Wardrobe boost: photo shoot

 

In one week, the boys got quite a wardrobe boost.  They were gifted batik shirts from a friend, and also got two care packages in the mail.  So I got the boys all gussied up for an outdoor photo shoot -- ha ha!  They were so excited to be outdoors that I had to chase them at full speed, trying to take photos along the way!  Their clothes were dirty in under 60 seconds, but I did the best I could!

I thought it would be cute for the boys to hold hands for a picture ....uhm, this is the result.  :)

Yep, I got tackled about 1/3 of s second after this digital shutter click. 

Josh is sitting still here for a moment so he can toss freshly cut grass on his head. 

 

Yep, he's a runner now!

Well, the photo shoot ended when Joshua got bit on the neck by a nasty red ant.  You can see I finally did get them to sit still for a photo together ....seatbelted into the stroller and not too happy about it either!

   

Aunt Kristen sent matching Boise State Bronco shirts for the boys.  They've worn them several times already!  Again, impossible to get a posed shot...but here they are wearing them in the sandbox!

These last two are not the greatest pictures, but serve to show Aunt Ruth and Grandma Arlette how the last two outfits fit!  Thank you so much!  We've been having some cold weather lately, so the long sleeves have been helpful!

Joshua 10 months -- 10 milestones!

We've had 3+ weeks of sick kids here -- I find that blogging time got sucked away by the time spent wiping runny noses.  I never knew it could take so much time!  When you consider how much time it takes to wipe the nose, dispose of the tissue (and the garbage can is way back in the storeroom behind a closed door now safe from a little guy's curiosity) and then wash hands.  At least one minute x 2 kids x 30 times a day -- that's a whole hour a day just wiping noses!

Ha, ha, excuses, excuses.  I think there is some truth to it, though.  I have much I could tell, but today's post is dedicated to Joshua who is 10 months old now and trying so hard to leave his babyhood behind.

So 10 months .....10 milestones:  ( I had to look in my What-to-Expect book for some of the milestones.)

1.  WALKING -- He took his first 10 steps on October 19 during our evening devotions at age 9 months, 9 days.  He gained strength quickly and is now walking like a pro, turning corners without falling, doing full 180s, walking backwards, squats, walking while clapping or waving a dish towel, and slow bee-bopping to music.

2.  TALKING -- He says (all at the appropriate times) "ma-ma,", "da-da", "ba-ba" (ball), and "a-meh" (amen.)  Believe it or not, he's also saying a quite recognizable "Thank you" on a regular basis!

3.  THROWING OVERHAND -- He is going to be our athlete I think.  He loves to play with balls and can kick things with quite a lot of accuracy.  He'll go around the house throwing his little orange ball and then chasing it and  picking it up.

4.  PICKS UP SMALL OBJECTS -- Yep, he's been doing this for a while.  I call it his "puppy" stage because if I don't watch out he will crawl around under the table looking for crumbs to eat.  He often succeeds and I'll find him sitting somewhere "chewing" on something.  He's gotten good at the jaw-shut-tight thing too so I don't take away his treat!

5.  PROTESTS WHEN SOMEONE TAKES SOMETHING AWAY FROM HIM -- Jonathan delights in taking away any toy that Joshua is holding, and yes he has definitely learned to protest!

6.  PLAYS PEEK-A-BOO -- He loves this game in its various forms.  Dave says it's not a very exciting video for a man, but that the grandmas might like it, so here you go.

7.  FIRST BIG SICKNESS and ANTIBIOTICS --  A few weeks ago he was so sick I got scared.  He had been having fevers for a day or so but that Thursday he spiked from normal to 105 F in about 30 minutes, just 2 hours after I had given him Ibuprofen.   His hands and feet turned dusky and he got very lethargic and just whimpered.  We got some labs done and they were normal and he gradually got better over the next few days.  It was probably just one of the normal viruses that go around, but I didn't like it. 

8.  WAVES BYE-BYE--He's just mastered it this week.  When he waves he also says "Da-Da" which is Indonesian for Bye-Bye.

9.  UNDERSTAND NO -- Actually he's a lot better at this than his brother who is almost 3!

10.  DRINK FROM A CUP -- He can do this, but watch out and be prepared to totally change his clothes afterward!

Wished for, but not yet achieved, milestone:  Sleeping through the night.  Sigh.  

No pictures of Jonathan in this post ....he has a birthday this weekend so I have something planned for that.  :)

Learning new moves

When Jonathan turned 2, we told ourselves he would be getting a bike as a late birthday present.    Finally last month I was able to find his bike!  See for yourself how he's doing!

A few things to watch for in the video .....Joshua practicing his wave and a surprise ending!  (No band-aids necessary!)   (P.S.  Gem, if you're out there, thanks for the great sun hat for Joshua!  We're using it a lot!)

Joshua is continuing to work very hard on his motor skills.  He just turned 9 months old yesterday, so check out what he can do!

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Walking like a Pro!.....almost

We never realized there are so many stages of learning to walk, and it's exciting to watch Jonathan hone and develop his skills. We're exploring the outdoors now, which means learning to keep balance on uneven ground and also enjoying the distractions of grass, sticks, leaves and rocks! Hope you enjoy the video!

Making Progress! Jonathan walking

So Jonathan's walking skills improve every day! It's so amazing to behold! A week ago he could only take 2-3 steps and then fall. He has since gone to talking 5-8 steps, learned how to walk from point a to point b without falling, and even to decelerate and stop at a stand. Today he is practicing how to stand up from the floor and walk (instead of having to pull up on something). Here is a video of his progress over the last few days!