Phones, boots, and birds

Saturday marked the approximate end of our Alltel contract, so we headed to the Alltel store to renew our contract and pick out new phones...yippee! When the salesman asked us if we wanted to recycle our old phones, presumably for aiding displaced widows in Afghanistan or orphans in Darfur, we made the responsible, humanitarian choice and gave the old phones to our spoiled children :).

Based on their glee-ful reaction, it may have been the best day of their short lives..seriously. M and S emerged from the store "talking" on their phones, making jokes, laughing, closing the conversation with "bye-bye" and then placing the phones in their pants pocket. Since then, we've obliged the boys' new obsession by charging the phones so they still beep, ring, and light up. I imagine the novelty will wear off, but for now, they don't go anywhere without their beloved cell phones.

Brand new rainboots, waiting for the snow to turn to slush for puddle-jumping.

Mysterious tracks on our front porch. What kind of animal makes these tracks? A rabbit? Guesses, please.

I hung a birdfeeder on our front porch. Matt innocently questioned the front porch placement. I assured him it would be fine. Smiggy and I had a great time watching the finches find our feeder.

Turns out, finches are messy eaters. Matt was indeed correct about the front porch placement - an entry way and hungry birds don't mix well. Above, Smigg-a-billy is thinking, "Oh, Mama. If only you would've listened to Dada."As predicted, we received a dump of Spring snow. I outfitted the boys with snowpants and shovels and sent them outside. Mason is wielding Matt's avalanche shovel - the perfect size and weight for an almost-two-year-old.

Smith, wielding a much larger, much heavier shovel.

S using his sand toys to enjoy the snow.

M giving the "thumbs-up" to forced child-labor.

My little snow-bunny,Smith, obliging my request to see his tongue.