Three Adults, One Booster, a Highchair and Extra Napkins, Please.

We had dinner out last night at Karl Strauss Brewery.  It's a neat restaurant with a super yummy menu tucked away in a business park.  Probably wasn't the most child-friendly pick but we made it through with only one water glass spilled.  Luckily it landed in William's lap, and he thought it was hilarious. 

It was tough to get a good picture, but here are a few bad ones just to document the fact that yes, we did indeed at out at a restaurant...  I don't just make up these awesome stories for fun, you know.

Don't we look like we're at the zoo?  Oh wait - we are the zoo.

This Is How We Roll

Nothing like a boy and his wagon.  Or really, anybody's wagon, seeing how this isn't ours.

Tay-Tay!

Aunt Kay is here and someone is in Heaven. More on the fun we've been having soon!

Heads Up

The other day Thomas had a consultation for a doc band, those helmets you see on babies used to reshape their heads.  Thomas has a mild to moderate case of plagiocephaly, where his head is a bit flat in the back and his forehead bulges on one side.  We still haven't decided if it warrants treatment or not, but we had a great experience at the consult.  The staff was very friendly and Thomas got a mini photoshoot.

Second Child Syndrome

Dear Sweet Thomas,

So often we tote you around, a twenty pound bundle of love, without all the attention that your big brother got when he was the only one.  You don't seem to mind.  You smile at him right along with me, never complaining that he is the one so often in the spotlight.  You don't know life any other way.

You are a second child, and let me tell you, being a second child has some incredible perks.  We enjoy you so much without all the worry and second-guessing that accompany a first born.  We look at you and smile without wondering when you will sit up by yourself and how that compares with the rest of the six month old population.  Then one day you're sitting, and we wonder when it happened.  Where did our little baby go?

Every day we have a special time together; a secret we keep from your big brother, when we giggle and play and you show me all of your new tricks.  Your brother naps away the afternoon, unaware of all the undivided attention you get.  Surely he would never stand for that if he were awake. 

We thank God for the gift of you, our second son.  Surely you must know how giddy with love you make us.  It's a secret we hold in our hearts, that sometimes emerges as a high pitched squeal of joy... sometimes so much love can be hard to contain.  You must understand, as you squeal right along with us. 

A New Hiding Spot

William's favorite game, by far, is hide-and-seek.  He'll typically pick a spot behind the curtains, in the closet, or under the dining room table.  Then he'll help us find him by saying yes or no in response to where we search for him (Mom: "Is William under the table?" William: "noooooo").  Today, he found a new spot to hide.  Gosh, this kid is in for a surprise when he plays real hide-and-go-seek with other kids.

necessity is the mother of invention

Halloween is my most stressful holiday.  It always has been.  I never wanted to dress up like a princess; I wanted to BE the princess.  Forget those $24 Target costumes (which is a ton to spend, by the way, for something a kid wears for about 3 hours), I wanted my mom to spend hours creating a masterpiece with expensive fabric and genuine accessories.  My poor mother.  As a child, Halloween often included lots of tears.  While I can often stifle a full on sob fest these days, I still project my Halloween perfectionism on the boys, wanting their costumes to be the best of the best.

I've been debating about them being this or that for weeks now, so when I found out that our neighborhood Halloween party was tonight, I had about 2 hours to pull something together and no time to go to the store.  I dug through boxes and hit up my craft closet, and what we ended up with was better than anything I had in mind.  William loved his fisherman costume, and Thomas was a hit in his too-big pumpkin,  a costume that my wonderful mother-in-law had made for William last year. 

Rain Man

Imagine my surprise when I came into the living room and found this:

The audacity of this man!  Climbing onto the railing of the balcony of a home where a two year old resides.  Doesn't he know that would warrant a 3.2.1 countdown and immediate time out?  Luckily William was asleep when I discovered him, and unable to get any idea of a new place to climb.  Next time, Mr. Gutterman, let us know when you are coming for a visit, and please refrain from sprinkling your newly dislodged leaves on my patio.  

Best Buds

There's nothing better than a game of peak-a-boo in bed on a rainy afternoon.

Even better to spend the day with a friend... perhaps a little buddy, appropriately named Buddy.





























Add a little brother to the mix...

...and three becomes a crowd.

Strawberry Boy

Sometimes you just want a little nibble... of every strawberry in the bowl.  And by you, I mean William.

6 Months Old.. a little bit late.

Thomas went in for his six month check up today.  He's a chunker at 20 lbs, 2 ounces. Six months is the magical age where babies can start eating solids.




























So Far, Thomas has devoured everything I've given him.  He's also been kind enough to give it back, in the form of his severe reflux, many times a day.  The doc today confirmed that it's just a laundry problem, but when you add sweet potatoes and peas to the mix, it gets gross in a hurry.  I know they say never to give your wife domestic things as gifts, but Michael, I would love love LOVE a washing machine!  For now, though, I'm thrilled that we're renting a place we'll be vacating relatively soon, and we can leave our carpet behind. 

Our First Camping Trip in Photos

William prepares for an adventure on our drive up.  This was the last good nap he got on the trip.

Not sure if this is blueberry or dirt around William's mouth.  Doesn't really matter in the great outdoors :)

Day trip to Julian

Thomas has never been so happy in his baby jail

Probably because our ceiling at home doesn't look anything close to his view here.

He also mastered a new skill last weekend.  Now up on hands and knees, he'll be crawling in no time.

It seems wrong to have internet access while camping, but it came in handy a couple of times.

Our 1970's JC Penny Retro Catalog Pose

Our tent neighbors shared some of their glow sticks with us.  I'll remember to bring our own in the future, as they were a bit hit with both the kids and adults.

Cleaning up the morning of departure.  William enjoyed sweeping the wilderness.

As William played, Thomas was happy to get in a final nap.

A sweet way to end our little family adventure.