The Seven Month Stretch

At seven months, I think RTR and I are finally figuring things out. Napping is getting better. No longer is it a 20 minute song and dance--literally-- to get him to fall asleep for a 30 minute nap. This week I've also been able to avoid swinging him in his carseat to get him to fall asleep. Which is a good thing because not only is it truly a pain but he's about to outgrow the seat and the next size up stays in the car. I do have to give some credit to one of his Christmas presents-- the Ocean Wonders Aquarium (thanks to Suzanne for the suggestion and Aunt Lins for the gift). If he's in the right state of mind, I can just put him in his crib, turn on the aquarium and he's soon asleep-- probably shouldn't go on and on about this because I'll jinx it or it will turn out to be a fluke.



In an earlier post, I worried he was a picky eater. Apparently this too gets better with age and some predictability on my part. He's up to eating solids three times a day and gobbles it up pretty well. His first taste of peaches seemed to have perplexed him though. I even made him some homemade baby food with carrots and cauliflower from Christmas Eve dinner. I hesitated to give him the broccoli--why don't they make broccoli baby food? He likes to participate more in meal times... grabbing the spoon and putting it in his mouth himself. Maybe this will be one of the pluses to "Second Child Syndrome"-- he'll have better table manners than his older brother who still seems to think most everything is finger food.

After nearly two months of waiting and trying on my part, RTR is sitting up on his own--most of the time. I still put the Boppy behind him if I am going to leave him for a couple of minutes. The hardwood floor is pretty hard on the noggin. Not sure what to do when he tips forward. So far he hasn't hurt himself-- I just make sure if I do leave him, there are only soft toys in front of him.

We had to retire the crib mobile. RTR figured out how to arch his back in just the right way so he can reach up and grab the legs of the animal hanging down the lowest. I have to admit it was fascinating to watch. Kinda sad too as it's another sign that he's getting older-- even if his age is still measured in months.

Christmas Blessings

It's the day after Christmas and lyrics from Christmas songs keep running through my head (that darn Warm 106.9 and its continuous Christmas music!).  We had ourselves a very merry little Christmas.  Christmas Eve was so sweet and magical.  As we sat around the table for dinner, CSR reached out to hold hands with Grandma and Grandpa and we all joined hands (even RTR in his high chair).  CSR then said Grandpa needed to say the blessing--which may have caught Grandpa off guard since we rarely say a blessing at the table.  But it just goes to show you how a four year old's mind works.  CSR meant for Grandpa to count his blessings.  According to CSR's direction this was something just the boys at the table were going to say.  When it was CSR's turn, he said he was blessed to have his Grandma and Grandpa here for Christmas.  After dinner, CSR sat on Grandpa's lap while he recited a Christmas cowboy poem.  CSR just sat there and listened so intently.  Then it was Grandma's turn.  Sitting in the glider in front of the fireplace, CSR sat in her lap as she read "Twas the Night Before Christmas."  I was watching pure love as they sat and rocked in front of the fire and read stories from the special Christmas book.  The night also included a trip outside to spread the reindeer feed Grandma had brought for Santa's reindeer.  CSR picked just the spot next to the chimney.  Tyler said CSR put one of his name tags outside so Santa would know that it was his house.  CSR also got the plate of cookies ready and picked out the cup for the milk for Santa.  All this wonder and excitement is so wonderful.
We were even pretty lucky that we didn't have to get up too terribly early Christmas morning.  I've had reports of other family members and friends getting woke up at 4AM.  In our case though, it was RTR, not CSR, who sounded the alarm before 7AM.  CSR was very surprised by what Santa left him-- including a bright red toboggan.  Good thing it snowed on Christmas.  Santa must have known.  CSR got several pairs of pajamas and seemed to put on a fashion show of sorts-- changing from one set to another throughout the day.  I think the blue reindeer ones are his favorite.
Christmas reminds me how blessed I am-- with family and friends whose generosity and thoughtfulness make this a magical time, loving grandmas and grandpa, aunts, uncles and cousins, two dear little boys and a very special husband.

Busy Little Elves

In case I failed to email you this link, check it out. I think it's pretty funny. But then again, it was late in the day when I did this. http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1552742072 You might have to copy and paste to get it to work.

Mad, Sad and Disappointed

It all started with a poopy diaper. The boys and I headed downtown this morning for our annual visit to Santa. While on our way out to the carousel, RTR filled his diaper. After Tyler and CSR took a spin on the carousel, we headed to Macy's. After debating where to meet inside, Tyler and CSR went to look at the train window display while RTR and I headed to the 6th floor and the "Family" bathroom. The sign said to get the key for the bathroom at Gift Wrap. The woman in Gift Wrap said there was no key, someone had failed to return it but that there was a baby changing station in the women's room on the second floor. I beat feet to the second floor women's restroom-- or "Lounge" as it was labeled. A quick spin through the spacious lounge revealed no changing station. My first clue should have been the woman kneeling on the floor changing her newborn baby's diaper on a bench in the lounge. By the time I got situated in a handicap stall, the poo had leaked out-- onto his undershirt, shirt and pants. Of course I was the lame mother who decided NOT to bring the mega package of wipes when I switched baby bags to come downtown. I had one wet wash cloth and a Huggies disposable wash cloth to clean everything up. Thankfully there is a paper towel dispenser in the stall. The spare clothes I did bring didn't have the same holiday flair as the original outfit. But I made due with a clean onesie, slightly poop-stained pants and a cute holiday vest. So it was back up to the 6th floor (where we decided to meet originally) to meet Tyler and CSR. I waited for 20 minutes by the elevator. This is where I curse our having only one cell phone between us. I decide maybe they went down to the 5th floor to where Santa is. So it's back on the elevator to the 5th floor, follow the signs through the furniture department to find Santa's hang out. I get there and not only is no one there but a sign saying Santa went to feed is reindeer and will be back at 3:30-- 45 minutes away. Just then the cell phone rings. It's Tyler asking me where I am. He's on the first floor now after having spent 20 or more minutes waiting for me outside the "Family" bathroom on the 6th floor. By now I am livid-- at Macy's, Santa, the company that does the photography and myself for the whole mess. By the time I got to the first floor, I was so mad, I told Tyler I couldn't talk about it. Going to Nordstrom wasn't an option. It's notorious for crazy long lines to see Santa and we were now out of time-- RTR and I had to be in the U-District at 4:00pm. RTR definitely had no idea what we missed and CSR seemed to understand. We'll try again another day. I think I need more sleep.

A Picky Eater?

Can RTR already be a picky eater? He's only six months old but already showing some pickiness when it comes to eating solid food. In the two weeks since we started with rice cereal, he hasn't really eaten very much. If memory serves, CSR took to solid food very well and he's still a pretty good eater... he will "sneak" broccoli from the cutting board, but he often asks for pizza for dinner. Tonight he said pizza, lasagna and spaghetti are his favorite foods. That's funny because I thought it was candy. Anyway, I digress. In an attempt to feed my second-born, I broke out something different-- winter squash! I was so hopeful when RTR took the first couple of bites. But it soon faded and he quickly became more interested in a plastic lid than anything being offered on a spoon. A good friend of mine said it's part of "Second Child Syndrome." I did not know it had a formal name. Apparently, whatever came easy with the first born, the second born child makes up for it by being difficult. This could also explain why RTR isn't as advanced on his sitting up skills. If he became good at sitting up by himself, who would sit by him and hand him toys and stuff. I would probably be more apt to set him down and then go do a load of laundry. This may also be why CSR can't find any clean socks. Note to self: put socks on CSR's Christmas list.

Dashing Through the Snow

Snow today, gone tomorrow. The snow fun started while we were on another family adventure. This time on a trek to cut down a Christmas tree. The flakes started falling while we were having lunch in Issaquah and was really coming down by the time we made it to the tree farm in Carnation. Apparently Christmas tree farms are largely a cash and check operation. We learned this the hard way when we showed up without a check book and about five dollars short in cash. After a quick side trip to an ATM in Duvall, we were ready to cut down our own tree. We could pick any one we wanted all for $35.


Of course, it wouldn't do to get one from the front section. So we grabbed a saw and RTR who was snuggled in his car seat for a walk down the snowy path to where the Fraser trees are.
Poor RTR must have wondered where in the heck we were taking him--snowflakes landing on his cheeks and covering his blanket while Tyler and I debated the merits of one tree over the next. CSR was just loving the snow and picking up handfuls of it for a snack. Finally we found the one we wanted and Tyler made quick work of cutting it down.



When we pulled out on the highway, it was snowing even harder. By the time we got home, there were at least three inches of snow on the ground. Perfect for getting out the snowman kit.

Sadly by the next morning, the snowman had fallen over. But that didn't stop our little snow angel. He took full advantage of the new snowfall. So much fun!

Let's Eat

Thanksgiving weekend was a weekend full of firsts for our second born. First Thanksgiving, first swim, first solid food. If you can call the thin rice cereal solid food. Of course, we had to document the first feeding. Here's my attempt at trying to add video from my Flip Camera to the blog.

Okay, so I couldn't upload the video. Will have to consult the manual or something. Instead, here are a few pictures of the whole thing. He looks thrilled doesn't he? Bon appetit!

Give Thanks

A few things to be thankful for:
A wonderful husband
Two healthy, beautiful children
My mom
My in-laws
Brothers, sisters, neices, nephews, aunts, grandma
Generous friends
A roof over our heads

Happy Thanksgiving!

Rainy Days and Mondays...

Rainy days and Mondays always get me down. It might sound cliche, but today it certainly seems true (and it's a rainy Monday to boot). It's all quiet at our house, the only sounds--this typing, the fridge running and the snap and ping of the clothes in the dryer. Both boys are asleep... it took me what seemed like forever to get RTR down for a nap. CSR fell asleep in a pile of blankets in the chair in the living room while I was waging my nap battle against the baby.

We all probably need a nap. It has been a full and busy weekend--which pretty much started on Thursday night when Grandma and Grandpa arrived for an early Thanksgiving visit. CSR has been nearly electric with enthusiasm during the visit. He loves them so much. He kept asking/telling them they needed to stay for eleven days to do all the things they needed to do. When grandma dropped him off at preschool this morning, he told her to be sure and bring grandpa when it was time to be picked up. I'm sure it made it that much harder for g'ma and g'pa to get ready to go home. When I arrived to pick him up at school, such tender feelings (I'm not trying to make you weepy, if you're reading this grandma). I could see it in his eyes, this sort of hurt, disappointed look and then when he spoke, the break in his voice, wanting to know where they were. Amid all the hub-bub of the classroom, he cuddled up and let me hold him. On the way home, he wanted to know how many days it had been since Thursday, when they arrived. When I counted out four days on my fingers, he said they were suppose to stay for five more days. Not quite eleven days total, but still pretty good math skills for a four and a half year old. Of course, all this emotion made coming home and getting lunch ready a whiny mess.

We're lucky to have such doting grandparents. They generously watched the boys while I went and had a massage (delicious!) and took them to the park on Friday. CSR loves having them read books and tuck him in at night. He got grandpa to pull him in the wagon almost to the park on Saturday, but then he got too chilly and wanted to come home. Yesterday he was lobbying hard after lunch at Ruby's Diner to stop at Tree Top Toys so he could show grandma some toys. CSR and grandma watched the second half of the Seahawks game (papa and grandpa were at the game) and then made some cinnamon ornaments. Lots of togetherness.



My blogging was interrupted by a crying baby. It took me more than 45 minutes to get RTR to fall asleep for what turned out to be about a twenty minute nap. Poor return on my investment. I'm trying to wean both of us off of having to use the car seat for naps. But so far, it's not working. I tried the whole swaying, shushing and singing routine and even a little cry it out, until I gave in and got the car seat. I can usually get him to nap easily by strapping him in his car seat and then swinging the car seat. I wasn't sure if I was getting a workout or wrecking my arms or back. Turns out, it was the latter. I'm the victim of my own popularity, at least when it comes to RTR's popularity index.

The Long Walk Home

This post is more about me than the boys. Today I made quite a journey. I was babysitting two dear little ones-- Evan who is 3 1/2 and his 14 month old sister Lily-- this morning while CSR was at preschool. Since I don't own a minivan, when it came time to go get CSR at school, I had to hoof it--Lily in the stroller, RTR in the Bjorn and Evan speed walking alongside me. I am quite proud of him-- he walked almost the whole way (and back), except when I thought I was going to be late and made him hop on the stroller so I could speed walk the rest of the way. Poor RTR probably got the worst of the long walk, being jostled in the Bjorn. Once we got there (did I mention it was uphill?), I got to rest--C and Evan ran around playing on the school playground. I'm sure we were quite the site walking home too--Lily and CSR in the Sit-n-Stand, RTR back in the Bjorn and Evan hoofin' it along side me. His only request: "Could you walk a little slower?" Is it possible for babies to give looks of disdain? I swear RTR on the way home had a little look like that. The roundtrip took an hour and a half. Hopefully none of the kiddos are any worse for the wear. When we got home, my friend Leah (E & L's mom) was waiting for us, even walking down the block to meet us. I think I earned a dish of ice cream or something tonight.

Boys & Toys

RTR makes his maiden voyage in the Johnny Jumper. It's adorable to watch him dance his little feet around. Sometimes when he's laying on his back, he'll get to kicking just his legs. It's kinda funny. A friend said he was doing his Riverdance. And it does look a little like that--the legs are the only part of his body that's moving. Other than sort of having problems maintaining his balance in the jumper, RTR seemed to like it the first time around. At least enough for me to make some lunch and sit down and eat it. The next day he wasn't so into it, but maybe because he was tired.



Who knew toys could make a parent nervous? Besides recent toy recalls, it seems like some companies have taken the fun and play out of toys. When CSR was a baby, I bought him one of these "busy boxes"--a toy with little dials, doors and spinner things because he really liked the ones at our baby class. I ended up returning it because all it required was one push of one button to make it light up and play (lame) electronic music. The ones at school were "old school" from years ago. Why did the toy makers change such a simple thing? That's why the Fisher Price Roly Poly Chime Ball is one of my favorite garage sale finds. It was only fifty cents, made in the USA and is a simple and entertaining baby toy. Of course, with its age I should probably be concerned about some weird environmental thing from how old the plastic is. Good, simple toys are another reason to support independent toy stores!

Muddy Buddy

I'm happy to say our boys do NOT suffer from Nature Deficit Disorder. CSR spent his afternoon in the front yard, digging with his garden tools, filling in his "pool" with the hose and getting muddy. He was so content watching the pool fill and drain down the waterfall. It was pretty amazing how long he was into that project. He could probably spend the whole day playing in the front yard if we let him. He even took his lunch outside, setting up a makeshift picnic table on a cooler and sitting on the brass powder room stool that's been banished to the garage. On weekends, he's out front quite a bit thanks to papa working in the yard and garage. But during the week, I'm not a big fan of hanging out in the front yard as much and it's a family rule of no playing in the front yard alone. For some reason, our fully fenced backyard doesn't have the same appeal. But I am glad that he will play out there too.


Took RTR this afternoon to visit the newsroom where I used to work. It was great to see my old friends-- it has been about six months since I quit. Time flies! Miss the people, not the work so much.

Trick-or-Treat

The Halloween fun started first thing at our house and lasted until about a half an hour ago. We had matching engineers (it was a better deal to buy two pairs of overalls at the Oshkosh Outlet).

After hitting the neighbors' houses and a few around the block, CSR checks out his haul. At one house, as they held the bowl of candy out for CSR to pick one out, he took one for himself and then said, "one for my dad, too." What a negotiator.

RTR at 5 Months

Our sweet smiley baby boy is five months old! He must be feeling his age. Today was a sleepy day for him. After sleeping through the night, he woke up to nurse around seven this morning, fell back asleep until after ten, took a little cat nap at noon, snoozed again at three, another siesta at six and then out like a light at bedtime by 7:30. When he was awake, he was such an agreeable little guy... putting up with a little photo session with the pumpkins on the porch and letting me sit him in his little chair while I worked on dinner. Most of the time he won't let me get away with sitting him in one spot for too long. This poor babe is also getting some of that second-born treatment. I have an appointment on Friday to get his THREE month pictures taken. Also, I did his FOUR month footprints today. Hopefully, I'll get caught up soon.

Some five month fun:
Discovering his feet--diaper changing time is prime time to reach out and grab those tootsies!
Working on sitting up--still need a lot of support and can make mama and papa nervous with sudden leaning to the side or front and sliding down
Open mouth, insert _________--loves trying to put anything in his mouth
Give me paper--you need paper slobbered on, crinkled or folded, I'm your man!
Big Brother--always keeping an eye out for that brother who is a great source of entertainment, always working hard for laughs and smiles
Learning to squeal--especially when papa is tickling and talking

Family Adventure

It wasn't the sunny day KING 5's Chris Warren promised, but it still made for a fun day for a family adventure. We set out with a lunch packed in our favorite red cooler and headed to Fort Casey State Park on Whidbey Island http://www.visitwhidbey.com/camp-grounds/Fort-Casey-and-Keystone-State-Parks.html. The park's military roots are evident with the battlements above the beach-- huge ten inch guns to protect the Puget Sound from foreign invaders in the early 1900's. It was really cool to climb up the ladders to get a close up look at the carriage guns and explore all the little passageways and rooms. There's a great driftwood beach too. CSR loves the beach. The more driftwood and logs the better. Someone had built a sort of teepee shaped structure, which CSR thought was awesome. But there was no way to get inside it (which was probably a safe thing). Still it was fun playing on the beach. For CSR, it doesn't take long for a stick, log and bunch of seagrass is instantly a campfire, seat and fishing line.

While trying to get some pictures of the baby, poor RTR took a header onto the rocks... proving that he cannot sit up on his own yet and gravity hurts. What a dumb bunny I was to do that. Of course, I felt awful. He ended up with a little red mark on his forehead. Next time, I will look for a softer surface for photos or anchor him better.

On the wildlife watch, we spotted a sea lion in the water, two deer munching on the grass near one of the battlements, a bald eagle on a pole near the Keystone ferry landing and a blue heron in a pool along Highway 20.

A Pushy Mama

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day...of course, I didn't take any pictures. I never saw a thermometer, but it seemed hot this afternoon. With our ususal childcare arrangement out with a cold, I took CSR to the baby class RTR and I take. The upside was that we got to enjoy the beautiful weather with a walk there... well, I walked, the boys got to ride. I go back and forth on blessing and cursing the inventor of the Sit-n-Stand stroller. Definitely handy on long walks and trips to the zoo but with a lousy turning radius and a forty+ pound four year old who takes full advantage of the sitting option, I am getting to be one "pushy" mama. Coming home was the worst part. It was hot (I was foolishly wearing a long sleeve t-shirt) and included an uphill part. CSR was sweet enough to get off and push the stroller part of the way then.

I am surprised he wasn't hotter. CSR decided to wear his lizard costume--last year's Halloween costume that's now in the dress up bin. I worked too hard sewing it not to get more mileage out of it than just one Halloween. A true "green" costume. I'm on the hunt now for this year's costume for CSR. He wants to be an engineer--the train kind, not civil. I found a hat at Value Village for $2 and now face a trip to the Oshkosh outlet store for striped overalls. At least RTR has an easy costume--the same pumpkin costume CSR wore when he was a baby. However I thought for just a minute of making him a caboose costume to go with CSR's engineer. The picture is of CSR in the lizard costume LAST year.

First Big Boy Field Trip

Today is CSR's first big boy field trip--no mom tagging along and the first time on a real school bus. It's a change for both of us--after two years of co-op preschool field trips where all the kids and parent go together. With our struggles lately to even get to preschool, I was the cheerleader at home, talking up the big field trip... how much fun it will be and how exciting it will be to ride a school bus. Back when the permission slips were passed out more than a month ago, the big attraction wasn't going to the animal farm and pumpkin patch (been there, done that) but riding the bus! I asked him if I could stay and take pictures of him getting on the bus-- could make for a good page in his scrapbook. Now looking at the pictures, I see what a big boy he's getting to be... lining up and walking with his class and climbing aboard. All these four year olds tucked two to a seat. As I stood in the parking lot watching and waving, I loved to see not only my child but other kids waving to me from inside the tinted bus windows. Kids are good wavers. I can't wait to hear CSR tell me all about the trip. I wonder what he'll come home with--he said he wanted to get a ghost pumpkin.

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Just when you think your four year old is wearing you to a frazzle, comes this. On Tuesday, I got out of the shower to find RTR crying (instead of napping) in his cradle. I started to talk to him and was about to launch into "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," when CSR who is standing next to the cradle says "no, I'll do it" and starts to sing. At least his version of it-- parts of all four verses all squished together. I thought it was so sweet and also pretty amazing how he picked up all those chunks of words. But then again, CSR has an amazing memory. I swear he would be a great crime witness. As we were getting in the car the other day, a woman stopped her car to ask directions. We got a couple blocks from our house and CSR wanted to know where the woman in the Volvo was going. It knocks me over how he can remember those kinds of things. This summer, we were sitting in the parking lot of a McDonald's in Oregon and he points out a car, saying it was the same kind of loaner car we had when we had the brakes done on our car-- and that was last spring. Maybe he just has a thing for remembering cars. He can identify all kinds of makes and models in traffic.

Oh, and this might not be a news flash, but one of the easiest, yummiest shortcut, almost homemade desserts is two-bite brownies topped with cream cheese frosting (I got this idea from a co-worker). We had a party and my homemade contribution to go along with the food we ordered was brownies from Costco with orange (for Halloween) frosting. Although one of my friends did ask jokingly if that was salmon pate on the top. I had a little trouble with the red food coloring. The cap "popped" and splattered red all over the counter-- like a tiny crime scene. Thankfully, I could use my Clorox Bleach Pen to dab up all the spots on the counter--just like an episode of CSI!

Way Down Yonder in the Pumpkin Patch

October has always been my favorite month. Most of my life it was because of my birthday and that I've been lucky to live in places where the change from summer to fall makes for beautiful scenery. But now it's because of the boys. Today we made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. We've done it every year since CSR was a baby no matter whether it was raining and muddy or sunny and beautiful. Come to think of it, I don't think it's ever been sunny for one of these trips. Anyway, the pumpkin-pie-slice of farm life is so much fun. We went through our first corn maze. It took us a half an hour to get all confused, turned around and inadvertently back where we started from. We never even made it to the half way point. I have to hand it to the designer of Bob's Corn Maze--it was a tricky one.

The big fun was going through the pumpkin patch. There were pumpkins of all shapes, sizes and colors. It was hard to choose-- a white Ghost pumpkin, a funky Cinderella pumpkin, or the standard orange. CSR found a great one--I'm sure papa will have fun trying to get all the guts cleaned out of it. CSR was so sweet picking a baby one out for RTR.

This also added to the realization in trying to give son #2 similar experiences as #1, he might be getting short-changed. Years from now I will have to explain to him why his big brother has dozens of pictures from his first pumpkin patch trip (or visit to the fair, airplane trip, etc) while he has considerably less--and most include that big brother. I don't expect to be able to give RTR the same-- but I'm trying to be as balanced as possible. At least not everything he wears is a hand-me-down.

What the Heck Happened?

As a parent, do you wonder what the heck happened, where is all the time going? I look back on my pregnancies and think of that time of waiting like walking up hill to reach a mesa... sure there's some effort involved but once you get to the top (give birth) you'll be rewarded with an amazing view. But I now think it wasn't a mesa but a summit and the trail back down is steeper and there's no leisurely pace and these babies are always just a little bit ahead of you. Each day is one more day that sweet babe is a little farther away from you. This picture of RTR is when he was three weeks old--back in June!

In the Swing of Things

It's been hit or miss (mostly miss) for RTR and his baby swing. He got so mad when we would put him in it, I put the swing away for a while. So the new trick to help him fall asleep for a nap has been swinging him as he was buckled into his car seat. It works pretty well, although I'm not sure if I'm wrecking my back or building up my biceps. So we tried the swing again on Friday, but this time buckling him in to it to make him feel secure (before the five point harness seemed superfluous with the little tray and the reclining seat). He fell asleep and I was able to get dinner made. Tried it again yesterday and today and got a little more mileage out of the swing... so maybe he's back in the swing of things.

It's amazing he's already four months old. Here are some of his latest and greatest tricks:

*New challenge: Trying to fit entire fist in mouth

*Sleeping through the night

*Rolling over (once in a while)

*Took his first plane trip

*Trying to decide what to be for Halloween

*Favorite food: Breastmilk

*Favorite drink: Breastmilk

*Attended first art show

*Learning the fine art of Peek-a-boo

*Likes: Smiling, mama, papa, watching big brother run around, crib mobile

*Dislikes: tummy time, sudden outbursts from dad during Seahawks games, riding in cars

Smiley Boys

I'm trying to get better, more natural photos of my kiddos. One piece of advice I read from the pros is to cut the cheese (haha). Try to get out of the habit of having kids/people say "cheese" when you take their picture. I have a lot of pictures of CSR with a goofy, "cheesey" grin, so now no more cheese. Also, since it's a digital camera, I'm trying to take A LOT of pictures just to get a few good ones. Hopefully that will force me to delete the extra pics. before I upload them to Costco's web site for printing.

RTR is getting a new perspective. In the past few weeks, I thought he was learning to roll over. Both times it happened, I was in the kitchen and he was in the living room. CSR came running in to say he rolled over. So this week, I began to suspect the little guy was getting a little help from his big brother. But then, at our baby class, RTR rolled over a bunch of times. So much for my suspicions!

Taking the blogger plunge

After months of thinking and talking about it, I've decided to try a blog. A couple of blogging friends inspired me to give it a try. It will probably be mostly about my boys.