"Gwakuhs" (Glasses)

We have nothing to worry about when Eddie needs glasses; he will be stinkin' cute!
I love this kid!

New Toothpaste

Eddie's been using Aquafresh toothpaste for over a year now. I finally bought the toddler toothpaste. While he's never minded adult toothpaste, he loves kids' toothpaste! It must taste really good because he insists on brushing before his nap now, too!

Tigger Couch

Our neighbors gave us this little couch. Eddie loves it! He sits on it when we read scriptures each night.

Eddie and Peter look pretty cute sitting on it together. Peter isn't sold on it, though!

What Eddie Said

I pulled into a doctor's office. Eddie said, "This a docker (doctor) office."
I said, "Yes; I am just turning around."
Eddie said, "Yeah (agreeing with me about turning around); I am not going to get hurt."
That pretty much sums up what happens when we go to the doctor! Sad that Eddie understands it so well!

I was holding Eddie before I laid him down for his nap. He said, "Stay."
I said, "I will go in a minute, but I will come back after your nap."
He said, "Owwies come back." (because I tell him, "Sometimes I leave, but I always come back.")

Orlando Trip

We went to Orlando this past weekend to visit Brent and his family. We had a lot of fun- good food and great company! Brent and Shanda babysat Eddie and Peter while we went to the temple. This was the first time Ben and I have been to the temple together since Eddie was born! It was the third time we have left the house together without a child/children since Eddie was born (and I am counting the time we went to the hospital to have Peter!)! It was pretty exciting...and pretty sad. Eddie and I missed each other a lot!
Here's a picture of Eddie and Brent, taken while we were gone. You can tell that Eddie isn't feeling like himself. Look how stiff he looks! See his sad eyes! Brent, on the other hand, doesn't seem to miss us one bit!

Peter and Abby were really cute together. They always ended up by each other on the floor. They would grab each other and take toys back and forth from each other. They never cried about it. They were really cute to watch. And Ben's pretty cute, too!

Here we are on a boat ride at some outdoor Disney store. We were on the boat when the sun was setting. It was really beautiful!

And I had to include this picture of Shanda! It makes me laugh every time I see it!

We are eager to see Brent, Shanda, and Abby in a couple of weeks, as they will be joining us for Thanksgiving! We are so happy to have had them living so close to us the past six months! Love you guys!

"I'll Huff and I'll Puff"

Peter learned to scrunch up his nose and breathe in and out of it. He thinks he is so funny!

On the Move...But Hardly Moving

Some videos of Peter's efforts to get around.


The first one is entitled "Peter's Going Nowhere" and shows Peter working very hard to do the "inchworm crawl".


This second video showcases Peter scootching backwards with ease, though not with awareness!

Peter's Half Birthday

Peter celebrated his half-birthday yesterday by trying his first baby cereal. Eddie and I have been so excited all week for this big event.
I prepared the cereal and set it down for a moment while I went to grab something. When I returned I saw that Eddie had given Peter his bowl and spoon, expecting Peter to feed himself. Instead Peter dumped the cereal on his tray and really enjoyed rubbing it around. Eddie was sad Peter had spilled his cereal. I realized how different this is all going to be the second time around.
Peter wore his first bib and did not like it at all. He took it off every chance he got.

He liked the cereal but didn't love it. He still has the tongue reflex of pushing things out of his mouth, which made it hard for him to swallow any of it. His eyes were happy, though, and he'd smile slightly while I talked him through each bite.

Things I was reminded of: 1)how much work it is to feed a baby (how you literally do have to talk them through each bite-they really have to learn how to eat); 2)how sweet it is to feed a baby (a real bonding experience); 3)how annoying it is to clean the booster seat, chair, floor, and wall after each feeding; and 4)how much more laundry I am going to have now that Peter's eating cereal!

All in all, it was a successful first experience! I love you, Petery! I am so happy to be your mom!

What Eddie Said

Yesterday we were outside blowing bubbles. A man in his twenties kept riding his bike up and down our parking lot in front of our house. Eddie loves "bikeorcycles" (his word for bikes and motorcycles). One time when the man passed us, Eddie said, "That is a fast bikeorcycle. It has a cute guy on it!"

Trunk-or-Treating & Trick-or-Treating

Last weekend we went to our ward's trunk-or-treat party.
Eddie wore his Tigger costume from last year, since we hadn't purchased his new costume yet. It was really short, as you can see, and really hard to zip up, but we managed! He loved it! He loved his tail, especially!
Peter wore these cute Halloween jams.
If he was given a choice, he almost always chose a sucker. After we were done getting candy, he sat here opening one sucker at a time and giving them one lick each. He also tried his first gum and, of course, swallowed it!

We went trick-or-treating last night with our neighbors. Eddie was excited since he knew all about trick-or-treating.
He wore a fireman costume, which we thought was good for him since he loves fire so much. I tried to empty his pumpkin of the candy from last weekend before going. He didn't like that one bit and refilled it. Later last night I realized he also put one of his trucks and his fire extinguisher in his pumpkin!
So adorable!
Peter was my little bundle of joy, as he was more bundled than he has ever been since his days in the hospital. Ben thought I was bundling up our children too much, but their little fingers ended up cold. I guess I didn't bundle them enough.

We had fun. Eddie soon was leading us to doorsteps rather than the other way around. If he was given a choice, and they had candy kisses (which many houses had, to our surprise), that is what he chose. He was happy and cheerful the whole time, though it was late. He loved seeing the moon.

We had a few minor incidents that upset us, like an older child trying to steal candy from Eddie's pumpkin, even though I was right there with him. We had fun overall, though!

"I Am a Child of God"

Eddie is a great singer. His favorite song is "I Am a Child of God". We listen to primary songs on tape in our car, and I have to keep rewinding the tape over and over for "Child of God". I sing this song to him every night when I put him to bed, and have since he was a newborn. Tonight, as he sang it with me, I realized he doesn't have all the words quite right. Here's Eddie's version of the chorus:

"Lead me. Guide me. Walk beside me.
Help me find the way.
Teach me all Dad (instead of "that I") must do, to live with Him someday!"

"Backpack, Backpack"

Last week Eddie decided to put some of his cars in Daddy's backpack. Daddy was on his way to school and didn't want to take cars with him. I told Eddie to get his backpack to put stuff in. He got his backpack, and, instead of putting cars in it, as I had expected, he filled it with books. I guess he watches Daddy! After we put his backpack on, he said, "Maybe, after I get a fresh diaper, I can go to school?". So cute and funny!

Pumpkin Carving

Eddie enjoyed carving a pumpkin this year.
Eddie said the stringy goop was kind of like string cheese. Eddie liked sliding the seeds down the outside of the pumpkin.
Daddy and Mommy are so silly! Eddie always laughs!
Eddie enjoyed dropping his pencil in the pumpkin and pulling it out again.
Jack-o-lanterns are great because they are puzzles just waiting to be put back together. Eddie kept putting the smile we cut out back into the pumpkin!

Eddie was a little nervous about turning out the lights to see the pumpkin all lit up. We ended up singing "Happy Birthday", since that's what you do when you light candles!

Halloween Cookies

We had fun making Halloween cookies this year. I was most excited that we had Halloween cookie cutters; I was never able to find any to purchase last year.
rolling the dough
excited to cut (you can see he is "shrugging" his shoulders in anticipation-he does this a lot when eating and likes us to do it, too)
fascinated by the "star" cookie cutter (it's actually a spiderweb)
"Woohoo!" (he says this now-this is really what he is saying here!)
He enjoyed eating the frosting off his knife more than on his cookie; he really preferred eating cookies that had no frosting on them.
He loved sprinkles again this year!
I asked him to hold up his cookie so I could take a picture. As you can see, he took my instruction very literally!
Eddie's finished product. I did the frosting on the leaf and the green around the edge on the web (per his request); he did the rest completely by himself.

He looks so cute scrunching his eyes (part of his silly smile) while taking a bite!

Big Baby Toys

Peter is showing a lot of interest in the older baby toys. Rattles and such no longer hold his attention. He needs a toy that makes him work and think.
Eying the frog with some suspicion.
He's decided he likes the frog!
It's serious work playing with this frog!
Look at Peter's cute fingers and arms! (Peter can make the frog pop up all by himself.)
Look how well Peter sits up!

I adore this little person!

Cump Cump Patch

We went to a pumpkin patch with our playgroup. Eddie enjoyed pulling a wagon around (he also liked riding in it), listening to Halloween stories, and picking out his own "cump cump" (pumpkin). He opted out of the face/hand painting. We had a good time and will do it again next year.

Halloween Crafts

It's been really fun this season to introduce Eddie to some of the Halloween icons through simple crafts.
This project was the first time Eddie seemed really interested in making something out of paper. He is very proud of his finished product, as you can tell by the way he's looking at it.

Eddie loves helping his ghost say "Boo!". He also loves using his ghost as a prop while singing "Witch's Brew" ("oooo...What's it going to do to you? BOO!").

Spiders! These were Eddie's favorite to play with!

Eddie's bat that he insists on calling a bird because, clearly, it isn't what you use to hit a ball!


"Who's behind that pumpkin face?". I love that he's sticking out his tongue!

Bathtub Boys

I began bathing Eddie and Peter together last month. It's nice to get it over all at once and to have it as a time all three of us can spend together. They look adorable together in the tub! I know they will have many happy memories playing in the bath together!
Hard to get them to look at the camera at the same time!

Yummy bathtub toys!
Peter's starting to be curious about the water. He thrashes his arms in it just to experience the splashes!

What Eddie Said

Eddie: Eddie has five brothers kinda like Mommy has five brothers! Kinda like Daddy has five brothers!
Me: Mommy does have five brothers, but Eddie has one brother kinda like Daddy has one brother.
Eddie: No! Eddie's big!

Apparently, having only one brother makes a person little!