How to Spice Up a Sunday Afternoon

Go camping...

In your living room!

Blowing me a kiss

Sunday afternoons can be hard for us if we don't have an activity or outing planned for Trenton. We're getting ready for our first family camping adventure sometime in June, so we thought we'd show Trenton the tent this afternoon. It's obvious from his smile in the first picture that he is really going to enjoy camping. :)

Best Friends Already

Another photo that is too cute not to post...


Check out Chase's little girlfriend! Clara is the daughter of my good friend who lives in our complex. It is so fun having a friend we can visit without even putting on our shoes if we don't feel like it! :) Clara and Chase were born just two weeks apart, and we can't wait until they're crawling around together swapping chew toys... (haha)

Our Little Socialite

This picture of Chase cracks me up. I like to think that he is going to be a little socialite. After feedings, he loves to lie flat on his back, looking out the window, for about 20 minutes. Then he starts squawking a little, and all he wants is some company. As soon as one of us goes and sits within his line of slight, he settles down and just stares at you, smiling and cooing occasionally. It even works when Trenton stands next to him, which I think is adorable.

By the way, he turns three months old on the 18th! Crazy!

What's not to love? T at 21 Months

There is so much I want to remember about Trenton at this magical age...

• When he gets hurt, he comes to me looking concerned and saying, "K?" As if to say, "Am I okay, Mom? You better check." (I secretly love it when he gets mildly hurt because I so enjoy it when he throws his head onto my chest and his arms around my neck.)
  
• He has an adventuresome spirit—and has from day one. He loves novelty. Even before he was old enough to crawl, we'd come back into our apartment after a walk in the stroller, and as soon as he'd see our red couch, he would burst out with a cry of frustration—as if to say, "Not this place again!" For that reason, we get out of the house a lot. His behavior is notably better when we go on frequent outings.
  
• His love for novelty spills over into his eating habits. He actually likes to try new things. It doesn't mean he'll eat a lot of it, but he'll always try. I have to switch up snacks frequently, because he won't be interested if I give him, say, Goldfish, day after day. The only thing he'll always get excited about is fruit snacks. (And even with those, if it's a different brand than normal, it piques his interest even more.)
• We've been going to the YMCA several mornings a week. When I drop him off at the childcare, he does especially well if there are a lot of kids to distract him. But if we get there early, before a whole host of toddlers has arrived, he tends to be more hesitant to let me leave. Today was one of those days. He clung to my hand for a couple of minutes; then all of a sudden, he looked straight up at me, stuck one hand up in the air, waved once, and said, "Buh-bye!" I was officially dismissed! I left without him even giving me a second glance!
• I LOVE picking him up from the childcare. He smiles at me SO huge and then shows off for a minute by vigorously kicking a ball or whatever it was he was last doing. Then he says "Chase!" and we go pick up his little brother. He even tries to carry the infant carrier. :)
  
• Lest you think our life is all smiles and fruit snacks, rest assured that this kid does give his mom a run for her money. I put a lot of thought (and reading) into discipline, because I realize what a responsibility is is to shape a child. And this child could definitely benefit from some shaping! What kid couldn't?
  
• He has never been an independent player. He is rarely more than a few feet away from me throughout the day. (This can get tiring.) He just needs a lot of entertainment and interaction. (I'm counting the days until Chase can take over part of my role as Trenton's playmate. I knew there was a good reason we had another baby so soon! :)
• Luckily, since he never strays far from me, he does like to "help." If I'm sweeping, he's swiffering (sort of). If I'm wiping down tables and chairs, he has his own sponge. I love when he exclaims the words "Help!" or "Clean!" Too cute.

I think that's it for now! If you read all of this, I am seriously impressed!

I Couldn't Resist

Fresh out of the bath, this little man wasn't going to miss out on the action. If Trenton could choose what his version of heaven would be like, it would be filled with power tools (and probably no clothes).

Chase's Baby Blessing

Today was Chase's blessing day! He was privileged to have his dad, grandfather, and great-grandfather participate in the blessing. My parents drove in from Utah for a 36-hour stay just to be a part of Chase's big weekend. It was so sweet of them! (And no matter how short their stay, we are always happy to show off our boys!) A tremendous thanks also to our friends who came for the occasion. It means so much to us!

Chase's adorable blessing outfit... Don't you love it? I couldn't be more proud. (Of him, that is. The outfit is just a happy bonus. :)

Chase and his great-grandfather (who is much to young to be a great-grandfather, of course), Grandpa Wood.

The men: (Love this one!)

The whole group! (Is anyone else not surprised that Trenton is missing a shoe?)

And lastly, one of our few pictures as a family of four.