And Another

I forgot to post one of my favorites! This is more what a photo shoot with little ones looks like...

Family Pictures!

My amazing friend Angelica took our family photos last week at the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park. I am thrilled with how they turned out! (Thank you, dear!) I practically spent all of spring deciding on outfits and searching for just the right photo location. I think it all paid off! Looking at these pictures makes my heart swell with love and gratitude for these beautiful men in my life!












A week later, whenever I mention family pictures around Trenton, he soberly reminds me that taking family pictures was "pretty hard." Ha!

The tamest three nights anyone has ever spent in Hollywood :)

The boys and I joined Ryan on a quick business trip in L.A. this week. The boys behaved gloriously the entire trip, even on considerably less sleep and with irregular naps. Trenton loved the hotel (which at first he called "our white home"), although I probably loved it even more. No cooking or cleaning? Sign me up! It was located right next to a large outdoor mall and the Walk of Fame (you know, the stars in the sidewalk) on Hollywood Boulevard. Our location rocked because it was easy to kill time when we needed to, while Ryan was working. The boys and I made several trips to this outdoor fountain.


At night, it turns into a light show.

Admiring the fountain for our fourth(?) time :)
The view of West Hollywood from our room on the 10th floor.

Monday morning when the boys woke up at 6:50, we threw on swimsuits and headed straight for the gorgeous (and fantastically warm) hotel pool. It was the perfect start to our day.

Then we came back and got ready for the day. Who could resist snuggling this chubby baby in clean white linens?

We took T on a few rides at the Santa Monica Pier and spent a fantastic afternoon building sand castles. I love Trenton's blossoming creativity!

This shot of T cracks me up. The sunglasses, the hat, the intent look on his face...Oh I love that boy.

And Chase—could the boy have gotten any dirtier? Doubtful. This picture was taken before he rolled his sunscreen covered head in the sand. I love this little guy too.

The boys and I also spent an entire day at my dear friend Amber's house. My boys played so well with her girls, and I loved every minute of catching up with my cute friend. (Thanks again, Amber!)

It was the fantastic trip. Three nights in a hotel was long enough to be refreshing without starting to drag on. It feels like now that I've blogged about it, it's officially over. Too bad, huh? I guess I better go unpack!

All About Chase

I bought this tool set for Trenton (before Chase came along), thinking he would love it. He likes it, but it turns out it's Chase who loves it. He can sit for fairly long stretches of time, trying to get screws into wholes and the bits onto the drill.



A few other things about our Chasers...

I would describe him as generally happy and mellow, but also fairly easily set off. He's more sensitive than I remember Trenton being, so sometimes it feels like he cries if you just look at him wrong. But with that sensitivity comes more snuggles! If he is at all tired and I hold out my arms, he'll come running and just collapse into me and start nuzzling me.

Just like his brother, he loves to explore. He often shows his disagreement when we come back to the house after a fun outing! He will climb ANYthing. He likes electrical outlets, particularly the plate. He likes to try to get the plate off the wall, so I have to watch him closely at church and in the hallway of our complex!

My boys are great eaters, so no complaints there. He wasn't the all-time easiest baby to sleep train, but certainly not the worst! He goes to bed now around 7pm and wakes up between 6 and 6:30am. He's a little finicky about his naps, but as long as he goes down before he is overtired, he does all right. He loves the bath and can almost climb into the tub all by himself (oh great). He gets VERY eager (frantic) as soon as I start running the water.

Sometimes I am eager for him to grow just so he and Trenton can play more together (and so there is a little less crying/screaming in my life...). But then I look at those thick baby thighs and remind myself that I will miss those—desperately! I love you, Chase!

"I"m freeeee!"

Six months ago, Trenton finally learned to climb out of his crib. This week, he finally learned to get out of his bed. It cracks me up that he treated the bed exactly like a crib for the last six months, and still does, to some extent. But last week, he started to realize his freedom. At 9 or 10pm, several nights in a row, he woke up and sneakily opened his door, saying "Ra!" (like a scary tiger, of course).

At the same time, he decided that this little spot right next to crib-sleeping Chase was the perfect place to curl up for naps and nighttime sleep. I'd tuck him into his bed and find him sleeping here a little later.


No one loves sleep like a mother, so I worried a bit that this newfound freedom could lead to sleep problems. So I "encouraged" (bribed? rewarded?) him by saying he could earn a treat by sleeping in his bed for his whole nap. As I tucked him in, he said, all on his own, "I won't sleep on the ground, Mom." An hour later, I checked—and there he was, in his favorite spot on the ground. Then when he woke up, I went in to his room only to find him on his bed (blankies and all), serenely requesting his treat. I called him on it, told him I had checked and found him sleeping on the ground, and he didn't push his luck. :) At least he has enough good sense to know when he's been caught!

The next time, he did sleep all night on the bed, and when he woke up, he asked me, "Did you check?" Haha. Yeah, kid. I checked. I gave him the treat, and he said, "I had a nice nap. The bed is nice and soft."

I'm not sure yet how all this will turn out, and as long as he isn't disturbing Chase or us, I don't really mind when he sleeps on the floor. But for now, I think I'll keep "encouraging" him to choose the bed. :)

Allied Arts Guild

I did not feel like cleaning up the post-weekend mess getting back to normal life this morning, so I loaded the boys in the car and headed down to the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park. It's a small, Spanish-style collection of art and pottery shops set in a gorgeous residential neighborhood. The grounds are beautiful, with plenty of stones for Trenton to turn over in search of worms and fountains for the boys to splash a bit in. All was right in the world (barring the state of my house, of course).

"Jesus and Heavenly Father made me."

Tonight after I had tucked Trenton into bed, he looked up at me and said, "Jesus and Heavenly Father made me." So sweet. Then it continued:

"And they made the trees." Pause.

"They live in heaven." Pause.

"Where's their poo-poo?"

Gotta love the mind of a two-year-old boy!