up up and away

One of the things I love about Cody's mom is since he was the baby of the family she kept a lot of his toys from when he was a wee one. We have his Teddy Ruxpin, his extensive farm collection, walkie talkies, books, rock tumbler, microscope, and his KITE!! My momma kept a lot of my stuff too, but Miayla is still a little rough with everything to pass it on yet:) Armella, Cody's mom, gave Cohen Cody's kite in his Easter basket and Cohen could not wait to fly it. So one day after dinner, Cody took the kiddos out to fly it. They had never flown a kite before ( I know they are deprived) so they were so excited. Enjoy the pictures of the experience!

On another note, while they were getting the kite ready, I was cleaning up from supper and chocolate chip cookies were baking in the oven for dessert. I looked out the window and saw Cody with the kids and had a very AHA moment. I watched the way he interacted with them and how he is such a hands on dad. I know a lot of dads that are good dads, but don't play, cuddle, get dirty with, or read to their kids. And as I looked around the house and noticed the dishes in the sink and could smell the cookies, the moment captured me. I realized this is what it is all about. The everyday hussle and bussle of life that we pray will end of slow down. Granted it doesn't have to go in super sonic speed, but the pace is a reminder that we are not given a forever. We each have a day, a day to make our life a life that has lived. Hopefully the next day we can continue it again. Anyway, that night I realized that I have what a lot of people hope to have, a family with unconditional love, everyday things people, sometimes me, take forgranted.

On another note, there will not be any more kite pictures for awhile. On saturday, April 4, when Wichita was in a wind advisory for 4o mph gusts, Cody decided him and Cohen would go out and take the kite for another run....lets just say it didn't go so well;) so much for sentimental value, at least we still have teddy ruxpin!

Snow Day

In true Kansas weather form, there was a "blizzard" two weeks ago. We didn't have power for 16+ hours so we decided to go outside and kill some time. Cohen was ECSTATIC as you can see here. The kiddos had a lot of fun and enjoyed the apple cider and hot chocolate when they came inside. Here are some pictures of our playtime:)

Don't worry, he only looks like he is going to throw that at me....we all know Cody is MUCH smarter than that;)

My two litte angels, well sort of:)

The next day, all the neighbor kids were out building forts for a snow ball fight. Cohen loves his neighbors and all the fun he has with them. Unfortunetly the snow melted quickly later in the day and was almost completely gone by the third day...completing the crazy Kansas cycle.

Pretty please with a cherry on top!

One day at Old Chicago (we actully go to OC lots of days:) Cohen found out that they had ice cream sundaes with the kids meal. He was so excited and then when they brought it out with all the fixins he became obsessed with them. Now everytime he has ice cream...unless he is at someone else's house, he asks for ice cream....pretty please...with a cherry on top:)

They both love them and eat them all gone, everytime, 5 months later still:)

Everyday LOVE

Here are some bits and pieces of little things we have done over the last couple of weeks:) Nothing fancy, just everyday life in the Ayres household:)

We took my nephew Parker to Exploration Place with us one day. He really enjoyed it and the kiddos loved showing him everything. Afterwards we all hit the local happy hour....at sonic:)

This was them before the Dora Three Kings Parade on Nick Jr. They heard a commercial about how they can go to the website and print some hats off for it...so we did. And of course, no party would be complete without some popcorn:)

My kiddos love to cook! We cook something together everyday. We usually make big messes, but that is okay. They love it and I love teaching them.

Miayla was helping me put the potatoes in the bowl for our potato soup...she put each one in one at a time and arranged them in the bowl how she thought they should be....lets just say the batch of soup was much smaller than expected:)

Cohen was in charge of buttering the bread....it was more like breading the butter with the massive amounts of butter he put on EACH piece. Oh well, he enjoyed it and one day he will be a famous chef and make me lots of tasty treats.

Miayla is the slowest eater in the world...even slower than me. She hates to feed herself once she sees that everyone else is done eating. Cohen takes good care of her anyway, but he is always willing to help her finish her food (although in this picture it doesn't look like she has even started!). I think he knows he will get dessert when everyone is done, maybe that is his motivation. Either way he is a sweet big brother and it is a precious picture. And yes they are in their pjs at dinner. Welcome to our laid back lifestyle...and it was a snow day with no power:)

It is kind of hard to see here, but there was a momma duck nesting in our yard and the daddy duck standing guard. Cohen was so excited they were there, but this was as close as he would get. It was really funny because our neighbor Emmy had gotten home while Cohen ran inside to get his camera. I heard a scream and ran to the door and she was waving to the ducks and yelling, which I am guessing scared them away b/c they were gone. Cohen came running out and was very upset with Emmy. I explained that she was just excited that she got to see the ducks and didn't mean to scare them. He goes "how am I going to take a picture of them to show dad before I shoot them!" My mouth dropped open like what did you just say? Earlier in the day he explained to me that his class at school had visited Fr. Orr's dogs and how they were hunting dogs, so he thought Fr could bring his dogs over:) I really hope the ducks decide NOT to nest in our yard....for everyone's sake:)

Daddy's little girl

Miayla is a daddy's girl. We wondered why she was a late bloomer when it came to talking....one day I saw the way Cody gave her everything she pointed to and then some that I quickly figured it out. She had no need for words when everything she needed was right at her fingertips...literally. Well we all know she won't stop talking now and she sings all the time too. To make up for all the time Cody did not make her talk, she makes him sing and read and play and continually spoil her. I was doing laundry in the other room, when I stumbled upon this. It was so sweet and he was so into it to. She was singing something about applesauce but none of us could figure it out. She made him do it over and over again until he got it right. Eventually she realized he wasn't going to get it right so she would move on to a piggy back ride which she knows he can do:) Her eyes lit up the entire time and it was a very real moment. The kind that took me back to when I was little and a daddy's girl. Technically, I am still a daddy's girl....I don't think you ever grow out of it. I love my prince charming and his little princess:)