June

As I sit here writing the June post, this is the image on Weather.com's home page:



And here in Seattle, I've just closed the windows because it's too cold outside to leave them open. It's in the 50s. Is this really June? Come on summer!!

Anyway, while the weather hasn't been wonderful this month, we've kept busy as usual.

Nate finds his big brother very amusing these days, and Simon loves making him laugh:



Early this month, we took a trip out to Dairy Queen on the eastside. We went hoping that Nate would nap on the drive there or back, but of course he didn't. Add one overtired infant to a preschooler hopped up on sugar and the drive home was super awesome. (yes, that's sarcasm you are detecting).

Nate had a couple of firsts this month, including his first time in a shopping cart, with Simon backseat driving:

He also sat in a restaurant high chair for the first time. We took Matt out to brunch for Father's Day nearby, and both boys were very well behaved!

Nate is also learning to sit really well, here are a couple of him just sitting and looking cute:

Simon got a haircut last weekend and left with a very cool mohawk: (no, it wasn't actually cut that way)

Finally, I think we are seeing the first signs of sibling rivalry. Check out the look Nate gave Simon when his spatula toy was taken away:

That's all for now, happy July!

Cracker Monster

This is a video of Nate "eating" a cracker. It wouldn't have been a very exciting video, but we realized when watching it that the Cookie Monster video that Simon had been watching in the background made for a fantastic soundtrack as Nate eats. So turn up your volume for this one!

My helper

Simon and I had a really fun day today, and he was a big helper for me.

He and I have been baking a lot together, he loves it and it's a really nice way to spend time together, just the two of us.We've made a few different kinds of fruit muffins and recently we moved onto banana bread. I am well aware that Simon is primarily in it for the batter--he always asks when the mixture turns into batter, at which point little fingers dive into the bowl immediately. He also asks to lick the spoon when we're done, and by lick the spoon, he means dip and lick, repeatedly. But he also just really enjoys helping and being a part of things, so I got a few shots today to share.

Here he is eating the batter...

Helping dry the dishes...

And, because he was such a good helper in the kitchen, I asked if he would kindly crawl under the table and dust the baseboard. I didn't think he do it, but hey, free labor!

Birthdays!

Simon has been going to a lot of fun birthday parties recently...Max Mancino turned 3 recently and we went to a really fun Star Wars themed party for him last weekend. And today was Eli's 3rd birthday party, so Simon and a few other friends from daycare went over to his place and they had a lot of fun. Here are a couple of quick videos:

First, trying to figure out how to make the blowers work:




And then, lots of Cheers going on at this table! (listen closely at the end when Lucas, sitting across from Simon, asking Simon if he's ok. too cute)

 

7 months (oops!)

OK, this is a first I think, I missed the 7 month post. In my defense, work has been crazy and I shared/posted his 7 month pic already, so here's just a bit about what Nate is up to now.

Nate has made a lot of progress this month--he is pretty reliably sitting up on his own and loves to play with toys from that new perspective. He is starting to babble and so far he likes B sounds, so we get a lot of "bah bah, blah blah" kind of stuff. He still isn't rolling over, so we have an appointment with the pediatrician on Monday just to check in on his development.

We started some sleep training, since he had become a terrible sleeper. He would fall asleep during his last bottle and then wake up numerous times each night, needing soothing, a paci, whatever. We just ended up bringing him to bed with us most nights, and with all of this chaos, we have been exhausted. So we started a no cry sleep training routine, and in the last week we have been teaching him to put himself to sleep without his paci or a bottle, so that he doesn't look for those crutches when he wakes between sleep cycles at night. So far so good, we are down to maybe one nightwaking rather than the 6-10 per night! He still ends up in bed with us most nights though...he's a very good cuddler.

So that's what Nate has been up to. Here he is at 7 months old!

Video Catch-up

A few videos from this past weekend: This one is a little dark, but it was too cute not to post. Simon likes to "rock" Nate and sing Rock a Bye Baby to him. Check out Nate's face--he is clearly humoring Simon here:

 

Simon was SO excited to help Daddy mow the lawn:

     


Finally, Nate has something to say:

 

Simon in action

It was a little wet out on Saturday, so Simon found new ways to entertain himself inside.

First, he and I built an elaborate house...for sheep, apparently.


And then Simon showed off his new skill, somersaulting!

New bike!

Simon recently started asking for "a red big boy bike with no pedals", just like he saw his friend Andre at school riding. What he was talking about is called a balance bike, and they are big around here. It's 2 wheels and kids kind of walk/run Flintstone style and then pick their feet up to coast. It's considered a great transition to a regular bike, because they learn to balance right off the bat.

He also decided that he wanted it as a gift and he wanted Grandpa to give it to him. So we got on the phone and he asked for it for his birthday. And so now Simon is the proud owner of a red big boy bike with no pedals! He is having a little trouble getting used to it, but loves to parade it around. And we got together with his friend Finn who has one too, so Simon can see how it works. He hasn't picked his feet up yet, but he'll get there!

Touch a Truck

There was a really neat event last weekend, called Touch A Truck. Lots of different big vehicles were available for kids to check out and learn about. Our PEPS group met there instead of at one of our houses and Simon had a great time.

Here he is "driving" a back hoe:

Checking out a cement mixer:

And just a couple cute shots from the playground:

Fun day

We had a lot of giggles today--Nate has started grabbing people's faces and trying to pull them close and eat them. It might be an attempt at a kiss, but whatever it is it's adorable, even if it kind of looks like he's a zombie baby. Here he makes a grab for Simon:



Then, before bed this evening, we had a full on giggle fest on our bed. Here are two short videos: