Mama

You are gone and I wasn't even close to ready for the departure.  I am adrift, numb and blurry around the edges.  You were my best friend, my confidante, my inspiration, my teacher, my buoy, my glass 3/4 full reminder that life is truly grand.  I know I must move on and I will, but it seems so impossible right now.

Please know that I am grateful for everything that you have given me.  From start to finish, you literally spent your life carefully stitching love into every fiber of my being.  You created a masterpiece out of your life.  You pulled all of the little pieces together and made a beautiful, colorful, heart warming story. 

Thank you for being a survivor, a listener and a positive person.  You never faltered and we all love you for showing us that with a big enough heart, anything can be done.  Your stories will live on.  Your friends, children and grandchildren will remember you and you will be cherished a million times over by the army of people that you have touched. 

You were the best mother in the world and I will wake up every morning and do my best to honor you.  I will never forget the sacrifices you made, the love you shared and the monumental example that you set for the rest of us to follow.

I love you with all of my heart...
Your Little One

Vacation

Last month the boys had a chance to experience life at the Oregon coast for a week.  Our second annual family gathering in Newport was absolutely blissful.  The weather was perfect, the cousins were adorable, the whales were on the move and I had a chance to catch up with the people that I love most.

Will clearly couldn't wait to pack up and head out...

 

When we finally arrived, we set up shop
and headed to the beach...

Alex snuggled with Aaron and avoided the cold water...

Will watched the waves and walked in the sand with me... 

The boys were delighted by the sight of scattered toys 

and cousins constructing sandcastles...

 Once the sun set, it was time for rousing games
of Uno, Hearts and everyone's favorite- Mexican Train...

 (Kudos to Mama for researching MT and writing out the rules on a napkin. 

It turns out we needed all the help we could get AND less players).

 Luckily, the boys slept like champs EVERY night so I could
win all of the card games...until Mama started playing Hearts...

Eating watermelon on the deck and visiting the aquarium
were two of the top highlights...

Will LOVED the sharks...

We loved the jellyfish (big and small)...

Alex wasn't too impressed...

The cousins loved Grandma Kat's stories...

We relaxed inside...

We relaxed outside...

We can't wait to do it again next year.

Thanks for the wonderful week Grandma Kat!

11 Months

You two sure do like to move these days.  Under highchairs and over end tables, you climb and crawl through anything whether you fit or not.  Your favorite game involves the little red ball that I brought home for you a few weeks ago.  Fights over that ball occur daily which inevitably lead to a rowdy army crawl crash derby all over the house.  Once the ball has been forgotten (darn goldfish memory) you immediately crawl to the sliding glass door and pound on it.  This pounding has frightend the poor goldfinches off the feeder in the backyard more times that I can count.  (Who said stray cats were the most dangerous thing for wild birds?)

Both of you are experimenting with sippy cups.  That is a nice way of saying that you are still in the throwing and banging stage.  I am proud to say that you managed to nearly drink a whole bottle today before losing focus.  Drinking water (which is often carbonated) straight from my cup makes you kick with pride and burp in miniature.  Cheerios are now consumed by the fistful.  I have been handing over the spoon to let you practice and the results are exactly what I expected...amusing.

 

You both still take shifts and cry out in the middle of the night.  I have no doubt that most of your discomfort is the result of your top teeth pushing through.  You both think that you are brilliant whenever you pull yourselves to the standing position in your cribs (which is all the time). Lately, I have started pushing your cribs together so that you can stand and look at each other.  This usually ends with several rounds of eye gouging and hair pulling.

I am now officially rubbing your tooth nubs with a washcloth during your evening tubby time.  You each still get to splash solo because it is the only way to keep all of us out of the emergency room.  Your frenzied rolls and kicks remind me of a freshly netted salmon.  Oh how I love my crazy little fish! 

William...

The cats no longer casually lounge when you are on the ground. You are determined to "pet" them whenever they are within eyesight or reach and the end result is always a fistful of fur.  We now encourage the cats to run when you are on a seek and destroy mission.  The funny thing is, they really don't seem to mind your attention one bit (thank goodness).

You still love cruising the house in the walker. When I called your name last night during brother's tubby time you hit the brakes mid-hallway, backed up and rolled into the bathroom with a great big smile that was clearly just for me.

Determined and charming are two words that easily describe you.  When you are frustrated or want to show your independence you lock your arms, make fists and turn red.  Your intensity in these moments reminds me of the Incredible Hulk during his transformation (minus the green and the muscles).

The flexibility and range of your personality fascinates me.  One moment you will be quietly and very seriously examining something and the next you are flashing that heart melting smile and sprinkling a few giggles in for good measure.  I love how you turn all your noises into a sweet little melody and literally sing when you are at your happiest.

Alexander...

The warmth and vibrations of all our major appliances beckon to you like a porch light calls to a moth.  Every time I turn around you are standing with your palms against the washing machine, dishwasher or dryer.  This morning you stood by yourself for a few seconds without holding on to anything.  We were both surprised and delighted.  I have to watch you carefully because you try and squeeze that wonderfully large head of yours into spots that are a bit too small.

You love to make BIG noises and bang whatever is in your hands on any available surface.  Cheerios dance off your highchair after high impact slapping.  You love to drum on the side of the tub with me while we fill it up with water.  Splashing during your tubby makes you squeal in super sonic, barely audible notes. I abosolutely love that sound and want to remember it forever.

Two words that easily describe you are animated and amiable.  You are always in motion, even when you are sitting.  Those legs and arms of yours like to move together which really gives you an advantage when splashing or pounding.  That smile of yours will earn you a million friendships and (I hate to say it) get you out of heaps of trouble.  A little food or snuggle is all you need to reverse your gears from sad to happy.  Even at 3:30 a.m., by the light of a nightlight, you have my heart in an instant with your sleepy grin.

We love you both to the moon and back...

                     xoxo,

                                               Mommy & Daddy

Hot Day, New Tricks

It officially reached 95.5 degrees yesterday and we celebrated summer with a variety of new tricks.  First thing in the morning, both Will and Alex pulled themselves up to the standing position in their cribs.

During breakfast, Will made a new "taco tongue" sound.  Not to be outdone, Alex started grinding his bottom teeth with his two front "toof" nubs.  (The sound literally makes me want to climb the walls).

The best part of the day was spent in the pool mid-afternoon.  The boys splashed themselves silly and slithered around in circles on their tummies in a baby shark frenzy...

Our two little fish hit the pool again today and swam until they yawned.  They are currently tucked away in their newly adjusted cribs.  There is no chance of crib diving now, at least not until they teach each other how to tie sheets and quilts together...

Reason No. 413

The boys don't currently watch much television (we haven't had cable for years), but when they do get the occasional peek the content is always unique.  As you can see, Will really enjoys Aaron's preference for BBC programming.  Yet another reason why I love him...

Reason No. 413

Aaron introduced the boys to Mr. Bean AND
he will take them for adventures in his car.

(Visit here if you have no idea what I am talking about).

Reason No. 412

The sound of my boys stringing together a set of uncontrollable giggles is absolutely delicious.  Alex and I agree that Aaron has the growl, nibble and cuddle technique down pat. Yet another reason why I love him...

Reason No. 412

He sure does know how to gobble guts and earn giggles.

10 Months & Counting

People are always stopping and admiring your beautiful blue eyes and your healthy size.  Many think that it's clever to tell me that my hands are full.  That much is literally true.  In fact, I hardly ever hold you at the same time because the end result is something similar to a chicken fight.  Even when I pick you up separately, whoever is not in my arms is often disgruntled.  However, more times than not, I catch you cruising the house side by side, sharing Cheerios and smiling at each other through the bars of your crib.  As you grow, the unique bond that you share as brothers will grow too.  My heart will always be full because I absolutely cannot imagine motherhood if it wasn't multiplied by two...

Right now older children are your biggest amusement and fascination.  As soon as you can keep up, I know you will be following your cousins and older friends right into the middle of imaginative play.  For now, you just have to make do with chasing after each other, the cats and your crazy parents.  Getting around the house FAST is not a problem for either of you.  The cat door, Daddy's office and the pantry are your favorite places to visit.

I feel like I am constantly feeding you.  Currently, you both LOVE watermelon and yogurt.  Two new favorite finger foods are swiss cheese and pieces of Daddy's famous pancakes.  Walks in your stroller put you to sleep and you both giggle and kick whenever I read you a story (which certainly doesn't help our bedtime routine move in the right direction).  We are trying to teach you the word "gentle"...which is a phrase that comes up a lot whenever my hair, earrings or the cats are involved.  More and more sounds are weaving into your vocabulary and we love to repeat your squeals and babbles and encourage you to use your voice.  You two are growing up fast and we are madly in love with you.

Alexander...

You love to grin and go with the flow.  The yoga moves that you pull off have me convinced that you will one day crawl with your belly off of the floor.  You still love to bounce in the bouncer and shriek whenever you are excited or happy (which is most of the time).  If you happen to be on your back when pure excitement hits, you move your arms and legs together in a frantic up and down motion that makes us laugh.  Lately, you like to scrunch your nose and breathe through your mouth really fast which shows off your two teeth.

 

You are a ferocious eater and like making noises with your lips whenever you have a mouth full of food (Translation: you spit food on your Mama ALL the time). Those little hands of yours love to pound on anything that will hold still.  Luckily, all of the bouncing, pounding, crawling and splashing that you do during the day helps you focus on sleeping through the night peacefully.  I am grateful that you still love to be held and cuddled because I could breathe in your smell and squeeze your delightfully chubby feet forever.

William...

You are the explorer.  If there is a cord, steaming cup of coffee or a shoe within reach (or not) you do your best to get it in your grasp.  The walker is your secret weapon and you delight in reaching high speeds and navigating into the tightest of spots.  In fact, you prefer to be wedged (along with the two cats) in our teeny bathroom whenever I am giving your brother a bath.  You make this great noise that can best be described as a mix between a grunting old man and a wolf howling with its mouth closed.  Two bottom teeth have sprouted in your mouth and you still love to eat, even though you continue to be distracted by the cats or your Daddy 90% of the time.  Usually, you fall asleep without a fuss and make it through the night.  When you do wake up, you often mumble and groan (more old man noises that I love).

 

Moving via army crawl is not a problem, but you prefer to cruise upright with our help.  This morning you pulled yourself up from the sitting position in your crib.  You also love to twist and roll whenever I am changing your diaper.  No matter how silly or squirmy you are, I absolutely love that grin of yours.

Three cheers for our two unique little boys and their growing personalities (and friendship)...

                              

                                                                                xoxoxo,
                                                                                    Mommy & Daddy