It's baaaaaack!

Ethan hates hates hates me to cut or trim his hair and his mullet just keeps growing back!  So super fast...I'm sure it's because he twirls it and strokes it every time he goes to sleep!  This picture doesn't really do it justice but I assure you, it is long and fun!

SCS (Second Child Syndrome)

Well it's happened...poor little J.J...he is soooo the second child.  I think he gets ignored more and his cries certainly don't draw attention quite as fast and as this blog can testify...we certainly don't have as many photos or stories of you as Ethan so far...sorry little one.  I do love you just as much as your brother I promise and don't worry, I'm sure your future siblings will have similar treatment...except the youngest, they have it the best so be prepared!

I did capture this picture of you not only sleeping but drooling on your Uncle Benton's arm...maybe you are glad I don't take more pictures!

You are adorable!!  

But you are so cute together!  

My boys:

You love love love each other!  I see both of you smile the most when you are around each other!  

And proud papa's pretty cute too!

Dear Picaso,

Thank you for making my two-year old's drawing of a blue car seem really great!  Ethan is really into drawing lately.  He drew this upon no prompting from his mother and said, "look mom, blue car."  Rock on little man...I was proud until the next time I looked he drew roads on the walls...lame Picaso.

 Dear Jakey,

Thanks for smiling so sweet every time I look at you!  You really are so happy and sweet...(side note: your smiles do not feel so sweet at 3am, so don't even go there).  I always wondered what it was like to have a baby that smiled and me and people all the time.  I feel like you are making up for all the scowls Ethan made when he was your age...man he was a serious kid!

 I'm glad some things have changed...even though over all you are still pretty serious, I'm glad you are a goof ball now and are increasingly entertaining!  Thanks for the laughs boys because heaven know we need  them!

 Dear Aunt Pat,
Remember that outfit you spent so long lovingly crocheting our first born baby?  Well the bonnet fits now...and Ethan found it the other day and came in the room wearing it!  He sure wore it a long time and he loves it...even though he looks a bit like the Pope... or a small pioneer girl traveling the plains...either way, at least he is getting his use out of it!

Growing Pains

Today JJs little personality shined through...big time...and it scared me a bit.  He first rolled over from back to front about a week ago but yesterday and today he can't get enough of it.  He is suddenly so wiggly he doesn't want to sit still!  He's only four months and today I had to use my legs to hold him down so I could change him without him squirming away!  It's going to be a long...life. 

Gloves and Rockets and Easter Oh My!

Ethan has been getting into more unusual things for his normal mischief.  The other day I walked in the kitchen to find him walking around wearing these little beauties chomping them together and grunting like a monster.  He then told me we needed to get food out of the oven...if only there was little man, but your mom doesn't cook much. 

 I was also folding laundry and I walked away and came back and couldn't find him.  I heard him yelling, "three, two, one, blastoff!"  I turned around and he had crawled in the dryer and closed the door mostly.  Pretty funny rocket man!

 And then Easter happened...unfortunately I pretty much forgot it was last weekend until we visited G-pa and G-ma and they showed Ethan the baskets and talking about the bunny and what not, and after G-ma gave him his own basket and all I can't just let it fly by now that Ethan keeps talking about how the easter bunny is coming with eggs and that he needs to keep his basket out so the bunny can find it.  

 So we dug out the tacky plastic grass, eggs and baskets and he has been hopping all around the house with them.  

 I did try to put the grass to use and take some Easter pics of the boys...

 Dumb idea.

 Not only am I not really a photographer, but the boys weren't really liking the grass or cooperating.

 Ethan finally had enough and tried to escape down the stairs.

 But I caught him!

 The saturday before Easter I took the boys to the park to the annual easter egg hunt...

 another bad idea...not really winning any awards this month...

But despite the rude parents picking up eggs for their kids, annoying riotous children collecting 1,800 eggs they clearly don't need because they are hyper and chubby, and they would hardly even let my kid grab all the two eggs he got, the one good thing was that the easter bunny couldn't have arrived in a more glamorous way as far as Ethan is concerned...thank you fire truck for bringing him with sirens blaring!

 Later G-pa and G-ma came up to help and color easter eggs.  

 He loved it!

 He kept putting the eggs back in after they were done because he didn't want to stop...G-ma had her hands full keeping them out.  

 And then we played with bubbles!

 J.J. watched:

 Sunday the easter bunny left a trail of yarn to his easter basket and his favorite thing was the blueberries in his basket as well as the fact that the bunny ate the carrots we left out.  

Later his little friend came over and we had a hunt for eggs...

 None had candy, just money the easter bunny brought so Ethan can save money to be a missionary.  

 Put it in the bank!  Ethan so wants to be a missionary like G-pa and G-ma.

 Beautiful Azure

 These awesome bubbles are super strong so you can hold them and they don't pop...and they make you look like a leper.

Thank you Easter...let everyone be sure that we did indeed remember the true meaning of this beautiful day and are so grateful for the knowledge we have of Christ and the resurrection.  How lucky we are to have our families forever

Zoinks!

Today Ethan out smarted me.  He has been trying to drive his cars on the walls of our house for quite some time (to my dismay of course), and I finally figured out that he was copying Finn McMissile from Cars 2, when he drives up the oil rig.  Well whenever he drives on the walls I ask him to please stop and he says cars can drive on walls, to which I reply, only secret agents can drive on walls Ethan.  He usually stops right away and I don't hear much about it but today I caught him driving all over the walls and glass door but this time when I asked him to stop he said, "I secret agent mom!"  Lame...no more tricking this kid.

My Little Napoleon!

So I found these sweet boots last fall and I thought, "these are great winter boots...zipper, black, water proof, and for a special bonus they look a lot like fire fighter boots (E is currently obsessed)."  It's true that he loves them more than any other shoes he's ever worn, but I am finding allowing him to wear those boots every day all day without regard the rest of his outfit is having an affect.  

I realize I have become "that mom."  The mom with the frumpy kid.  The one that everyone thinks must let him dress himself, not comb his hair and wear boots to church, the park, the library, and even when it's 80 degrees outside, crawl on the store floor, eat food after it's been dropped on the ground or already been chewed up by another kid and spit out...I mean who knows how long it's been since he's been bathed...or had his diaper changed...

The other day I looked at him as he went out the door and the only thing I could think of was Napoleon Dynamite...I'm raising THAT kid?!  And I'm THAT mom!  

And that was the day we went shopping for new shoes.  I thought I would have to fight him more to get new ones but every time he puts on his new loafers he says, "these shoes fit mommy."  Sorry little man, turns out I am not the only uncomfortable with those sweet sweaty boots!