This & That in April

Here are some random playtime moments from last month:

One day, Cody and Jaden decided to use every single block we own to build a large castle. The boys have really been good playmates lately-- not needing nearly as much adult initiative or intervention. I'm really enjoying this almost-4 stage!

Another day, the boys decided to organize their cars by color. They've both got a little of their mommy in them! :)

Outdoors, a recent favorite has been "driving" their wheeled vehicles along a sidewalk chalk road. While Mommy or Daddy draws the road outline, the boys will often help to fill in the middle dashes. Then, they will tell us where they want various road signs. It's not uncommon for us to have speed limit signs reading 2 mph and then 100 mph just around the next bend.

With all the rain we've been getting throughout the month, we've had to re-draw a LOT of roads! The boys sure love it.

 Be sure to notice in the picture below how Jaden rides his tricycle "Fred-Flintstone-style," without actually using the pedals. Our driveway does have a (very) small incline, so I guess both boys have just decided that steering their trike is much faster this way...

One weekend, Jaden and Cody were invited to a birthday party for our boy/girl twin neighbors. The party was held at a Christian athletic club/gymnastics place. For most of the party, the kids could just have free-play on all their equipment. Jaden and Cody's favorite activity was jumping off a big block into a pit of smaller foam blocks. The only structured playtime was this parachute activity. I found it amusing when the leader gave directions for the kids to each find their own color around the parachute, Jaden and Cody stood in the exact same spot, even though there were other colors open. They definitely find comfort in each other in new environments.

At the end of the party, we received coupons for a free trial gymnastics class, so we may return soon!

At the end of the month, we watched Ryan and Nathan while Aunt Kim and Ian attended a track and field day event for Ian's school. Jaden and Cody absolutely LOVE their cousin time. We started off the morning with some snacks...

...and then spent most of the rest of the day playing in water (and it's only April, can you believe it??). This was the first time I had brought out the water toys for Jaden and Cody this summer, so they were thrilled! I'm thinking we have many months of water-fun ahead of us. :)

Earlier in the month, Jason ran in a 5K road race, the Bunny Run. As you can tell by our attire, the morning was a little chilly. The overall weather in April has been so beautiful here-- very comfortable for being outside, not too hot yet with very little humidity. We've loved it! The weather on this day was ideal for a run. Cody and Jaden brought along their breakfast-in-a-bag so we would be sure to see the race's beginning.

Here are the runners gearing up at the starting line. Cody and Jaden were plugging their ears in anticipation of the bullhorn starting signal.

And they're off! Go, Daddy, go! There must have been a few school groups that signed up as a team. Jason said he had to run around quite a few middle-schoolers at the start of the run.

While we waited for Daddy to finish his run, Jaden and Cody played on the caboose that's in our town center. This spot is called the Depot since it's right next to the railroad, and it's where many of our local community events are held.

Cody and Jaden were great supporters when they saw Daddy rounding the corner.

"Go, Daddy, go!"

If you look really closely, you can see Daddy in blue crossing the finish line (right near the red tent). Cody and Jaden are now sprinting on the sidelines to meet him. Daddy finished in under 25 minutes. We were SO proud of him!!