my boys

It is amazing how much can seem to change in a just a few weeks with little kids. I know I keep pretty updates on my boys, but so much has happened in the past few weeks I feel terribly behind. So...here is the latest with Thatcher.

Big Buzz. He was obsessed for weeks with the idea of big buzz. He would talk about big buzz, we would tell him stories about big buzz, and the promise of a big buzz (one day...like Christmas) was enough to encourage him to do almost anything. So...when my mom and I were at target one day I was showing her what the best Christmas present would be, and sure enough, she bought it and gave it to him that day. It has been his inseparable companion ever since. He loves his big buzz. Thatcher loves that his wings pop out, that he has a song, that he says, "to infinity and beyond", his helmet, that he can stand all by himself, basically everything about him. It has been so fun to see him get excited over and over again. His nanna is the best.

Gymnastics. We have been the last two weeks and it is heaven for Thatcher. For two hours he gets to run around, jump on trampolines, jump into pits of foam, slide down slides, hang on ropes and rings, play basketball, and get pushed around in a fun ball. I think it is going to become a regular activity of ours even though it is pretty exhausting for mom. When we came home the other day Thatcher kept taking about how "Skyler push ball at gymastics" because Skyler would push Thatcher in the ball. It is amazing to me how fast Thatcher's sentences are coming and the things he chooses to talk about...all day long.

Flying dragon. When I was at Time Out for Women last weekend with some friends, Ty and the boys watched the movie, How To Train Your Dragon. After seeing the movie, Thatcher decided that his lizard was his dragon and the little skeleton man he has was the guy who should ride the dragon. So...the skeleton and the lizard went for many rides as Thatcher re-enacted the movie. I love seeing his imagination take off. He always love to feed his friends and help them do whatever he is doing. He is the sweetest kid and it is interested to see his kindness manifest in his imaginary play too.

Letters. He is a little obsessed right now. We make letters out of everything...jump ropes, cheerios, anything he can find. He is so smart and loves recognizing sounds. I love seeing him learn and love being his mommy.

Friends. Thatcher is the best little friend. He is such a good friends to me, to James, and to the little kids he likes to play with, especially Lexi and Skyler. He talks about them all the time and gets so excited whenever he sees them. These are a couple pictures of Thatcher and Lexi frosting Halloween cookies on two separate occasions. I thought the second time would go a little smoother, but instead, Thatcher went straight for the frosting with both hands and ate as much as he could before I said it was time to clean up. He is the best big brother to James and the two of them get each other laughing so hard it is hilarious. James is such a ham and does whatever he can to get Thatcher to laugh back and Thatcher usually plays along. I love the two of them together.






James:
Standing up. James has become a pretty sturdy stander in the last couple weeks. He is starting to cruise a little, but will pull himself up to standing on anything or anyone. It is so cute to see his little feet on tip toes with his short legs, tiny calves, massive thighs, and huge head. He gets so proud of himself and I don't blame him. It looks like quite the feat with his funny body.

Climbing stairs. He hasn't made it to the top of the stairs yet, but every day he gets a little close and it scares me to death. Thatcher is learning to put his toys that he doesn't want James to get to on increasingly higher stairs (we are working on the concept of sharing). One day James made it up five or so stairs and then scooted his way down. I would love to have a baby learn to crawl down the stairs at the same time he learns to crawl up them...that would be awesome!

Uh-oh. Ty had the boys for a few days in Salt Lake while I was at my girls' getaway and when I was reunited with my baby James, he was saying, uh-oh. It is so cute. He will usually repeat it when you say it and sometimes he will even say it in context.

Shaking head no. James is such a comedian. He is starting to learn what things make us laugh and he will do them just to get a reaction. One of those things is vigorously shaking his head no. It doesn't have any meaning, but it is silly and he always seems satisfied with the response it invokes.

No more bumbo. We retired the bumbo. James is officially out of the baby bath, out of the bumbo, and out of the pac n' play (we had him in there for when it didn't work to have the boys sleep in the same room). He is getting so big. Thatcher is now going to eat his meals on a stool and James is taking over the high chair. It is silly, but it kind of feels like the end of an era for me.

9 month stats. Last week James had his 9 month appointment. He is doing great in every way. He is fatter than he is taller (last time his stats were reversed with height and weight) and his head is off the charts. The one developmental question I didn't know how to answer was, "Does he understand the word, 'no'?" but the other day I firmly said no when he was getting close to the fire place, and sure enough, he started crying. I think it was maybe the first time he had ever heard no, but he definitely got the message. James was a trooper with a toe prick and two shots and is the best big-headed baby in the world.





I love my kids. They make me laugh so much and I never knew I could love like I do. My love has multiplied since having James more than I ever thought it would. We have had a rough week with both boys teething and both fighting colds, but they still melt my heart every day.