Very Brief Recap of Summer 2012

I have been terrible about blogging lately! I am lucky if I can find the time to get the boys' milestone/birthday posts up! So here is a VERY brief recap of summer 2012. Many, many things are missing of course but this will at least preserve a few memories from the past summer.


 A fun visit with girlfriends and our 2nd babies. We miss Maddy so much and can't wait to see her and her family in December! These babies are SOOO much bigger now. It will be fun to see them play together soon.

June is full for us... Daddy's birthday and Father's Day back to back pretty much. How fortunate we are to have such a supportive, loving, funny, hard working Daddy! I couldn't do any of this parenthood thing without him. His support and encouraging words get me through the challenging days and the shared looks of amazement over our two boys makes me love him even more. Our dreams are coming true in front of our eyes each day.

Gotta wrestle!

Father's Day 2012

 We did lots of indoor playing on the cooler June days. This was a favorite!

Bike Rides! We did lots of bike riding all summer long. Paxton eventually got used to his helmet but he was never really a big fan :-(.

 

We played on our play set every single day. The boys loved getting dirty of course.

 Rowen played T-Ball on the same team as his good friend, Bennett. They both did so well! 

Lots of play dates and fun in the sun with our good friend Cooper, his little sister Quinn and of course my favorite lady- Devri!

Strawberry picking with Grammy. Just one of the MANY fun things we did with Grammy over the summer. She always makes our summers very special.

Camping was so fun with our two kids this summer. I can only imagine how many wonderful memories we will continue to make with our boys at Lake Roosevelt over the next many years.

 

I regret not posting about our 3 main camping trips this summer. It was all fun AND exhausting. Sleeping with an infant in a pop up tent trailer is certainly an adventure! Both boys played and played in the sand and water which means mama did too (and Daddy and Grammy and Papa)!

Snuggles with Grammy at the campsite.

 Water play time with Papa.

Floating in life jackets with Grammy to cool off.

 Hangin' out with Papa at the campsite.

We also spent a few Saturdays/Sundays at the lake with Nana and Grandpa near where they are building a new home on Lake Roosevelt. We had a few beautiful days spent on "bat beach" near the Lincoln boat launch. Once again, both boys played in the sand and water until everyone was exhausted! A few things I want to remember about our time at the lake with Nana and Grandpa... Pax took a long nap on Grandpa's lap on the beach and Rowen explored the beach with Daddy, threw rocks in the water, collected rocks with Nana, and went fishing off of Grandpa's boat.

 Pax loves to get dirty so the beach is like heaven on earth to him! Sand EVERYWHERE! He would play in the sand all day long if we let him- which mostly we did :)

I love playing with my boys on the beach. It is a full time job keeping Pax away from the rocks though! He thinks he is a miniature rock climber :).

 Daddy and Ro getting some much needed R&R on the soft sand.

Rowen and Cooper took a tumbling class together at the Y. A few times after class we would play in the water play area.

Big boys swimming!

Eric and I celebrated our 9 year wedding anniversary in July. We stayed at a nearby resort for one night and had such a good time going out to a nice dinner, getting a couples massage,  watching a movie in our hotel room, and sleeping in late. While we were gone Rowen had a pretty bad fall on the side walk outside of our house. As you can see from the photo below he was pretty scraped up! Poor guy! He was such a trooper though. I am sure this is only the beginning of these types of owies :).

Watched lots of the Summer 2012 Olympics! We learned about many different sports that we had never really payed attention to before all due to our curious RoRo. Thanks to Grammy for playing endless games of "water polo" on her bed with Ro :).  

In mid August we took a family vacation to the Oregon Coast. We were lucky to get to stay in Devri's family beach house in Lincoln City. It is a beautiful home and worked perfectly for us. I only have a few photos unfortunately... I was terrible about taking photos on this trip! The weather was very, very windy so we didn't get to play on the beach very much. Fortunately, we did enjoy the sunshine and the sand our first afternoon there. From that point on we mostly hung out in the hot tub (Rowen LOVED this part, he enjoyed hot tub time multiple times a day with whomever would get in with him- usually Papa), drove to a few beaches looking for some relief from the wind, watched the Olympics together, went to a few nearby parks to play and hike, and of course ate, ate, ate yummy sea food and lots of treats :).

 

Both boys were amazing travelers!

 

Thank goodness for the park in The Dalles! The boys had a fabulous time burning up energy there on our way to Oregon and home. Here the boys are playing peek a boo.

 Yay! We made it! Lets play :).

This may be the most memorable part of this trip. Rowen decided to become a rock jumper at one of the very windy beaches we drove to. He obviously completely trusted his strong Daddy!

Rowen found enjoyment in everything we did. He loves to climb and get dirty!

Due to the wind, Pax had to spend lots of time in the car but as you can see from this photo he didn't seem to mind!

Rowen is always finding treasures on the beach. We saved many of them.

And of course, Pax loved the sticky sand! He had a blast shoveling the sand into his bucket and exploring the beach.

Look at that sweet baby hand and foot!

Sand castle!

Uncle TJ and Aunt Erin came home in late August after spending the entire summer in New York for TJ's internship. We were so happy to see them! We spent a few days with them, playing outside, eating lots of food, and just trying to catch up before they headed back to Corvallis. They are expecting their first baby later this month. We can't wait to meet him/her!

While TJ and Erin were here, Eric, T.J. and my dad finished painting the exterior of the house. Rowen helped out many times as well over the summer! Daddy worked so hard on the house all summer and now it looks so nice.

 Well, I think that about sums up the obvious stuff. I know I am missing many other fun things that we did but that will have to do... I have learned my lesson ;).

Pax at 13 months

It feels like Pax is official a one year old now that he is 13+ months old. Here are a some of the things Pax is up to these days...

• saying "uh oh" much more clearly
• still cruising but starting to let go much more often
• can entertain himself for long periods of time- he just explores the house and hunts down poor Racoco!
• has been giving us lots of open mouth kisses at random times
• bit me once on the shoulder when I was wearing a tank top (I think he was intrigued by the skin)- I screamed a little and it scared him pretty good
• LOVES chocolate- this boy was so meant to be a part of this family :)
• started signing! finally! he only signs for "more" but at least it is a start.
• unrolls toilet paper rolls like a pro (and very quickly tears it up into tiny pieces:))
• blowing lots of kisses at random times- I just love this
• has quite the temper- yes, my mellow little baby has turned into a very demanding, loud, screaming little person
• still is such a snuggler!
• early riser just like his big bro :)
• sleeping well at night and for his two naps
• gets into EVERYTHING! I mean this kid is seriously busy, busy, busy but I can't complain because he keeps himself pretty happy all day while I am trying to keep the big brother happy all day (that is another story).
• wearing 12 month and some 12-18 month clothing
• was weighed at right about 13 months and was 22 lbs
• still crazy about daddy but I think he might be becoming a mama's boy more and more (YAY! I will take it while I can!)
• fake laughs whenever he hears anyone else laughing... this is so hilarious and incredibly cute!
• loves to "aaaaah choooo" over and over to make us laugh
• claps for himself often and others- such a cheerleader!
• is obsessed with the refrigerator- I can't open it without him bee lining it to get into it!
• loves to eat nectarines, plums, pears- any fruit that is soft and that he can get his hands around the entire thing and just devour (don't worry I watch very carefully and get the pit out before he gets to it)
• when I ask Pax, "Where is Roro?" he almost always roars! This is so funny because Rowen roars a lot! OR if I say, "Say Roro", Pax will roar instead :).
• Pax gets sooooo excited to see Rowen when Rowen gets home from preschool. It is so precious!
• I think I mentioned before that Pax is happiest when he is really dirty (just like his daddy by they way:)) and there is no better place to get really dirty than outside in the dirt and rocks. Well, Pax will stand at the slider door and whine and moan until I go outside with him! He is relentless. The other day it was super windy out so I wouldn't go outside with him and he really threw a temper tantrum. It was a bit concerning. I don't know what I am going to do this winter :(. I think I better invest in a full snowsuit for myself so I can get in and out of it quickly!

Paxton is 1 year old!

Our sweet little Pax is 1.

I know it sounds cliche but really I can't believe my littlest baby is already 1. This year has flown by. The saying, "The days are long but the years are short" (or something like that) is so very true when you are a mama! Some of the days over this past year did seem very long- being home all day, every day with my boys is incredible and challenging. I love being a full time stay at home mom. The rewards are endless. The work is also endless and can sometimes feel overwhelming. I really wouldn't change it for anything but it certainly has not always been easy for me. I will never forget this amazing year with my two boys, watching Rowen become a generous big brother and watching our littlest child grow and change and grow and change over and over again. What an awesome time in all of our lives!The years really are flying by- no longer do we have an infant, he is 1! How did this happen?

 Paxton's Birthday Breakfast-

2 whole and large oatmeal banana pancakes, yo baby vanilla yogurt and milk. Pax continues to have a large appetite :).

He LOVED the pancakes!

Our family at Paxton's birthday party in the park. :)

 Opening presents was funny. Paxton was of course clueless as to how it all worked but big brother was a huge help. 

Paxton received many thoughtful gifts but of course he really only cared about the ball that Rowen picked out for him. Paxton loves to throw balls and Rowen knew he would love this red one!

We sang "Happy Birthday" to Pax and he seemed a little stunned. Big brother blew out the candle and then we let Pax dig into his cupcake.

Paxton had little bites of cake before he turned 1 but nothing like an entire cupcake all to himself. He devoured it! I think he is as much a fan of chocolate as his big brother is.

 I am pretty sure he is asking for "more" here :).

 Yum! Ice cream too! So cold and squishy!

The overall "theme" of the party was lions, hence Paxton's outfit :). Rowen loves lions, he pretends to be a lion most days so Paxton has lots of experience with lions roars and playing lion in general. So, when I took Rowen to the store to pick out Paxton's birthday plates, napkins, etc Rowen naturally chose the lion themed package right away. Rowen held it up to me and Paxton, Paxton pointed to the lion on the plate and "roared"! It worked out perfectly because it was actually a first birthday package! It was meant to be :). In addition to picking out the birthday decorations, Rowen made this darling sign (with my help of course) for the party. He worked so hard on it. Rowen is always ready to celebrate others. We are so happy to see that he was just as into his little brother's birthday as he is his own or any other family members'. Such a sweet big brother! 

The kids played in the park and Rowen had a big moment- he learned how to pump on the swing! This is something he has been working on for over a year now and finally it just all clicked. All of a sudden he was flying away on that swing. Such a memorable milestone on Pax's birthday :).

By the end of the evening Pax was tuckered out! 

He was a delightful Birthday Boy- loving every part of his big day.

At 1 year old Paxton weighs 22.6 lbs- 55% and measured 30.5 inches-82%

• Waves "hi" and "bye".
• Does Patty Cake- claps and rolls his hands
• Standing on his own for a few seconds before plopping down on his tush
• Cruising along furniture more and more
• Climbs up onto Rowen's bed! I didn't know he could do this until all of sudden he was sitting on the bed, bouncing away with a huge grin on his face!
• Favorite word is "dat!". Also says mama, dada and we think we have heard "this" a few times. He also jibbers jabbers in a rhythmic way, mimicking how I sing to him or chant little poems to him. 
• Loves it when I chant "P-A-X-T-O-N PAXTON!" when I change his diaper. Then when we are all done he gets to stand up on his changing pad and touch the letters P-A-X-T-O-N that are on the wall above his changing table.
• Favorite songs are the ABC's, One Little, Two Little, etc, Mama Loves Her Paxton
• Loves Chicka Chicka Boom Boom- I chant the first few pages to him and bounce him up and down to the "boom boom"- lots of giggles and smiles!
• Hums- this is very sweet
• Loves to play, play, play or more like explore- will play alone for extended periods of time
• We often hear Pax laughing while he plays- he cracks himself up often! This is one of our favorite things about Pax, he just seems to be happy go lucky.
• He MUST climb (crawl) the stairs on his own EVERY time we go upstairs. If he doesn't want to crawl up himself then I know he is very tired or not feeling well.
• Claps for himself and others spontaneously.
• Starts laughing so that we will start laughing. He does this in the car and when sitting in his high chair. He is such a little clown :).
• Loves music, dances to music, plays Rowen's musical instruments.
• Stands in front of the washing machine and dryer to watch the clothes go round and round. He just recently discovered the oven and that it also has a window. He stood in front of the window of the oven and looked at his reflection (we think) for quite some time.
• 2 teeth on bottom- the middle two and 4 teeth on top- 2 are all the way through but the other 2 have just popped through. The 4 teeth on top are so cute because the 2 that are all the way through that you can see well are one middle tooth and one tooth on the side.
• Drinks whole milk first thing in the morning out of a sippy cup and maybe a few other times throughout the day. Then Pax has a bottle right before bed time. He has transitioned from stopping breast feeding to whole milk only really well! 
• Gives us big open mouth wet kisses.
• Sleeps really well- from about 7:30 p.m. to about 6:45-7:30 a.m. (this seems to fluctuate), naps from about 9 a.m. until about 10-10:30 then naps again around 1:30 until about 3-3:30. It seems like he is just starting to become really predictable with this schedule. It took longer to get Pax on a schedule than it did Rowen and I think that is because we are almost always going, going, going- keeping Rowen busy is priority! So, the schedule has to be more flexible.
• Is happiest when he is dirty. Yes, he is truly all boy. I really didn't know how dirty a little boy could get until Paxton came along. This kid has a talent for getting dirty. He loves to play in the rocks, dirt, and sand box in our back yard. He will cover his legs and feet with dirt or sand and just smiles the entire time. He throws rocks and digs his hands into the dirt. He is over trying to eat the dirt and sand so that is good. I have to scrub his hands, feet, and legs with a wash cloth after he has been outside and over the past month he pretty much has to have a bath every night because he is so dirty.
• Loves to be outside. Pax with stand at the slider door and whine and point at the backyard.
• Paxton wants to do EVERYTHING big brother does. This is darling and difficult. 
• Pax has been trying to climb up the play set in our back yard. He is pretty determined. I wouldn't be surprised if by next summer he is climbing up it with ease. This amazes me because Rowen was never a "climber". He wanted help doing most things like that but Pax just goes for it all with no fear. 
• Screams and points to get what he wants. Ugh!
• Has discovered that laying on pillows is really fun.
•  Wants snuggles after he wakes up from a nap and first thing in the morning. Lays his head on our shoulder and tucks his arms in under his chest. This melts our hearts.
• Holds his arms out with his hands facing up and whines to let us know he wants picked up.

Pax,
You are a ray of sunshine in our family. We all adore you. This past year has been so full of joy and love because of you. Thank you sweet boy.
Love, Mama