Objects May be Smaller Than They Appear

Let's face it, it's extremely hot here in AZ during the summertime...but it's a dry heat right?  Whatever.  It's hot.

So what do you do with a 7-month-old and 3-year-old all summer when it's so hot you sweat just thinking about going outside?  You buy this and hope for hours of fun:

Take a close look at the picture on this box.  These kids are about 5 right?  The boy is literally sitting under the dinosaur head (which is a decent size bigger than his own head).  2 others are on the slide at the same time, with ease I might add.  Hours of fun.  Unless when you take it out of the package and blow it up, and it actually looks like this:

The sprayer is not on in this picture because when you turn on the hose, the head immediately flies backward and sprays the rest of the yard.  

Here is Brayden "playing" on the slide:

Lesson learned:  You get what you pay for!  He actually really has a good time, so the ultimate goal has been accomplished!

What about Caleb you ask?  

Happy as a clam (weird!) in his $5 pool :)

Definitely the Second Child!

They say that you get more relaxed with each child that you raise.  The saying "First baby, disinfect the pacifier when it touches the ground.  Second baby, stick it in your mouth to clean it.  Third baby and on, wipe it on your shorts and hand it back to the baby" is totally true.  Here is my version of that saying (and no folks, I won't ever have a "third and on" category, sorry!)

First baby...Unsuspecting soft puppy dog

 

Second baby...Older brother's plastic snake (Sorry Caleb!)

To my Wonderful Husband

Happy Father's Day to an amazing man...here are just a few reasons why we love you:

- You play Mr. Mom when I am at work, and sincerely enjoy it!

- You will take Brayden to his playgroup when I am at work...and be the only dad among a group of 8 women and 17 kids!  

- You will wrestle with Brayden for hours, something I do not enjoy doing!

- After a long 48 hours at work, you still come home so excited to see your family.  You would never know you hadn't slept the night before...until you pass out on the couch when it's finally naptime for the boys :)

- You bite your tongue when Brayden puts on his girl friend's princess dress-up clothes...eventhough I know this goes against every man rule!

The list goes on and on....what a truly amazing daddy you are!  We love you! 

A New Appreciation

Corbin works so hard to provide for our family and has been overwhelmed with everything lately, so I offered to take something off his hands.  The lawn really needed a good mowing (it had been a few weeks) and I figured "How hard could that be?" So at 7:30am I headed to the backyard...completely unaware of what I had just gotten myself into!  He has always made it look so easy, but let me tell you, it WAS NOT easy at all!  It took every ounce of strength to push that lawn mower through the grass!  I'm sure I didn't do nearly as good of a job as he does, but it's done and he didn't have to do it :)  Next time I'm feeling extra supportive, I think I'll just offer to clean the bathroom or something!

Proof that I actually did it!

Missed a spot...It's harder than it looks to steer that thing!

Finished product...not bad for a first attempt! :)

A Month of Many Firsts

When you are only 7 months old, pretty much everything is a first...but this month happened to have lots of fun ones! :)

First time sleeping in my crib without the beloved "miracle blanket"

First bath sitting up and splashing my little heart out!

First time swimming in Mimi and Baba's pool (but definitely not the last!)

First time mommy made me wear something silly (unfortunately not the last!)

First rice cereal (I L-O-V-E it!)

First trip to the Mogollon Rim for a day "camping trip"

First time wearing "real" kicks

Here's to many, many more firsts, my sweet baby C!

Brotherly Love...

Blink and you might miss it!

It started early...

Not sure if you can tell, but Corbin's hand is strategically placed to keep Caleb from getting a head butt!

They really do adore each other (for brief moments at a time!)

Brayden loves to make Caleb laugh.  He is a great helper and will sing to him to get him to stop crying.  It's very sweet to watch!  Brayden, being the rough and tumble boy that he is, sometimes roughs Caleb up a little (ok, a lot) too hard.  Corbin and I agree that Caleb is taking tabs and will one day get even!

Cheap Entertainment

This is how we keep Brayden occupied in the mornings while we both try to get ready for the day... it works wonders and keeps him from torturing his brother!

This One is for You Traci!

I was told that I needed to put a picture of sweet little Caleb being not-so-smiley...just to prove that he is indeed a real baby like the rest!  This is the best I could get tonight:

But don't worry, this was the next face....about 2 seconds later :)

I Know, I Know...Another Video...

I was trying to cut back on the random videos I post to my blog, but this one was just too great to pass up.  A few postings ago, I put a few samples of Caleb's laugh, which is so contagious and wonderful to listen to.  However, this is the best by far, so I have to share!

No Love for Sweet Potatoes...

His face really says it all: