Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Happy Half!

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Today the bug turned six months old!  Absurd!  I mean really, how the heck did that happen?  I can’t even wrap my mind around my baby being half a year old.  Those were the fastest six months of my entire life.

Today, we celebrated.  I don’t intend on celebrating every half birthday from now on.  I just was excited about this one.  I love a good excuse to eat cake.  Of course, Baby didn’t get any of his own half-birthday cake (sorry Bub, you can eat fistfuls of cake when you turn one).  But he enjoyed hearing us sing “Happy Half- Birthday” all day long.  And he loved donning his party hat for photos.  Really, what it came down to was I wanted to try my hand at cake decorating.    

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Well, I’ll never be a professional.  But it was lots of fun to make and even more fun to eat. 

Unfortunately, it wasn’t all fun and games all day.  M had his well check visit at the doctor and had to get three shots in the fat little thigh!  Poor baby!

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M is currently 27 inches long (75th percentile) and 18 pounds 6 ounces (75th percentile), which actually means he is slimming down.  NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  Prior to getting his shots, M had a blast at the doctors office.  He had the time of his life ripping the paper on the exam table to shreds.  He really did go to town on that paper (as you can see).  It actually makes me even more excited for Christmas.  I bet he is going to love unwrapping his presents. 

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Just a Slight Obsession

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I kind of have this thing for fall.  October especially.  Pumpkins in particular.  I LOVE them.  Nay, ADORE them.  I can’t stop myself from decorating my house with them and eating recipes containing them. 

And lately, I have been dressing my baby in pumpkin clothing.  This kiddo has more punkin’ outfits than is probably reasonable.

But they’re just so cute.  I mean can you blame me?!  Did you SEE that punkin’ beanie?  I try to put in on him everywhere we go, but Spencer always takes it off saying, “It’s not cold enough for beanies yet dearie.”  But it will be soon.  And when it is you can bet your bootie that M is going to be rockin’ that punkin’ beanie every. single. day. 

And what about this little beauty: 
p1I die!  It is just so cute!  We all know how I feel about details on the diaper bum. 

The other night, M stayed up waaaaaaaaay past his bedtime.  And we all know the consequences of staying up too late.  Yup, later on when I checked on M, I was amazed to see that he had turned INTO a punkin’!  See for yourself: 

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So for those of you who stay up way past your bedtime, let this be a lesson to you. 

Anyway, there you have it.  Evidence that I maybe have some kind of obsessive compulsive pumpkin disorder. 

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And I bet you’ll never in a million years guess what M is going to be for Halloween. 

Friday, September 28, 2012

Thumbelino

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Uh oh… I think we have a thumb sucker on our hands.  He hasn’t even liked his pacy in over a month now, but he quite suddenly decided that he likes his thumb.  Every time I went to check on him during naps/bedtime, he had that thumb firmly planted in his little mouth. 

A tiny part of me worries that he might develop a bad habit or mess up his teeth (which aren’t even there yet!).  But, it is mighty cute.  Little toot. 

Monday, September 24, 2012

Farmers Market

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(I love that he has a fistful of my hair in this picture.  So typical of M these days.  I love it though.  Lots of times he likes to hold on to a fistful of curls while he falls asleep.  It’s the most precious thing in the world.) 

Last weekend we took the little gnome to the farmer’s market.  We’ve been several times this summer, but wanted to squeeze in one more visit before the market is over for the season. 

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M loves cruising along in the stroller, enjoying all the new sights and pretty colors.  We love sampling lots of yummy, fresh produce. 

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These little stumps were the cutest ever!  I want one so bad.  Each stump is hollowed out with a few little drawers.  Perfect for holding jewelry or maybe craft supplies. 

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We love downtown Boise.  It has such a fun vibe and there are so many neat places to window shop or take pictures.  There are dozens of fun local restaurants that we would love to try someday, but it’s fun to just go exploring.  We might have stayed longer, but it was such a smoky day from all the wildfires nearby.  We didn’t want to be outside for too long. 

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It’s starting to finally really feel like fall is here.  The air has been cooler and it has that autumn smell.  It even drizzled on Sunday.  It was the perfect weather for baking pies or wrapping up in a blanket and reading a book or sipping hot chocolate (I did all three).  And I’ve even been working on some fun fall projects.  I decided that we needed some cute fall decorations, so I’ve been a busy little bee working away after the boys are all tucked in for the night.  Tonight I spent some time sewing while I watched a BBC movie.  It was so very pleasant and something I hadn’t done in a long time!  I’ll have to share what I came up with soon.   

Friday, September 21, 2012

The Skinny on the Chubster

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I wanted to write some of the things M has been doing lately.  I am always amazed at how quickly he grows and changes, but this past month in particular has been packed with milestones.  Well, maybe more than actually acquiring new skills he has really finessed old ones.  Seeing him move those little limbs with more coordination makes him seem so much older to me. 

Recently, M has loved to grab people’s noses.  He is constantly grabbing our faces with those cubby little hands of his.  He also loves to throw his hands up in the air when he gets excited.  When we talk to him in our most excited voices, he throws those arms above his head and waves them all around like he’s at a rock concert.  It’s pretty darn cute.  

M loves to suck on his fingers.  The middle finger and ring finger in particular.  He hasn’t used his pacifier in months (except for during take off and descent on the airplane to help his ears pop). 

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Cutie Pie has been getting better and better at sitting up on his own.  And he has been trying harder to do it without help.  Often when we put him in his car seat he will lean forward as hard as he can so that his head is not touching the back of the seat.  He does this while he’s sitting in the stroller too.  He really wants to be able to balance and support his own weight. 

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He continues to be a pretty quiet baby, but he does have times when he is a jabber box.  We LOVE it when he talks.  He seems most talkative when he is in his bouncer.  And sometimes he will sit on my lap and look up at me and talk and talk like he’s just telling me all about it.  I love those times.  I adore our “conversations.”

M just barely started doing this thing where he fusses with his lips pursed tightly together so that he makes a kind of humming noise. And man, our child can SCREAM.  He doesn’t do it often, but if he misses a nap or gets overly tired, our kiddo can blow the roof off the house with his hollering.  That is generally the only time M gets really upset.  He’s a pretty cheerful dude, but don’t even think about messing with his sleep schedule.  

One of his newest tricks is sticking out his tongue.  He is CONSTANTLY sticking his tongue out or sucking in his bottom lip.  He makes such adorable little faces. 

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Cutie Pie continues to love all his solids.  He has tried a few different veggies now (green beans, squash, carrots, and peas) and has liked all of them.  I think mealtime is his favorite time of the day.  Like a true man.  He has a total fascination for watching us eat.  He watches every bite travel from plate to mouth and smacks his little gums like he would like a taste too. 

Second only to mealtime, M still loooooooves bathtime.  I think he would splash and chew on his rubber ducky all day long if we would let him.  He also loves when we sing “wheels on the bus.”  I have invented a dozen rather creative verses and accompanying actions because I get tired of the same old song every single time.  If M is upset, usually a few rounds of “wheels on the bus” or “popcorn popping” will happy him right up.  He continues to love peek-a-boo and likes to be the one to pull the blanket off his face.  He LOVES to dance while we hold him in our arms and spin about the room, or if we just hold him under the armpits and help him do a jig of his own. 

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I suspect that M is maybe left handed because, so far, he has preferred doing things with primarily his left hand.  He almost always grabs objects with his left hand first.   

It’s interesting because I can already see a few things that M and I have in common.  I don’t know if any of it is learned from me versus just commonalities, but I like that we are so alike in certain ways.  For one thing, we both LOVE going on adventures.  It doesn’t matter where we are going, we just like to go.  M is at his very happiest when we are strapping him into his car seat or stroller.  And he is a total trooper when we are out and about.  He is perfectly content as long as we are on the go.  I am totally the same way.  It’s nice to get out of the house, even if it’s just to go to the grocery store.  We also both have a very small comfort zone when it comes to temperature.  And we both love people watching, but get a little shy when we are the center of attention.  M does not seem to like having lots of people crowding around him looking at him.  He will laugh and chat and sing all day long, but if he has an audience he totally clams up, just like me.  He does the same thing if he sees a camera.  Hence dozens of pictures of M’s serious face to one of his smiley face.  He’s just a bit camera shy. 

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(I love this picture of him.  I know it’s a little blurry, but those big blue eyes KILL me.  Silly boy.)

We sure do love our little sweetheart! 

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Avast Matey!

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Yesterday was National Talk Like a Pirate Day.  Krispy Kreme observed the day by offering a free doughnut to anyone who remembered to talk like a pirate.  And they gave anyone who dressed like a pirate a DOZEN free doughnuts.  Well, you know us and our inability to pass up a good deal.  We donned whatever pirate garb we could scrounge up from costumes past and took the wee one along for an excursion to Krispy Kreme.   

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No cuter pirate has ever sailed the seven seas! 

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We walked away with 38 doughnuts (most of which we gave away to friends)!  We were most proud of our spoils! 

Oh and Spence did a little segment about our doughnut pillaging on the news.  You can watch it here. 

First Trip to the Beach

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I was so excited to go to the beach I can’t even tell you! When I was growing up, our family would hop on over to the beach multiple times during the summer. I love sprawling out on the sand, riding the waves, and strolling along the pier. Summers simply aren’t the same here in ole’ landlocked Idaho. Even though I haven’t lived in California for over four years, I STILL can’t get used to a summer without the ocean. It’s my dream to live near the ocean again someday. I want M to have the summers I had growing up.

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The weather was PERFECT. It was a hot day and the gloomy fog that often hangs over the ocean was nowhere to be found. Just lots of sunshine, not a cloud in sight.

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I love these pictures I snapped of my sister and her little sweetheart. Ev looks so small in such a big world.

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I love this one too. It’s like Ev is reaching for M and saying, “Come on cousin, let’s go on an adventure!”

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Even though M looks a bit serious in these pictures, he really did like the water. He was fascinated by the waves splashing on his little toes. He seems to like the water more and more every time we take him swimming. Little fish.

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My cute boys. M loved looking out at the water.

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We all took turns boogie boarding while the others stayed on shore with the babies. Grandma and Grandpa watched M and Ev while the rest of us played in the water for a while. It was SO MUCH FUN! I hadn’t been boogie boarding in over a year. While I was out boarding, a fish brushed up against my leg and I screamed bloody murder because I had just been thinking about “Soul Surfer.” Not the best topic of thought when you are out on the water I suppose.

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M with his Grandpa and Grandma:

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I always laugh when I see pins for “perfect beach waves” on Pintrest. It kind of makes me think that anyone who thinks that you can get “perfect beach waves” has never actually been to a beach. Because the thing is, the humid, salty, beach air does TERRIBLE things to your hair. Most of the people at the beach have frizzy, fly away-y, crazy, hobo hair. Which is fine and all, it just makes me giggle.

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When we got home, we turned on the jacuzzi to bathwater temperature and all hopped in the warm water to relax. The babies had so much fun splashing and kicking around. In fact, Mason splashed like he has never splashed in his entire life. He was having a total ball! It was so cute to watch!

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