A different Childhood

 B has been going to the boys school since he was a few days old.  He's now old enough to play and interact when we go into the classrooms.  Above he's making some important phone calls.  Below he was surrounded by 3rd and 4th grade boys during the reception of his teachers mock wedding in the classroom. And I think he was stealing blueberries from his little buddy's plate...

Lasts of Croatia

A hike up Marjan hill on our last full day in Split.

Our last pizza meal was a stop for lunch near the Dubrovnik airport.

Our little international traveler. 

Great Wolf Lodge

 We took the boys to Great Wolf Lodge last weekend and they had a blast.  They each got to bring a friend which made it more exciting for them.  They split their time between the indoor water park and playing this game with magic wands.  Brian and I didn't really understand the game, but its basically a big interactive scavenger hunt around the hotel.

B sings with his brothers

B has started filling in words to songs if you give him a pause and a chance to say the word. The boys have been practicing Baa Baa Black Sheep with him lately. They also help him practice his many new words, like orange.

Kamerlengo Castle in Trogir

we all live in a semi-submarine

We had read about the Spilt semi-submarine as a good actively for kids. The semi-submarine is a boat made to look kind of like a submarine that has a deep hull with observation windows under water. Although the actual underwater part was kind of uninspiring, being out on the water at sunset and the opportunity for the big boys to drive the boat made it a very enjoyable little adventure. 

Trucks and Shades

Klis Fortress

Dancing Baby

  

The pictures and video don't really do it justice but throughout our trip B would often spontaneously break out dancing. The music in the elevator was the most common catalyst for his dancing but he wasn't above getting down in a 1000+ year old town square either. 

ER for B

 We had to take baby B to the ER on Labor Day because he was having trouble breathing and wheezing.  We got an inhaler and were sent home.  A few days later we went back to the Dr for an ear infection.  

Emily

B started speech a few weeks ago.  Just a few days ago he started saying "Emmy?  Door?  Toys?"  Emily is her name and she comes in the front door once a week and brings her bag of toys.  He asks " ALL.  DAY.  EVERY.  DAY for her to come.  He wasn't too excited for me to take this video, but I had to get one of him saying her name because its too cute.

Birthday Cake

 I realized that because we did non traditional birthday parties this year, that neither boy got a legit homemade cake from me.  They had been asking when they would get one and if it could be a spring fling cake.  Last weekend Brian was gone all day and so the big guys and I made the cake (A did the fruit decorating entirely himself!)

Cars in Paint

 Its so fun to have a toddler again.  We get to pull out all my old preschool teaching activities and play.  The big guys are good sports and I think actually like doing stuff like driving cars through paint on our kitchen floor.

Tuesdays with B

 It'll change, but B and I have enjoyed our Tuesday morning routine of running, stopping at the playground to play and continuing on running to music.  After music we get a snack at the coffee shop and walk home.  We had to miss our routine Tuesday because we went on a field trip, but we did the same thing today, Thursday instead.

Sometimes you have to get out of the stroller for a stretch.

Split hotel

The yacht rental place near our hotel in Spilt was a tad out of our budget with even the smallest boats starting around 5,000 Euros a day. But the hotel had lots of great options for the family.  There were several pools, both indoor and out, and two nice beaches. The beaches, like most Croatian beaches, were rocky rather than sandy but the older boys adapted and enjoyed building fortresses out of rocks.  We rented a standup paddle board several times, which all of us (well, except B who didn't get to go) really enjoyed. A little downtime in the room reading or playing on the ipads was sometimes welcome relief from the sun too. I was up early most mornings to enjoy some coffee in the quiet of the resort before most people were up for the day. B was up early one morning so I took him out of the room with me to try and let the rest of the family sleep. He made himself right at home on a little couch in the hallway.