like we can kick back and watch them frolic from the sidelines. For now, it is stressful fun and we may just need to get some good life preservers and give ourselves a break.

Summertime with a 3 year old and three 21 month olds means later bedtimes and lots of sunscreen and bug spray. We are tired but it is a happy tired for Nate and I. The boys are all blossoming and happy so we couldn't ask for more.