First Taste

Today was the big day...we introduced Beckett to the wonderful world of food. Okay, so rice cereal is not all that wonderful, but he seemed to think it was alright. I swear he's been wanting to eat ALL the time, so I figured we'd held out long enough and that we'd all be better off if something else was helping to fill that tummy. He gobbled up all the food I gave him and didn't seem to mind the spoon a bit. He didn't even spit any out! He must be holding out on that until I feed him squash. He's such a little cutie and I can't believe how much he's grown...almost 6 months old! He's rolling over, grabbing his toes, trying to sit (not there yet!), and seems to be anxious to get moving.

Asher still loves to make him laugh, and loves his baby bro so much...even though that sometimes includes pinching and snagging toys. Ah, brotherly love.

4th of July Weekend

This summer feels as though it has just begun, and yet it's half over already! This 4th of July we hung out in Albuquerque and made good use of our free time. We hit a Baseball game...Beckett's first. He was surprisingly good, and seemed to be taking full advantage of being held for a couple of hours straight. Asher was really excited for the game, and I used it as leverage the whole day. Interestingly enough, his fave parts were Orbit (our mascot), and the play equipment across the field. We enjoyed the fireworks afterward from the parking lot/car, afraid that baby B would NOT enjoy the earth-shattering explosions as much as the rest of us. Asher loved them.

Asher's meltdown...it's not his birthday.

The Fourth was Emery's first birthday! We prepped Asher all day, explaining that it was both Emery's birthday, and America's birthday. He still cried when we all sang to her. Meagan was nice enough to let Asher blow out a candle of his own. One of these days it will be OK for someone else to have a birthday....won't it?? Is that just a 3 year old thing?

We LOVE first birthday parties. The kids are so cute at that age, and I love seeing what they'll do with the cake. Emery was disappointingly neat and clean, but seemed to love her day. She and Ash were splashing away in her new sand/water table. She was playing in just her shorts, so after a while, Asher begged to take his shirt off too. So funny.

Beckett got to hang with Grandma and Grandpa Reitz. He is such a sweetheart, and doesn't seem to mind being passed around at all. He just loves to be held. Ooooh, I just love those cheekies!

Before nightfall, there was a little drizzle of rain, which had the guys panicking that they wouldn't be able to let off their arsenal of fireworks they'd bought. It cleared up and we were left with a gorgeous double rainbow (only one is showing in the pic, bummer). The only casualty of the night was Corey's thumb. He ended up burning it pretty good with a lighter, after complaining repeatedly about how they didn't get any punks. He was very concerned about treating it correctly, and I am happy to report that it is healing well (another fine reminder of why men do not bear children). No doubt, next year he'll remember to get some.

We even got in a healthy dose of yard work, making some progress on our yard's face lift! Aaron and Adam helped out, and I am so excited that its taking shape!

Family, fun, food and fireworks. Good times.

Durango Fun

We just spent a long Father's Day weekend in Durango, Colorado. We'd visited once before when Asher was about 9 months old and have been wanting to go back ever since. The "Day Out With Thomas" (yes, the train) event gave us the excuse we were looking for, so we bought tickets a few months back knowing we'd be dying to go somewhere by June. We rented a restored farmhouse a couple of miles from downtown and enjoyed every second of it. It was gorgeous, quiet, and the air even smelled good (Asher pointed this out too). Our only regret is that we only stayed for 3 nights!

The first night we were there we went to a bonefied Chuckwagon shindig. Asher got to toot the horn on the train that rode around the property... which made him smile and Beckett cry. Th entertainment was actually very good. A quartet of cowboys up there singing and playing instruments...yee-hah!

The main event was, of course, Thomas the Tank Engine. I couldn't believe all the Thomas crazed kids waiting to ride. They were SO excited when he pulled up. Asher was in complete awe, practically speechless except for calling out to him a few times ("Thomas!"). The train was amazing, I must say. It looked fantastic. I would definitely do it again, the whole thing seemed really well organized and there were lots of fun things (all super Thomas oriented) for the kids to do.

We swam at the Durango Rec Center, which sounds strange, but it's a great one for kids. It was Beckett's first time in the pool, and he seemed to really love it...after he stopped screaming. Corey waded in and submerged over half of his body and it made him VERY mad. Once mom took over it was smooth sailing. The shock wore off and he instantly put his legs behind him and kicked like crazy until we finally took him out, figuring he was exhausted. Asher cried when we left, and asked if we could go again. That night Beckett slept until morning...11 hours!! I was stunned and excited. Was it the swimming? Much to my surprise, he had a repeat performance the following night. He hasn't done it since we've been home though, he's back to his old ways. I guess that cool mountain air did him some good. At least I know the potential is there!

Aside from the train mania, we also shopped on mainstreet (where a car show was also going on), devoured treats from 'Bread' (an aptly named bakery up the street), lounged in the hot tub, bbq'd, had an early Father's Day, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

P.S. Corey is sure an amazing Dad. He is always sure to let our boys know how much he loves and values them. And they always have so much fun together. Who knew I'd get such a great deal when I married him??
And Happy Father's Day to the encredible Dads we have. We love you and wish we could have spent the Day with you too!

Catch-up

I can't say we have been up to much, but somehow we've been very busy. The boys are both growing too fast, and I feel as though if I blink I might miss something. It's true what they say, that your everything goes so much faster with your second (and third and fourth....) child. So, here goes a little catch-up:

Asher just did a couple of weeks of swimming lessons and loved it, except for the first couple of days. Day 1 was a disaster. He cried and wined the whole time. Day 2 he didn't even want to go, so I bribed him with treats (the cookies he choked on, I mentioned a couple of entries ago). He did get in the pool, but only as an appendage to the poor, patient teacher. He spent the whole lesson crying and wrapped around her neck. I did ask her what she wanted me to do, and was ready to take him out, but she told me I should just put him in which told me she was willing to deal with it. What a saint! He loved the rest of the time, and made a bunch of friends and now thinks he can swim (we've still got a ways to go until he could ditch the floaties for good though).



Beckett is growing fast. I've never had people tell me my baby was a "fatty" before. He is definitely rounder and chubbier than Ash was, and for a baby that was nearly 2 months early he is catching up fast! I love his cheekies. They are so kissable. He is such a ticklish baby! He laughs like crazy if you tickle him just about anywhere (probably gets that from me). He seems to love having his diaper changed too. Beckett gets all smiley and happy, even when you pull out those cold wipies. He's also quite a talker. He'll babble back and forth and have his own little conversation with you. It's so cute. Asher still adores him and Beckett does seem to light up with smiles whenever Asher comes and overwelms him. Brothers. I love that they will have eachother to play, talk and grow up with. To prove his love, Asher has even shared the beloved "Buddies." All of them, at the same time.

I don't think so!

All the buddies.

Beckett's about to get some Asher love:)

Asher baby talkin' with Beck.

Corey's B-day

Corey's birthday was a couple of weeks ago, and although I did take a few pictures, I totally forgot to blog it...what is happening to my brain?? So, here goes a little bit of catch up. His birthday was a fun night with the fam, and Aaron and Meagan dropped by too. In lieu of birthday cake, Corey opted for birthday cream puffs, yum! We had another tantrum from Asher, insisting the presents were his and he needed to open them all. No good, I say. Time out for him...he can't claim every birthday for himself, so we are working on this one. Good times though, and as always, we celebrated all week long for Corey. Happy Birthday, and we love you lots!

Waterguns. We started small, but I would bet we end up with some giant super soakers by the end of the summer.

This kid always enjoys his food to the fullest.

Asher-isms

I just wanted to write down a few of my favorite funny things Ash says lately, so I don't forget them...

• "Mom, can I help you water the planets?" Translation: planets = plants.

• Asher thinks my "eyes are broken" because I wear glasses/contacts. Come to think of it, I guess they are.

• We aren't frequent patrons of McDonald's, but have recently gone a few times here and there. When we see one, he asks if we can go to "Hop-donald's" for ice cream.
  

• We haven't let Asher chew gum yet, figuring he'll just swallow it. He has discovered that it exists though, and if he sees me pop a piece in, he wants to know if I'm eating "dum." What in the world? Dum? Funny boy.

• Lately he's been talking about all the churches we pass, and always wants to know if they are "the Church of Jesus Christ of Hourly Sinks."
  

• Asher found a party hat in his room from his 1st birthday (I know, I know, why are those still around?). He wouldn't take the thing off all day, and once he discovered there was more than one, he went and stuck one on poor captive Beckett. He was so proud.

• Beckett was sleeping in the Bouncer in the kitchen the other day and had just woken up.
  "Mo-om, Beckett's awa-ake," Ash yelled to me (I was 5 feet away). The next thing I knew I turned around to find Asher holding Beckett's eyes closed for him. I guess he wanted him to go back to sleep. Time out for that one!

• Asher has just stopped calling him "Bucket." I think I'm gonna miss that one. I think I slipped a few times myself!

• Asher's response to my asking him to grab me a diaper for Beck: "No thank you Mom, I'm just fine." What a very polite NO.
  

Too Many Cookies

What I perceived as a fairly uneventful afternoon ended up having a very eventful twist. After swimming lessons (which is in itself another story I will definitely tell another day) I gave Asher his promised treat, a personal pack of Chips Ahoy cookies. By the time we had gotten home, he'd eaten 3 of the 4 cookies and was ready to finish the job. We headed out back to water some newly planted shrubs and Asher immediately rushed up to our big dog Dion to play. He knew the remainder of the cookie in his hand was going to be a doggie treat if he didn't act fast, so he shoved the last big bites of the cookie into his mouth and commenced playing with the beast. He was running around giggling and trying to get Dion to chase him, while I headed over to the hose to water the plants. I'd finished half of the watering when I turned around and heard Asher choking.
The Mommy Survival Mode kicked in. I rushed over to Ash, who by this time was totally panicking. First I whacked his back a couple of times, HARD. Nothing changed. Thoughts of the Heimlich Maneuver were flashing wildly in my brain, so I grabbed his stomach with both of my hands and started sort of heaving him in mid air...his body folded over my arms as I lifted him up and down. I didn't stop until I heard him crying and coughing up cookie chunks. He came in the house and then the poor kid threw up. And who could blame him with all the jiggling and whacking he'd taken. How scary!! I am just so glad he's alright! I love him way too much to let some cookies (that I gave him) hurt him. I guess I need to have some new rules regarding food and running around laughing...NO MORE of that. I put it right up there with running with scissors. I was so worked up about the event that the adrenaline was pumping for an hour. What an afternoon!