The little boys right now

The babies are now 14 months old. And what are they like right now?




Brady

• loves any and all balls and will sit and play catch with you.
• gets into the trash can, to the point I've had to move it into the pantry.
• thinks pulling all the DVDs and video games off the shelf is the world's greatest activity.
• forgets to take naps, or thinks that 45 minutes is an appropriate length for a nap.
• "dances" whenever he hears music.
• gets jealous when someone else sits in mom's lap.
• squeals when Dad gets home from work.
• will give hugs.
• can scream. No you don't understand--that boy can scream.
  
• is quite the charmer with his curly hair and dimples.

Carter

• loves to play with his stacking rings.
• finds it amusing to unroll the toilet paper or pull all the tissues out of the box.
• joins his brother daily in pulling the DVDs off the shelves.
• loves his taggie. Hand it to him and he immediately grabs it, sucks his thumb, and stops crying.
• enjoys bathtime and is fascinated with the water coming out of the spout.
• often tries to take toys from Brady, and has been known to headbutt to get said toy.
• likes to play with big brother.
  
• has eyelashes to covet.
• will often catch your eye and just flash a giant smile.
• is best described with the word sweet.
  

First Grade

This boy was so excited to start school yesterday. The whole car ride over he was singing a made-up song that went something like this:

I am in first grade. Now I am a first grader. (Repeat)

We are at a new school this year, so I think there was a little nervousness in him, but overall he couldn't stop smiling. The drop-off and pick-up lines were horrendous, but let's hope that gets better as everyone learns the procedures.



We are looking forward to a fabulous year.

So much to blog about

Let's see, I could talk about my totally awesome birthday where Dan actually surprised me with a party and granted all my wishes.

I could show you all the practice I've been getting with my new camera lens, after I sent back the Nikon lens for the Canon.

I could tell you the story of how three letters stopped working on my Macbook, and when one of those letters is the "E" it is not only hard to type blog posts or leave comments on people's blogs, but even harder to type in passwords that require an "E".

Perhaps I should tell you that the apple store called today and sure enough it is water damage, which to fix, costs about 75% of the cost of a new one. Darn you Dan for dripping 5 drops of milk on my computer!

I could tell you that Dan was considering taking a lateral job move with his company, and we stewed over the decision to move back to Utah, but eventually felt we ought to stay here.

But, I think I will just tell you that I am going to officially call the babies walkers. While they aren't walking much, they both have taken about 5 steps in a row all on their own. So cute. Man I love them.

My Wish List

Since my birthday is coming up, and since Dan asked for birthday ideas, here you go.

1. The big one:
I want a new lens, and after some research I think I want the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8. I think it seems like a good all-purpose lens that would fit my needs. I also know that it is pricey dear, so I don't mind saving up for it.

2. A panini maker
We used one while visiting my family, and as a sandwich lover, I love this. Lots of options, all of them good when it comes to gourmet sandwiches.

3. Wii Fit
We still don't have one, but I'd like to get some exercise out of the wii. Is it worth it? Anyone want to chime in on it or any good fitness games?

4. This charm:
I have always loved this James Avery charm. It is titled Mother's Love. I love having sentimental jewelry.


There you go honey. Happy shopping!

My early morning

It's now 6:50 a.m.

Carter and I have been up for over an hour.

We are staying at my sister-in-law's house right now, so I didn't feel comfortable just ignoring the screaming. Nor did I feel right about turning on the tv and letting him entertain himself while I watched from the living room couch.

So I just brought him back to bed with me. Now that normally is not a good idea anymore. Where the babies used to snuggle down with us if in our bed, nowadays they tend to crawl over and across anyone or anything to try and get the remotes. Or right off the bed.

But today, Carter mostly snuggled. And it made me miss that snuggly newborn stage. But he just laid down by me; let me rub his back; sucked his taggie and thumb. And finally about 10 minutes ago fell back to sleep.

So while my day sure started early today, I think it was totally worth it.

For anyone local

Kelsey, my friend and fabulous photographer, is doing another giveaway on her blog.

Go and enter!

A Typical Day

So what does a typical day look like in our house?






Little boys who love to play together. Messes. Fights. Exploring. Smiles. Laughs. And one tired but happy mama.

Also, a big thanks to the comments left on this post where I got a little whiny. My favorite tip was the twice a day pick up; I'm not cleaning up toys all day long, but the house is picked up when I sit down to relax. I am also reminding myself that yes it is temporary--let's enjoy it.