Crosby's 6/9 Month but really 10.5 Month Visit

We took Crosby in for his check-up yesterday. I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be a 9 month check-up but we were in Colorado so it ended up being an almost 11 month check-up. Then while there we realized we missed his 6 month visit...oh, to be a 3rd child! We are sorry Cros but you are well, growing and doing great!

He weighed 22 pounds, 9.4 ounces (65%) and is 31 1/2 inches (97%)

Carter's 4 Year Check-Up

Carter is weighing in at 40 pounds these days (about 78%) and is 41 3/4 inches long (also 78%).

I'll update more about the life and times of Carty man soon but he is always jumping or flipping off something and as you can see on his belly, he LOVES his temporary tattoos:)

Random Fun

A few fun pics...

A little Cros and Daddy time...look at that smile:)

 Why not put a bucket on your head?!

New Tricks

 And this about sums life up these days...2 crazy monkeys entertaining their little brother

A very short, sweet moment:)

An even shorter sweet moment! Yes, those are colored skinny jeans:)

Carter's Favorite Pastime

 Forget the "T", Carts loves being pitched to and makes great contact. Look at that form!

 Nailed it!

 Booya!

Crosby is 10 Months Old!

It's been a rough couple weeks for Crosby. I took him to the doctor yesterday because he has been up SO MUCH in the middle of the night. He has some sort of virus combined with teething so the poor guy is in a lot of pain. And we are very tired! 

Apart from the sleeping drama though he keeps growing up! He now pulls himself up onto everything. It is fun to get him in the morning and find him standing up in his crib just waiting for us with a big smile on his face:) He has slowed down on his eating some. He really wants nothing to do with being spoon-fed anymore so he eats A LOT of cheerios. 

 This didn't last for long but Cooper really wanted to ride bikes with Cros so we let them hang out for a bit:) 

 Love that smile with the gap between his teeth! 

We had him in a pack-in-play at the Spark cabin from time to time during the day so he wouldn't get into everything. As you can see, he didn't seem to mind it too much as long as I was taking pictures of him!!

Carter is 4 Years Old!!

I don't know how this happened but we have a 4 year old...what??!! Happy Birthday to our sweet Carty Man! He was a lucky boy this year as we celebrated three different times! 

Celebration #1:This was actually his 3rd party so we kept it pretty low-key! Four candles in his sandwich for lunch, presents after nap and out to Cherry Berry with our friends Kimmy and Tammy.

It's the small things right? He LOVED this!

Cooper was right by his side for each present he opened...so sweet! 

 In addition to some superhero gear, Carty also got some cars and a car rug. Little did he know this was a hand-me-down from some friends! It's new to him:)

 Again, Coops helping Carty out with his presents! Tammy and Kimmy got him some cool Spider Man gloves that sound like you are shooting webs. He LOVES them!

 Nom nom!

Celebration #2: We got to celebrate with Mimi and Gramps at their cabin. The boys were tired after a long day in the sun so by dinner they were melting down and it was sort of a disaster but I'm pretty sure all Carter remembers is his Spider Man car, shirt, hat and cupcakes. He prayed they other day and asked God if he could be Spider Man when he grows up:)

 Doesn't he look so grown up? 

 The calm before the storm...

Celebration #3: We also got to celebrate with Nana, Papa, Shannon and Sawyer. Carter got his first ice cream cake and it even had none other than Spider Man on it!!

 Batman, Robin and Superman costumes! 

Look out bad guys...there are some new super heroes in town!!

Cooper is 2 1/2 Years Old!

What a month...where do I start? It seems like lately Coops goes back and forth between the sweetest and most endearing boy to the most stubborn and strong-willed boy. Wow! If he sets his mind to something, it is so difficult to realign him. And on top of it all, it has been a month of "all by myself". So things take a loooong time and I ask the Lord for patience and wisdom A LOT. 

Cooper loves competing with his brother over everything...it is actually quite mutual. They have started fighting over plates, spoons, who gets to pray first at meals, who finished their dinner first, etc. We try to direct the competitive nature into productive things but wowza it is difficult!

Coops became fearless in the water this past month as we spent time in pools and lakes. He just runs and jumps and has no clue how to swim. We really need to give him lessons soon!

A couple other random things from this past month:

-He loves The Hulk and always pretends like he is the Hulk or wants to play with the Hulk toys we have.

-If you ask him the question "why" he usually answers, "because yeah"

-He is pretty creative with problem solving. The other day he couldn't reach a light switch so he looked around and stacked up some of Tim's flip flops. Worked like a charm!

-Most of the time when he prays he thanks God for animals and videos:)

-We are at VBS this week and I am working in a different class from him. Whenever we pass in the hallway he starts crying really hard and it takes a while to calm him down:(

-He still takes the first letter off most words and although we can usually understand him, Carter seems to always know what his brother is saying!

 Cooper pretending to be The Hulk...so tough!

 Getting ready to jump off the couch...again

 I can't quite tell you how many times a week I say, "Cooper, get off your brother!"

 Tough Guy

 This is usually the face we get when we ask Coops to smile:)

Now there is our sweet, sweet boy!

Vacation, Part 3...Carroll Cabin

After a couple of days at the Spark cabin we headed Northwest to the Carroll cabin. We had a day to ourselves and then Shannon, Sawyer, Nana and Papa joined us.

 We spent a lot of time over at Rutgers Resort. They have a nice beach, pool and little park which the boys love.

 The big boys are waaaay into throwing rocks. It is a slightly hazardous activity but they are learning good etiquette!

 Cros is at a really hard stage to be outside...thankfully he did pretty good in the stroller but crawling on sand just isn't that easy!

 Bonding with Sawyer

 Getting rock throwing lessons from Dad

 Silly times with cousin Sawyer!

 Loving the water! Seriously, I need to get these boys into some swimming lessons to give them some skills to go with their confidence:) 

 Story time with Shan

 Nothing like a good pj dance party to get the day started!

It is so fun to watch the cousins enjoy each other and play well together!

Papa making up songs

And when things get a little dull, why not break into a pillow fight?!

On our drive home, Tim and I were reflecting on our little vacation. It was A LOT of work and quite exhausting but also fun. I think it would help in the future to call it "a vacation for the kids" to help with our expectations. We'd definitely do it again all things considered but I must also say, it is SO GOOD TO BE HOME!

Vacation, Part 2...Spark Cabin

After our meetings at church wrapped up on Sunday we piled in the van and headed North to Solon Springs, WI, home of the Spark cabin! We had beautiful weather and were in the lake a lot of the time! The boys are fearless in the water which is both great and terrifying. 

 Cool Dudes!

 We have to remind the boys all the time that they shouldn't jump if we aren't in the water to help them...

 Cooper loves following his big brother!

 I love this pic of Coops looking at Tim and both of them cheering!

 We took the boys tubing...at a very slow pace. They were a bit hesitant but seemed to like it. 

 Cros and Mimi watching the boys go crazy in the water! 

 Fun on the jetski...after I gave the boys slow rides, Tim decided to give me a ride and it was NOT slow. I was screaming my head off and I think the boys were slightly concerned! 

How did Crosby get that freeze-pop???? He must be a 3rd child! 

Ooops, no pics of Grandpa this time. Sorry Gramps!