Fetch

I have no picture, but I had to write this down, lest I forget:

Anderson (taking Beck's paci out of his mouth and throwing it across the room): "Go get it boy!"
Beck runs and gets it, shoves it back in his mouth and brings it back to Anderson.
Anderson: "That's a good boy! Good little Baby Beck!"

This goes on daily. We have no dog. As far as I know Anderson has never actually seen someone with a dog playing fetch. But, alas, he treats his brother like a Golden Retriever. And, just like a good dog, Beck keeps coming back for more.

Out-takes

Enjoying the out-takes from our little make-shift Valentine's photo session. Beck is not one for cooperating these days. I also realized I forgot to post the address labels from the finished product. They might just be my favorites yet (even if the colors here look off).

Happy Valentine's Day!

I love this day. And I love these two. So very, very much. Their Daddy isn't half bad, either.

p.s. It's crazy to me how much Beck has grown since last year's card!

Sunday Afternoon

It was cold and overcast and we had absolutely no plans but to enjoy our day. For a while there was no one but us as we slid, ran, and moved from swing to swing. And oh my gosh, when did Anderson become such a big boy who can swing all by himself and even push his little brother?! It had been months since I thought about bringing my camera and I am so glad I did. These are my favorite days to remember.

Hugs, Giggles, and Joe Joes

Oh, these two. They drive me completely nuts and make me want to pull my hair out, but they really are the best. We are finally entering a stage where they can interact and actually play together. They still poke, pinch, and hit each other, but in between all of that they also hug, wrestle, and laugh together. They even share their Halloween Joe Joes (and clearly have the chocolate cookie mouths to prove it).

856

The average numbers of times I begin a sentence with either "no", "don't" or "stop" on any given day. No joke. I counted. Well, maybe not exactly, but that number sounds about right.

photo by Natalie Moser

This I love

It was a pretty rough morning this morning, but yesterday was pretty perfect: tickles, jammies, and good moods. 

Turquoise cheetah socks, alligator boots, balls, and bungee cords

The weather has been nice here (despite it being "ski week") and we have had the whole week to play. Plans to potty train were thwarted, a visit to the preschool turned into a full-fledged temper tantrum because someone wants to "go to school RIGHT NOW!!!" instead of in the summer, the boys made new friends in the sons of one of mommy's old ones, and 2 birthdays were celebrated. Some favorite moments from the week:

Monkey see, monkey do

Now that Baby Beck is crawling, if it's on the floor, it's fair game. That boy has his eye on the prize and will crawl at super speed to get it. Unfortunately for Anderson, what Beck wants is whatever he is playing with at the time. I can imagine this will only continue and get worse as they get older, but for now I like to sit back and watch the way the two of them react to one another as they learn to deal with what will no doubt be a never-ending battle of one wanting what the other has.

 Anderson is very particular about his cars and likes to line them up just perfectly so that they can watch tv.

 Beck has just spotted those perfectly lined up cars and is on the move.

Anderson put up a good defense, but Beck prevailed. Eating cars is just so satisfying. Lucky for him something far more interesting came on tv or he may not have had such an easy victory.

Friends

When we brought Baby Beck home we knew that nothing would be the same. We knew our world would be forever changed and that life as Anderson had known it would be turned upside down. Fortunately (luck? karma? divine intervention?), Anderson absolutely adored Baby Beck from the moment he first met him through the tiny window in his NICU pod. But for as proud as we have been that we haven't had to deal with so many of the jealousy issues we had been warned about, what we have really been waiting for is the time when these two could actually get along like brothers. When they could interact and learn from each other and smile and laugh together. When one would imitate the other and we would sit back and know that they love each other through and through.  Each day the bond between them grows ever stronger and it makes me absolutely giddy to see them together. Watching Anderson as he plays with Beck, tickles him, drags him around by the arms (in the most loving way possible, of course!), and nuzzles up to him makes me the proudest mama on the planet. This is what I've been waiting for.