moments to remember

I had a moment yesterday with sweet baby James. Ty was gone at a meeting and Thatcher had already gone to bed. It was time for James to be in bed as well but we was being so sweet and funny that I wasn't ready to say goodnight just yet. I had a huge pile of clean laundry on the floor and James was very excited about it (he isn't crawling yet, but nothing is too far out of his reach...he can roll and wriggle his way anywhere). When he got close to the pile, he grabbed onto a blanket and rolled himself up in it, landing him right in the middle of the laundry pile. He looked up at me with the biggest smile and laughed as if he were saying, "look mom, I did it." It was a typical moment for my sweet baby boy, but it really hit a chord in me. I got choked up and cried a little thinking about how terribly blessed I am and how fast these precious times are flying. I love my baby and I hope I am enjoying every minute enough. He is so perfectly squishy, happy, cuddly, and angelic. There are a number of other moments from this past week that I don't want to forget (bummer that I am only 3 months into my year-long goal and I have already fallen short many times). I haven't had a camera the past few weeks so these memories are picture-less.

Deer farm...last Friday I took the boys to the Grand Canyon Deer Farm. I invited some other friends and we had a pretty big group. We were able to pet goats and feed the deer. The deer surrounded us and Thatcher got a little nervous, but he was very interested in all of it too. We also saw buffalo, camels, llamas, reindeer, birds, pigs, different kinds of horses, and other fun animals. Thatcher loved looking at the animals as long as they were behind gates (not the case with the deer), and had fun playing on the Santa-like sleigh and old tractor with the other kids.

Falling asleep on the stairs..the other day we came home from the gym and I was talking on the phone to Maggie. I thought Thatcher was just playing on the stairs (the other day he was on the stairs for a while taking every shoe out of its place and lining them all up on the stairs), but after a while I decided to check on him. He had lain himself down on the bottom stair and fallen asleep. It was so cute to see my sweet boy curled up on the stair...I just love him.

Touch a truck...last Saturday I was determined to take Thatcher to the 'touch-a-truck' event. We went last year and I was excited to take Thatcher this year because I knew he would love it even more. I spent the morning helping clean at the cabin with the Ridings, then hurried home to go with the boys and Ty. Sure enough, it was raining like crazy. We decided to go anyway. We got lucky with almost a half-hour of no rain and had fun looking at all the trucks. Thatcher got to sit in a helicopter, a Mack truck, a tractor, a snow plow, and other cool trucks. It started raining again before too long so we hurried home, but it was fun!

First rainbow...yesterday there was a gorgeous rainbow and Thatcher was super excited about it. We showed it to him and the rest of the evening he was saying 'rainbow' in his own special way. We saw it at the grocery store, at the gas station, and then at our house. When it was time to go to bed he was sad because he wanted to be outside with the rainbow. I love being a mom and getting to experience firsts with my boy. It is so fun to see him discover the world (at this moment he is discovering a little bump he has on his stomach and even that is making me laugh).

Swimming...last week I took the boys swimming one day after working out at the gym. The boys were good and things went as smoothly as they could have gone, but I don't think we will go back any time soon. It is a lot of work to take to un-potty-trained babies to the pool who can't swim. We ended up spending as much time in the water as it took to get us all in our swimsuits and sunscreened up. Oh well, it was worth a try. Maybe next summer it will feel more doable.

Bubbles...Thatcher is geting very good at blowing bubbles. Sure he gets bubble stuff all over his face and lips and we waste a lot of the bubble solution, but he knows how to blow and bubbles do get blown. I can't believe my boy is as old as he is. It is so fun, but it makes me sad too.

Saying goodnight to James...the last two nights Thatcher has had a little freak out when we have said good night and left his room. That is so unlike him so we know something has been wrong. What was wrong is that Thatcher didn't get to say goodnight to his baby brother. Once we take Thatcher to James's bassinet (in our closet) and have him give baby James a kiss, he is ready for bed. He is the best big brother. I can already tell that he is going to be very protective of his brother and I love it.

Thatcher talking...he really is talking up a storm. I have to remind him to use his words a lot (whining is a big problem right now), but he can help tell me almost anything he wants. Everyday there is something new and I am amazed with the words he is remembering and the information he retains. Just yesterday and today I have taught him that if we wants to play with a toy that James has, he needs to give James a different toy first so James won't be sad. It is amazing to me that he understands the concept and actually does what I ask him

Toy Story III...while we were in Utah, Thatcher learned from Redding that Buzz was super cool. He watched Toy Story with Red, and his Grandma Martin got him a Buzz lunch box. When we got back to Flagstaff, Ty and I got Thatcher a little Buzz toy that Thatcher has not let out of his sight. A couple weeks ago we took both boys to Toy Story III. Thatcher loved it and did great (even thought half the movie was spent standing, not sitting on the chair) and James loved it too (he sat on my lap and watched most of it instead of sleeping through it which is what I thought he would do). It was a fun family treat to all go to the movie theaters and now the obsession with Toy Story and Buzz has been solidified.

James the eater and the mover.... Ty is giving him two weeks to be officially crawling and I think he might be right. We will see. It is amazing to see how he can get across a room. He is getting much better at eating too. He is now eating solids three times a day (sometimes I feel like all I am doing is preparing baby food, feeding James, or cleaning up the crazy messes that result from his eating) and is doing great. Weaning is going well too...it is easier than I thought it would be (the guilt is just as bad as I thought it would be) and think he will be completely weaned within the week.

The duck...This morning I got out the duck that Thatcher took his baths in when he was James' age (that lasted until he decided a few months later that we was deathly afraid of the duck and would have a panic attack until it was removed from his sight). Thatcher was super excited and I put both boys (who were wearing only diapers...so cute) in the duck. They barely fit, but they loved it (for a minute at least). I love seeing them laugh at each other and enjoy each other. It is amazing to me how much they already interact and know each other. Thatcher has continued to play with and in the duck the rest of the morning. This was the first morning all week that I didn't get us ready and out the door to the gym super early and it has been so nice to just play with and enjoy my boys (and to also help James get his morning nap which he never gets at the gym).

Things are looking good...I feel for the first time since we have moved here that I have friendsv(with the exception of Ashley who was a great friend for a long time). Making friends has been hard for me and I still don't really have anyone I feel I could call and ask for anything, but things are also a lot better than they have been. I have my craft club, tonight I am hosting Bunco night, last week I had a really fun time at dinner, I had friends come to the deer farm, and I am happy with that. I feel like I have enough and that isn't something I have felt since I have moved here.
I also have some fun things to look forward too. Kelly is coming here in a few weeks, then we are going to spend some time in Utah, then Ty and I have his company retreat in Lake Powell (with no kids!!). Then in October all the girls on my mom's side of the family are meeting in Utah for a girls weekend without kids. I am also going to run a half marathon that weekend (yes, my goal of running one in August is being postponed). I feel like I have some fun things to look forward to and to work towards.
The last bit of news in my personal life is that we are putting out townhouse up for sale in hopes that we will be moving to Gilbert in about a year. The thought of living in 100 degree plus weather for at least 4 months out of the year makes me want to cry, but everything else about this opportunity sounds perfect and like something that will bless our family a lot. We have a lot of praying to do and time to figure it out, but I am excited and think a change will be good for all of us.