A Zoo Of Our Own

Nathan and Benjamin have several little animals they enjoy playing with. One day they had their blocks out and built little display stations for the animals thus making their very own zoo.

The zoo met its unfortunate demise when tropical storms Nathan and Benjamin blew through a the same time. Talk about your perfect storm!

Another day I helped them with the setting up of this zoo. We have many many building blocks with which to build the walls around each animal set. The boys had fun sorting all the monkeys, dinosaurs, elephants, lions and tigers, etc.

Nathan is taking pics of the zoo with his camera.

Benjamin comes to see what Nathan's doing.

Nathan is very good to share his camera with his little bro.

Here the boys are showing me around a zoo they set up on the kitchen table. (Just in case you notice, yes, there is a dog that walks by in the video - we were dog sitting Rosie when this was filmed.)

We're looking forward to pretty weather soon so we can make more trips to our real zoo but we've certainly learned to improvise on these cold blustery days we just stay home.

Enjoying A Classic

When I was a kid I had a set of Tinker Toys to build with at home but I remember that there was a set of Lincoln Logs in my 3rd grade classroom that we could play with during free time. Now I'm getting to play with Lincoln Logs once again. This time I get to sit next to my two favorite aspiring architects and build with them when we visit my in-laws house. I think these were another of Grammy's garage sale finds - she's good!

As always the boys are most excited about the knocking down of the structure.
Boys will be boys.

Our Western Town

Our friend Josh came over to play the other day and I snapped this great shot of the boys all trying to sit together on the same side of the little table. Nathan and Benjamin kept taking turns falling off the ends because the table isn't actually big enough for all three boys but they made it work so they could all look at our Thomas The Tank Engine Look and Find book.

Josh gave the boys this really neat western town. His mom said that he didn't play with it by himself at home and so he brought it to our house. All three boys played with it together but for some reason I didn't get any pics of that. Here's Nathan next to it and
Benjamin.
Nathan is holding up one of the "bad guys" (because he's wearing a black hat - everything is very cut and dried with the boys).

I don't think the boys have ever watched a real shoot-em-up western but they enjoy the town and the good and bad guys and their horses nonetheless.

Random Summer Fun

Here are a few random pics I have accumulated from this summer and just hadn't blogged yet. They're just too cute not to share.

We had some more fun with sidewalk chalks the other day. I like David's shadow in this pic.

Nathan is figuring out how all his new sidewalk chalk accessories work. He wouldn't be David's son if he didn't have to know how everything is put together.

This shot explains why Benjamin's shirt is always covered in chalk when we're finished.

I love the way the evenings are just the perfect temperature for being outside right now. The boys like it too.
This sweet shot of my favorite brothers was probably taken on a Sunday since the boys are wearing the kind of clothes I usually dress them in for church. Nathan just looks so grown up in his green slacks.

Nathan and Benjamin enjoy coloring together at their little table.
I wonder if this is how Michelangelo got his start.
Benjamin is so funny in the way that he likes to line up the Fisher Price Little People and other characters. He'll carry as many as he can at a time from their tub in the living room to his table...

or the piano bench and stand them all up facing the same direction. It really speaks well of his fine motors skills.
Both of the boys enjoy putting puzzles together. This Tigger puzzle I got at a garage sale a long time ago is one of their favorites.
Nathan has mastered it to the point that...
he can even do it without the tray - I'm so impressed!
David snapped this cute shot of Benjamin struggling to put the Thomas the Tank Engine mountain back up on the shelf.
Nathan received this Mr. Potato Head set called Spud Buds (they are smaller than the regular Mr. Potato Head and have fewer parts to make it easier for small hands to work with them) for his second birthday, He wasn't really interested in them at that time. Also Benjamin was still putting everything in his mouth right about then so we put it on the top shelf in their closet for later. One day we were watching Toy Story (the boys have Buzz and Woody on the night time pull-ups) and Nathan said he wanted a Mr. Potato Head. I got the set out of the closet and both boys have enjoyed playing with it ever since.
I like this simple shot of Benjamin enjoying the ride.
Well, here's looking at you kid. Nathan has recently mastered his wink. It still takes a lot of concentration but I think it is very cute.

Boxed Boys

This past Monday David brought home one of the boys all time favorite toys - a box. This is the biggest box we've ever given them and as you will see in the next ten pictures (yes I said TEN pictures - it's the best I could do to choose from the ninety-one we took) they had a great time.

I had a book when I was little about a girl and all the things she made out of a big box her parents gave her. I think we could write our own book. First, you can crawl inside the box and then smile real big for the camera as Benjamin is doing here.
Or you can just sort of peek out and grin which is the very cute option Nathan is taking.
You can even share your boxed space with your best friend/brother.
Or get inside and just stick your fingers out. They are actually trying to close themselves up inside there but from our side it looked like little gremlins were escaping. (I love the reminder for us to handle what's in that box with care. I am humbled and awed daily that God has entrusted these future men to our keeping.)
Once you've grown tired of inside-the-box fun you can always use the outside of the box as a great canvas for your next crayon masterpiece.
Then if you decide to try to climb on top of the box but only succeed in crushing it down on one side, you can use it as a slide.
This is obviously Benjamin's favorite option. He loves slides.

Whee!

So if you're bored and need something fun to do just get yourself a big 'ol box and let your imagination run wild.