I love nights like these...

My favorite kind of weekday evening is one in which we spend as much time outside as possible, dinner is ready to go with little work required, the kids get to bed on time, and Craig and I both feel like we have some time to ourselves. Tonight was exactly that (well, except for Will getting to bed on time - he was a little late).

We chatted with the babysitter awhile (who, by the way, informed me that she's now doing some Tot School work with the older kids! - hooray!!!) and made it home a little before 5:30. Dinner was a casserole tonight so it cooked in the oven while the kids and I got out for a bike trailer ride and Craig hit some golf balls.

I'm so excited that Sophie can ride along this year!... However, here is what I heard behind me for most of the ride:

Sophie: "Waaaaa"

Will: "Stop dropping your water bottle, Sophie!" (He picks it up for the 4th time and then silence.)

Sophie: "Waaaa"

Will: "Be careful with the bumps, mommy." :)

Sophie: "Go, go, go, go" (She wasn't encouraging me - that's just her favorite thing to say.)

Okay, so lesson learned: don't leave for a ride without stocking the trailer with a few toys and/or small books.

So we ate. The kids ate well. Dinner tasted good. Craig complimented it. No baths tonight so Sophie got to bed by 7 and Craig, Will and I enjoyed dessert on the deck (strawberries and ice cream) while the sun was setting.

My guys LOVE their strawberries & ice cream!

Never fails: Will finishes first and asks "Are you gonna' finish yours, daddy?" What a nice daddy:

While we were eating, Will pointed out: "Look at those 'spider nets', mommy!" (Between the deck spindles.) LOL - spider 'nets'. :) Brutus was also outside with us and kept poking his head through the spindles to look down at the ground below. Will is constantly asking what everyone is doing lately ("What's doggy doin'?") so I told him he's looking for ants. So that got Will & Craig started singing "The Ants Go Marching" song from their bedtime book, which cracks me up 'cause Craig doesn't really know the tune. But I love that the two of them sing together all the time.

I posted this one just to give you the full spectrum of Will's fashion statement tonight. Craig still puts a t-shirt over his zip-up jammies at night, and then there are those boots...

After eating, Will insisted we go look for ants. We walked over to a tree in the back yard and Will said "Crouch down, daddy." :) LOL - where does he come up with this stuff? He cracks us up!

Another good glimpse of the ensemble.

And then heading inside to brush teeth and read bedtime books. I wish all evenings could go this smoothly.

Oh, and here's our 1st baby with his new haircut.

Craig and I have been working on painting the bathroom this week. More on that later, but that's been consuming our evenings once the kids are in bed.