Fall Pictures

I TRIED to take some pictures of the boys a couple days ago but Caleb did not want to look at the camera at all. Josh didn't mind because I bribed him with M and M's. They didn't turn out as well as I had hoped.  Maybe next time. I am still trying to learn how to use my camera.  Enjoy

A yearly tradition

I have yet to post Caleb's 9 month pictures and tomorrow he'll be 10 months...geesh! Where does the time go??  Here are a few pictures of the last month.  We have had lots of activities going on...basketball season has started, my grandparents came to visit, had several birthdays, and our yearly tradition of going to Campbell's Pumpkin Patch.  We visited there today and had a blast even though we froze the entire time.  I somehow left Caleb's hat at home so I wrapped his head in my purple scarf...sorry Caleb.

Caleb is now walking!!! He took his first step on September 2nd.  He took 15 steps in a row on September 26th.  He still crawls sometimes because he can crawl at lightning speed.  So life is busy!!  He now has 6 teeth and is back to waking up at night :( ugh.  I am now nursing only 3 times a day and he has started drinking milk.  So much for following the recommendations!!!!  He loves milk and now we have 2 children eating us out of the house.  Caleb loves bread and cheese.  He eats a lot of other things and really does great with vegetables (sadly, he doesn't love strawberries yet) but really loves bread and cheese.

Josh is so much more energetic and talkative.  We videotaped him last week at lunch where he made up a story about "Buddy and Tiny" (a couple dinosaurs on The Dinosaur Train - he builds his own out of blocks and carries them around).  His story went on for probably 5 minutes. Hilarious.  So to say he loves stories is an understatement.  The new way to get him to go to bed and not whine is to tell him we will set the timer for 10 minutes and then if he's not asleep we will tell him another story :) Now he says "you go set the timer and if I'm not asleep you tell me 2 stories!" I am actually surprised he hasn't called for us yet.  But I think he must fall asleep pretty quickly.

We are so blessed! We love our boys!

Caleb's 9 month pictures

My grandparents came to visit and brought the boys a couple new toys and a new book.  It meant so much for them to make the trip over and spend time with the boys.  The boys sure loved having them come!

A picture of our little guy walking.

Love these 2 big boys.

If you say "How big is Caleb?" he will hold his hands up like this for "SO BIG".

Monkey see, monkey do.  Caleb had this duck in his mouth so Josh didn't want to be left out. They make each other laugh all the time.

And a picture from today at the pumpkin patch. It was freezing.

Caleb is always trying to grab something.

And this smile just melts my heart. He's a sweetheart.

Look closely...they are BOTH crying.  About a minute earlier they were reversed and Josh lost his balance and whacked his nose on the pumpkin's eye hole...got a little bloody nose.  Then we bribed him with a cookie to do it again so I could try and get both of their faces and eventually he wanted no part. Caleb is crying also because he just bumped his head on the pumpkin.  Oh well...I tried.  We had a great time though!!

And below is a flashback to when we took Josh for the first time...at 7 months.  We put Caleb in the same outfit today (if you didn't pick up on that) so that we could see the difference. It's a HUGE difference.  Josh is an enormous 7 month old :)  But a cute one.

And the summer is over...

Well a quick update....haven't even posted Caleb's 8 month pictures. But here they are finally.  Jeff is officially back to work on Sunday (basketball season begins already!!!) August is a slower month for him so we got to spend a lot of time together as a family. 

It is amazing to see the unique personalities the Lord has given our boys.  Josh is ultra conservative, cautious, calculated, precise, inquisitive, sensitive, and a cuddler, just to name a few.  Caleb is ultra ambitious, always on the move, eats (and chews on) everything, super smiley, incredibly social, UN-calculated, and incredibly resilient with getting hurt, just to name a few. :) And they both love each other...a wonderful thing!!  

Caleb has 3 teeth...2 on the bottom and one of the top side teeth, not even the middle ones yet.  We put up a protector for his crib but he seems to chew on all the other sides that don't have it.  Go figure. This is what I walk in and see each morning (and in the middle of the night!!)  He is immediately standing.  He is cruising everywhere, walking with a walker toy and I truly think he will be walking within a couple weeks.  His middle name should be NO FEAR.  And he falls so controlled.  His abs are stronger than mine!  And when he falls or gets hurt, he usually only cries for a few seconds or not at all.  

Josh is keeping us busy as well.  He is OBSESSED with Super Why (a PBS show) and still wants to be called Alpha Pig (Caleb is Peter Rabbit).  He loves playing outside and enjoys running around being chased by Caleb.  

We went to the zoo earlier this month.  Had a blast.  Teddy came too.

We ended the wonderful off month of August by going up to Traverse City again.  Beautiful weather and a lot of fun with the family.  And a lot of food.  It took Josh awhile to warm up to the squishy sandy bottom but the water was SO clear.   Best kind of water for me.

This kid on the other hand crawled head first into the water and ate some sand.  He loved it.

A family pic.  We miss everyone already!!!

More laughter

We love hearing our boys laugh.  It seems like each day they are laughing at each other more.  Caleb is ALL over the place.  He had been army crawling for a few weeks now but on August 8th (he turned 8 months) he started crawling normally.  It's so cute.  And he is also pulling up on things and cruising around furniture.  He loves to move.  I don't think he ever sits or stands still.  I have a feeling that he will cause me to pull some hair out.  :)  He cried himself to sleep (we are at that point AGAIN) because he just wants to be up and playing.  Both the boys are doing well.  Josh amazes us daily with his imagination.  For the past week, we have had to call Josh "Alpha Pig" from Super Why.  He will correct you EVERY TIME if you get it wrong.  And Caleb is "Peter Rabbit", Jeff is "Super Why", and I am "Wonder Red".  I am not lying when I say EVERY TIME.  Even when you think you are out of hearing distance, he will correct you!

If you haven't seen it already, my previous post is a video of them laughing.  And here is another one...

Splish Splash...

They were taking a bath...

Brotherly Love

The boys are having a fun summer so far. It's been so hot out so I have to admit we don't spend tons of time outside. But we did go up to Maggie and Papa Jack's lake house over the fourth of July and Caleb spent the majority of the day naked in this little bucket to keep cool :) He loves to splash.  Water on his head does not bother him at all right now.

Josh spent the majority of his time naked in the water with Papa Jack.  Those two loved picking up rocks from the bottom of the lake and throwing them.

Josh has enjoyed playing and building things on his own.  He did this all by himself before he knocked it to the floor.

I love watching these two boys together.  They really do love each other.

Caleb got 2 teeth (around the middle of June).  I expect more to come soon the way he has been chewing on everything he can, waking up more frequently and  drooling.  But he still is a very happy content baby.  I had been nursing him to sleep at night and for naps but realized (thanks to Jeff) that no one else can put him to sleep very easily.  So last night it began...we made him cry himself to sleep.  He cried for 20 min last night.  Cried for 10 min for naps today.  So not too bad.  Not nearly as hard on me as it was making him cry a month ago.  So hopefully we are on the right track.  This grin is on his face all day long. He is in 12 month clothes and weighs about 19 to 20 pounds.  He is close to crawling. He rolls everywhere and loves to pull up on things.  But doesn't seem to realize that he can't let go and stand by himself yet.  He has many "falls" a day. 

Josh has been reading, jumping off the couches, and continues to ask a zillion questions a day.  He made homemade ice cream with daddy today, loves to play in the bubbles in the sink, and he likes to pick the berries and crab apples from our trees outside.  And he has been eating me out of the house.  He is wearing 4T clothes and weighs about 39 pounds.  

The sweetest sound

It doesn't get much sweeter than hearing your two kids laugh and interact with each other. I could listen to this all day.