Life of Late

The boys are officially a year and a half.  Their personalities are really coming out.  They are two of the funniest little people I have ever known.  They STAY into EVERYTHING.  This is a new thing for me! Kate was not like this.  Toilets, bath tubs, cabinets, book cases, trash, stairs, drawers, electrical outlets, dog bowls, dog beds, flower pots, puddles, dirt, mud....you name it.  They are beginning to talk, particularly John.  His favorite question to ask is simply, "What's that??"  He points to everything and asks what it is.  Sometimes he stretches it out and give you a long, drawn out, "Whatttt iiiisss thatttt?"  He says, "Sissy" and "Casey" very well, and responds very plainly, "OK" when you tell him to do something (whether he does it or not is another story).   

18 months!

     

                                John                                                                       Matthew

The following series of pics is typical everyday Matthew and John stuff.  They were doing some construction at the park that day and had these orange cones up to keep people out of the area where the work was being done.  Matthew of course had to knock them down.  All of them.  Love how Joe just stands there watching him do it...

...finally, a "No, Mattie. Go do something else."

...but of course he does it anyway ;)

lol

I prefer to grocery shop kid-free like most moms but it doesn't always work out that way.  This is how we roll when we make it into a family activity.  Notice Matthew's missing right shoe.  People stop me all the time when we're out in the stroller saying, "Oh no!  He's lost one of his shoes!"  And I just say, "Nope, it's right here, but thanks!" and pull it out of my pocket or purse or wherever it is.  I've learned the hard way that I have to take off that right shoe before we go out strolling around.

Love to play in the back of Daddy's truck

Kate visited Kelly at the dentist again recently.  She really did great overall...this was her first x-ray and cleaning.  She was slightly less than thrilled at first, but quickly warmed up, especially when Aunt Kelly walked into the room ;)

Hmmm...not so sure at first...

...MUCH happier when Kelly comes in...

We love our dentist :)

Checking out her goody bag

Sweet boys sleeping in the car

We have celebrated several birthdays recently.  For Grandmama's birthday all us girls got together at the nail salon for pedis then lunch...Kate tagged along for the first time and even had her nails painted ;)  This girly-girl was lovin' it.

Purple to match my shirt ;)

Here's to hoping I look this good when I'm 83!  Love this woman to pieces!!

Guess who picked this cake??

Celebrating Kelly's birthday!

Cake and ice cream ;)

Heading out the door for school on Valentine's Day

I got a balloon that sings when you punch it.  Joe has always been all about the romance.  I was actually loving this gift because it provided hours of entertainment for the kids.

After Joe's & Casey's one and only duck hunt for the season.  Joe is holding out hope for much more hunting in the future when these little guys are old enough to go along with him ;)

  

If you know me then you know I am OCD when it comes to cleanliness.  I cannot stand a dirty kitchen.  Becoming a mom has helped me somewhat with this problem but I must admit I still obsess over messes.  If you've been to my house you're probably thinking, "Your house sure doesn't look like you are OCD about cleaning."  It was hard for me to actually pick up the camera to snap this instead of reaching for the nearest wipe container.  

There are no words.

This particular evening John was a little more tame.  This is not always the case.

Trying on Papa's hat

Arts and crafts?!  Ok, so maybe not...

Casey makes a great pillow.  Sweet girl.  

We love our Casey-girl

Maybe some of my obsessive cleaning is rubbing off on the boys.  This would not disappoint me.  They have always been completely enamored with the vacuum cleaner.  So Santa brought one their size for Christmas this year.  Definitely one of their favorite toys.  I just wish it actually picked up dirt.

Not much is new other than the usual everyday around here.  There has been a lot of sadness, sickness, heartache, and death all around us the past few months.  Not necessarily directly to us, but to family, friends, and friends of friends, etc.  God is constantly showing us how short and fragile life really is.  It makes me cling even tighter to the reason for the hope that we have...    

Tonight ends an era in our house.  The boys have shared a room since birth, but tonight we will be moving them upstairs into separate bedrooms.  They will stay in their cribs for as long as we can possibly keep them in them, but they will be in their own "big boy" rooms.  I am sad about this :(  their nursery has been very convenient and accessible.  They are good sleepers for the most part but there are still a few occasions where we have to get up in the middle of the night to give them a little help every now and then.  It's nice having them right down the hall.  This has been our plan all along, and it's just time to move forward with things (and with life), but still a little sad :( This is their "baby room."  But they're not babies anymore... (sniff, tear)  

On a lighter note, we are really, really looking forward to Spring!!  We have had a lot of cold, rainy days here lately.  Grateful for the rain, but ready for some warmer, drier weather.  Can't wait to get back outdoors!