B's words

Breven is finally starting to talk and let us know what's going on in his little head. He's gotten very good at communicating by nodding or shaking his head, but that doesn't always answer the question:) Thought it might be fun to record some of his earliest words.

He's saying more all the time. He definitely gives words a try if he's in the right mood, but these are the ones most clear.

gah tah ker - gas tanker

jhet ski - jet ski

mah mee -mommy

dah dee - daddy

buh bye - bye bye

bah - bus

truh - truck

cah - car

raahhh - lion

cooh key - cookie

cah ker - cracker

eeez - please

keh coo - thank you

doggie

And strangely enough, he will not even try to say Noah's name. If you ask him to say Woawah, he'll repeat it, but not Noah...wonder why:)

Labor Day tradition

2003 (Thanksgiving really, but it started the tradition. Olive, Flip Flop and Micah came out)

2004 (The year of our crazy boat ride. Steph, Dustin, Jeremy, Micah and Flip Flop all came out and we joined a random couple for a day out on their boat.)

2006 (Flip Flop, Micah and J all came out...

I was pregnant with Noah and after 4 days of golf and baseball and sports of all kinds, I made the next day an Emily day and they all went to get pedicures with me. Lets just say that walking into a salon with 4 boys trailing behind me was a pretty awesome experience:):):))

2007 (Our biggest year: Steph, Dustin, J, Mary, Shannon, Micah, Chicku and Flip Flop all came out. Our house was filled to the brim!-and I loved every minute)

2008 (Flip Flop, Micah and Chicku)

2009 (Flip came and spent some quality time with us)

2010 (Flip Flop, Micah, Chicku and Esha all came out to have fun with us)

Every year has been so different, and yet still so very fun. We're looking forward to next Labor Day and what it will bring.

Getting some fresh air

I don't get out for walks as often as I should, but we enjoy it when we can. And now that Noah is getting better at his bike riding skills, we're able to go further from home.

Hopefully someday soon, much sooner than his mommy learned, we'll be able to teach him to ride without the training wheels.

I love this fuzzy little head!

And what could make my day better than seeing this grin all day:)

Friends destroy together:)

All blocked in and ready to destroy!

NOTE: safety googles are a must!

Ready...

Set...

DESTROY!

Sure didn't take 'em long!

Btw-L is a friend over for a playdate,

not some random little girl I pulled off the street:)

Labor Day

So this post is really late...2 weeks later to be exact, but hey. Better late than never, right?!

Aaron's brothers, sister-in-law and niece flew in Wednesday night before Labor Day. We had so much fun eating, playing, laughing and hanging out. And the boys got in a little golf along the way. Its funny to think of how this tradition is changing each year-I'll have to post pics of all the years later, but we're adding new members all the time:)

Isn't she cute? It was so much fun to have a little girl around the house

for the boys to play with.

Breven got to have a buddy during Noah's gate time.

These 2 are only a month apart and it was fun to see how different they are.

We pulled out our remote control cars and had a little fun. Noah really enjoyed it and seemed to have no problem using the remote.

Breven on the otherhand, could not get the concept down. He couldn't figure out why he couldn't lift and carry this big huge truck. And the several times that Aaron made the truck move, Breven was not happy that the truck would suddenly run away from him:)

Showing the boys how a lady rides:)

Getting some snuggles in with Daddy.

Which, btw-he no longer calls us Mama and Dada. Its already progressed to Mah-mee and Dah-dee. Kinda makes me sad...

One afternoon, while we were grilling out, the adults were all in the kitchen for a minute and we turned to find that the kids had discovered a new source of fun. They got drenched. Or should I say, Breven and E got drenched, Noah somehow managed to stay pretty dry. But they had a ball. They were out there for atleast half an hour, if not longer just splashing and laughing together.

Putting on his happy face, getting ready to skype

Uncle Flip Flop is the go-to book reader...but he does such a good job at it:)

I really enjoyed my time with Chicku. Not only was another female finally in the house for a while, but we got some great quality time during the week. We had to take 2 cars wherever we went and the boys were nice enough to let the girls take the car while they all drove in the mini-van with all the kids.

Have I mentioned yet that I Love this little girl?!?!:)

Too bad we didn't get a better picture of it, but they loved to hug each other.

And this one's just for fun...cause it makes me smile:)

Smores with Lori

You know, there is nothing like a gooey smore and bonfire on a chilly night. We had so much fun and I've come to discover that you can only enjoy them if you get half of it on your face:)

Yummy

Looks like Noah's a little stuck on himself

He wanted to look just like Daddy, goatee and all. (even if it is the wrong color:))

NIght and Day

Who knew God could give me such opposite children in EVERY way!

And I couldn't love you any more

Take time to smell the roses

We love flowers at our house. And anytime we find any, we definitely take the time to smell them...

Do you take time to smell them too?

Playtime in the crib?

Hey, Brev. Whatcha doing in here?

Mind if I come in?

Oh, wait. You don't really want me in here?

Well, what if I stand waaaay over here?

Okay, Noah. Just don't mess with any of my animals...

Being silly

Wait..what are we supposed to be doing again?

You really think I can take a serious picture here, Noah?!?!

Can I try using a shoe

They definitely help me to see the world a little more clearly

The joys and pains of growing up

So we were getting ready to go work with our neighbor in the garden and I looked down at Breven and this is what I see. (In case you can't see it, its the right side of his forehead). Its a goose egg the size of a quarter. I thought I was pretty good with handling bumps and bruises, but this one made my stomach churn just a little...

And I love this part of them growing up. They're happy and having fun together.

and being a bit silly in the process.

and maybe growing up just a little too fast...