A fishing expedition.

Today we enjoyed our first fishing expedition! We went to Target to carefully select the appropriate equipment for this venture ... a $15 all-in-one fishing pole set including rod and reel, lures, and bobbers. After getting our HOA fishing license, we chose the perfect fishing spot on the lake by our local park. We spent about an hour fishing but no bites. (Side note: that's probably a good thing considering that the fish in our community lakes are these gigantic carp no less than 12 inches long ... so not sure how Mom would have gotten that one off the hook to throw it back in the water.)

While our first fishing adventure didn't land us the "big one," we do have some good stories to share and some good lessons learned by Luke (Mom had to make up these rules as we went along.)
1. The end of the fishing pole is not used to bop ducks on the head.
2. When reeling in the line, you need to go slowwwwwwwwly.
3. The fishing pole is not used as a sword.

Down on the Farm.

Our friend Terese met us for a fabulous Sunday lunch out at the Farm at South Mountain. We've been having the most amazing weather lately, so better take advantage of it before the heat wave hits! We enjoyed a picnic lunch, toured the property a bit, and played some tee ball.

Wine & Dine.

On Saturday night, we joined some of our Poker Group friends for a night out at Postino Wine Cafe. Delish food and divine wines ... what a great date night out for us! The boys enjoyed their own date night with our ASU Theta babysitter Sara!

Friends on our street.

This morning we hosted some neighborhood friends at our house for some warm beverages and breakfast! The moms enjoyed chatting, the boys enjoyed playing, and the babies ... well, we just enjoyed holding them! Here are a few pics.
New kids on the block. Reid (4 mos.) and Danielle (almost 2 mos.) lounge together on the couch.

I scream, you scream, John and Luke scream for wagon-riding!

Sitting Up!

Reid has a new skill ... sitting up! He's been really into doing "carseat crunches" as he tries to sit up and see the world from his carseat carrier. Today we decided to see how he'd do on his own sitting. He can sit unassisted for about 30 seconds, but then, well ... here's the sequence of events to follow. Going, going, gone!

Me and my dad.

The other evening, we took a family walk over to grab some dinner at the local pizza place Nicantoni's. Scott and Luke look as though they are in a deep discussion, but it's most likely about what kind of pizza to order!

The boys.

Good morning, world!

This morning Reid greeted the world with the biggest grin ever. He woke up super happy! This also shows how much he wiggles when he sleeps. When he went to sleep, he was swaddled up with arms in the blanket and settled into his sleep positioner. You can see the blanket is now a belt and he's wiggled way down. But hey, he's happy after a good night's sleep!

Then and now.

Today was a great reunion with a blast from the past! We met up with Jami's sorority rush roommate Sara Swan Busse who now lives in Montana. She and her husband Ryan and 2-year-old son Lander were in town with some friends and for a trade show for her husband's work. What better place to meet when you have little ones than at the train park! Thought it would be fun to show this "then and now" photo. It was great to catch up with her since she, Scott, and I all knew each other in college and have kept up with different people since then.

Mardi Gras 2007.

We went to a Mardi Gras party last night at the home of our friends Tony and Heather. The theme was Pop Music, so many pop star chart-toppers from several decades showed up at the party.
Diana Ross, Olivia Newton-John, and Cyndi Lauper strut their stuff!

The Project.

Scott and his helper Luke have embarked on an outdoor project this weekend. They are clearing a space in the walkway on the side of our house to put the large trash and recycling containers. This project involves moving rocks, digging up some dirt, and using a wheelbarrow (Scott puts rocks in it and Luke likes to ride in it!) Luke is quite the supervisor because whenever Scott takes a break, Luke asks him, "Dad, you wanna do that project again?" No rest for the weary. Here are a few pics of their efforts.

Hey, Dad. Give us a ride in the wheelbarrow please.

Hard at work in the dirt.

Two peas in a pod.

Like father like son. Reid sure is looking a lot like Dad these days.

A Musical Medley.

Luke has been quite into singing lately. This video has a few of his favorite hits - some classics and some from TV. Be sure to turn up your volume. Enjoy!

Boys will be boys.

"Why is that big brother of mine always trying to tackle me? Just wait, I'll be bigger than him some day and will get him back!"

All smiles for the Cats!

Reid sported his purple pride yesterday with this matching ensemble. Go Cats! He also has added 2 tricks to his repertoire ... rolling over from back to tummy and blowing "raspberries."

3 is cool!

Luke recently took some time out of his busy play schedule to do some modeling for his 3-year-old pictures. What's funny about this age is that Luke realized he can make other facial expressions besides smiling, so we got a lot of photos of him smirking, frowning, looking surprised, etc. This was the winning shot! This pic also illustrates what his stats said at his 3-year well check with Dr. Mike. He's a tall, skinny kid -- 75th percentile for height and 35th percentile for weight.

Greek Life Awards.

Tonight Jami attended the Greek Life Awards at ASU for her final hurrah of her 2 years as Advisory Board Chair for the Theta chapter there. The chapter won the honors of Sorority of the Year once again for the 2nd year in a row! The chapter also won several other honors including highest scholarship with a chapter GPA of 3.41! The Delta Upsilon chapter also brought in several honors including excellence in recruitment and alumni relations (go Scott and Eric!) We are so proud of our local chapters!

Chick magnet.

Nothing beats a funny baby tee. His yawning expression says it all ... "Chasing girls is boring. Ho hum. I'll just let them flock to me."

LA & Mimi & Papa.

Mimi and Papa Nelson paid a visit to AZ this past weekend. They spent much time with the boys -- all 3 of them -- in the park, at McDonalds, and jumping on the trampoline while Jami was away in LA for her Theta volunteer position at the District Leadership Conference. Fun times for all!

Asleep & awake.

One day last week the boys took a little cat nap side by side on the couch. Big brother decided to lie down next to little brother Reid who was fast asleep ... and Luke was soon to follow. By the time it was captured on camera, Reid was waking up but still a cute pic! And yes, this is a common way that Luke sleeps with his hands behind his head!