Walking on Sunshine

Monday was one of those really great days.  I was thrilled to be home with my boys, with our normal Monday routine paused for school vacation week, the day wide open with possibility.  Maybe they picked up on my happy vibes, because my little ducklings were ready and willing to follow Mama Duck on lots of fun adventures without nary a whine.  It didn't hurt one bit that the weather was spectacular, and that we could be outside the whole day long.  There was a morning at the beach (in April!), a smoothie story hour on the lawn, a hike/run(!) in the woods, and lots of time just hanging out in our shorts and bare feet, soaking up the sunshine.  Even a nap strike didn't dampen our spirits - it was just that kind of day.  Trust me, there are plenty of not-so-great days at Casa Stockwell - days when everyone is bugging everyone else, when I watch the clock and count the hours until bedtime, when no one seems to be having any fun at all.  But those days make days like Monday that much sweeter.  Monday was a reminder of all things I love about being a mom, of how lucky I am to be able to spend extra time with my munchkins, and of all the fun and adventure that comes with raising two preschool-aged boys.  I'd like to bottle up these memories and save them for those not-so-great days, or for when the boys are bigger and less willing to follow their mama to the moon and back.  Until then, I'll continue to bask in the afterglow of a really great Monday.  

So happy that beach weather is here (for now)!

So it turns out that Ethan and Adam don't hike anymore - they sprint.
For miles. 

"Which way should we go?"
Look at their red little faces....so hot!

What's more fun than a foot soak in the kitchen sink?
(OK, this was actually from Sunday, but we have repeated the fun most
of the last several days - the boys can't seem to keep their shoes on and the
bottoms of their feet are too disgusting to make it anywhere past the kitchen.)