3 Milestones in 1 Day

Apartment living has severely limited some of A2's learning opportunities, especially learning to climb stairs. To overcome the lack of stairs in our apartment, I took A1 and A2 to a nearby playground that has a toddler slide with stairs just perfect for beginners. I set him down at the bottom to figure out how to lure him up to the top; while I was thinking, he simply crawled up the stairs, no problem! We tried it a few more times, just to make sure that he knew what he was doing. On the fourth try A2 thought, "This is not a challenge; let's try something else." So he held onto the railing and walked up the stairs! I guess our lack of stairs hasn't limited him that much.

On a somewhat related note, A2's first tooth made its appearance last night. It is now officially time to ween him.

When You Give A Boy A Cookie

Question: What happens when you give a boy an oreo and turn your back for a few minutes?

Answer:

Has It Been A Year Already?

A2 had his first birthday a few days ago. I can't believe that he is a year old already! He's an adorable boy who loves following his sister (especially now that he is walking), loves playing with his daddy, and loves cuddling with his mommy. He has brought so much joy and fun to our family.

Naturally we had a party to celebrate and invited a few friends over to join us. I made a train cake (my first attempt at carving and truly decorating a cake).

Did I do an okay job? Tell me it's good.

We gave A2 his own little train car to eat while everyone else devoured the rest of the cake.

Signs of a good party

A2 loved eating the cake. You can't tell in these pictures, but he had cake all over his belly, in his eyelashes, and even in his hair.

Before

After

And we opened presents. A2's favorite present?

The boxes and bags that the presents came in, of course.

Overall, it was quite the party. Thanks to everyone that helped us celebrate. Happy Birthday to You, my darling boy!

Happy October!

I know I'm a few days late, but A1 received these adorable Halloween clothes from her grandma, and we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the beginning of the month than dressing up.

On Your Mark, Get Set...

...GO!!!

A2's first steps caught on camera! I now officially have two kids that can run in opposite directions; which one should I run after and which one should I let go?