What to do With 4 Boys in the Summertime

Kickball

The twins enjoyed playing kickball this summer. This was their last game where they got cool little medals-- which I think they lost.

Splash Pads

We finally visited our new splash pad here in town. The boys loved it!

Pets

The boys got a new pet. The Darrington's gave us their sweet little dog, Millie. The boys call her Bathound. She is the sweetest dog I have ever met. She is so calm and gentle. I have never seen her snap at the boys once. And when Baby S is crying she'll go and lay down by him. The boys have been so responsible with her too. Whenever she got outside she would run off and Natalie would call us and tell us someone had found her-- she still had her old tags. Sorry Natalie, thanks for your patience! The boys learned quickly to shut the door, and to put her on her leash. If she got out they would come and tell us. She's learned to stay close now.

Try to Keep Them Busy

The boys have had fun playing outside this year. They'll come outside with me and help me feed the chickens and water the pumpkins. Whenever I weed they get their shovels to help-- kind of help and for about 5 seconds.We had to finally give into childproofing and buy the plastic doorknobs for the doors. Little M would keep running outside naked, and they would often sneak out while Craig was working and I was gone. We had to put one on their closet too because they thought they needed to change their clothes at least 5 times a day. I'll tell the boys to go outside, and Little H will walk to the door, see the plastic doorknob covers and say, "Mom, a little help here."

On occasion we have time to take a little stroll as a family too.

Try to Avoid Injuries

Little H was playing with a neighbor kid. I guess they were playing baseball with a stick for a bat and pine cones for the ball. Little H was standing behind the kid that was swinging and got hit in the eye with the stick. We did our best to make him comfortable. Whenever he caught sight of himself in the mirror he would cry :(. Poor kid.

Whenever people saw Little H they would ask him what happened to his eye. This was Little M's cue to show everyone his swollen bug bite. It was swollen once, but by the time he showed people it had gone down. He still had to milk it though.

Let Them be Boys

The boys love living things. Especially Big H. While outside with me he saw some ants. "Look Mom! It's ants! They are so cute! I want to keep them." He has been trying to catch ants since. I've been trying to convince myself that I should let him get an ant farm but. . .I HATE ANTS!!! Little H came inside one time and told me, "Mom, there are Aliens outside! A whole bunch of them! Come here!" I went outside to see what on earth he was talking about. Turns out there were some aunts in a crack in the sidewalk. They have also been called Beans in our house.

Big H is also convinced he can have a pet bat. "Lets go to the chicken store-- C-A-L's Ranch-- and get me a bat OK?" I have now convinced him to let us build a bat house outside, and maybe they will come and live in it. Now he says, "Are you building my Bat House?"

The boys were also way excited about this beetle we found when we came home on Sunday night. They have called it a "Beaver" and "Geetle". I've never seen a beetle like this here, which kind of worries me. We decided they could keep it as a pet. But it will not go in their room. I don't need a big beetle loose in the house.

Try to Teach Them to Clean up Their Messes

The boys have been learning to be super helpful. They each try to clean up after they use the potty. This leads to a huge over use of toilet paper. Little M decided to change his own poopy diaper one morning. That was a fun one wake up to.

They are also learning to help out in the kitchen more. I put their dishes where they can reach them so they can get them out at meal time. Before I moved them Little M would get a chair and climb up to get a cup. He would then bring me a cup and the jug of juice from the fridge. Sometimes he we would even get some for his brothers.

The boys are also learning to wipe up after meals and put their dishes in the sink.

Keep the Superhero outfits Stocked and Clean

Keep Them Entertained and Take Cute Pictures

This is our Master Chef, Little M, making his super amazing chocolate milk. It consist of Chocolate Syrup and Chocolate Syrup. It apparently makes a great midnight snack because he decided to sneak out of his room one night and make some in bed while everyone was asleep.