Skinny Jeans...

that's pretty much all I'm going to say. Every woman (and especially mothers) know what I'm talking about. We all have a pair and we all want desperately to fit into them again someday.

I know no one cares and this is my own little victory, but since this is a family blog that means I get to dump some of my own personal happy moments in here too. I've been trying really hard to hit this milestone and I did it. It's sort of a birthday present to myself (though it's not exactly the gift that keeps on giving without a lot of effort). Either way...I'm wearing a big smile this evening.

Good Times!

We had a fun playdate with Chloe and her parents on Sunday. They had some really fun toys that Blake and Chloe enjoyed...a slide and a teeter totter. Chloe showed Blake how to go down the slide on his tummy. They have so much fun together!

An American Boy...

This one's for you Pappaw!

Blake got his first baseball glove last weekend. Kurt realized he didn't even have one and that seemed very "unAmerican." So, they both have one now and have even attempted a round of pitch & catch. You can see how well that went in the video below. He has the right idea...just needs to work on his form!

New Ride...

In preparation for our trip to Florida (and due to the realization that it might not be humanly possible to get through the airport with 2 little kids, 2 strollers, 2 carseats and a few jam packed carry-ons) we decided to buy a double stroller. We had held out until now because we rarely go anywhere alone with both kids. We found one on Craig's List that was a heck of a deal so now we are the "proud" owners of another stroller.

The boys absolutely love it. Blake likes to ride in front so he can see everything and Luke likes to lounge in back. We were grateful to have 3 or 4 days of nice weather last week so we could test it out. It's a workout pushing it around. Between the 30 lbs of stroller and 50 lbs of children...whoa!

Rough week for Luke...

It's official...Luke is cutting his top two teeth. One of them has barely poked through and the other is really close. We thought that might be contributing to his grouchiness of late. You can't seem them in this picture, but I thought this was a cute one of him.

He had a follow up appt for his tubes today...double ear infection. Yes, you read that correctly. He has a double ear infection even with the tubes. It's a fact that tubes don't eliminate ear fluid/infection completely (this same thing happened with Blake when he got his second set), but we were sure hoping we wouldn't be dealing with another one anytime soon. So, he got his ears cleaned out and some Ciprodex (a staple in our house). Kurt took him to the appt and said he saw a look on Luke's face and heard a cry he had never seen/heard before when the doctor and nurse started to clean out his little ears. Poor baby. He was still screaming when they got home.

Oh, he accidentally said Da-Da yesterday so we are waiting for it to catch on. Daddy was excited about that!

From the back seat...

This is what I heard this morning on our way to school...

Luke: "Mmmma-ma, goo, ahh, insert gurgle/growl, etc"
Blake: "Luke, are you talking about?" (he left out the "what")

Too cute.

Happy first day of Spring!

Almost Spring...

The sun was out today and it warmed up a little (40 degrees or so) so we decided to go for a walk and take the boys to the park. Along the way we passed a few crazies in short sleeves and shorts...it wasn't that warm! Yes, there is still quite a bit of snow on the ground, but that's not going to keep us Minnesotans inside! I have to believe the term "cabin fever" originated in Minnesota.

Blake enjoyed going down the slide and Luke had his first ride on the swing. He liked it a lot! So this begins many trips to our conveniently located park this year. We're so lucky to have one so nice so close to us. Blake also got a new shovel that is just his size so he can help Daddy clean off the driveway when it snows.

Happy 8 Month Birthday Luke!

I know I say this every month, but geez has another month really gone by? You are so close to being 1!! You've had a big month, between getting your little chompers and some ear tubes and saying Mmmmm-Ma. You are getting to be such a big boy too. You are definitely packing on the pounds (I meant to weigh you this evening and I forgot - sorry) but you don't have a ton of rolls. You are more of a "solid" kind of guy! Last month you weighed around 19-20lbs and were almost 28 inches.

You have been working a lot on your pincer grip thanks to Gerber Puffs! You could eat a whole container every night! Well I guess you could empty an entire container, but only about 1/10th make it into your mouth. You are getting so close to taking off. With a little "Mommy/Daddy Boot Camp" every night, you are getting so much stronger and staying on your hands and knees a lot longer every day. Blake didn't crawl until 10 months and didn't walk until 15...why do I have a feeling you are going to beat that! You are such a cutie. I call you my little "growlie bear" because you make this funny growling noise AND because you have a tendency to be a grumpy little bear if you don't get your way.

Oh baby boy, we love you so much and it's hard to believe our family has now been complete for 8 months! It feels like you just came on board. So many good times ahead...and we have a special surprise for your 9 month birthday. Your first airplane ride! Mommy and Daddy decided we all needed a break from this Minnesota winter so off to the sunny state of Florida we go!

Just another week...

Not much new to report. We have been giving Luke a lot more tummy time lately and as a result he is starting to get up on this hands and knees for longer periods of time. I have a hunch this little guy is going to crawl and walk a lot sooner than his brother did. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. He seems to be doing pretty well with his ear tubes. He's starting to finally take to baby food too. He of course prefers all the fruits, but we are still trying to force the veggies on him!

The day Kurt and I have been dreading for the last 32 months finally arrived. We started to wean Blake from his "nukie" this weekend. Nap time didn't go over so well. We eventually gave up on the nap, but did not give into his screams for "nukie." It was really sad. There were moments when it felt like you were watching someone go through withdrawl from some nasty drug.

We also had both boys' Spring parent-teacher conferences this week. As expected, both received very high marks. Insert smile. Blake's teacher said he is smart and progressing as he should. She also said he spends most of his time with Chloe when she is there in the morning. After she leaves, then he will play with his other friends. There could be much worse problems! It's hard to believe in 6 more months he will move up to preschool.

Here are some things I have heard in the last week:
1. "Mmmma Ma" - Yay!!! Luke said Mama first! Blake actually said Dog first shortly followed by Dada so it was definitely my turn.

2. "You're Not Listening to Me" - This came from my 2 1/2 year old who decided I wasn't listening very well.

3. "Um Donuts" - When asking Blake if needed anything from the grocery store.

4. "Clean up your mess!" - Another order barked from the "boss."

Ahh, just another week!