Crazy Good Times

Mighty Mac...yes, we let him do this, but at least he's wearing his helmet. (We certainly did not make him wear those neon/orange socks.)

Bennett Flying high...yet keeping his feet just where he wants them, firmly planted on the ground.

While Bennett will jump off just about anything, he does prefer 'ground' activities. To say he is not a fan of swim lessons would be an understatement, but he is a trooper about trying, depite the crying. On the other hand, big brother is a complete fish!

This year we had a pumpkin and a puppy for Halloween. Handing out candy to all the fun kids and costumes coming to our house is still preferred to Trick-or-Treating. Mom and Dad are okay with that too.

And this is the triple threat...the three amigos. Lucy puts up with a lot of antics when they find crazy hiding spots for her, when they practice jumping over her. But most of all, she likes the snuggles that sometimes turn into tackles. Lets be honest, with a houseful of boys, wrestling is a favorite pasttime around here. Tag team yourself in, if you dare. But it is one of our favorite ways to have a crazy good time around here!

A Scholtens Summer: Just Add Water

No, not all rain, but any sort of water activitiy. Umbrellas, swimming pools and lakes, slip-n-slides, sprinklers, camping and the cottage...all essential elements to the summer here this year. The boys have become each others preferred playmate for now. We spent some time in Georgia this spring visiting Grammy and GrampS where the boys "shared" a room. After lots of giggling, laughing, joke telling and several adult interventions, at 10 pm when they had stripped the bedof sheets, they were separated. I opted to be thankful they are friends. Oh the trouble this could mean! :)








For Macabe, this summer has been about riding bikes, swimming, dogs, Daddy-o, Grammy and Nana, and more bikes and water. He prides himself in recently learning to swim without a life jacket and jump in the water. He is a real fish, usually has to be dragged out of the water shivering. tube rides at the cottage are a weekend favorite, and he's big on the hand signal for faster. The orange bicycle was a birthday present. If you ask him when his birthday is, he'll tell you "It's either March or March 10. I can't remember which one."

These days everything lis also measured in "Daddy" units. "Wow! That building is huge. It's like 10 Daddies tall." or "Mom, how many Daddies does it take to get to China?"








Bennett prefers some of the less adventurous ways to explore the water sports, drinking from the sprinklers, watching tube rides from the boat and a nice jet ski rides. It is actually a common occurrence for him to fall asleep on the jet ski and ride until the gas runs out.

Along with his height, his language has really exploded in recent months. Just the other day he saw a "wabby bunnit" (aka bunny rabbit). Okay, so we get alittle confused about some of the animals, but Fred at the grocery store appreciates a visit from Bennett each time. Fred is a "wompster" (lobster). And one of his favorite snacks is raspberries and "flamingos" (mangoes).

Bennett is a bit embarassed yet about his new hole in his head. He is a bit more rough and tumble on steady ground, and has lost his front tooth! Hopefully a visit from the tooth fairy will help with that.

Stay tuned...we'll post some more summer slideshow picks soon.

Eskimos and Penguins

That's right...Igloos! The church in the backyard pushes their snow into a pile that makes for great snow caves. Dad worked to carve it out so we all fit inside, even Lucy gets in. We've found our favorite time to be at night with our head lamps on.

We've had so much fun this year int he snow. Bennett is not sure he likes sledding yet, but Macabe will take any adventure he can get. The neighbors thought we were crazy when we snow-blowed the front yard to make a giant pile of snow, but they have been over to play on our homegrown sledding hill. Now, tonight, we await 15 in. of snow forecasted. Ooo-wee!

Macabe continues to love music and school, and really just wants to be able to read. He has become very imaginative in his play and a current favorite is setting up to play grocery store with old boxes from our kitchen. Recently he came to us upset that he was trying to play but "Bennett is antagonizing me."

Then again, turnabout is fairplay as a sibling, right?...While both strapped into their carseats (out of each others' reach), I have found Bennett crying, very upset. When asked what is wrong, he'll say, "Mac just bop-bop at me!" I look at Mac and his is just singing in his seat, "Bop-bop-bop-bop," quietly...yet grinning in shear enjoyment! Seriously?

Really, despite this "brotherly love," the boys have been the best of friends lately. The house is filled with giggles, laughter, chasing, tackling, fun, games, and jokes...the stuff that dreams are made of!

Bennett is into all things boy. Cars, balls, basketball, football, tackling. While his brother is his buddy, he also really enjoys those days Macabe is in school and he gets that one-on-one time with Mom. His date with Mom often times involves a doughnut for him and a coffee for Mom. Mmm! Though most of his responses to questions are either "I-O-know" (I don't know) or "Because Yeah", if you ask him what his Dad does for work, he'll tell you "he sells camels" (aka chemicals). The market for camels isn't so great in West Michigan, but chemicals, yes.

And let's not forget the Ring Boys in Anna's and Chris's wedding! We had some of the best looking penguins around. Trying our best to prep the boys prior the wedding, we reminded them that they would need to put on their tux and walk Mommy down the aisle. So that is just what Macabe did. He put on his tux, walked Mommy down the aisle...and took it off. Yup, he immediately began undressing and when we'd try to get him to leave clothes on, he'd just shout, "This itches! When can I take it off?!"

Both boys were enhausted at the end of the day, but boy did they find the reception to be the best dance party ever!