A Family of Strawmen

Enjoy!

We made homemade rootbeer for the trunk or treat.

Thanks Grandma Liz.

september

This month went by so fast. I think I'll post a few of my favorite pictures and write about them. Sounds easy enough but it will probably take hours! So, here we go. This is Johnny getting ready for church. Have I told you that he loves to sing hymns at the top of his lungs during sacrament meeting? Don't believe me? Come sit in front of us and you'll find out. He could be under the pews, two rows down, rolling around on the floor with his toy horses (who would let their child do that during church? not me) and as soon as he hears the organ start, he pops up, grabs a hymnal and starts wailing. I love it.

Tyler has a lot of personality and is such a fun little person. He does things that surprise me all the time. Like his latest fetish, sucking on this rooster's foot. He puts it in his mouth so purposefully. As if he really thinks that's what you are supposed to do with a rooster. He'll pick it up, hold it in both hands, flip it around until he finds a foot and then bam, right into the mouth it goes. He'll crawl around all day like this if I let him. He also loves balls and pushes everything from trucks to chairs around the house. I know those things aren't out of the ordinary for a little boy, but Johnny never did them, so it catches me by surprise.

Meal time is a favorite for this guy. I'll stuff him chuck full of baby food then sit down to eat my own meal only to watch his eyes following my every bite (mouth wide open too, mind you). He'll continue to eat as much of my food as I will give him. Should I be worried about feeding him too much? I don't know! I love this look. "Oh c'mon, mom. Just one more bite."

The way the boys interact has evolved so much in the last month. Since Tyler really started to crawl and get around, Johnny has been very possessive of his toys and has subsequently learned all about "time out." You would think Tyler was an axe murderer the way Johnny screams when he sees him coming. It's hilarious and annoying all at the same time. I'm trying to teach Johnny not to panic and to distract Ty with other toys. But that doesn't always work because Tyler wants to do exactly what his big brother is doing.

They have also been doing a lot of wrestling and rough-housing. They can't keep their hands off of each other all day. I always have to pay attention or Tyler will end up on the bottom. Most days, like this day, it's cute and fun to see. I just don't like it when someone (usually Tyler) gets hurt.

I should mention though, that Johnny is super sweet and knows when he's done something wrong. He often puts himself in time-out and he always says "I'm sorry" and gives a hug after he's hurt his brother. The other day after hugging Tyler, he looked up at me and said, "Mom, I yove oars (your) baby."

Johnny loves books. It makes me happy that he enjoys them so much. He has a great memory and will catch us when we try to ad lib or skip lines. I will often overhear him reading himself a story, which is pretty adorable too.

Why are empty baskets and boxes so irresistible to little kids? I remember playing in them when I was little too.

If it were up to me, the back of Tyler's neck would look like this for the rest of forever. It's delicious.

Speaking of deliciousness. Brian made puff pastry. We kept it in the fridge and made apple turnovers for like 3 nights in a row. How could something so wrong feel so right?

For Grandma Barbara

The boys are really enjoying the cow that you sent...





Thank you, Grandma! We love you!

Tyler's fake laugh

do you need validation?

Last week I went out to eat with some girlfriends from church. It was so fun and a much needed break from my darling babies. As we were finishing up, the waiter came by and asked if we needed validation (for parking, of course, because we live in L.A.). My friend Heather said, "Yes, actually, I do. How do I look today?" It was funny and I laughed. And then I remembered that I have been getting a lot of that kind of validation around my house lately. All thanks to Johnny who suddenly became the most complimentary little person I know. I don't know exactly where he learned this, but it must be from being around lots of ladies. Brian gives me compliments, but not usually about my hair or clothing, and certainly not about my accessories! The first time Johnny did this, I was completely caught off guard and melted into a puddle on the spot. The cutest thing about it all is how completely sweet and sincere he is. A few examples:

• I had my hair down one day (it's usually in a pony tail). Johnny ran both hands through it and said, "Ors hair pretty, mommy. I yove it."
• I came home with a new purse to which he said, "That cool Momma, that cool! Let's go shopping!"
• I came upstairs after getting dressed for church last week. Johnny said, "You have a pretty dress, mommy. I yove it."
• Today I wore a pair of hoops to church and after I thought he might rip them out of my ears with excitement he said, "Ors earrings are nice, mommy. I yike them."

That Johnny boy. I think I'll keep him!

johhny in the kitchen

This boy is an expert bed-time putter-offer. He squeaked an extra 30 minutes out of this day because he looked so cute in his apron next to daddy in the kitchen that I had to grab the camera and take some pictures. Only Brian would start making egg rolls at 9pm.

Ty @ 9 months

22 lbs

29 inches

claps all the time

loves to splash in water

tries to take toys from his brother

loves to be tickled

lights up when daddy comes home

is a scavenger for big people food

crawls like a champ

eats two jars of baby food back to back

loves to be in johnny's business

cruises around the furniture

sings in his crib in the morning

loves, loves, loves bath time

almost has his first tooth

drinks out of mommy's water bottle

goes by Mem, Memmy, Ty-O, Ty-Ty, & Turkey

brings us immeasurable joy & happiness every single day!

beth & mark

Thank you for coming and spending an entire week with us. It was so fun! I wandered around my own house like I was lost and confused for like 3 days after you left. Serious withdrawals. Here are some of my favorite photos from the trip!

the byu dodgers

We watch a lot of BYU sports around our house. So much that Johnny thinks every sporting event is a BYU game. When we went to Mormon Night at Dodger Stadium this year he kept on calling them the BYU Dodgers. It was cute.

I guess going to Mormon Night has become a family tradition. This year Elder Cook threw the first pitch. He looked pretty coordinated, actually. Not to mention he looked so cute with the jersey over his shirt and tie. 

photo and article here

Its fun to see how our lives have changed in such a short period of time. Here we are in 2010.

And 2009

2008

man of many talents

I don't mean to make any of ya'll jealous, but I just have to document my husband's awesomeness today. He made biscuits and gravy for breakfast and homemade pasta for dinner - and every last bit of it was from scratch! Yep, we're talking rolling pin and pasta machine and flour everywhere. But I'll clean up after him any day of the week if it tastes this good. So, are you jealous?