Two Posts In One Day!!!

I'm doing pretty good here, huh?
Luke tried walking again this afternoon. He'd pull up, let go, stand for a moment, step forward with his left foot... and then freeze. And then he'd get this panicked look on his face like he couldn't remember what to do next. Poor baby! Eventually, he'd fall down because he can only stand for so long.
He did climb onto the hearth and one of the living room chairs today. Those were both quite exciting to him.

After the boys both woke from their afternoon naps, I took them outside to play. It was so lovely outside! Brendan had a wonderful time playing in the leaves. I taught him to throw armfuls of them up in the air. He was so cute saying "un, do, dee, dush!" translation: one, two, three, whoosh! And throwing his little handfuls of leaves in the air. Poor Luke though wasn't so sure about being outside. He insisted on being in my arms the whole time.

Drumroll, Please...

www.standfest.biz/beta

That's not its permanent home, eventually it will be moved to www.standfest.org. But for now, it's where it is, it's all set up and ready for people to see. Let me know what you think! Also, let me know if you find any typos or broken links and I'll fix them as soon as I can.

In other news, Luke took his first steps on the evening of November 7! Took us completely by surprise - by the time we realized what had happened, he was sitting on the floor, looking as though everything was completely normal. He hasn't walked anymore since, but wow! 7 1/2 months old and he's taken his first steps...
He's also very good at playing peekaboo. I showed him how to put a light blanket over his head and pull it off a couple weeks ago and now whenever he finds a light blanket (or the living room curtain) he starts to play peekaboo. Even if no one else is playing with him!

Brendan's getting to be more and more of a two-year-old. He's learned the word "no" and uses it a lot. It rarely gets him anywhere, but he keeps trying. He's getting more and more verbal as well and is picking up new words and signs very easily. Yesterday, we were playing with his alphabet blocks and he was pointing at the pictures and telling me what they were. I was quite impressed with how many he knew. The ones he didn't know, he would point at and look at me, I would tell him and he'd repeat it. He remembered many of those by the next time we came across that picture again.

Coming Soon

Announcing...



Our new website! It's not quite done yet, but it should be ready by sometime next week. For now, our blog will remain right here but it may be switched over to the new site at sometime in the future. I just haven't decided yet if I like the blog program there or not.
I'll let you all know when the new site is ready and what url is.

New Words

Brendan's new words:
"Dah Doh" = "Thanks be to God"
Not quite sure how that works out, but every time I say "Thanks be to God" during our family prayers, he says "Dah Doh". He's also getting very good at bowing for the Gloria Patri and is getting better at crossing himself.
"Jump"
Well, it's not actually that clear, but I can't figure out how to spell his actual pronunciation. He's learning to jump right now and says "jump" every time he tries it. Mostly, he just crouches down and stands up fast, but once in a while his feet do actually leave the ground.

Goofy Kids

Brendan's ears are bugging him a little today, so I put some Hyland's ear drops in his ears. He wanted me to put them in his mouth. So I offered him a teething tab (they're tiny). He tried to put it in his ear.
This morning I let Luke try Gerber wagon wheels. I gave one to Luke and one to Brendan (if I hadn't given Brendan one, he might have tried to take Luke's). Brendan tasted it and gave his to Luke. So Luke was sitting there, one in each hand, taking a taste of one, then the other, then back to the first...

Christmas Wishlist

For grandparents, aunts, uncles, and the like:
I've been asked a few times now for ideas for the holidays and have just created a new wishlist for Brendan and Luke for Christmas and Brendan's Birthday. It's in the right sidebar as "Brendan and Luke's Wishlist". A few more things will be added in the next week or so, but this is a start.

A Visit to the Park

This past weekend, we took the kids to the park.


Our little dare devil Brendan loved the slide.


He also enjoyed pretending that he was a turtle.


Our family got to play on the teeter totter together. The boys really seemed to enjoy it. Here is a picture of Daddy and Brendan enjoying the teeter totter together.


Here is Brendan zooming past on his swing.










Here is a picture Mama and baby Luke's first time on the swing together. Luke enjoyed it, especially since he had Mama.





We had a great time at the park and will have to do it again sometime. Hopefully we can make it over there again before it gets too cold for the boys.

Luke has a new favorite teething toy, a target gift card.

Bumps, Milk and Block Stew...

Oh, wow, it's been way too long since I've last posted! Sorry.
Luke's cruising and stood unassisted for two seconds today. I'm still in shock here over that. That boy is still a week away from being seven months old! He's also got a knack for gruesome self-inflicted injuries. He has more bumps and bruises... Just yesterday, he standing at the end of the hearth when he fell, bumping his head hard on the stone on his way down. We have a foam cushion on the edge of the hearth, but of course he missed that. He had one huge bump from that. The swelling's gone down now, but he's still got a colorful bruise.
Brendan is doing well. He's getting pretty good at drinking out of an open cup. At least until he decides that he's done and pours it out on the table without any warning. And then, "Oh wait! Maybe I wasn't done with that after all..." "Milk? Milk? Peesh?" (spoken and signed)
He's learned a few more signs and words lately and has finally begun to call me Mama. before this, I was simply known as "AhhhhhEEEEEEE!!!"
Yesterday, I was tidying up the kitchen and looked over to the dining room where the boys were playing. They were both sitting next to my Dutch oven, which was filled with blocks. While I watched Brendan folded his hands and prayed, Luke watched him very intently. As soon as Brendan said Amen they dug in, Mmmmm!!! What a tasty pot of Block Stew! So cute.