3.5 Years

Aaaah!  Brock is 3 and 1/2, and he is seeming like such a big boy.  He's incredibly self-sufficient now and has become quite a good little helper around the house.  Here's some more about our big guy right now:

-38 lbs and just shy of 3'6"
-4T clothes
-sleeps 9 PM-6:30 AM and still takes a nap (1-2 hours)
-antagonizes his little brother whenever he gets the chance, but also takes really good care of him when he's sad or hurt
-still loves adventurous, risk-taking activities, but we've noticed that when it comes to people, his personality is a bit more reserved.  He has to warm up to social situations before he'll jump in and participate.
-one of his favorite things is to "do school."  He loves to write letters and words, and he is beginning to recognize simple words in books and on signs.
-Sorry is his game of choice
-going through a superhero phase and loves the TV show Super Why
-has a very thoughtful and caring personality
-still has an impressive memory.  He's been memorizing books and "reading" them to us for a while, but lately he's been memorizing library books that we've had for less than a week.
-continues to want to be outside every waking moment.  You can usually find him up in a tree or on his bike.

Halfway to 4...he'll be there before we know it!

First Haircut

Finally, FINALLY, Zane's hair has started getting longer and thicker (making him look more like his brother, I might add). He's almost 2 years old, and he just got his first haircut.  I tend to birth baldies. 

So, here is the BEFORE:

And the DURING (I was not torturing him, despite how it looks):

And the AFTER:

Okay, so maybe the AFTER isn't that much different than the BEFORE.  Ah, well.  He's still our handsome little man.

Feats of Strength and Determination

Many people have suggested that baby #3 should be a girl (because, you know, we have so much control over it).

When I picture a little girl, I think of bows. And tutus. And maybe even a little pink.

I also envision a quiet, calm little person who sits still for long periods of time.

So what do you think our chances are of all of that?

I'm putting them at about 3%.

The Third

Mommy has been napping with the boys.

Daddy has been doing extra household chores.

Mommy has been going to bed early a lot.

Daddy has been putting the boys to bed.

Mommy has been feeling rather nauseated.

Daddy has made a few unexpected trips to the store for specific food items.

And Brock and Zane will have a new baby brother or sister in November. :)

21 Months

Oh, Zane.  Where do I start?  The best description of him that I can give is that he is fantastically sweet and incredibly rotten all at the same time.  And we love him for it. 

Here are a few more 21-month details:

-30 lbs and 36 inches

-2T and 3T clothes

-sleeps 9 PM-7 AM and takes a 1-2 hour nap

-talks and talks and talks.  It's always in sentences now, some of which are quite complex.

-hollers and hollers and hollers.  Oh yes, we're in that stage.

-the ball obsession is evolving into what appears to be a natural athleticism.  Football, baseball, basketball, soccer...he loves them all.

-puzzles are the newest love.  He's liked them for a while, but he now spends a large portion of his time working on them.

-looks like he might be a social little guy.  He likes talking to other kids and doesn't hesitate to jump in and play with them.

-still loves to sing.  He seems to especially pick up on songs that go with special holidays.  First it was Away in a Manger (he was still singing it in March); now it's Hosanna in the Highest, which he learned for Palm Sunday.  I love hearing him sing songs about Jesus as loudly as he can!

-can identify shapes and some colors.  However, when I ask him a letter (any letter), he just flashes that grin at me and says, "Q."  Little stinker.
-adores his brother.  He loves to play with him and always asks for him if he's not around.

Vacation

I know, I know.  Poor ol' neglected blog.  Sometimes you have to live life rather than blog about it, right? 

Okay, enough excuses.

The most exciting thing we did during our bloggy absence was hit the beach!  It was a long trip, but we drove through the night and made great time.  It helped to have Grandma T along to keep the boys entertained!



Brock hadn't been to the beach since he was 9 months old, and Zane had never been, so it was quite the experience for them.  Here's Zane checking it out for the first time. 

The boys were hesitant about the waves at first, but they warmed up as the week went on.  Here Brock shows his bravery (while holding tightly to Daddy's hand!).

Mostly, though, the boys stuck to the sand.  They spent hours digging and dumping and digging some more.

Hey, there's Grandpa!  He flew down mid-week to join us.

Of course, our fair-skinned little guys couldn't spend all of their time out in the sun, so we had to have some indoor activities to keep them busy.  Zane loved this mini train set from Grandpa. 

Brock played countless games of Trouble (did I mention how handy it was to have Grandpa and Grandma along on this trip?).

The boys refused to sleep in these bunk beds, but they made a great playground.

And this was the view from our balcony.  Ahhhh.

Most of our time was spent at the beach or in the pool, but we did go on an outing one day to a marine park.  It was basically a miniature SeaWorld, and the boys loved the animals.

Waiting for the dolphin show to start!

The dolphin show was definitely the best part.  Very cool.  Brock even got to "shake hands" with one of the dolphins after the show.

What a great week!  As they say, we felt like we needed a vacation from our vacation after we got back, but it was worth it!

A Very Merry Unbirthday to You!

What could be more fun than a birthday party (or at least just as fun)?  An UN-birthday party!  The leader of the moms' group I'm in (who happens to be incredibly fun and creative), decided to host an unbirthday party for all of the kids in the group.  Of course, the kids had a blast.  She has 6 kids of her own (now grown), so she knows how to throw a party!

What's a party without a little cake?

Listening intently to instructions for the pinata (she wisely had them sit on it to break it rather than turning 15 little kids loose with a baseball bat)



And going for the treats!



Crazy hat picture with some of the kids and moms (B is bottom left; Z is middle right)

Fashion

He insists on choosing what to wear.

Okay.

I might have to put my foot down on this one.

Sleepover

Last weekend the boys invited some friends over for their first official sleepover. 

I should note here that these kids are older than our boys.  No way would I have had a sleepover with 1-year-olds and 3-year-olds! 

Our boys absolutely LOVE these kids.  We love them, too!  They are polite, well-behaved, helpful--excellent role models for our boys. 



The kids had a great time playing outside, watching a movie, playing games, and eating popcorn and candy.  Our boys were worn out after it was all over, but they had a great time!

We Heart Valentine's Day