How much fun can you have with...

...a tube of toothpaste?

 

If you are 19-month-old Finnian, apparently you can have a lot of fun; well at least until your brothers tell Mommy that you are making a mess in the playroom!

 

He was having a great time - it's all over his arms, face, clothes and he managed to get quite a bit in his hair too.

 

 

How can such an angelic face be behind such a mess?!?

 

A minty fresh mess!

 

To look on the bright side, the whole incident was a good motivator to get all the toys picked up, sorted through (with some going into the trash without the boys' knowledge), and to get out my most favorite cleaning appliance - my Hoover SteamVac SpinScrub.  I love this machine, and since I have three young sons and live in a house with carpet, this appliance is mandatory for keeping the floors clean.  The playroom is now perfectly cleaned and organized - for the time being.  Needless to say, I haven't let the boys come back in because once I do, it will again look like a tornado has hit the place!

Robotics Camp 2012

In the middle of July Ronan attended "Robotics Camp".  It was four mornings, Monday through Thursday, and everyday he and his partner & friend, Cody, created a Lego masterpiece that was mechanized. 

The Lego creation in this photo is a monkey that can play a drum. Other creations included a crocodile that had a sensor so it would only close its jaw when something was in its mouth, a set of birds that would twirl around, and a "kicker leg" that would kick a ball.

The mechanics were controlled by a program on a laptop and Ronan had a great time.  He will definately be going back next summer!

Better Late than Never - Independence Day 2012

This year we had a wonderful Independence Day. We celebrated with lots of food, friends, family and fireworks!

 

Our yearly tradition, I baked our country a birthday cake, and the boys had fun decorating it with fresh strawberries and blueberries.

We set up a small pool in the yard to cool down the boys, and, I won't lie, there was some skinny-dipping going on in broad daylight!

The weather was perfect.

The stash!  We had a great time with these bad boys!

We had a great spread too, so no one left hungry.

Boy #2 and I watching the fireworks.

Ronan had been anticipating "firework day" for months and was so excited!

Happy Belated Independence Day!

Better Late than Never - Fishing Trip to the Murphy Lakes

Collin took Ronan & Latham on a fishing trip at the end of June.  He mentioned that he wanted to go for a week - I convinced him to go for only five days since the two can be quite a handful.  He texted me when they were almost home asking if we had any tylenol at home...apparently, Daddy had a headache! :)

The boys had a great time - spending time on the lake...

...going ATVing with Daddy...

...they even caught a fish or two!

Boys being boys

They stayed in Papa's toy hauler trailer.

The week after they returned home, Cousin Lauryn came to visit, and Collin, Ronan and her took off on the boat down to Anacortes and back.

Better Late than Never - Ronan's Kindergarten Graduation

Ronan had is kindergarten graduation ceremony in the middle of June - so hard to believe that he is entering the first grade in Fall!

I was at his school bright and early to get a seat in the front row, and Auntie Delta acted as a photographer for the occasion.

Ronan receiving his diploma and shaking hands with the principal.

 

The graduands

Ronan is in the center of the picture looking at the camera.

 

After the ceremony refreshments were served.  Check out the crazy hats - just paper bands that look like graduation hats.

 

We went out to lunch afterwards and Ronan got to pick the restaurant - he chose Applebee's!

 

Ronan and his diploma - and yes, his shirt reads "Class of 2024"!

 

What a handsome boy!

He's Home!

Collin's home! The boys and I are excited that Daddy is home after 9 days in South America.  For the most part he was in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but he also got to visit Uruguay this trip.

Nice to have you home, honey!

Better Late than Never - Ronan's Family Birthday Party

We had a family birthday party for Ronan the Sunday following his actual birthday.  As usual, it was lunch followed by cupcakes and gift opening.

The cupcakes - half the fun for the birthday boy is selecting the cake mix and icing at the grocery store.

Baby Finnian

By far, Finnian's favorite part of the celebration was the balloons.  He carried them around all day, and heaven help you if you tried to take them away from him!

Partygoers: Auntie Delta, Cousin Lauryn, Aunt Teresa...

...Nana & Grandpa (not picutured)...

...and Grandpa McLoughlin (Papa)!

A staged photo op

Any child's favorite part of a birthday celebration - the presents!

Latham was right in there helping Ronan unwrap his gifts.

Daddy's services were required to get the new toys out of their packaging.

A good time was had by all!