HALES TALES

Now

2012-02-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

Life will be easier when the kids are just a little bigger. We will be able to do a lot more in a few years when the kids are bigger. We will really get out and enjoy this place and go on real adventures when the kids are bigger. But wait, when they're bigger they won't be my sweet little babies anymore, and they are growing up so fast already. They are bigger every day. When they're bigger I'll miss our babies, and their little hands and feet, and their giggles, and their tight squeezes, and their baby smell, and I'll wish to have THIS precious time back! When they are bigger sure, they'll be easier and more independent, but they won't need me as much.

I love being a mom to small kids. They are always changing and always surprising me and making me laugh. There is something new and exciting in their small world every single day, and that is so amazing to witness. They love, they really really love with all their hearts, what a great lesson they teach! I love having babies. Yes it is tiring, and some days I don't truly see the rewards, but every day is an adventure and is a gift and is most definitely worth cherishing.

Here are some of our days lately:

A Year's Difference

2012-01-25T13:56:00.004-07:00

January 2011

January 2012

My babies are growing up sooo fast!!

Jake Turns 3!

2011-11-03T14:56:00.000-06:00

Our big boy turned THREE!!!

Dear Jake,

Happy 3rd Birthday!!! You were and always will be my very first precious child, and I love you more than words can express. You are hilarious, you have a memory like an elephant, you love to read, you love your little brother, you are so smart, and you keep us all laughing! You continue to teach me new things every single day, and I am grateful and proud to be your mom. I love you...even if you are turning into a rotten BIG kid!!!

Love,

Mom

Just Because...

2011-11-02T15:16:00.000-06:00

...I like these pictures of my boys. They were taken the night before Jake's third birthday.

Halloween

2011-11-01T15:11:00.006-06:00

We went all homemade this year for Halloween. We were supposed to have two little wild Indians, but at the last minute Jake refused to be an Indian so he decided to be a cowboy.

The day started out wet and dreary on Halloween, and honestly, I wasn't feeling in the mood to do anything. But the sun came out and the boys were in the best mood all day, and by the time Jeremy got home, we were all smiles and ready to go.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-01T14:55:00.005-06:00

A 2-Year Old's Prayer

2011-09-20T10:03:00.003-06:00

Dear God,

Thank you for Mommy, Daddy, Jake, and August, Grammie, Pop, Uncle Nathan, Granna, poop, (long pause....) no not poop, and Molly.

Amen.

(FYI- Molly is our dog who's been missing since February.)

I love my Jake!

Happy Little Sooner Fans

2011-09-03T21:01:00.002-06:00

What Happens When They Pick Out Their Own Clothes?

2011-09-02T22:42:00.004-06:00

THIS!

It's just how they roll...

Vacation in Pictures

2011-09-01T21:41:00.000-06:00

We had an amazing time on our little family vacation near Glacier National Park. Best week of my life for sure.

We hiked a lot and found some awesome hidden places with breathtaking views. We celebrated our first five years of Happily Ever After. It was the first year we had our kids along for our anniversary date, and Jeremy and I both agreed it was the best one yet. We had dessert after almost every meal. We laughed a lot. We spent time with some friends we haven't seen in a long time. We ate wild berries. We skipped rocks. We saw lots and lots of wildlife. We all had a blast.

Here is our vacation in pictures:
You can hardly see it in this picture, but there's a moose down there in the water just splashing around.
Jake listening to the tall pine trees creek as they sway with the wind.He hiked the whole trail by himself, over 2 miles!

Summer Lately

2011-08-21T17:08:00.000-06:00

We are having a great summer, I don't even know where to begin. My girlfriend and I were just talking about how the summer is flying by and we feel so busy, but can't really remember what we've been doing. I think that's how life is when you have kids. The time just gets away from you and you feel like you are living in a whirlwind, but you can't really tell where all you've been. Does that make sense? I love that and hate that all at the same time. Spending time with my kids is what life in this moment is all about, there's nothing I would rather do. They are only this small for a split-second in time, and I don't want to miss anything, but I still feel like I do sometimes. It feels like there isn't enough time. Anyway, all that to say, we have been spending the summer doing fun family things. Going to the lake. Hiking. Planting trees. Fishing. Cutting firewood. And enjoying time with family and friends. We recently had a local tell us that Montana has 8 months of winter and 4 months of company, and that's about right. One of Jeremy's good buddies came to stay with us for a few days, then my parents came up for a visit, and my brother will be here soon. We love it!Jeremy is having to work out of town for a few weeks, so after we drop my mom off at the airport in a few days we are going to go stay with him. We're planning on making a mini-vacation out of the whole thing. We'll check back in soon...

A Spontaneous Weekend

2011-07-24T21:21:00.012-06:00

Tonight was C-razy (with a capitol C!). Jeremy has had weird hours the past few days, and I think the kids are acting out a little because they miss him today. I could be wrong, but something weird is going on nontheless.

SOOOO.... Anywhoo...... We still managed to have some good ol' fun this weekend. There was a rodeo going on in town and we really hadn't even talked about going, and then last-minute Friday about 6:30 we just decided to go. I think it was what we all needed. The boys were in their element, let me tell ya, they were a trip! Who knew August was such a little flirt. He was walking all around in front of the bleachers looking up and laughing at anyone whose attention he could get. He was waving his hat and giggling and flashing a huge smile. We are going to have our hands full with that one! And then Jake, well he found himself one special little girl to give all his attention to. She and her mom sat beside us, and as soon as they showed up Jake was like white on rice. He kept getting right up in her face (I mean close) and saying, "I'm a cowboy". They dug in the rocks and ran and played, and when her daddy was up for the calf tying Jake cheered for him and kept saying "That's your dad!" It was really cute. Jeremy and I didn't see a whole lot of the rodeo because we couldn't keep our eyes off of the tiny little objects of our affection, but it was still really fun!

Somebody didn't want to leave!

Saturday late afternoon we decided we were due a good hike. We drove out to one of our favorite spots, had a picnic in the back of the truck, and then headed off for a hike. We took our time, stopped a lot along the way to show the boys some fun stuff, and just sort of took it all in. We needed some good family QT and it was perfect. I have said this before, but I love love love Montana summers, they are what we live for, and this weekend was what it's all about; FAMILY AND GOD'S HANDIWORK.I have to add how proud I am of this boy! He climbed this all by himself. It was a pretty steep climb, but he was determined and did awesome!!

Not much to report on today. The boys and I pretty much took it easy. We played a lot outside tonight and went over to spy on my neighbors garden, which I am so very jealous of because it is awesome and my garden is kind of a dud. I cooked dinner, no one wanted to eat it, and then I bribed Jake with the promise of chocolate chip cookies tomorrow if he would stop crying and go to sleep. It's quiet here now, so I guess we'll be baking tomorrow. 'Night.

Our Night

2011-07-21T21:53:00.005-06:00

Tonight was an ice-cream-eating and washing-off-in-the-creek kind of night.

Weekend Picnic

2011-07-18T22:45:00.010-06:00

These boys are changing so much so fast! I am getting really behind on recording the silly things they say and do. I hate the thought of not remembering even one special moment during this short period of having babies, but I feel like it's already happening.
August has become such a little character. It's been so much fun watching his unique personality come to life, and I love seeing him stand his own ground in this family. If someone does something that he doesn't like, you can bet we're all gonna hear about it! He has started to copy everything he sees. The other night we had a friend over and he was fanning himself with his hat, and we looked over at August and he was fanning himself with his hat. He waves at every car that drives down our back road, every one. He has started talking a lot. Just all of a sudden he started repeating what we say and he's gotten a pretty big vocabulary. My favorite thing he says is "Jake", especially when Jake walks into the room after his nap and August sees him and gets so excited and points and says, "Jake". I love it! Oh, another funny thing he has started doing/copying is lifting Jeremy's shirt and blowing on his stomach to give him zerberts. The past two mornings he's done that when we bring him into our bed while we are still trying to get every last second of shut-eye that we can, and he lifts the covers and blows on Jeremy's stomach and then sits up and looks at us with a huge grin and we just crack up. What a turkey! He has also started giving us big, cheesy smiles on cue.
And big brother. Well, he's just a mess. You can bet if there is a dripping faucet near a little dirt within a two mile radius he's gonna find it, and he's gonna get covered in mud. Jake's personality is up and down and up and down all day every day, I guess that's part of being 2. He's very curious and asks tons of questions, and he surprises us at how much he remembers. Tonight we were eating dinner and he looked at me and said, "This is cow beef and it's good." He still sometimes calls Jeremy "Babe", which I think is hilarious and he always introduces himself as "Jake Alan Hale". We went through a little rough patch of keeping him in his bed at night, mostly it was after being in Texas where he got completely spoiled, but we have been doing some things differently and now he doesn't get up at all except maybe once if he needs to use the restroom. It has been great to have my evenings back. I love my kids, but I need my quiet time, too!

I may come back and update this tomorrow after Jeremy reads it and tells me all the things I've forgotten that I swore I'd remember. But I'm way too tired to try to run through my almost empty memory bank... 'Night.

P.S. I cannot figure out why blogger has started making my pictures so blurry, but it's driving me crazy. A few months ago it just started distorting my pictures out of the blue and I have no idea why. If anyone has any tips on how to fix it, I would really appreciate it.

Let Freedom Ring

2011-07-04T21:04:00.000-06:00

Dear Blog,

I'm sorry I have neglected you so. But I'm back, and I'm trying to get back into the swing of things since our long siesta down south. Lots of catching up to do...

For now....Happy 4th of July!!! We have had a nice relaxing day just celebrating the independence of this great nation and all of the freedoms we are blessed with. We cooked out some good ol' American cheeseburgers and ate lunch outside, popped a few fireworks, watched the boys play, and even ate dinner outside. It has been a perfect day. Now I'm listening to the fireworks echo all the way down the mountains and it sounds so cool. I love summer. I love the 4th of July. I love this country.

Cousins

2011-06-16T06:43:00.006-06:00

We have been at my sister's for a few days now. The boys and I are having such a great time hanging out with Julia and Dave and my nieces and nephew. We have been going ninety to nothing and are pretty exhausted, but we are loving every minute of it just the same.

My grandparents and aunt got to come by for a visit yesterday, and it was so nice getting loved on by them for a little while. We miss them so so much and are grateful that they got the chance to come see us.

Here are a few pictures from our time with the Galloway crew.

Golfing With Pop

2011-06-08T21:13:00.004-06:00

A couple of days after we got down here, my dad and I took the boys to the golf course. They had a blast riding in the golf cart! It was getting late in the evening, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves, so we let them run amok and they loved it. We rode around and looked at the deer coming out onto the course and rode over to the park and let the boys feed the ducks. I would say that these are my little golfers, but if they are anything like their daddy, I know that won't ever happen. For now I'm just happy with them digging in the sand pits, running around with the flag, and trying to stick their little feet in the holes.

Water Bugs

2011-06-08T20:36:00.004-06:00

We are in Texas. We are having a blast. We are busy. We are trying to stay cool. I'm pretty sure it's been 100 degrees every day we've been here, so we have been spending lots of time in the water!

The Joys of Raising Boys

2011-05-17T22:08:00.008-06:00

Jake loves snakes now, great! Once again, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Jeremy just said, "I'm trying to remember the first time I caught a poisonous snake..." Um, have you really done that more than once??? Snakes, frogs, worms, bugs.... I guess it's all something I'm just going to have to get used to since I'm raising a couple of wild boys. August just played with his stick, completely oblivious that there was even a snake.

And yes, he is wearing his Elmo jammies to play outside. It wasn't until after his nap that he insisted on wearing pajamas. Go figure.

Sleepy Head

2011-05-14T21:57:00.005-06:00

I have seen other kids who have gotten so exhausted that they fell asleep during dinner, and I've wondered before if either of ours would ever do this. Last night it happened. August absolutely could not keep his eyes open, and it was hilarious. I'm talkin', he couldn't even finish the bite of food in his mouth he was so tired. Jake was wound up and being really noisy, and August kept trying to fight the urge to close his eyes, but he just couldn't do it, and finally he caved and passed smooth out. It was the cutest thing ever!

P.S. Sorry for the blurry video. It's from our phone. But you get the point.

Birthday Boy

2011-05-03T21:34:00.005-06:00

August had a great first birthday! He is obviously too little to understand what a birthday is, but all day he really seemed to understand that we were making a big fuss over him, and he definitely ate up all the attention.

Here are a few pictures from his party. He stared at his cake for a few minutes, but once he finally got a taste of it, he dug all the way in. It was really cute. He was covered in red velvet cake, so midway through his party he had to take a bath break and get cleaned up.

All in all it was a great day celebrating a very special little boy. We love you soooo much, August!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUGUST!

2011-04-26T07:48:00.006-06:00

Dear August,

I love you more than words could ever express. You are my little angel and my little cuddle bug. As I held you tight last night before bed, I got tears in my eyes just thinking of how fast your first year has gone by. I thought back to that precious moment one year ago when you came into this world and into our family, and how you perfectly filled this spot in our lives that was always there and we were just waiting for you to come and fill it. And I thought of how your big brother came in and kissed your cheek and how his life had changed forever because he now had a best friend. You are such a great best friend! I thought of how much you have changed from the tiny newborn who always had to sleep in our bed, to this big boy who is able to sleep in your own little bed and be happy just singing and talking to yourself. I thought about all those nights when I got up with you when you were hungry or when you just couldn't sleep, and how I am so blessed to have had those special moments, just you and me, and I will lock those away in my memory forever. There were so many times this year when you needed only your mommy, and I am so thankful for that, because I know as the years go by, you will grow stronger and more independent and you will need me a little less, and that is a good thing. But I will always always cherish your first sweet year of life, and all the giggles, and all the tears, and all the new and exciting firsts, and all the late nights and early mornings, and all the wonderful moments we have had as a family that we would have missed without YOU. I love you so much and I thank God every day for giving me such a wonderful son. Happy first birthday, August!!! I love you.

Tomorrow tomorrow

2011-04-25T19:43:00.004-06:00

August's birthday is only a day away!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T21:26:00.013-06:00

2 days until August's 1st birthday!

Oh What A Night

2011-04-23T22:23:00.005-06:00

My poor baby was up screaming for the better part of the night last night. It started at 9:54 pm. TIME OUT... I just wrote a really long and detailed recollection from the night and then deleted it all because it was WAY too long-winded. The long and short of it is that August is teething and I have never heard a child scream as I did last night!!! That's what I get for just yesterday thinking to myself that I'm glad August is a late teether because surely it won't be hard on him once he a little older. YEAH RIGHT!!! We are prepared for it tonight, though, and hopefully things will go a little smoother than they did last night so that Jeremy and I can get to sleep before 4 am and so our little man won't have to endure such trauma, yes, it was THAT bad.

Here are some pictures I took a little earlier today. August has always loved hats. He loves taking Jeremy's hat off and putting it on or just carrying it around. A while back Jeremy hung hat hooks over the doorway in our closet and August always goes in there, looks up, and squeals when he looks at all the hats.Today was gorgeous and we spent most of it outside. Tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same, and we are all excited about celebrating Easter and remembering the awesome sacrifice that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ made for us. I look forward to the time when my children will be just as excited about Jesus as a certain two year old was about that cake he saw me baking for tomorrow!!

3 days until August turns 1.

What's Up, Doc

2011-04-22T20:12:00.003-06:00

Today we took August to the doctor for his one year well baby check-up. It seemed like it was the fastest appointment we've ever been to. Weighed, measured, checked eyes, ears, heart, asked a few questions and outta there. Once again, he's shaping up to be a little peanut weighing in at 19.5 lbs and measuring 28.5 inches. Everything looked, sounded, ~~smelled~~ great! He's a happy, healthy boy and we couldn't love him any more. Only 4 whoppin' days until August turns 1!!!!!!!

Easter's On It's Way

2011-04-21T22:27:00.009-06:00

I'm feeling a little OOC (out of control) lately. I think it's because Easter and August's birthday are only two days apart, and they are both only days away, and I still have lots to do to get ready for both. Or maybe it's just because I'm weird. Either way, I feel like I'm going nuts!!!

J and A looking at their Easter cards from Grammie and Pop Here is a little of what we've been doing...
Only five short days until August's birthday!!!

6 Days

2011-04-20T22:53:00.002-06:00

Only 6 more days until August turns 1!

We have been having lots of fun doing little Easter projects the past couple of days. Today at playgroup we dyed and painted Easter eggs (and it was c-razy!) and yesterday my friend, Bobbi, and I painted our kiddos' Easter pales. It was so much fun and I love how they turned out!! Too bad you don't get to see them today, because my camera is in the truck that Jeremy took to work. I'll post them tomorrow, though. I also didn't get any pictures of the kids decorating their eggs because I had my hands just a wee bit full with all the little artists.

One little side note from our crazy playgroup date... Jake got his first bloody nose today. The big boys were all running around being silly and he and his buddy collided and his nose got smacked. It wasn't a terrible bloody nose, but it hurt him pretty bad. It didn't take long for him to get back to his old self though. Yep, he was back to digging in our friends' cat's litter box in no time! I'm so proud. HA!

August had a rough night going down tonight. We changed up his little bedtime routine and I think it got him out of wack a little bit. But he's in there snoozing away now. I love that little baby, and can't believe he'll be one in only six short days!!

Just Killing Time

2011-04-19T22:33:00.005-06:00

Anyone else ever let their kids make a complete disaster of a mess just for a few minutes of peace and quiet, even though you know the clean-up will take twice as long as the quiet moment you so desperately needed? Yeah, me neither.7 days until August turns 1!

Longest Winter EVER

2011-04-18T23:03:00.003-06:00

You have GOT to be joking me! This morning we woke up to 4 inches of snow on the ground. I cannot even believe that this winter will not end! I know I shouldn't complain, though. My heart truly goes out to all of those affected by the terrible wildfires all across Texas and to all of those affected by the tornadoes in the south. I am thankful for what I have, and while it's a household consensus that we would never want to go back where there is 100 degree weather in April, I'm still at least ready for a real spring!! Come on mother nature.....work with me!!!

Enough about that. Today we had to go to another town close to ours to have some work done on our truck and we ran errands ALL day after that. Jeremy just now said, "Ugh, you are going to update the blog with no pictures aren't you?" And yes, I am, because we were too busy to take any. Today we got a few little gifts for August's birthday and all of the decorations for his party. Jake also added to his sea life collection with the purchase of a starfish.

One thing about August: This morning he picked up the magnedoodle (little magnetic drawing toy) and started writing. He looked just like he knew what he was doing.
Another thing: He started brushing his own hair. And anyone else's who will let him.
One more thing: As of tonight, he is 100% on whole milk. This was another change that is making me a little sad because it shows that he's not a little baby anymore.

Oh, and an update on last night, we didn't hear a peep from that sweet baby all night. He is on his second day and night with no pacifier, so I guess it's official. I'm so proud of him.

8 days until August's birthday!!

Adios Paci!

2011-04-17T20:59:00.011-06:00

Nine days until August's birthday. One thing about August today: He showed/told us what a gorilla says. Someone said something about a gorilla and he immediately started hitting his chest with both hands and making an "Ahahhh" sound. And he's been doing it all day, of course. So proud of himself.

And the BIG news.....NO MORE PACI!!!! Today was the day. I don't know why, it just was. Maybe the haircut makes him look too old for a pacifier, I don't know, but he took both naps without it and is now sleeping soundly pacifier-free. When I layed him down for his morning nap without it, it was like he didn't miss it a bit, not a peep was heard. This afternoon he was mad, but went to sleep after just about 10 minutes of fussing on and off. Tonight, WOW, he was really really mad. I went in after about 5 minutes of all out screaming and held and talked and sang to him and said the paci was gone, and then when I layed him down he went to sleep. I know anyone reading this whose kids have never taken a pacifier probably think all the fuss about it is really dumb, and in the grand scheme of things it's really not that big of a deal, but in the moment it is big. And when your child really needs that pacifier to soothe himself, it is a huge deal. We will see how the rest of the night goes...

Oh, also, I got a little weepy tonight because I pulled out some of Jake's old clothes for August to start wearing that were down in the basement. It was such a reality check that time passes so so very fast. Looking at all those clothes brought back so many memories of when Jake was small, and the things he did and places we went while wearing certain outfits, and it just seemed like yesterday that we did all of those things. And now our tiny little baby is wearing those big clothes and making all new memories in them. It is such a sweet thing and we are so blessed for each and every memory made, but I just want to hold on to these babies and keep them like this forever!!!

August: 9 days before 1st b-day

Jake: 2 weeks before 1st b-day

Daddy and his boys. (Jake's new "cheese" face)

Hair Cut and Mood Swings

2011-04-16T21:48:00.008-06:00

Welcome to our nightly activity in pictures:Notice how many different moods August goes through in just about a 30 minute span. He's all smiles and then throwing an all out fit and then right back to happy. Can we say deliriously tired?! Throw in a few hugs, kisses, and body-slams, and you've got a regular ol' night in the life of Hales Tales.

Oh, today I gave August a haircut. When I was finished I told Jeremy that I think I need to take him to get it fixed now. Jeremy took a good look at it and said, "Uh, you are just going to have to let that grow out." Woops. It looks ok in the front, but it's pretty butchered in the back. It was just driving me nuts and Jeremy was working on the truck so I couldn't take him anywhere to have it cut. I should learn my lesson!!! I have now given one haircut to each of the men in my family, and after each attempt I am reminded of why I pay someone else to do it. This was the last time.

TEN days until August's birthday!!!

Garbage Disposal

2011-04-15T21:23:00.002-06:00

Guess what we had for dinner?

This little boy can put the food away! I'm not joking, before I can even get all the little baby-bite-sized pieces on his plate he's already eaten them all and is asking for more. He eats more than Jake, seriously.

11 days until August turns 1! I still have a lot to do to get ready for his party, too. I actually don't even know what we're going to do for his party. I mean, I do but I don't. It depends on what the weather is going to do. If it's nice, we're going to cook out, and if it's cold or windy or wet we're going to have it inside. We aren't going with a theme this go 'round because he's not really into anything yet and doesn't have an opinion on it either way. We are keeping it simple and sticking to our style, less is more. Balloons, cake, friends, and the most precious little one-year-old around. I'm sure it will be perfect. SO, back to all I have to do to get ready, I think I'll start tomorrow by making the "practice" birthday cake to be sure I know what I'm doing. Red Velvet! MmMm.....

*Oh, and we had pizza for dinner tonight.

Rise and Shine

2011-04-14T21:52:00.004-06:00

Here is August this afternoon right after he woke up from his nap. I love a baby who is just waking up from a good nap. The way they nuzzle into your shoulder when you pick them up. The way they smack their little lips. The way they look around a room as if everything is new. The way they sit still and quiet and wait for their milk. The way they lay almost completely limp while drinking their milk and watching you fix dinner. The way they all of a sudden wake up and snap into reality and are as happy and refreshed as can be. At least I love the way one certain baby does those things right after he wakes up. 12 days until August turns 1!!

Short One

2011-04-13T20:37:00.003-06:00

We had a good, long, tiring day. My little angels woke up extra bright and early this morning and I'm pooped. We went on a late morning hike to a spot I had never been to and it was beautiful, one of my new favorite places and easy to get to if I want to go by myself with the boys sometime. I don't have any pictures from today, but I still wanted to write something and continue the countdown. Only 13 days until August's birthday. I love you baby boy, and I hope you sleep in really late on the 12th day until your birthday!!! 'Night!

Two Weeks

2011-04-12T20:31:00.007-06:00

August's birthday is two weeks from today!!! Today he got to go to the library for the first time. We haven't been since Jake was about a year old, and we decided it was due time. Today was children's story time, so it was perfect. August loved it! Jake, not so much. Of course August didn't pay a bit of attention to the stories, he just had fun crawling in and out of a crate filled with books. He also handed books to random strangers throughout the morning and played with a cute little blond girl the rest of the time.

After his nap, I guess August was hungry for a little snack because while I was watering my plants I looked over to find that he had just helped himself to some tortillas. Definitely not the most nutritious choice. And after Jake woke up we decided to make cookies. I was reminded of how extremely difficult it is to have an adequate number of chocolate chips left to mix in the dough when baking with a chocolate-loving toddler.The countdown to August's birthday continues. 14 days...

Gobble Gobble

2011-04-11T21:11:00.005-06:00

Today August got to hear a turkey gobble in the wild for the first time. Honestly, he didn't have much of a reaction to it, but his brother, on the other hand, loved it and has been gobbling all day. It was really windy this morning, so instead of Jeremy going hunting, he decided to take us along for a drive to look for turkeys. We saw a few hens and a gobbler and we all had fun listening to Daddy talk to them.

After our drive we ate lunch and then went to a nursery in town to look for some plants and seeds for our garden. Plants are seriously so good for my soul, I'm not kidding. Just walking into that green house made me feel completely refreshed and rejuvenated. I can't wait to get my hands in some dirt and start watching everything bloom!!!

Other than that we took it pretty easy today. August started saying "nana" for banana and started hiding in the kitchen cabinets.Jake ate a watermelon blowpop and got our change at the store and won't stop saying, "Got money."15 days until August turns 1!Oh, and I would really like to know who taught my 2 year old to say, "Off with his head!" I have heard that a few too many times today and have NO CLUE where it came from!!

16

2011-04-10T21:13:00.003-06:00

The countdown continues, and we are at 16 days until my baby turns 1! I'm at a bit of a loss today. Not much to tell. No pictures were taken today. August climbed up on the rocking chair in his room and onto his changing table. Life as I knew it is over. Scary! He wants to do everything that he sees his big brother doing. OH.... and he took 6 steps today!! Pretty sure my screams scared him half to death, so he probably won't try that again for a while! I love this sweet boy sooo much!

The Lake

2011-04-09T22:11:00.011-06:00

Today we met up with some friends at the lake. This is normally a huge, beautiful lake, but as you can see from the pictures, it is way way down right now. That's because they opened up the dam to let the water out to prepare for the snow melt (I think). In these pictures we are essentially standing in the middle of the lake. Luckily we didn't go for the water, we went for the mud. (Actually, I wasn't aware we were going to be in mud, otherwise I would not have worn white pants!!) Anyway.... We ate lunch outside, let the kids run and crawl around in the mud and dirt, went for a ride in our friend's Razor, and watched lots and lots of people doing tricks on their dirt bikes and four wheelers. Jake loved it, well, he loved it halfway through the day when he finally got over being shy and decided to come out of the *turd and join the rest of us. For as much as he loved it, I was equally terrified since I'm the mother of two boys. I don't know how many times I saw someone do a jump on their dirt bike and said to myself, "I hope my kids never do that." Today was August's first experience with sand, and the fact that it was wet made it even more interesting, and even more appetizing I guess, since he was shoving handfuls of it into his mouth! (*Sidenote* See that snow line up the mountain straight above August's head?? To the left is Canada to the right is the US. Pretty neat, huh?)

Tonight we got to babysit our good friends Kyler and Brynn while their parents went to a party. Keeping four kids by myself was way easier than I expected. It was only for a couple of hours, so they pretty much kept themselves entertained just having someone else to play with. We always love having them over, and Jake and August always sleep really good afterwards, too!! 17 days until my baby turns 1!!!

Random List

2011-04-08T20:54:00.008-06:00

I am overjoyed to announce that we all wore short sleeves outside today! I hope spring is here to stay! I am going to make this quick with a little hodgepodge of information, so here's the list:

-For naps and nighttime I laid August down with only 1 pacifier instead of the usual 3 and he did just fine. -Jeremy cut Jake's hair outside today. Jake did fine for the first 10 minutes, but the last 5 were a meltdown. Even a huge worm couldn't cheer him up. -I might start calling August Mr. Opinionated because all of a sudden he is not as agreeable as he once was and has started frequently making a ~~slightly~~ VERY annoying shrieking sound when he doesn't like something.

-While I was cooking dinner the boys were playing in the spice cabinet. Jake got ahold of my little mix of cinnamon and sugar, popped the top, and spilled it all over the floor. UGH! I had to clean it up right away because August was right there in it. So, of course, the meat I was cooking got a little burnt.

-August climbed halfway up the slide.-Tonight Jake thanked God for The Lion King movie...even though he got in trouble and didn't even get to watch it. I guess you could say he's an optimist.

-I got to watch two little brothers love on eachother tonight and it made everything else worth it!-There are 18 days until August turns 1!

Pacifier Chronicles

2011-04-07T21:14:00.004-06:00

The time to get rid of August's pacifier is drawing near. This is a time which I dread. He only takes it in bed, that's it, nowhere else. So part of me thinks I should just leave it alone and let him keep it as long as he wants since he loves it so much and sleeps so well with it. But the other part of me knows that beyond a year of age is when he will establish the strongest dependence on it and it will be much much harder to break the habit. He has this whole pacifier ritual going on, too. He always goes to bed with three pacifiers, one in his mouth and two in the bed. I give him the one in his mouth, and as soon as I lay him down, he spits it out and reaches for another one. He may keep that one or may exchange it again for the the last one. Two nights ago I tried to lay him down without one and he let out a little pout, and I didn't have the backbone to put up a fight, so I just gave him all three, smiled, and left. He smiled and went straight to sleep. They are truly miracle workers!! What to do???? I'll keep you posted. For now he's doing this

which means I'll be doing the same in a few minutes, so I'm not going to worry about it tonight.

And a Jake update. Jake has hit a little bashful stage. A few days ago I took the boys to lunch at a tiny little hole in the wall restaurant. While we were eating, a couple of men came in for ice cream and Jake heard them order and asked for some ice cream, too. So after he ate I got him a cone. The men tried chatting with him, but he would have none of that. And he would also have none of the ice cream that he had just wanted so badly. He just looked down with a scowl on his face and acted a little embarrassed. I tried to get him to eat it, but no. August and I both ate some and he still wouldn't try it. So we took what was left with us, and as soon as we got in the car he said, "Ice cream" and finished it off. Then today we went to tumbling class (the same class we go to every week) and he would not do anything for the first 10 minutes. He just kept his little head down and acted really bashful. Then all of a sudden he snapped out of it and jumped right in doing log rolls with everybody else. I don't really know where this little shyness has come from, but we just try not to push it and let him warm up on his own time.

Oh, and tonight after I laid him down, I heard the pitter-patter of little feet running around in his room. I opened the door, he jumped in bed, and this is what I found

Who do we have here? Some of his little sea animal buddies, along with his beloved crocodile. He was running back and forth between his bed and his toy box collecting them when he got busted! And remember a while back I mentioned that he was really wanting an octopus, well he got him. The name he decided on: Rent. Yep, he named the octopus Rent. Kids are strange.

19 days until August turns 1!!! Yay, we are in the teens!

20

2011-04-06T22:21:00.002-06:00

The countdown continues even though things have been pretty uneventful around here. Today was playgroup and then we had friends over for dinner. Something about August... He is in a major climbing faze and falls A LOT. Today he tried climbing a bar stool an it fell on him. It seems like he's just about had enough, too. I can almost hear it in his cries, "I just don't want to fall anymore!" But as soon as he turns around, he's climbing something else. Sorry, I didn't take any pictures today. I love you my little clumsy baby!

Little Bear

2011-04-05T21:19:00.004-06:00

August must be growing, because today he slept like a bear. He didn't wake up until 8:30 this morning. (By the way, how come when one baby sleeps in the other one doesn't? Seriously, my kids swap turns so that I never actually get to sleep late. Stinkers!) Then he took a two hour morning nap and a two hour afternoon nap. Must be nice. Jeremy was off today, so we got a LOT of work done outside while the little ones rested. After they woke up we all just played.Oh, and yes, we still sometimes wear our winter hats up here in the mountains. Come to think of it, maybe August was trying to hibernate until the warmer weather arrives. I can't say I blame him! 21 days to go...

Two Firsts

2011-04-04T21:28:00.006-06:00

I can hardly believe I'm admitting this, but tonight August had his first bubble bath. Most Boring Mom Ever Award goes to me. We just don't ever think about bubbles. August liked them. Didn't love them. Jake loved them.

August also fed himself with a spoon for the first time tonight at dinner. I think I might be late on letting him do this, but what can I say, I don't particularly like the idea of my baby slinging food all over the place and only getting a very small amount where it is supposed to go. He actually did really good with it and only made a mild mess and had a lot of fun doing it.

Before we washed dinner off his face

Maybe this is why August didn't like it so much

22 days until August turns 1!!! His party invitations should be here tomorrow and I can't wait to see them!

23 Days

2011-04-03T21:37:00.011-06:00

And the countdown continues.

Today today. What a day. I am exhausted! It seems like Sundays always begin with a whirlwind that doesn't slow down until the lights are out.

The church we attend is about an hour and a half drive, so usually we have to scramble to get out the door in time. We made it with a few minutes to spare this morning! During church we were doing the usual baby wrangling while still trying to get a little something spiritual out of being there. After communion, the man who was about to lead the prayer for the offering stopped and spoke to all the parents with small children. He said what a blessing it is to have babies there and not to ever worry about a child making noise because it is the best sound anyone can hear. You would have thought my 11 month old child understood that kind man, because he gave a big "DA DA" shout out right afterwards. I whispered for him not to push his luck!!

After church we did our normal running around town. Target. Lunch. Target. (Yes, we went to Target twice.) Costco. TJ Maxx. Gas station (OUCH!). Then hit the road home so Jeremy could make it to work.

The boys and I painted and then Jake watched a movie while August and I played and got dinner ready. After dinner the boys were C-razy! Jake was running around jumping on the couch and August wanted to get up there soooo bad. I turned around and when I looked back he was on the couch, looking at me and smiling. I still have no idea how he got there. I asked Jake if he helped him climb up or if he did it by himself, which he replied "Yes" to both questions, so who knows? Anyway, they were both climbing around, jumping, and falling like crazy men. I let them do that for a good long while, hoping they would tire themselves out... Worked like a charm.

Before bed Jake wanted to put on a new pair of Sesame Street underwear, and he insisted that August wear a pair, too. I obliged. So both boys were sitting there cute as could be in their underwear and I got busy folding clothes. During that 15 minute folding marathon it didn't cross my mind even once that my baby, my little non-potty-trained baby, was still wearing underwear, underwear with no diaper. Oh, and did I mention he had crawled up into his favorite place, Jake's bed? So guess what I got to do. Yep, change the sheets. And wash Bobcat.

That pretty much sums it up. Glad to be alive. Glad we overcame Satan tempting us to stay home this morning. Glad for brothers who love to play together. Glad we all survived Jake falling off his chair in the restaurant and August dropping a glass bowl on his toe. Glad I don't have to try to remember everything because it's right here. And glad we have a party to look forward to in 23 days!!

Mr. Independent

2011-04-02T22:11:00.004-06:00

It always takes me a few minutes to get everything ready for the boys to take their bath. I like to turn on the heater and let the room warm up a little, clean and rinse the tub, get some toys out, take off both boys' clothes, etc. A few nights ago I guess August decided it was taking too long, and he just plopped himself right in while I had my back turned. Only problem was he went head first into an empty tub! I figured he had learned his lesson, albeit the hard way, but apparently not. Tonight I was rinsing out the tub while August stood beside me, all the while throwing one leg up and over the side trying to get in. I'm pretty sure we've got our work cut out for us with the combination of his strong will and fearlessness.

August this afternoon after his nap

24 days to go...

Birthday Month

2011-04-01T22:00:00.006-06:00

It is officially August's birthday month!!! To celebrate this month, we have decided to give August one gift every day along with one spankin' to grow on every day. Ok, we are not really doing either of those things. Sheesh, I think this whole blogging every day thing is more celebrating than I bargained for! Oh well, he's worth it!

We had a fun day today. This morning we slept in (until about 8:30) had crepes for breakfast and then went to playgroup. Jake and August both seemed more wound up than usual while we were there, I think they were both happy to be out of the house and around their friends. As much fun as the boys always have at playgroup, it's equally as important to me because I love having my girl time with the other mamas!!!

We came home and had lunch with Daddy and then they both took really good, long naps.

Tonight we decided we wanted even more play time, so we invited one of my friends, whose hubby was also gone to work, over for dinner. The BIGGEST news of the night was that August stood by himself a lot for really long periods and then took a big step towards me and fell into me on the second step. I can see those little wheels turning in his head as he figures out what this whole walking thing is all about. Big boy.

My eyelids are very very heavy tonight, so I'm outta here. Happy weekend! 25 days and counting...

26 days and counting...

2011-03-31T20:10:00.008-06:00

...until this little boy turns 1!!!

This is what he likes to get into lately.He can be completely occupied with something at the other end of the house, and he'll hear that dishwasher door pop open and make a b-line for it. It's fine and good when it's empty or even when it's full of clean dishes, but when I'm adding to a dirty load and he comes and starts pulling stuff out, well that's just gross. I have tried explaining this repeatedly, but apparently babies don't give a rip about filth, so he still gets very very upset when I have to pry that dirty fork from his grubby little fingers!!

Tonight the boys goofed around in Jake's bed after their bath. August loves to climb up into the bed, but of course he can't get down by himself yet, so sometimes he'll climb in when no one is around and then sit in there and holler until he gets rescued. Come to think of it, that's a good place to stick him while I load the dishwasher...

Little Monkey Man

2011-03-30T21:48:00.006-06:00

Sometimes I think August is part monkey because he loves bananas so much. Literally he eats at least one a day, sometimes more. Here he is shoving half of an entire banana into his mouth in true August fashion.We didn't do a lot today. Hung around the house, ran some errands, and took Daddy supper tonight. Doesn't Jake look so old in this picture? My baby is growing up too fast!!!Oh, and speaking of Jake, we learned a dynamite new discipline trick with him. Honestly, he has always been a pretty easy kid. He responds well to time-outs and when we have to, spanking works too, but usually a glaring eye is enough for him and he's back on his best behavior, no problemo. BUT, he has recently decided that staying in his bed at bedtime is now optional. I'm talking 2, 3, 4 times a night he'll get up and wander around. He'll come and ask me to scratch his back, or he'll open his door and lay in the doorway, or he'll just go look out the window (especially since it's completely light outside at bedtime now). So we take him back to bed, give him a warning, paddle his bottom, beg and bargain, you name it. Well, that was until I figured it out. Take the blankies away. I actually haven't had to take them away yet, I just told him I was going to, and we haven't seen that sweet little face out of bed past 8 pm since! Hallelujah. Oh sweet Jake and those blankies. I'm pretty sure he gets it from his Uncle Matthew.These are the days.

Oh, and 27 days until party time...

Mooo

2011-03-29T21:02:00.005-06:00

Here is August making a "Mooo" sound for the first time. We were about to go for a walk and I told him we were going to see the cows, and he moo'ed. At least I think he moo'ed. It surprised me. I tried to get him to do it again tonight and he didn't, so we'll see if it's a new thing or not...

Just looking at the cows.

Jake giving his baby brother a hug.

Jake likes to either push or pull the wagon home. Today he pulled.

28 days...

A New Trick

2011-03-28T22:41:00.008-06:00

29 days and counting...

A few things about August today:

-You fell asleep in the car on our way to town and slept all the way through lunch. We kept asking, "Who is this baby" because ever since you were tiny you would wake up as soon as the car stopped moving. Today you must have been pooped out!

-I had a complete loss of brain function this afternoon and forgot to take off your shoes for your nap, so you slept with them on. That was a first.

-You don't walk yet, but today you did this:

Seriously, stop growing so fast!

T minus 30 days

2011-03-27T16:56:00.003-06:00

I'm starting a countdown to A's birthday. I will tell (at least) one thing about him each day.

Today we went to church and August was a squirmy worm! Church is right at his nap time, so sometimes he gets a little restless. He was really happy and quiet, he just didn't want to be still. Jeremy and I passed him back and forth between us a couple of times, I seriously considered handing him off to the couple behind us for a little break, and then I decided to take him to the nursery for the rest of the sermon. As soon as we had him loaded in the car after church he fell fast asleep. We woke him up for lunch and then he went back to sleep and slept for the next two hours in the car.

See you tomorrow.

11 Months

2011-03-26T20:35:00.005-06:00

Today my sweet baby is eleven months old! We have had an amazing day today. Jeremy is off work for a few days so this morning we all slept in, then Jeremy made french toast, eggs, and bacon for breakfast, then little man took a big nap, we went to town for lunch (Vonn's Burgers!!), went to our local feed bin, played at the park, ran some errands, came home for naps, and then spent the rest of the afternoon outside. Jake played with worms and had all sorts of interesting conversations with them, August threw some rocks around and went for a ride in the wagon, and Jeremy and I got started on our spring yard work. We had spaghetti for dinner and now August is asleep, Daddy and Jake are watching The Fox and The Hound, and I'm obviously rambling.A few things about August that I want to remember...

-The only sign he has learned is "more" and that's because he loves to eat so much and signs "more" when he wants another bite.

-Speaking of bites, we have to watch him pretty closely when he feeds himself because he'll put every piece of food that we give him into his mouth at once, and sometimes it will make him choke.

-He loves clapping, and as soon as he hears the word "Yay" he looks around and starts clapping.

-He has FINALLY kicked the early morning feeding. Up until a few weeks ago he would wake up between 5:30 and 6:30 in the morning to eat and go right back to sleep. Now he's sleeping until around 7:30.

-He is beginning to realize that he has a will and has started letting Jake (and everyone else) know that they better not snatch toys out of his hands.

I love days like today. Mostly I love having my family to spend them with. Happy 11-month birthday sweet August! We love you!

I Don't Want To Forget A Thing

2011-03-23T21:23:00.001-06:00

The time just won't slow down! As much as I love experiencing life's changes and watching my kids grow and learn new things, it's bittersweet because I feel like the moments of holding them and kissing those cheeks and tickling little feet and playing "Ride that Horsee" and cuddling with four people in the bed and hearing baby squeals of laughter are just all passing by much too quickly!

I don't know if I've said it before, but I LOVE having boys. I feel like I was meant to live this life with all of the dirt and spit and rocks and rough-housing. It makes life interesting and it makes life full. There is just something about boys.

I have been telling myself over and over again to write more things down because I don't want to forget. So this post is mostly serving as a way to remember life as we know it at this moment.

-August is so proud of himself for standing up on his own. He stands up, laughs, does a move that looks like a boogie dance, and falls down. Then he usually claps for himself.

-The past three nights Jake has thanked God for popsicles during his prayer. I'm not sure why, because he hasn't had a popsicle since September. Maybe he's asking God for one. Either way, he's persistent.

-Jake is using the potty! We are loving this 1-2 diapers per day thing! (Sometimes nap and night). Oh, and he loves going outside in the woods!

-Jake's new favorite thing is asking, "Why not?" Only he doesn't always use it properly. I'll say to be quiet because August is taking a nap and he'll say, "Why not?" Come in here it's time to eat dinner. "Why not?" You need to finish your supper. "Why not?" August gets to play because he already finished eating. "Why not?"

-August loves to watch us dance and has started to join in. When any of us start to move our arms and dance, he gets the biggest smile and does the classic baby head-bob.

-We are discovering August has a hidden temper. He is usually a totally go-with-the-flow baby, but lately (most noticeably in church) when he doesn't get his way, he'll make two really tight little fists, bite down, grimace, make a low scowling sound, and then start waling.

-Jake says "sure" all the time. And I mean All.The.Time. "Jake do you want a strawberry?" "Sure." "Are you ok?" "Sure." "Do you want a new ocotpus?" "Oh sure." "Did August bump his head?" "Sure." "Would you please stop doing that?" "Sure."

-Jake is obsessed with sea creatures. Every time we go to the toy store we get him one little sea animal. So far he has a killer whale, sperm whale, shark, dolphin, and fish. And every time he uses the potty he asks for an octopus. So I'm pretty sure that is next.

-Jeremy and I used to help Jake name his little animals. But he has started naming them on his own now. The latest are his fish named Annie and crocodile named Booboo. HA!

-Jake has known all the letters in the alphabet for quite a while now, so we are working on putting them together with words and sounds. The other day I asked him what the letter "P" says, and he proudly said "PPPPPP" while spitting all over the counter. He also knows that K is for kangaroo, M is mountain, I is iguana, and O is "opopus" (octopus).

-We are excited to say that August is finally sitting still for us to read to him! The other night he actually made it through 2 1/2 books before squirming out of my lap (I knew I was pushing it with that third one!). It is so fun to hold and rock and read to a sleepy baby!!

So other than that it has just been life as usual. Now that all the snow has melted at our house, we have been getting to play in the back yard a lot and have also been doing some hiking and shed hunting. And let's not forget fishing.Oh, and as you can see, we have not always been dressing our kids appropriately, or even getting them dressed at all.

Jake Loves the Turd

2011-03-19T22:18:00.004-06:00

Have I ever mentioned the turd or how much Jake loves it? Well he does! Let me explain, we nicknamed Jeremy's big ol' beater 1977 Dodge Ramcharger the "Turd". It is Jake's fortress. He could spend all day in there. If we ever have someone watch the boys, we tell them that if Jake gets upset at all, just throw him the turd and he'll be content to stay in there for as long as need be. Or if Jeremy is outside working, he'll let Jake get in there and play while he works. He. Loves. It. There really isn't even anything to play with in there besides a turkey feather and some magnets that Jeremy uses to tally up so he knows when he needs more gas.Needless to say, Jake was overjoyed a few weeks ago when we let him help clean the snow off the top of the turd. I'm talking, better than Christmas overjoyed!! I'm glad he's learning to find joy in life's simple pleasures. Either that, or he's just really easily amused.

We Miss You, Grammie!

2011-03-02T22:05:00.004-07:00

My mom came up to visit us a couple of weeks ago. The boys, of course, had a blast with her. They got to do lots of puzzles, reading, playing, and snuggling by the fire. Oh, and Jake was in dessert heaven. Can we say Chocolate Delight? Jeremy and I loved having a third "grown-up" here, too, so we could play Shanghai, even if Jeremy did get tired of me beating him every single cotton pickin' game, but that's nothing new. (This is my blog, so I can remember things however I want!)

We love my mom so very much and are always excited for her visits. We can't wait for her to come back in April. Ha ha. Not really, but we WISH!!!! Thanks for the great times, Grammie!

Say What

2011-02-28T20:53:00.010-07:00

Words that surprised me as they came out of my mouth today:

~Gross. Give me that! Do not get gum out from under that table and lick it!

~Daddy's name is not 'Babe'. It is Jeremy.

~You broke his legs, so Jonah is gone gone.

~Please stop going peepee right there!

~You're not supposed to eat the ketchup all by itself.

~No I won't go find your black whale again. Walter is sleeping. Now get in your bed.Nope, never a dull moment around here.

P.S. None of these pictures were from today. I just felt like posting them.

Body Art

2011-02-27T20:31:00.007-07:00

It started off as a typical art project. A little fun with an apple, a cork, and some paint. Feeling the love of art.

Some paint on the tummy by accident.

Hmm, I could really go somewhere with this.Freedom of expression takes over.And it turns into full-blown body art.A new found love.

2011-02-26T21:33:00.004-07:00

This cute little boy turned ten months old today. Where to begin... I love him so much! He's a mess. Today I had to read the warning labels of two different boxes to be sure there was nothing toxic in the art supplies he decided to eat. Everything goes straight into that mouth. We really have to watch him. Apparently he's never going to eat a steak, though, because he still doesn't have a single tooth. My babies get their teeth late, and that's just fine with me because I absolutely love a big, gummy smile!

August is such a tender-hearted little boy. He has started to cry when Jake cries. It's really sweet. He also gets really upset if a door gets shut and he sees it. He could be in or out, it doesn't matter, he just wants them open. Jake shut the door a while back and August was in a room by himself for like 2 seconds and did not like it at all, so maybe that's why?? Not really sure, but all doors are to remain open in our house now.

He has started saying Dada and Mama. He tries to say some other words, but hasn't quite figured out how to get them to come out right, yet. Soon enough he'll be a nonstop chatterbox like his brother.

He loves to play with balls. He watches us throw and catch and wants to do it so badly. The past few nights after he gets the ball he will try to throw it back by handing it to me and I'll clap for him, and he'll get so excited and bounce up and down with the biggest smile.

We have mastered all indoor activities this winter, and we are more than ready for spring to bring us some warm weather so we can play outside. Yesterday on our way to playgroup I glanced at my car thermometer. To my surprise it said -21! That is just ridiculous! Having this sweet boy in my arms sure warms my heart, though. Happy 10-month birthday, August!!!

Twinkies

2011-02-21T21:43:00.000-07:00

Just doing some light reading before bed a few nights ago. Jake loves books and reading. He has always had a surprisingly long attention span when it comes to reading, and will let me read him very long stories, word for word, over and over again. August, not so much. He looks, chews and slobbers, and takes off. But as you can see, it's a different story when he's sitting next to big brother, always so interested in what he's doing. I've said it before and I will say it again, I hope they are always best buddies!! These moments are so precious.

The Meeks Do Montana

2011-02-15T20:58:00.010-07:00

As you probably already know, we LOVE having company! Some of our friends up here have even started referring to our house as Hotel Hale because we have so many people come up and stay with us. We are so very blessed to have friends and family who love us enough and have had the ability to travel such a long way to spend time with us.

To start off the new year, Jeremy's cousin's family made the very loooooong 2,000 mile drive from eastern Oklahoma all the way up here to spend a week with us. I cannot even express how excited we were for them to get here. And let me tell you, we had a blast!!!

I was a tad bit apprehensive about them coming in the dead of winter because I was afraid we may not get to do as many fun things as we can during the summer, but that turned out not to be the case at all. We went sledding, ice-sliding, hiking, the guys hunted, we shopped and ate, and our favorite thing was DOG SLEDDING! We went on an 11-mile ride through the national forest on a perfectly beautiful day and had an amazing time! Unfortunately, we all seemed to have wobbly legs or extra slippery feet, because the underlying theme of the week turned out to be "Montana is Slick". And another one bites the dust. And another one.And another one. Another one bites the dust.Jake and August absolutely loved playing with Anna, Jolie, and Tristan. And we loved staying up late playing cards and chatting with Blake and Laci. We are so thankful they were able to make this trip happen and will cherish that week forever. Oh, and Blake, you are still on Jake's prayer roll call!

Howdy Valentine!

2011-02-14T17:00:00.005-07:00

Happy Valentines Day to my three favorite cowboys. You make my heart so full!!

Bye Bye Cabin Fever

2011-02-05T15:03:00.005-07:00

Just about everyone I know from Montana to Texas and everywhere in-between has been couped up and suffering from cabin fever this week. We are pretty used to the cold weather up here, but when it gets below zero like it has been for a few days, we have to draw the line and keep everyone inside. So when that bright, warm sun popped out this morning and I saw the temperature gauge reach 40 degrees we decided it was time to go out and play. I let the boys stay in their pj's and just threw some coats and hats on them. Per Jake's request, we took a little walk down our road to see the cows. It was an added bonus that a little prop plane happened to be flying over head for them to watch and for Jake to try and touch while exclaiming repeatedly, "I get it. I get the airplane. Where did the airplane go? Oh, there it is. I get the airplane."It was the perfect day to get out and play. After going a little stir crazy, we definitely needed the fresh air.

I'll leave you with a little video of August from this afternoon. (Sorry for the wobbly cameraman!) No I won't. Apparently it takes a week to upload a video on here. Any suggestions on how to do this faster??? Do I need to make my video smaller? How?

Little Peanut-9 Months

2011-01-31T16:21:00.006-07:00

This little guy turned nine months old last week! I say he's a little peanut because he only weighs 17 pounds 7 ounces (10th percentile). He was our big baby when he was born, but has turned out to be a little guy. His doctor was very happy with his size, and said there is nothing to be concerned about. He's got some meat on those bones, he's just moving so much these days that he's not packing on the pounds.

Not a whole lot has changed since last month. The main thing is that food-wise he's eating just about everything now. He has been eyeing our plates for months, and he can always tell that what we have been giving him is just a poor imitation of what we're having, so it's been great being able to give him little bits of "real" food.

A few other new developments are that August has started giving us kisses and Eskimo kisses. He loves to wave, although he usually waves towards himself. And he will give us high fives when we ask him to. He babbles a lot, but we still can't understand any of his little words. He's still very easy-going and loves being toted around on all of our adventures. (Speaking of adventures, I have lots of blogging to catch up on and stories to share. Soon.)

The months are flying by faster than ever, but it's because we are loving this time in our lives! I love my little peanut baby!

8 Months... (LATE)

2011-01-09T21:57:00.004-07:00

Sorry August, I seem to be late posting these monthly progress reports lately. I always intend to write them on the actual day that he begins a new month, but the frenzy of events that surround us on a daily basis often don't allow me to do that. But here he is in all his 8-month glory on the day he turned 8 months old:

His daddy calls him "Smiley" because this is what he looks like 95% of the time. The only time he gets really unhappy is when it takes me too long to feed him. The boy loves to eat. And I love love love that big gummy smile!

I love this age because it's such a good lovable age. I mean, he's just the right size and the right amount of "meatiness" for me to get some good squeezes!!! It also helps that he's such an affectionate baby and loves cuddling. I hope that characteristic lasts for a very long time!

As you can see he is on the move. And he is FAST! It's nice that he can get where he wants to go, but it's also rather unfortunate that two of his favorite things to get in to are the dog's water bowl and our wood pile. Needless to say, he's already having to learn what "NO" means.

Oh, and August has a little gimpy crawl. He props himself up on one knee and uses the other leg for leverage to scoot himself across the floor. He used to crawl on both knees like a normal child, and then one day he tried this new way and it has just stuck, I think mainly because he can go so so fast! He's always trying to keep up with his big brother!

He's also cruising right along. He uses anything to pull up, even the wall, and then will just balance and walk around. You can tell how proud he is of himself. Although sometimes I don't think he even realizes that he's a little baby, he thinks he's just as big as Jake and should be doing everything that he does. Oh, soon enough little one...

Christmas and 2010 Wrap

2011-01-02T21:00:00.010-07:00

Happy New Year! Wow, I can't believe 2010 has already come and gone. On New Year's Eve I felt a little sentimental about the year coming to an end because it was one filled with so many blessings for our family, most importantly the birth of our sweet August. If I could slow down time I most certainly would, but that option is obviously not afforded to us, so I will embrace this new year with the hope of continued blessings, and will always always cherish 2010!!

CHRISTMAS.... The best word to describe our Christmas is magical. Experiencing Christmas through a two-year-old's eyes was amazing. Witnessing the joy and wonder of a small child learning about Christmas for the first time was the best gift I could have received. Helping Jake pick out a gift to give his baby brother was a blast. (He picked some fake car keys that make sounds and have a flash light.) Hearing Jake say, "Santa Claus is coming to Jake's house," every day for two weeks (and continuing still) was both hilarious and heart-warming. Watching the excitement on the boys' faces as they came into the living room and saw the new presents left during the night was priceless. I can't even describe how these boys have changed my life and have made this season what it is. Thank you God!!!

The events went as follows: Christmas Eve we let Jake and August (but really Jake) open one gift that they will share. It was the movie Polar Express. We popped it the portable dvd player and hopped in the car and took off for a horse drawn sleigh ride. The sleigh ride was a blast (a freezing blast) and the boys loved it. It was followed by a steak dinner and a little boy goofing around in the lodge.When we got home we scrambled to get the kids ready for bed and then wrote our letter to Santa thanking him for coming to our house. We left the note out with some milk and cookies that we had made earlier in the day. Once we put the boys to bed the work really began. First we had to eat the cookies for Santa! Then we rearranged our living room so we would have a better area to watch the boys open presents and play around with all their new stuff. We stuffed stockings and assembled toys which were left out beside the tree. I think we were in bed by about midnight, sheesh.

Christmas morning when Jake and August woke up we told them that Santa had come during the night and to go into the living room. Jake gasped and took off. He didn't really know what to look at first but to say he was overcome with excitement would be an understatement. We all sat together on the floor and opened presents and played. After presents we had breakfast and then played some more. It was a perfectly relaxed day just enjoying our family.

No we didn't give Jake a cookie first thing in the morning! Without us noticing, he found the last bite of Santa's cookie sitting out on the table and helped himself.

Jake giving August his present that he picked out.

That afternoon we went to slide and play on a frozen lake near our house and then went to dinner at some friends' house. It was perfect.

I hope that all of your holidays were wonderful and memorable and wish you a happy and blessed 2011!!!

Cheese

2010-12-26T20:19:00.003-07:00

ME: Ok guys, just let me get a quick picture. Smile. Say cheese. Me: Thanks. That was a great picture. Just a couple more.
J&A: Yeah right, we're out of here.And good night.

Looks Like Trouble

2010-12-09T21:30:00.004-07:00

It looks like Jake is keeping watch while August sneaks into the presents. I bet we see this over and over again throughout the years. What a pair!

Here Comes Santa Claus

2010-12-07T15:29:00.003-07:00

Santa Claus came to town a few days ago and Jake and August got to go meet him. August was super curious about his beard, and just stared and reached for it pretty much the whole time. Jake was a little bewildered, but finally when Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas, he smiled and said........ CAKE. Yes he did. And then he also said an airplane. Merry Christmas!

A Snowy Portrait

2010-12-06T22:10:00.002-07:00

We tried to take some family pictures a couple of weeks ago. We thought it would be fun and festive to be out in the snow with big flakes falling. This picture is the closest thing to success I could come up with. It was freezing, the flakes kept blurring the pictures, and all Jake wanted to do was get down and play. We have decided no more last minute holiday pictures from here on out. Next year we are going to get all dressed in our sweaters and boots in July and take our pictures and just pretend it's winter. Happy Holidays!!

A Blizzard of Events

2010-12-02T21:03:00.011-07:00

Winter has officially arrived in our neck of the woods!! We have gotten dumped on with brain-boggling amounts of snow and days with high temperatures below zero!!! We aren't letting that get us down, though. We are much too busy to worry about old man winter around here.So what have we been up to? For starters, our littlest cowboy is now seven months old and reaching new milestones by the day. He is keeping us on our toes now that he is crawling and pulling himself up to stand. That little busy body is happier than ever since he's feeling the freedom of mobility. Sometimes I forget that he can move around on his own and I sometimes get startled when I walk into a room and find that he's moved all the way from one side to the other. Speaking of startled, a few days ago I heard him clattering around in his bed cooing and laughing, when I opened the door he was standing up leaning over the edge of his bed smiling. SCARY! Needless to say we lowered the bed as far as it would go. I remember seven months being my first favorite age with Jake, and I feel the same way about August at this age. It's like they really come into their own and start getting this independence and personality and a joy that comes along with that. It's fun. And speaking of personality, have I mentioned that Jake turned two? Oh yeah, I did. Well Jake is definitely TWO!!! I do not mean that in a bad way at all. I absolutely love two years old!!! He is overflowing with personality, and overflowing with his need to express said personality. The things he says. I love it that every morning Jake cannot wait for August to wake up. When I tell him it's time to go into August's room he gets so excited and runs down the hall, grabs the doorknob, walks in and in a very high-pitched voice hollers, "Hi August. Good morning August!" Then he climbs on the edge of the crib and they look at each other and laugh and smile. I seriously pray all the time that they will stay best friends.Jake loves playing out in the snow. We always lose him while we are loading the car to go somewhere because he wanders around the edge of the house and just kicks around in the snow. Luckily we can just follow the tracks! Today we went out and made a snowman, which he loved, of course. But he had the most fun letting us throw snowballs at him and letting us throw him down on his back in the fluffy snow. (Don't worry, it's soft, we've gotten FEET of it!!!)

We say our prayers every night with the boys before they go to bed, and tonight I asked Jake for the first time if he wanted to pray. He crossed his fingers and said, "God. Thank Daddy Mommy August Jake. Thank Jesus. Jesus amen" It was one of those moments when you can't help but wrap your arms around them and just breath in the purity and love of a child.We have also been very busy trying to keep very small fingers off of all the Christmas decorations. First thing right out of the hatch Jake grabbed (one of my favorite!) ornaments and dropped it to a shattering death. Oh well, I've learned to cut my losses. It's fun watching him get excited when we turn on all the lights and say HO! HO! HO! His new favorite books are the one about snow and the Night Before Christmas. Oh, and tonight he was letting the Mr. and Mrs. Claus salt and pepper shakers eat some of the "yum yum" out of his bowl at dinner!

Oh, and I can't forget to mention that Jake is now in his "big boy" bed. We converted his crib to a toddler bed a few weeks ago. Of course we were a little apprehensive the first night, wondering how many times he would get up, if he would fall out, what time he would be peeking into our room in the morning, the usual concerns I'm sure. Well he pulled it off without a hitch. We peeked in on him half a dozen times certain that we would find him playing with his toys or looking out the window. By the fifth or sixth time he just looked at us from his bed like, "C'mon, have a little faith." We asked him not to get out of his bed without us and apparently he listened. It has been flawless, besides the two nights when he fell out, we heard a loud thud, ran in and found him still asleep on the floor. Once again, we are proud of him.

Just Because

2010-11-14T21:15:00.003-07:00

I love his smile so much!!!

August 6 1/2 months.

Precious boy!

I Love you!

Halloween Birthday Bash

2010-11-09T15:03:00.012-07:00

Jake turned two on the third! This year we decided to have his party a few days early and made it a Halloween birthday party. It was so much fun seeing all the kids dressed up and high on sugar running around like a bunch of crazies!!! Jake had the best time, too. For weeks we had been talking about his birthday and telling him that his friends were coming over and that everyone was going to sing to him. And for weeks he had been telling us that the only thing he wanted for his birthday was cake. (I love him!) Well, he got his cake. He looked so cute sitting at the table waiting for his cake while we all sang Happy Birthday to him. He tried so hard to wait patiently while I cut the cake, but he just couldn't take it anymore. He reached over and grabbed a big hunk of cake and shoved it into his mouth. It was hilarious. You could just tell that he knew it was his day.After the party Jeremy and I were looking through all the pictures and we were talking about how much we loved the group pictures. We know that down the road when the kids are much bigger it will be fun to look back at everyone and remember what they looked like. Plus I think the group pictures show their personalities and they totally crack me up!Like I said before, Jake's actual birthday was on the third, and he happens to share this occasion with his daddy. So, of course, we had another party on their actual birthdays. It was just our family and I cooked them a special dinner and made Jeremy's favorite German Chocolate cake. I think that stretching out the birthday festivities over a week's time confused Jake a little, because I'm pretty sure by the way he keeps singing, "Happy birthday Jake and Daddy" nonstop around here and asking for cake every day he still thinks it's his birthday!!

Look how excited these two boys were about their birthday presents...Have I ever mentioned on here what dork my husband is? I love him!

I am LOVING Jake at two years old, it's a blast! Just to see his personality coming to life is so fun. I love it that he can talk and tell us what he sees and what he thinks and where he wants to go and what he wants. I love the surprises that come along with that, too. We are often amazed by what he remembers and repeats. It's so obvious what a little sponge he is. He loves learning new things and I am loving it that we are starting to get to do fun activities and projects together. He is still so sweet, too. He loves August and loves showing him how to play with toys and loves giving him hugs and kisses. I hope they are best friends forever!! Jake still gets shy in front of new people, but that lasts for about five seconds and then he's off on his merry way being a crazy little boy again. My favorite thing about Jake at this age is the way he hugs me. He used to never use his hands, seriously, he would not hang on to save his life, but he has finally started to really put his arms around my neck and give me the best hugs ever. I wish I could stop time and keep my baby like this forever! I love him so much.

Jake, you have brought your daddy and me more joy than we even dreamed possible. We are so proud of you and we love you more than the whole world!!

Six Months

2010-11-04T14:38:00.005-06:00

Our little August is six months old. I had been waiting until his doctor's checkup to update on what all is happening with our growing babe. August weighs 15 pounds 8 ounces (20%) and is 26.5 inches tall (50%). He is doing wonderfully. A couple of weeks ago we started feeding him rice cereal before bed, and he now eats food three times a day. He has also eaten peas, avocados, green beans, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, and apple sauce. He likes all of his food so far, although the green beans required a couple of tries before he liked them.I love this age! August is so much fun at 6 months old!! He has a huge smile that lights up the whole room. He is such an easy-going baby and is content to just sit in the floor watching Jake run around or to chew on some toys. He is a strong little guy. He grabs for anything and everything within reach, and when I need to take something from him, I literally have to pry it out of his strong little fingers. He started sitting up on his own about a month ago and is already trying to pull up. Today he was holding on to the slats of Jake's bed and almost pulled himself up to standing. He recently has really started trying to crawl, too. He will push up and kick his little legs like crazy. I know it's only a matter of time and he will be on the move. (I cannot keep my floors clean enough, either!!)

We are having a blast raising this sweet boy. He is so full of love and joy and he is totally irresistible. We are so proud of you, August, and we are so glad God blessed our family when He gave you to us! Happy six months!!!

Two Months in a Nutshell

2010-10-23T21:29:00.009-06:00

It Has Been A While! But I'm back and a lot has happened over the past two months since I last blogged. Since I don't exactly have time to write a detailed description of life over the past couple of months and no one wants to read THAT much anyway, here it is in a very compact nutshell...

We had family from Oklahoma come visit. Andy, Keri, Hamilton, and GG got to come spend a week with us and it was a blast! We went to the lake, had picnics, went to the rodeo (which Hamilton participated in the mutton bustin' and it was AWESOME!!!), went to Glacier Natl Park, saw some waterfalls, lake again, shopped in Whitefish, and just hung out. Jake and August loved having their cousins to play with and we loved having everyone here!The day after A, K, H, and GG left my mom came up for a week. It was Jeremy and my anniversary, so Grammie kept the boys one day while we went to Whitefish to shop and eat and RELAX. We had a great date day and got some much needed R&R. It felt really weird to just walk around town and take our time in the shops and not feel the need to rush because of a hungry baby or a toddler grabbing everything in sight. We had an amazing dinner at the same restaurant where we ate on our anniversary last year, and have decided to make it a tradition. I love Jeremy SO much and it has been the best four years OF MY LIFE!

A few days later we (Jake, August, Grammie, and I) headed down to TX. This was August's first time flying and he was a champ. Other than getting ALL our stuff checked and getting through security, it was a breeze. August slept on both flights and Jake had snacks, watched a movie, and colored. (Jake also fell fast asleep as soon as we hit the tarmac in San Antonio and I had to wake him up to get off the plane.) Having my mom's extra set of hands was a lifesaver, and having two little travelling troopers wasn't bad either.

Now for the Texas events in an even smaller nutshell...

Lots of time was spent in the pool. I met my college girlfriends at Horseshoe Bay for my first EVER night/weekend with no kids in almost two years, and it was actually much easier than I thought it would be!! Went to the zoo. Hung out with lots of family and met a new cousin, Prairie Ann, for the first time. Went to the river. Went to the river. Went to the river. Went Fishing. Went out to Turkey Creek Ranch where Jeremy used to work. Went to the Alamo. Hung out with my high school besties and their babies. Celebrated my mom and sister's birthday. And the big baby August turned five months old!!! It was a whirlwind of a visit and we had a blast.Since we've been home we have stayed very busy as well. My brother flew back with us and spent the past two weeks up here. We celebrated my 30th birthday and his 35th birthday while he was here!!! We have had some other exciting things going on, but I'll post those next time because I haven't uploaded those pictures yet.

More to come soon. Hopefully I won't ever get into that terrible of a blogging slump again!!

1/3 Year

2010-09-01T20:50:00.006-06:00

This little guy is already four months old!! What's going on with August at four months??

-You are a little rolly-polly.

-You have the cutest belly laugh and also love to make a screaming sound when you laugh.

-You are swatting and grabbing at your toys a lot, and starting to hold on and play with things.
-You weigh 13 lbs. 11 oz. and are 24 inches long.

-We think you're going through a growth spurt because you have started wanting to eat in the middle of the night. After you eat you like to lay in our bed and laugh and talk and smile at me.

-You wear size 2 diapers.

-You like playing in your exersaucer because you can watch your brother run and play while you're in it. You also love standing up.

-You love your brother and he can always make you stop crying if he comes to play with you.

-You are a really sweet and easy-going baby and we love you so much!!! Happy 4-Months Baby Boy!!

**This post has been a long time in the making. August turned 4-months old on August 26, but this is really late because we've had computer issues. Hopefully I'll be able to roll out some more posts soon. Like the one about our anniversary, which also happened to be on the 26th!**

Park and Pop Knot

2010-08-15T17:12:00.006-06:00

Since we live in the boonies, we have to go to a nearby town to run a lot of our errands. So a few days ago we made a trip to the "big city" and after we got all our shopping and running around done, we decided to make a stop at the park on our way home. We had gotten up early that morning and Jake was pretty much deliriously sleepy by the time we made it to the park late that afternoon. He had a good time, but after a while he was so tired I'm pretty sure he could barely walk straight. Well, the end result was not pretty and not fun.Jake's first big ugly pop knot. He was climbing on some metal bars and slipped and hit his forehead. That knot popped up within a matter of seconds, and it was our cue to hit the road for home.

Daddy's Helper

2010-08-11T15:58:00.011-06:00

This is what happens when Jake works with Dad outside:

Sweet Boy

2010-07-26T09:48:00.009-06:00

This sweet little boy is three months old today! I love August's sweet personality and love it that he is interacting with us more and more with giggles and smiles. Each day just gets better and more fun.

What is August doing at three months??

-Smiling like crazy.

-Making lots of cooing sounds and little giggles.

-Inspecting his hands all the time. He holds them right in front of his eyes and stares at them in amazement while turning them back and forth every which way.

-Trying like crazy to roll from back to tummy. He's so close.

-Sleeping about 9 hours at night. He eats and goes to sleep around 8:30 and wakes around 6 in the morning, eats, and goes back to sleep until 9.

-He loves bath time and we usually bathe him every other night with Jake. He mostly loves having his hair brushed after his bath.

-Wears size 1-2 diapers.

-Mostly he wears size 3-6 month clothes, but he is already too long for most of his sleepers that size! Day before yesterday I dressed him in a size 12 month outfit and the length was perfect!

-He is beginning to love his little silky blankie, and sleeps with it at night and during naps.

-What August mostly does at this age, though, is fill our house with the sounds and smells of a perfect little baby, which fills our hearts with more joy than we could have imagined!

Sunday Funday

2010-07-23T18:46:00.001-06:00

This past Sunday after church we took a little Sunday drive to Sunday Falls. We had been wanting to get over to see these falls for a while and finally decided to do it. This was one of my favorite places that we've been to so far. There was a really nice little walking path along the creek through the woods that led up to the falls. At the base of the falls there was a bench where I can only imagine that people who don't have a toddler get to just sit and relax and listen to the water and trees. It was pretty breathtakingly beautiful, too.

For most people I'm sure that the walk doesn't take too long, but we were slightly held up by a little boy who found it necessary to pick up every single last little stick, twig, branch, or limb that he came across. I'm not kidding when I say every one of them. I told Jeremy that we needed to send a bill to the state for the work of our little maintenance man in keeping the place cleaned up. Finally Jeremy threw him up on his shoulders so we could get moving.One of my favorite things about living here is that there are so many hidden places to discover and beautiful little quiet spots to just get away from everything. It's been really nice this summer that we've gotten to spend so much time out in the woods with our kids. I can tell we are all at our best when we've gotten to spend time out in God's creation. I'm reminded that He must really love us to have created all this for us to enjoy.

Morning Stroll

2010-07-17T17:05:00.003-06:00

This morning we decided to try out the double stroller (I still can hardly believe I need a double stroller!). It was late morning and we loaded the boys in and headed to the lake by our house. Jake actually looked pretty sleepy and I didn't know if he would make it to the lake to play without falling asleep, but he did and had a great time throwing rocks and sticking his toes in the water. (On a side note, I know August is still pretty little for this stroller, but we propped him up and kept a very watchful eye on him the whole time and he actually loved it.)

This is when we left the house.

And this is when we got home.

Aren't sleeping babies the cutest?!? August woke up pretty quick once we got home (remember, he's my baby that has to be moving at all times) but Jake stayed asleep in the stroller in the garage for a good 20-30 minutes while we fixed lunch. This was a great way to start the day and I think we'll be doing a lot more of it.

Mountain Boys

2010-07-16T22:54:00.000-06:00

A couple of times lately I have had different people refer to Jake and August as my little "mountain boys". That is true, they most likely will grow up here in the mountains and will hopefully be little outdoorsmen. I can only imagine the adventures they will have together hunting and fishing, hiking, exploring, and just living the life of wild and crazy boys here in the mountains.But for now, I am just going to call them my babies. And I'm going to soak up every second that they are so small and so curious about the world around them.

Today...

2010-07-13T23:22:00.006-06:00

...it looked like this outside,wet and cold.

So we spent the day inside doing this:

It's nice having such good company to make a dreary day more bearable.

4 Under 2

2010-07-05T12:04:00.010-06:00

I told you I would get around to writing about when my sister and her fam came up to visit, and here it finally is. It was fun, crazy, tiring, hectic, busy, and more fun! We spent most mornings just hanging around the house relaxing, which was really nice because Julia and I got a chance to catch up and really get some good visiting in. After lunch we usually put babies down for naps and then went out sight-seeing in the afternoons. Unfortunately the weather didn't really cooperate while they were here and it was pretty cold and wet almost the whole time, but we still managed to go to some really pretty places and made the most of their week here anyway.

I thought it was really funny how much attention we got any time we went anywhere. First of all, my sister has twins, so of course everyone comments on that when they first see them. Julia and I also decided that having four kids in tow really isn't that big of a deal, but we just drew more attention because it was four kids who are all so young and close in age.

We had such a great time! We went to Glacier National Park, to a bear park, to a ranch where some of our friends live, to our town's little river walk, to Canada, and on some other scenic drives. The best part for me, though, was just spending time at home and watching Jake play with Ellie and Gracelyn. They really had such a fun time together chasing each other all over the place, playing peek-a-boo, looking at books and watching movies, riding in the wagon, and just hanging out together. It was also really sweet to see how much Gracelyn and Ellie loved August. Maybe it's something that girls are just born with, but they were both so interested in the "baby, baby, baby" and were so nurturing and loving towards him.I don't ever expect to get so sentimental, but it never fails that when we have family come to visit and I have to watch them drive away I get a little weepy, and this was no exception. I love my nieces (and Julia and Dave, of course) so much and it makes me sad that we don't get to spend as much time with them as we would like to and that my children don't get to know them as well as they would if we lived closer. We were so blessed to have a week together, though, and I can't wait to see them and Julia and Dave again soon! The time they spent here was priceless to me and will be cherished in my memories forever!

Two Months

2010-06-26T11:15:00.002-06:00

My sweet baby August is two months old today. As I type this, he is sprawled out, sound asleep on his play mat while we finish moving out the last few items from our old house. I don't have time to write much, but I do want to say what a true joy August is and what a wonderful, easy baby he is.

We are happy to say that he started sleeping through the night a couple of weeks ago, so we are finally catching up on our zzzzz's!! He loves laying on his play mat and kicking his feet and rolling from side to side. He has rolled from tummy to back twice, but hasn't had much time to practice his skill, so we haven't seen him roll again for about a week. He likes to ride in his car seat, but as soon as the car stops moving, he is NOT happy! He weighs about 12 pounds and is the perfect size to squeeze and love on.

August has filled a very important place in our family that we now know would not be complete without him. We love him to pieces!!

Brotherly Love

2010-06-23T22:32:00.009-06:00

I LOVE HAVING TWO BOYS!!! I LOVE IT ALMOST ENOUGH TO HAVE A COUPLE MORE, ALMOST. I'M PRETTY SURE THEY LOVE EACH OTHER, TOO. SEE...

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T21:26:00.002-06:00

I know our sons will grow up to be great boys and men because they have the very best dad!!! He's the kind of person that just makes life better. We love you! I'm so lucky to have you to share this journey with!

What's Happening?

2010-06-18T15:42:00.004-06:00

Well here's what has been happening around here:

- Jake discovered how much fun it is to jump on the bed when his mom is in the other room. He also discovered how not fun it is to fall off the bed and hit the dresser.

- August started sleeping through the night!

- Jake got a molar. He's also getting about 4 other teeth at the same time and it's not real fun.

- August has gotten a little more independent. He used to make us hold him 24/7, but now he'll chill out on the couch or in his swing for longer periods of time.

August in his swing outside while Jake gets a wagon ride

-Jake has fallen more in love with his baby brother every day!!!

Brothers

- I left the oven on. Most people forget the oven is on for a couple of hours, I forgot and left it on for 2 days!!! (Thank goodness it was only on low.)

- We went and played on the beach at a nearby lake. Jake dropped a piece of ice in the sand and picked it up and put it back in his mouth. His diaper had some really interesting contents of a sandy substance the next day.

Sand everywhere. Hands, mouth, hair. He loves it!

Jake and his best buddy Kyler playing at the lake

- August got his first set of immunizations. Poor guy did not like getting poked with those needles!! He also got weighed and measured and is a growing boy at 11 lbs 10 oz and 22.5 inches!

August sleeping after getting his shots

-We have been painting and cleaning and getting ready to move into our new house. Oh yes, we are moving AGAIN. That's a whole 'nother post.

- We had more company (my sister and her family) up here to visit! I will share all about that soon.

Post-Baby Help

2010-06-04T20:36:00.014-06:00

I was really nervous that once August got here I would be a complete tired wreck and that Jake would feel neglected and left out and that there just wouldn't be enough of me to go around. The truth is, I'm always a tired wreck so that was nothing new, but we had so much wonderful help after August's birth that Jake actually got way more TLC than usual so it was a really easy transition for him, for all of us actually.

My mom was here for a week before August was born and was able to stay for two weeks afterwards. She was a true lifesaver! I actually really really missed my sweet Jake while she was here because he wanted nothing to do with me and only wanted to play with Grammie all the time. She was our cook for a solid week and also helped do laundry and clean and was Jake's designated go-to person. My mom loves my children so much and I know Jake can feel that love and affection from her, and that's why he loves her so much and has such a great time whenever she is around. (Plus she buys him things like animal crackers, pretzels, brownies, and lets him lick the beaters when she bakes.)The day that my mom left to go back to Texas Jeremy's mom came up here. (They actually ran into each other in the Denver airport on their layovers...weird huh?) Once again, it was bye-bye Mama, hello Granna! She is so fun loving and always wants to tell stories and laugh and play, and Jake ate it right up. He loves his Granna!! They spent every morning reading and they read books together last thing in the evenings. Granna also spoiled Jake with things like footballs, bubbles, and cookies. She also got some good lovin' from August while they would snuggle together every morning on the couch. He's our little cuddle bug and she was always happy oblige.

As you can see, while our moms were here we took full advantage of the warm, sunny weather (and the photo opps it offered) and got out to some of the nearby lakes to play and kick back. We had such a great time with Grammie and Granna and miss them both. We were so lucky to have them come up here to help out. Our kids are blessed to have them, and so are we!!

One Month Old

2010-05-26T15:31:00.004-06:00

Baby August is one month old today!! He is such a wonderful baby and we have loved every moment with him. Some things about August at one month old:

- He has started sleeping in the bassinet most nights. He still loves to cuddle and usually ends up in our bed by morning, but he stays the majority of the night in his bassinet.

- He has really big feet. I noticed yesterday that his size 0-3 months socks are already too small.

- He still rarely cries at all. He is more of a grunter. He keeps me up at night quite a bit because I think he's awake and about to cry, but then when I check on him he's just making little grunting noises in his sleep.

- He is really good at sleeping through his brother climbing on him, putting the pacifier in his face, patting his back, squeezing his fingers, and various other disruptions.

- His eyes are turning lighter blue and his hair is still blond.

- He gets the hiccups a lot, but they don't seem to really bother him.

- He likes having a pacifier, but has trouble keeping it in his mouth. Once he is sound asleep he usually spits it out and doesn't wake up.

- He is one of the two sweetest babies that I've ever laid eyes on and I love him to pieces!!

Catch-Up Pictures

2010-05-25T16:58:00.006-06:00

I am way way behind. Yes, we're busy, but also we've had internet issues that have prevented me from blogging lately, although I have been wanting to. We are all doing great. August is growing like crazy. We went to the doctor last week, and at three weeks old he weighed 9 lbs. 3 oz, which is a few ounces bigger than Jake was even at 6 weeks!! Jake is growing up right before my eyes as well, and is doing wonderfully with the new baby. We are all a little tired (we even had to wake Jake up from his nap yesterday because he had slept for 3.5 hours) but we're still doing good and loving this chapter of life.

For now, I'm just going to leave you with some recent pictures. I'll be posting soon, though, about all our recent company and more details of our life with two boys.

Jake likes V8 juice!!

August's first bath at home

Playing at the lake

Jake and Pop

2010-05-10T19:05:00.003-06:00

I love this picture that Jeremy took of my dad and Jake while he was still here visiting. Jake loves his Pop!!

1 Week and 18 Months

2010-05-03T20:40:00.005-06:00

Today is a milestone for both of my babies. Jake is 18 months old today and August is 1 week old today. I can't believe how quickly the time flies!!

At 18 months Jake is soooo much fun! He has such a fun personality. He is talking up a storm, and it becomes more and more evident every day that he listens and sees everything we do. He loves running outside, playing with rocks and dirt, riding in his wagon, and feeding the horse (it belongs to the owners of our house). He has started wanting to watch movies more and more, and has even figured out how to turn the tv on and start a movie by himself (if it's already in the dvd player). He is becoming a little more of a picky eater and I have a really hard time getting him to eat his vegetables, although tonight all he wanted to eat was green beans, which was a welcome surprise. He still has the sweetest disposition and an irresistable smile. I love our quiet time before naps and bed when we read books and sing songs and I just get to love on and cuddle him. He is such a special boy and has brought us more joy over the last 18 months than we could have imagined!!At one week old, August is a little angel baby. He is a true cuddler. He loves to be held, but will also spend lots of time propped up on the boppy and snuggled in a blanket. He has actually gone a little overboard on his love of cuddling, because he refuses to sleep in his bassinet at night. I have always said that my kids will not sleep in the same bed as I do, and I have officially eaten my words. That is the only way August will sleep at night. He will be sound asleep, and as soon as we lay him in the bassinet he gets upset, and then when we get him up and hold him or lay him in our bed, he's sound asleep again within about 5 seconds. What a little stinker! His umbilical cord fell off last night. He eats about every 3-4 hours and I usually have to wake him up to eat. We love him so so much and cannot even imagine our family without him. I could just sit and stare at and kiss that sweet little face all day for the rest of my life.So yesterday was my first time to be alone with both babies. Let me give you a quick run-down. Jake had gotten a rash in a very uncomfortable place so he wasn't wearing a diaper. This resulted in a "teachable moment" including pee and poo on the floor. Later, Jake decided for the first time in 3 months that he wanted to just lay on my lap with his blankie, and momentarily later August got very hungry. As soon as I picked August up and tried to maneuver both babies on my lap, I realized he had leaked out of his diaper. I felt like I was juggling 7 balls at one time. It was actually pretty funny. It was like God's way of breaking me in to this whole thing of parenting more than one child.

This past week has actually gone much more smoothly than I expected it would. My mom has been here and it has been such a huge help. She man's Jake for the most part and it allows me to get a little more rest in the mornings, which is really nice. Also, Jake has taken to his baby brother perfectly. He is so excited to see him every morning, and he loves giving him kisses and patting his bottom. He also loves sharing his toys.

Life with two boys is pretty blissful.. I don't know how I got this lucky, but I'm loving it!

Oh Boy!

2010-04-30T21:12:00.006-06:00

August Robert Hale is here!!! He was born April 26 at 8:20 pm. He weighed 8 pounds 8 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long. We love him so much!!!

I have so much to say and could brag on him for hours, but the thing is, I have nowhere near hours to spend on the computer, much less many minutes. So for now I will let the pictures tell the story. We are home and are all happy and healthy and loving time with our boys.

Moving, again.

2010-04-11T20:16:00.002-06:00

This month is shaping up to be a pretty stressful one. Of course it's definitely a very exciting one as well, but stressful just the same. See, we are going to be moving this month, well actually this week we're moving if all goes as planned. We are staying in the same town and luckily we are only moving about 2 miles up the road, but it's still a lot to deal with less than 2 weeks before the baby is due to arrive!! We absolutely love where we live now, and we have gone back and forth and back and forth as to whether or not to stay here. The only issue that we have is that this house only has 2 bedrooms. It wouldn't be the end of the world for our children to share a room while they are still so young, but we thought that with the amount of company we often have, we just really need more space. Over the last month we have had rental house prospects fall through, offers on houses not accepted, lease agreements get broken, and stress pile up. Luckily, we have now officially found a place with plenty of room that we will be renting for the next few months (it's for sale, though, so keep your fingers crossed that we don't get booted out!!!). We are scrambling to get things packed and loaded and moved and unpacked and set up and decorated before little number 2 arrives! The one good thing about how often we've had to move lately is that things stay pretty organized and we haven't had the chance to collect too much junk, so hopefully the move won't take too much out of us (or out of Jeremy I should say since I really won't be doing anything besides carrying around a big belly and a little toddler). That's about all that we're up to these days. Oh, and WAITING of course. I started to think that last night was "the night" but nothing ended up happening. We've just got to get through this next week and then we're game for whenever our sweet babe wants to come.

Also, sorry for no deep thoughts on Thursdays lately. Let me just explain my current brain functionality and I think you will understand why not only have there been no deep thoughts, there have been very few thoughts at all. The other day I put facial cleanser on my toothbrush. I put the milk away in the kitchen cabinet. When driving home a few days ago I passed the road to our house and didn't even realize it until I got to the highway. We are late everywhere we go these days because no matter what, every single time we want to leave the house I'm looking for something that I've misplaced, literally every time. I'm so tired of being such a scatter brain!!!! So deep thoughts are on hold for the time being, and let's just hope they are not on hold permanently!

Easter 2010

2010-04-04T20:25:00.009-06:00

Happy Easter!! This morning we got up early (wait, we always get up early) and did some quick housecleaning, made deviled eggs, stuck a ham in the oven, and prepared a few side dishes for lunch. Then we all got ready for church and gave Jake his Easter basket. (I know, it's more of a box than a basket.) First thing he did was pull out a plastic egg, open it up, and pop the chocolate candy right in his mouth, wrapper and all! We showed him the rest of the goodies in his basket, but he didn't pay any attention to anything but the chocolate.After church we came home and a few of our friends brought their kids over for an egg hunt and lunch. I had been anxiously awaiting Jake's first Easter egg hunt, and it was so much fun watching him! He found a few eggs and started getting the hang of putting them into his basket, but, once again, he was mostly just interested in getting the candy out and into his mouth.Needless to say, he didn't eat a single bite of his lunch (besides the bread...the boy loves bread like his mama). After lunch and after his sugar high Jake was completely and totally exhausted, but that didn't stop him from finding some trouble to get into...It was an Easter I will always remember and always cherish. As I watched Jake run and play, I just kept thinking about how much I love that kid and how blessed I am that God gave him to me! I also thought a lot about Jesus' mother today. What an honor and a privilege it must have been for her son to be the Son of God. But also, what heartache she endured through His sacrifice for US. I am so so thankful that Jesus loved me enough to die on the cross for my sins! I hope that we will all remember His sacrifice every day, not just on this holiday.

Fish Pond

2010-04-03T20:20:00.007-06:00

There is a little sporting goods store not too far from here that we go to pretty often. Well, we found a new reason to go even more often... they have a fish pond in the back FULL of trout. It is a perfect place for Jake (and Jeremy) to run around and also feed the fish. Here are some pictures from our visit last week:

Spring Work

2010-03-30T08:55:00.004-06:00

Spring is here, and the cleaning and yard work have begun. All the work is a lot more fun this year, though. Why? Because we have an extra little set of hands that are getting big enough to help. See...I don't have any pictures of us cleaning inside, but Jake is definitely right in the mix when I start to vacuum, sweep, dust, or do laundry. He loves to push a broom! He also loves dusting and has a special sound effect where he kind of makes a swooshing sound while he moves the rag around. And his way of helping with the laundry consists of taking all the socks out of the dryer and scattering them all over the laundry room, usually replacing them in the dryer with dirty socks.

Funny thing, even with all this extra help, my chores are starting to take longer and longer! Imagine all the help we're going to have next year with two little sets of hands!!

My Little Zombie

2010-03-26T19:26:00.004-06:00

Boy did we have one sleepy little zombie on our hands this morning. Jeremy plopped Jake in the big chair and gave him a blanket and he just totally zoned out. Then, during lunch, he was so sleepy I don't think he could even blink his eyes. He just sat there completely still and quiet, and when I would approach him with a bite, he would slowly open and close his mouth without moving another muscle. We were completely cracking up! So pretty much right after lunch we put him down for a nap. When I was leaving the room, he just smiled a huge smile and said, "Night, night." I closed the door and never even heard one solitary sound out of him for almost three hours. I can't figure out why Jake won't sleep just one more hour in the mornings, because he usually starts getting sleepy just a little while after breakfast. We are really trying to cut out his morning nap and have been successful for the most part. I guess maybe we'll just have to deal with a little zombie in the mornings until he gets used to the change.

Party Time

2010-03-14T14:01:00.008-06:00

Friday night we went out to par-tay!!! Nevermind that our idea of a good party is now defined by spiking our 1-year old's hair, getting out the door by 5:45 pm, attending a buffet style retirement dinner, carrying a sippy cup around all evening, getting home at 8:00, and lights out by 8:30. Oh how things have changed. The best part is, I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Oh, and here are some pictures for those of you sweet souls who have recently told me that I don't even look pregnant. Well, look again, obviously my belly has just been very well hidden by the small fry that is always on my lap or in my arms.

Jake pointing to the baby

My handsome boy