Birthday Pictures

I finally got around to downloading new pictures, including the first day of "morning school" (MDO), Nathan's birthday, Patrick's birthday, and many random pictures. Enjoy, and if you're curious about the stories behind any, please e-mail and ask!

I have some more pictures uploaded that I've taken recently. They include some posed shots I tried with the boys that didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped, but I ended up with a few cute ones anyway. (I bribed Patrick with yogurt, so unsurprisingly his are much better than usual.)

Go here to see such gems as these, as well as a picture of our brand-new furniture:

Vacation Pictures

Interested in pictures from last week's vacation? Click here.

A Conversation with Patrick

Last night before bed:

Matt: Patrick, what sound does a dog make?

Patrick: Bock, bock!

Matt: Patrick, what sound does a kitty cat make?

Patrick: Mee-ow!

Matt: Patrick, what sound does a Patrick make?

Patrick: Talk, talk, talk!

Matt and me (uncontrolled laughter): Yup, that's about right, Patrick!

Why haven't I been around? Where have I been? I'll give you two pictures of a typical day around here, and you'll see why I don't make much time for it these days.

This is Patrick's "No" face. If this isn't typical three-year-old, I don't know what is. Tantrums galore.

And then there's Nathan. And yes, he's walking. Yes, he's tough to keep up with. And yes, he's loveable and adorable and crazy silly. What else needs to be said?

If you'd like to see the other pictures I've taken recently and not yet linked here, you can find them here and here.

Two Nathan Stories

1. No, Nathan isn't quite walking yet. Every so often we catch him off-guard, and he proves that this delay in walking is a matter of will and not ability. The other day I was talking on the phone while playing on the floor with him. I put the phone on speaker and held it out, and that was all Nathan needed to take off walking--to catch the phone. Forget a carrot in front of a horse; this kid chases technology. He took probably a dozen steady steps before he realized what he was doing and fell on his bottom again. I think he considers scooting faster and less effort, but this gives me hope that he won't be scooting between his college classes a few years down the line.

2. Last night, we were going through our typical routine putting the boys down. Patrick insists on an ever-increasingly-detailed bedtime routine, one that now includes counting as we put his excessive sheets and blankets on him (don't worry, they never stay there for long). Patrick has been obsessed with numbers lately and counts every chance he gets. He easily counts to twenty and beyond.

Well, Matt was pausing between numbers as he grabbed the next blanket. "One..."

And from the other crib, we hear, "Too! Twee!"

Stunned, we stared at Nathan. He grinned his cheesiest grin for us.

Matt continued. "Four, five..."

"Siss!"

At this point, I was watching the whole thing with my jaw on the floor. Nathan continued to chime in at the correct times with ten, and several of the teens (they all sounded kind of alike, so I can't guarantee they were all the right ones in the right places).

Since then, we have prompted him several times to begin counting by saying, "One..." Sometimes he refuses to bite and grins that silly grin instead, like he's deliberately not doing what he knows we want him to do. Other times, though, he shows off by telling us several numbers in a row, always the next number after the one we've said.

That's right. Our eighteen-month-old can't (won't) walk, but he knows the majority of his numbers up to twenty. I don't see a whole lot of sports in his future, but some math competitions? Quite likely. That's my boy!

Also, new pictures, finally.

A Little Off the Top

Some of you may have noticed my inconsistent blogging lately. I simply have not had the motivation to write much. Do not be concerned, however, because I will still be showing up from time to time to make sure you don't miss out on any important moments, like Nathan finally walking more than a clumsy, hesitant step or two.

That being said, I am here today because of one of those important moments. We decided yesterday that it was long past time to get the boys haircuts. Actually, it was a little soon for Patrick because I could still see eyes and ears behind the mop of hair, but Nathan was starting to look like a wild man. So he had his first ever haircut.

Of course he cried, the whole way through the haircut. Even having his brother right next to him, calmly sitting throughout his own haircut, didn't keep him from being traumatized by the event. Fortunately he calmed easily once he was out of the cute little car chair.

I, however, am not recovering quite as easily. I miss those adorable little baby curls that will soon only exist in his baby book. He's still as cute and charming as ever, but he is certainly more that little boy he's turning into than the baby he was.

Of course I have pictures. You can see the whole group of pictures here, but here are a few before and afters for you.

Patrick before

Patrick after

Nathan from the front, before

Nathan from the back, before

Nathan from the front, after

Nathan from the side/back, after