Some Nights Just Kick Ass

Some nights are hard. Mom and Dad are tired. Kids are cranky. House is a mess. Cats are throwing up.

And some nights just kick ass. Like tonight. First off, we got home, and Ali was giving her baby brother tons of love. So we took the opportunity to get a sibling shot.

Heehee. A true sibling shot. Kinda looks like they're messing with each other a bit, right?

How 'bout this one?

It's okay. I'll pause for the collective "awwwwww."

And then there was the rare opportunity for me to step out from behind the camera and actually be in the pictures myself. Alex did a great job!

And then there's this. My and my kiddos. Gosh they make me ridiculously happy.

Then we let Sam get in a little evening tummy time.

He's so stinking cute.

And then there was this. (Ignore the blithering mommy doing the filming. I was just a wee bit excited.)


I forgot how exciting all these "firsts" are!

So there you have it. Our evening in a nutshell.

It kicked ass.

Big (Sister) Love

Ali and I hit the park this morning while the boys got to sleep in. It was such a nice hour of just the two of us. So often these days I find myself dedicated to Sam, and I miss my little girl somethin' fierce.

We climbed. We slid. We searched the rocks for . . . well, rocks. We climbed to the top of the play scape and then picked up all the rocks on the floor, dropping them over the side by ones and twos and fistfulls.

After handing rocks to Ali to drop for the ump-teenth time, she got up and picked up some rocks for me.

"Here you go, sweet pea," she told me, mimicking my nickname for her.

"Thank you, baby! Are those for me?" I asked, smitten.

"Yes. These rocks for Mommy."

She then reached down and gathered another handful, setting them into a careful pile at her feet.

"These rocks for Ali."

And then another handful, another pile at her feet.

"And these rocks for baby Sammy."

"Aw, that's very nice of you!" I praised her.

She nodded. "These rocks for Ali, these rocks for baby Sammy. That way we both be happy."

And then my heart exploded for the bazillionth time since having kids.

I'm Not Ready

For this.

My 2-month-old is mobile.

Hold me.

Tummy Time

"Naked Tummy Time"

(or is it "Naked Tushy Time"?)

"Working the Camera Tummy Time"

"Too Comfy to Lift My Head Up Tummy Time"

Lake Fun

Bubbie and Zeydie came into town this weekend to celebrate Alex and Uncle Gene's birthdays. Sunday morning, I stayed home with Sam and the rest of the crew hit the lake for some summer fun in the sun.

Zeydie caught some air with our big beach umbrella...

...while Alex and Ali hit the water.

At first she wasn't too sure about the big lake.

She preferred to stay in the shallows and dig in the rocks.

But then she had fun getting wet with her daddy.

They checked out the rocks.

They played horsey.

She got to swing.

She got tossed high in the sky.

And then it was time to say goodbye and head home.

Where we were waiting!

It was a wonderful morning and a wonderful weekend visit!

A Good Day

Sunday, July 3, was a good day.

It was Aunt Katie's birthday. Happy birthday, Aunt Katie! It was also the birthday of Ali's best friend from school. They don't get to hang out as much any more because the friend has already moved up to the next classroom, so we were very excited to give the girls a chance to see each other again.

We got all dressed up for the birthday at the Children's Museum. Ali wore her special 4th-of-July party dress to celebrate the day! AND she let me put her hair in a ponytail!

The party was fabulous. When the girls saw each other, they ran up and gave each other a huge hug. There may be nothing cuter in the entire world than toddler hugs. They then promptly ran off in separate directions to play. Here's Ali enjoying some snacks at the party table.

Sam was a total trooper. He slept most of the time, we nursed at the museum, and then he had a WILD ride back to our car. You see, I had tied a balloon to the stroller. It was the first time he'd ever seen a balloon. I think it kind of blew his mind.

After all that excitement, Sam promptly fell back asleep while we had dinner at Mandola's. Here's Ali double-fisting it. That girl loves her some spaghetti.

We then headed outside to play by the fountain.

Here's Ali's "cheeeeese" face:

And here's what I get when I tell her not to say "cheeeeese."

So there you have it. A great day with both kids. Some days make us wonder what the heck we got ourselves into. Some days make us feel like rock stars and have us loving every second. Yay for the good days!!

1 Month

Yep. A month. A whole, entire month. (Okay, if we're facing the truth, it's been a month and SIX DAYS!) Time flies with your first kid, but with your second? Holy moly.

Sam is awesome. He's a great sleeper, he's a phenomenal snuggler, he's a very chill little man, and he's an early smiler! In fact, we started getting true, reciprocal smiles when he was only TWO weeks old! And what a sweet, sweet little grin he has.

One of the things that helped time go so quickly this last month is all the visitors we've had! Sam is a lucky little man--he's gotten to meet all his grandparents and three of his four aunt/uncle sets. Below are some shots from our family visitors. Enjoy and be jealous of all the sweet baby snuggles.

Bubbie

Zeydie

G-Mommy

Granddad

Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Kerri

Aunt Katie

Grandmama

Pop

Uncle Genes