Thursday, April 22, 2010

It's SPRING!!!

Yay!!! Its April!!! we get to start planting in the garden and tons of flowers start blooming!!! It is my favorite season!

This is what the boys have been spending a lot of time doing lately... getting sandy-dirty!
ok... maybe he misses the snow... I am not sure what he thought was going to happen when he got on, but... nothing did...

Anthony messing with Alex's quad... Anthony is a terrible driver so he spends most of his time pushing his quad around...



These were and always are the first of the "Kazakh" tulips to bloom in the Spring... although as you can see, they got so hot that they only last about a day... their petals open in the warmth and close up at night when it is cool... I am really not sure which kind this is anymore... there are several kinds that were discovered in Kazakhstan up in the mountainous countryside... Greigii, Kaufmann and Schrenkii. I think they are the most unique and beautiful kinds!
I think that all these kinds are the Greigii kind.

I really would like to find even more kinds that came form Kazakhstan originally! These don't dwindle down to nothing year after year like other kinds... these actually spread and get better!





These are Kaufmann Tulips for sure...


My Royal Star Magnolia! So lovely... and it smells heavenly!!


It had the most blooms ever this year... but sadly it usually lasts less that a week... this time we got hail that just beat it up! Usually it is a wind storm... so who knows! But I love it and i am thinking i am going to move it this year to a better spot, where it can spread out more.

The other Magnolia... Which i think i am going to move as well... just got going! It has only ever had one or two blooms on it! it was covered this year! Although the hail didn't help it either!

This is my favorite daffodil ever... so far... it is a double and called Tahiti... maybe it is because we went to Tahiti on our honeymoon sooooo long ago!! I just think it is beautiful!
More of the lovely Tulips... I love how the foliage of these tulips are striped and beautiful too!

Regular tulips... we will see if they make it... last year some critters came and bit them all right off... I am guessing those pesky deers.

Another double daffodil.

The GARLIC!!! Isn't it looking great... I guess i am not too attentive... because i ordered last year a garlic called Mexican... well... none of it made it through the winter... not sure what i was thinking... just maybe it was named because that is where it should grow... the California Early White did not fare so well either... i guess i better stick with the German and Russian kinds!! haha


Alex, cruising around on his bike... he goes so fast that he falls off quite regularly... usually he is not too scraped up...

Alex on the way to Church... So cute with his little Bible... it was daddy's when he was younger... It even has Jerry's name on the front.

This is Anthony "mama!!! beebee beebee!!!!!!" as in he has to pee!!! the P in pee is a cross between a b and p... crazy kid!!!
Well, Alex has crossed over... The other day he assured me that he could drive the lawn mower... so i let him drive it from the shop to the house (about 800 feet) with the trailer full of bags of soil... He was sooo excited and proud!!! Anthony wanted to ride in the trailer, but since it was full of soil this time... we will have to wait for the next time! He had to ride with me in the truck back to the house!By the time he got to the house... this is what he looked like... a little uncomfortable if you ask me... but he would have driven it all day if i would have let him!!

Anthony was yelling, "yay, Ax!! Yay, Ax!!!" and clapping his hands for Alex like crazy!! It was so cute!

He looks like he is sleeping in this one!! haha!

His little foot reaching the pedals. Don't worry... he is not MOWING yet... oh my no!!! Just hauling stuff!

Mister Cool... in his shades!

I think this is the last of the Kaz tulips! I just love these... they have such lovely shapes!!

With my little Kazakh Boy...


These kids just take my breath away!! Oh my!!!



Photo Shoot (& Extras)

So... Aunt T came to visit... of course we had to do a photo shoot... but good grief it was still cold out! But hopefully we don't look too cold! (oh! Uncle T came too)

I love this family picture! Even though my lens was NOT cooperating! (i need a new one!) I love how we are all holding hands... so there is a massive ball of family hands in the middle!

We haven't had a "couples" picture in sooo long for some reason! But i like this one a lot!

Anthony is a mess... so stinkin' cute!!!


He was only doing what he does best... hands in the pocket all the time... i guess he thinks he's cool or something! :)


Some tickle time with Anthony... Alex was not interested in photos today... he had other distractions...

We finally convinced him to come over for a bit... but was complaining that he wanted to play with his friends and that he was cold! He's still cute...

Then he decided to "work it" a little... most of it looked ridiculous! Crazy kid... but there were a few irresistible shots!


Such a goober!

I LOVE this one!

So we changed their shirts to some matchy-matchy ones... and then they got goofy on us!!!

Anthony's it too stiff to really do it... So afraid of falling that he gets stiff and then he does fall over! Silly guys!

We asked them to jump...
They were giving each other "five!" Maybe it hurt... ?
Finally settled down again...

Then they were distracted by John and Kierra walking around in the woods...
Just goober-heads! Who knows what was going on!!! But Anthony is always the "copy-cat" ALWAYS!!!!!!!!



Anthony's about done...

They wanted to do the pose that John and Chris (brothers) did for their family Christmas pictures a few months ago... doesn't work quite as well... Anthony's a little too short.

Its not often that they hug...they are usually picking on one another for some reason...

I am starting to see a little more love between them though...

A few GQ photos from Anthony...



Our first ever gingerbread house... it was a kit... it was actually a bird house.



Playing outside... they love mama's safety glasses...

The crocus are out!!!!


Anthony was SICk one day... still no idea why, but breakfast came back out and then he slept for about 3 hours, got up... i brought him outside to sit in the sunshine while i cleaned the garage... Alex took him for a stroll...

Then he played pirate...

And Alex tried out the stroller... that we bought for him soooo long ago! I am thinking he is a little big...

Then Anthony took Alex for a stroll... and went back to bed and slept another 2 hours!