Friends & the Puzzle Master

It has been crazy here lately. First we had sickness, and I probably got the worst of it! I had forgotten (because I am very rarely sick) how hard it is to get well when you are a mom. Life goes on as usual...meals, cleanup, laundry, homework, etc. and you can't just lay down and get well:) I so wished I had a nanny for about 36 hours last week! But I am back, not quite great, but getting there. We are flying to Seattle for Nile's sister's wedding on Thursday and will be there until Sunday, and I am trying not to freak out about getting everything done/packed. Lots to think about, for sure. Here are a few pics of the boys' friends, though Josie loves them just as much as my boys do. Our house/patio is kind of the hangout place for lots of boys on campus. On this day, they were playing legos and were very intense about it. Josie's dollhouse being in the background was accidental...I hadn't put it back in her room after playing. Five boys and a pink dollhouse:)

I always laugh when we go to a big playground and our children
play this close together...which is many times the case.

And the puzzle master...that little beauty in Seth's hand was almost the end of me, seriously. Gabe brought it home from school, and we all took a shot at it and all failed. The boys and I worked on it together, I tried it for longer than I care to admit after the boys went to bed (I couldn't stand the thought that it would outsmart me!), Nile gave it his best shot a few times, and I was calling it the crappiest little puzzle ever made, accidentally in front of the boys, who were cracking up because they aren't allowed to say that and I never talk like that in front of them. Wow. This morning, Seth woke up and said, "I'd just like to try it myself." A few minutes later, mission accomplished. I tried hard to be happy for the little guy. I'm kidding, I was quite thrilled for him and so was Gabe. I had a feeling if anyone were to figure it out, it would be him. By the way, I'm cutting that mop on his head tomorrow so he looks like a handsome little ring bearer for Annie's wedding.