Blast from the Past...

The not so distant past.

As I am going through and picking out pictures to upload to other posts I have created in the past few months and not been able to finish, I am coming across lots of pictures that I can't help but stop and share. We don't have lots of pictures of Gavin and Dane together for lots of reasons but I love when I come across ones that I forgot were taken.

This is from almost a year ago (February 15, 2013) and I can't believe how different they both look. Gavin looks so much more grown up now and Dane (though not a surprise) looks like a toddler.

I wish they would just slow down a bit so I could feel like I was really able to enjoy and absorb them but it all goes by faster as they get older and busier. I guess it is a good thing we have so many pictures so I can go back and look through to remind myself of how they looked (and oh how cute they are!), what we did, and all the fun we had.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

(Details of our awesome Christmas to follow!)

Dane's Newest Obsession...

I am glad that Gavin and Dane have never minded the vacuum. I have heard some have children that are afraid or don't like the noise but we don't have that problem. I am certainly glad because it is out pretty much every day at some point and sometimes more than once. Shop vacs are awesome!

Dane is now obsessed with the vacuum and as soon as it comes out he is coming at it trying to take control. Gavin used to like to help (he will do it now if I ask but will rarely ask if he can help otherwise) and Dane used to be satisfied with just holding a piece or two of the hose extensions. Not anymore. He now demands full control of the vacuum and prefers for it to be on. He does seem to try to vacuum the floor but that quickly turns into trying to get someone or something, including his own fingers. He loves it and always has a huge smile on his face.

I am so glad to have my little helpers!

So Behind...

I am, yet again, majorly behind with updates around here! I keep thinking I will get to it and do it from my phone but that doesn't really work for lots of posts or long posts plus I can't upload photos from the camera via my phone, only those that were taken with the camera on my phone. The laptop I had from work had become a bit unreliable and I was unmotivated to spend any time trouble shooting it because it was going to take a fair bit on time. Not to mention the hardware that had stopped work (or working reliably). I could have used Scott's computer from time to time but I rarely had a chance to get in there for anything more than a few minutes to hand necessities when Scott wasn't home and wanting/needing his computer. So anyway, I am now set up with a new laptop (I had to turn mine in when I resigned at the end of my leave of absence, a post about that day will be up at some point in time for sure!) and so Scott insisted that we get something for me to be able to do everything I need to around here. At first I was resistant because I knew I could get by without having one but I am glad he insisted because I am really excited to have a good reliable machine to handle bills, surfing the web, blogging, pictures, and everything else that we may need it for. I am determined to get back on top of sharing tidbits about our life. I am really looking forward to being caught up so I can share more of all the fun things that we do and all the cute pictures we take.

So a couple of recent cute pictures of the boys playing in the snow just for fun!

Apple Picking!

We had an awesome playdate this morning at our favorite farm to play, visit the animals, and pick some delicious fruit! I have only ever been on weekends when they are busy so this was an entirely different experience. It was even better than usual! We had a chance ti meet and chat with the owner, he gave us a ride around on a fancy new jeep type vehicle, we played with their new chocolate lab named Mocha, and had free reign of the farm! It was fun to catch up with good friends while playing and enjoying the beautiful weather (after three days of yucky weather). Gavin had such a good time that even almost 3 hours there, he desparately wanted to go back after his nap. I forgot the Canon and generally forgot to take pictures but I did snap a few on my phone. 

We can't wait to go back in a few weeks for more apples and to pick out pumpkins for Halloween!

Hey! There is a Baby in There!

Dane was playing in the kitchen while I started dinner and Gavin napped and he found his reflection in the over door (please ignore the dirty window, I have yet to find anything to completely clean off what manages to find its way on there while things bake). He was so excited. He was banging on the door and babbling up a storm! So. Much. Fun!

Sharing...

Is caring! Dane loves to share whatever he happens to be holding and enjoying. If it is a toy/teething item he will gladly look at you, smile, and then try to shove it in your mouth for you to try it out. He does this with food as well. Last night while I was making dinner, Gavin and Dane were snacking on carrots and cucumbers (both favorites of theirs, we go through an insane amount of them every week). Gavin pulled his chair up to Dane in the high chair and Dane was more than happy to share with Gavin. Gavin would ask for him to share (although Dane doesn't really know what he is saying yet, it is really sweet Gavin wants to play and eat with Dane), Dane would then try to put the carrot or cucumber in Gavin's mouth. When they were out, Gavin came looking for more to share with Dane.

It was great and occupied them both for maybe 5 minutes so I could finish up dinner (and it kept Gavin out of trouble for a few minutes). I am glad I caught it with my phone because it was really cute, even though it was short lived!

Ready for Fall...

But Gavin is not. He is excited for the things we talk about doing in the coming months like jumping in piles of leaves, apple and pumpkin picking, Halloween, birthdays, and all the other awesome things about the end of the year. However, he is not ready to let summer and playing in the water and pool go. Today, despite the low 70 degree (beautiful) weather, Gavin insisted on wearing a swimming suit to play outside. He wanted to fill up his pool, put the sprinkler on, and cut grass.

At least cutting grass makes sense. Dane loved watching from Gavin's truck and Gavin loved helping daddy cut grass.

I am ready for all things fall, especially the cooler night weather killing all the mosquitoes so it will be more enjoyable outside! Plus it is the only.time of year we can truly enjoy the windows being open. Add to that the awesome baking, cooking, colors, holidays, and football. What isn't there to love about fall!

Kids Say the Darndest Things!

I wish I was better about writing down all the crazy things Gavin says because he comes up with some really hilarious things all the time. One that is actually quite logical that he has been doing is saying "buckle me out" when he wants out of his car seat. It is really cute and at first I tried to correct him but now I just let him say it and giggle and enjoy it because they only say cute things like that for a few short years, why not embrace it.

Anyway, we are outside enjoying the absolutely beautiful weather (that seems completely in August like) and he was playing with the hose and a bucket and said, "My hands are diving!" Thankfully I quickly grabbed my phone to take a picture of how cute! Enjoy!

So Much to Share, So Little Time...

I am so completely ashamed of how awful I have been with updating on how our boys are growing. I don't have any good excuses. I have been lazy with the free time I get and instead watch a movie or TV show on Netflix. I can easily make time to update more but when the boys are napping I am running around the house trying to do everything I can't when they are awake. When they are finally both in bed at night I run around trying to finish everything I can manage before Dane wakes up and decides he is done in the crib and wants snuggles the rest of the night (and really, I am not ready to give that up so I willingly take him to bed and snuggle and veg out with some TV on my phone. I justify it to myself while also hating that I didn't make more time for the boys, myself, the house, Scott, and a million other things that need my time. Seriously, there are never enough hours in the day to maintain life and also get to the neglected items. Someday, right? I sure hope so, but not too soon because I suspect that will mean my boys are grown and too busy for me, sad thought!

Anyway, a few cute pictures from my phone and a promise to get on top of the many, many missing posts and pictures from our blog!

And He's Off...

Dane has decided that it is time to be on the move. He has been working himself backwards and from side to side for a while now. He has started moving forward now and I can imagine that by the time we are headed home from PA, he will be moving a lot faster than the army crawl crossed with a hand/foot crawl he is currently starting with. It is fun to watch because Gavin started crawling a bit differently and didn't do it for long (he had been pulling to standing and cruising for about 6 weeks by the time he started crawling around) because he just wanted to walk. Dane isn't quite to that point yet, although he is pulling up on some things, he is still working on that and so he isn't cruising around yet. I am hoping that Dane will be happy with crawling for a lot longer because I am certainly not ready for him to be walking anytime soon! I guess we need to get the gate back up at the top of the stairs when we get home!

Already in a hurry...

Dane is determined and in a hurry to stand and try to walk, probably because he wants to chase Gavin. He isn't content just sitting and playing with toys he wants to move and wrestle and be in the middle of whatever is happening. I sure hope he doesn't walk any earlier than Gavin, 10 months was early enough! I was really hoping he would walk later since he has Gavin to entertain him and bring him toys. We shall see.

Sigh.

Dane at 5 Months!

What is it about 5 months that makes Dane look and seem so old? It just seems like overnight Dane has gone from a brand new baby I was staring at and snuggling in the hospital to the sweet, fun, happy little boy we have now. Dane is such an amazing and wonderful addition to our family. I feel so lucky to be the one taking care of him!

•Dane is up to approximately 18.5 pounds!
•Dane is around 26.5 inches tall!
•Dane is a very happy baby and loves to show off for everyone and will smile and "talk" and turn on all of the sweetness he has! It always makes me smile when we are out and he does this, it is fun to go back and forth because he is usually right in front of me in the Beco.
•Dane loves blowing raspberries. He is starting to move away from all the sweet little cooing noises and exploring what other noises be can make. He still makes some cooing noises but it isn't the same. The raspberries are fun though.
•Dane has his two bottom teeth coming in already, the first one started to poke through about a week ago and the second followed a few days later. It started so fast we didn't even see it right away. Dane has mostly been himself so hopefully we can make it through the various teething stages with minimal disruptions to his comfort and mood. We are very sad to see his teeth already coming in because we love his gummy smile and we don't want him to look older, we want him to stay a baby forever! Well, maybe not forever but longer than it lasts for sure!
•Dane is working hard on sitting independently. He manages a few seconds here and there but mostly he still either throws himself backward, to the side, or squishes himself by leaning forward. I'm sure he will be sitting before long and then I will have to cave and start giving him some regular food. We are skipping purees this time for lots of reasons, so we won't be starting solid food for at least another month, maybe longer. The rule for baby led weaning ("BLW", meaning you put small bite sized pieces of food on their tray/plate and let them figure out how to eat and try lots of different things, etc) is 6 months and sitting independently but we may wait longer than that. I am in no rush and Dane doesn't need anything other than what he gets from breast milk for now.
•Dane absolutely loves Gavin more than anyone or anything else. He just lights up when Gavin is around and now that he is interacting more, Gavin is starting to really enjoy Dane more. It is very sweet to watch and to see Gavin do things for Dane like bringing him a toy, repeating me telling him everything is ok, helping me to sing songs to Dane in the car, being patient that we can't always chat because we need to help Dane, and wanting to hold and give Dane hugs and kisses. Dane just loves all the attention and clearly wants to be around Gavin and watches him so closely!
•Dane has shown that he can roll (both ways) but doesn't have much interest in doing it very often. When he is laid down, he is generally pretty content to stay however he was put down. He is so mellow compared to Gavin, who never wanted to be on his stomach unless he was sleeping.
•Dane is such a happy little boy that we often get to hear him giggling, especially when Gavin is around being crazy. He is also very ticklish, like Gavin, which is a lot of fun.
•Dane loves to put everything in his mouth (of course it is normal developmental milestone and he is getting teeth in) but he seems to really be enjoying Sophie the Giraffe that he got for Easter. He is still figuring out how to really manipulate it, but so far it seems to be a big hit (like everyone raves about). I hope he continues to enjoy it and it helps with some of the discomfort of teeth coming in.


What a wonderful month we have had with Dane in our family, we can't wait to see what the next month bring!

Jumping Into Spring!

We had a few small glimpses of warmer weather the last week! It was absolutely wonderful! We enjoyed the sun, being outside without 4 layers on, more time walking to Valkill (most mornings and afternoons), running around the yard, and having windows open! Unfortunately, we have had a few colder and rainy days but the warmer weather gives me hope that we are heading towards nicer and warmer weather soon. We have a great new routine that allows us more time outside. Gavin started needing his nap a little later (so after lunch time instead of right before or at lunch time) and so I have been showering first thing in the morning instead of when Gavin naps so that we can have a couple hours outside before we come in for lunch and naps. Then most afternoons we have even had time to go back outside before we need to finish putting dinner together. Gavin has been loving all the time we have had outside and I think Dane has as well. It has also made it easier to run our errands in the morning before lunch and nap time and still have at least an hour or two outside after Gavin naps and before dinner. I am looking forward to having time outside after dinner, before baths, as well but it hasn't quite warmed up enough for that yet. Anyway, we have had a great time and are looking forward to some more warmer weather this week!

Errands and Fun!

The weather started warming up so we have been going for walks and spending lots of time outside but yesterday and today reverted back to cold and throw in some high winds and it was far too cold to be outside (despite an attempt yesterday before we found out about the winds, once we got to the bridge in Valkill we quickly turned back and walked as fast as we could home), today I decided we should run our errands so we can enjoy the forecasted warmer weather the next few days.

We headed to the mall to mainly go to Old Navy and Target for a few things we needed but since Gavin was doing really well and listening, we stayed longer and walked through the mall a bit more and got some pretzel bites and lemonade to share and Gavin tried out a few tractors at Sears. Dane comfortably snoozed in the Beco as Gavin and I walked the mall and had fun and ran our errands. It was great!

Gavin has become really good with holding a hand while walking (instead of just trying to break away and run), which gives him more freedom and he usually listens when he is given a bit ore freedom and told to just stick close. I am sure there will still be plenty of times he chooses not to listen but thankfully he listened today so we could be out and have fun!

So Behind...

I still have what feels like about 25 posts to catch up on (when in reality it is probably more like 10 but about 4,000 pictures to sort through and catch up on). So, since I am still behind and trying to find the needed motivation to get back on top of blogging in between keeping the house clean, cooking, taking care of our sweet little family, and finding some me time (part of why I am farther behind again is because I took me time to read The Hunger Games triology and start exercising), a few cute pictures from my phone of Gavin and Dane!

I will have to get caught up so I can be better about documenting all our fun as the weather warms up! Yay for Spring!!!