Snails

A friend of ours gave us some lettuce from his garden.  While I was washing it I discovered a few little stowaways.  Two slimey snails!  The boys were thrilled to observe them for the day so we kept them in cups with a leaf of lettuce and watched them do their thing.

Bracky was so enthralled with his snail he carried around his little friend all afternoon.  I encouraged them to stay outside as much as possible just in case the little critters got away.  

We sat them outside by our flower pots for the night but when the morning rolled around we found they had crawled out of the cups and away.  I explained to them that the snails were happier out in nature.  Nathan was cool with it but Bracken mourned his loss till his mid morning show.

Thank you snails for an afternoon of discovery. 

Head Banging

It all started when "Eye Of The Tiger" came on our Pandora station.

Everyone's got a little bit of rocker in them!

5 Months Old

Marco continues to be my sunshine.  His happiness if contagious.  I could drink in his sweetness all day long.  He is learning and growing every day.  His tiny hands are starting to open up more and more instead of being  balled into fists, he rolls from side to side, and he is sitting up.  He has two adorable (sharp) teeth making his infectious smile even more endearing.  His face lights up when his family gives him their undivided attention, but he especially loves his Mommy!  He is happy to let other people/strangers hold him as long as he knows that I am close by.  In the morning when I get him out of his crib he throws his arms around my neck, grabs my hair with his little fists, and smothers my face with his slobbery besos!  It's a pretty great way to be greated!

We've Got A Sitter!

Marco has reached an important milestone.  He is can sit up all by himself!  

On August 1st it hit me that he was probably ready to start trying to sit.  So I sat the cute little bug down and sure enough he held himself upright for about 30 seconds before rolling over to his side.  Over the next few weeks we practiced sitting a little every day until he could sit pretty good on his own.  He is still a bit wobbly and unpredictable so we keep the boppy behind him to help soften the fall. 

Bracken's new favorite game is Marco Tipping.  He finds it very amusing to walk by Marco when he is sitting up and give him a little nudge.  Poor little baby, he is only beginning to understand what it means to have 2 older brothers.  By far the funniest predicament that Marco finds himself in is the forward fold, as I call it.  I think sometimes his little muscles just get tuckered out holding him up and he just falls forward over his legs and gets stuck folded in half!

It won't be long before Marco is an old hat at sitting and begins experimenting with crawling. Babies grow up so fast!

Just Keep Chewing, Chewing Chewing

We have teeth!

On August 8th Marco's left, front bottom tooth broke through and his right bottom tooth followed the next day.  This first round of teething was fairly tame. The previous week he had one abnormally fussy day and a few nights where he whimpered and woke more than usual.  All in all it was very manageable so I guess time will tell if he is a "good" teether or not.

Having his new little teeth has increased Marco's desire to chomp and chew.  The minute he grabs onto an object it goes right into his mouth.  Softer, rubbery objects are his favorite.  He will suck and chew on them till they get so thoroughly slimed the can't hold onto them anymore!

Bracky's Songs

A-pranes

Like most little kids Bracken goes through toy phases.  For a few days he'll be on a moto kick than move onto his Rescue pack filled with various rescue gear.  But today he has chosen airplanes or as he pronouces it A-pranes.

First Day of School!

August 6th

Oh what a day!  My first born is off to start his adventure in public school.  Nathan woke up extra early due to an over abundance of excitement.  He was dressed and ready in record time, we shall see how long that lasts.  Usually this kid is not a morning person and he drags his feet getting up and at'em.

After breakfast we headed out back to take our first day of school pictures and everyone got in on the action.  I love that Bracken wanted to wear his back pack and be just like Nathan even though he has a few years to go before he can head off to school.  I have pictures of my family on the first day of school with my younger siblings doing the exact same thing.

The whole family loaded up in the car to see Nathan off.  I could tell that Nathan was getting a bit more nervous the closer we got to the school which mostly means he was more quiet than usual.

Curtis waited in the car while I walked him into his classroom.  Nathan looked all through the desks and found his seat, and settled into his chair.  I could tell by the look on his face that he was a bit anxious, but he was still very ready and happy to finally be a kindergarten kid.  There were a ton of people in the room. Lots of parents and extra siblings taking pictures and several having emotional break downs.  I decided it was best to make it short and sweet so Nathan could move on with his exciting day.  I kissed him good bye, gave him a big hug and smile and walked out the door.  I wasn't sure if I would cry or get teary eyed but I didn't.  I was happy for him.  He has been looking forward to the day he could go to school for a very long time. He was ready and so was I.

One of Nathan's lifelong dreams also came true.  He gets to ride the bus home!!!!!  He has had a small obsession with school buses since he was a toddler.  There was a bit of confusion about which bus he needed to get on since he is a half day kid and leaves school just before lunch.  The half day kindergarten kids get their own bus which is different than the usual buses and routes.  But the teachers called me and so did the bus driver to make sure I was aware of the changes being made to his bus assignment directions and at 11:20am Marco and I greeted him out front after his first day of school and his first school bus ride.

Nathan came home happy and ready to fill me in on all the amazingly cool details of his day!

New Shoes

One beautiful evening all the stars aligned and the 2 little ones were fast asleep and snuggled in bed by 7:30.     It was a perfect opportunity for Natey and I to spend some special one on one time together.  I pulled out the box of "next years" clothes to get out Nate's new school clothes and take inventory of what we were lacking so we could make a shopping list.  Nathan was super excited to pull out his new shoes.  He has been waiting for these shoes for a long time.  He tried each pair on and raced around the house, and of course these super awesome shoes gave him super human speed. When it was finally time for Nathan himself to hit the sack he couldn't part with his favorite pair of new shoes and asked ever so sweetly if I would allow him to sleep in his new shoes.  He was so happy and hopeful I just had to agree.

Nummies

I'm positive Marco is teething.  He always has something in his mouth for his chewing satisfaction.  Marco LOVES these sucking mesh toys.  I put ice cubes in them, and the minute he spots their bright little selves his eyes light up, his arms and legs start wigglin' and he squeals with delight.

Nate and Brack enjoying their favorite lunch of all time, peanut butter and honey sandwich.  They would eat these every day if I didn't insist on a little variety every now and then.

Little Chomper

Chillin' with a toy in his mouth is probably one of Marco's favorite past times.  Of course it is second to snuggling with Mommy and being showered with besos.

Swimming Stunts

Mariachi Nate

3 Days in SLC

On our way home to Arizona, we stopped for a few days in Salt Lake City to visit Great-Grandma King.

First up, we wanted to see the sites down town and to make the experience more memorable we hopped on the TRAX for our ride.  Nathan and Bracken were beyond thrilled.  At the end of the day when we rode the TRAX back home we had a little mishap with getting on the wrong train, figuring it out quickly and getting on  the right train, but we unknowingly left behind Bracky's little back pack filled with his favorite toys.  I was sick to my stomach as I mentally added up the sum of how much it would cost to replace those toys.  Amazingly enough, when Grandma King went to the lost and found office the next morning, our little back pack was there waiting for us!  Bracky was one happy kid.

Our first stop was the Church History Museum.  This year they have a special exhibit for children all about the Book of Mormon and it's people.  My favorite station was the Mariachi dancing.  Nathan looked muy guapo in his mariachi vest stomping his feet and shaking his booty.

After we toured the Book of Mormon exhibit, we enjoyed a picnic lunch on Temple Square.  The boys enjoyed the open space to roam and play with their monster trucks and I soaked in all the beautiful flowers.

The next afternoon the boys and I headed down to Great-Grandmas pool and Nathan perfected his front flip.

Later in the afternoon we went to an aquarium in Sandy, UT.  It was just the right size for my kids.  They loved the penguins, sharks and the sting rays.  We walked past the sting rays several times and it took Nathan about 5 passes to work up the nerve to try touching one.  Bracken loved every second of the aquarium.  At each tank and exhibit he would stop, look and absorb every little detail.  Grandma King and I loved seeing him so enthralled.  His most favorite fish was the chocolate chip cookie star fish, it is tan with black nodules along it's legs making it look like a chocolate chip cookie.

4 Months Old

Oh goodness, our little Marco is growing up so quickly!

4 Month Stats:

16 lbs 9 oz.

26 1/4" long

Marco is still all smiles!  He is truly my angel baby.  He goes with the flow, loves his brothers even when they pound on his belly and try to poke his eyes, sleeps great and adores his Mommy!  He is still a big boy and is wearing 9 months size clothes now.  He has mastered his chupi, but he only wants it when he is sleepy and the second he is deep asleep that sucker pops right out.  He has started rolling from side to side and the drool factory is beginning to work over time.  He is obsessed with sucking and chewing on his fists and any ones willing fingers.  I think teeth are on our horizon.

All the way up north to the land of Idaho.

After the Bluth Reunion in July, the boys and I drove with Grandpa and Grandma King back to Idaho.  Curtis was at the peak of his busy summer and even though he missed us terribly while we were gone, it allowed him to focus 100% on his studies without feeling guilty that he was abandoning his family.  So while he slaved away and lived practically 24/7 sitting in front of his laptop, the boys and I had ourselves a grand adventure.

We took the drive from New Mexico to Idaho in 2 days and had fun swimming in the hotel pool during our pit stop.  It was Marco's first swim and really enjoyed it.

We enjoyed laid back evenings together sitting on the porch and eating Creamies, several afternoon walks into town to visit Grandpa at the bank and grab a sucker or 2 from his treat bowl, and a few delicious dinners out on the driveway.

One morning we headed into Logan, Utah with Grandma King to do some shopping and enjoy some play time on the beautiful Logan Temple grounds.

The boys love the Malad City Park that's across the street from Grandma and Grandpa.  The park is right next to the library where we checked out several movies including all the Narnia videos.  Nathan loves the Narnia movies and he was even allowed to stay up late and watch thee with Mommy and Tia Aubrey while we snacked on cookies and consumed an entire carton of ice cream.

Marco snoozing in the bed next to me after his early morning feeding.

One evening after Grandpa came home from work we loaded up and drove to Lave Hot Springs.  The water is naturally heated and the facility is large and very family friendly.  They have several different water slides for all ages.  At first Nathan and Bracken were cautious and enjoyed watching other kids attempt the kiddie slides, but after some smooth talking on my part they decided to give'em a try and what do you know?  They loved it!  After his 10th slide Nathan, who didn't even need me to catch him at the end of the slide, popped out of the water and yelled "This is the best place EVER!"

Grandma and Grandpa's yard is beautiful and very fun to play in.  One afternoon we took a walk through town and picked up some rubber band launch planes at the quaint drug store on Main Street.  The boys spent the next 2 days playing with them.

On our last evening in Idaho we celebrated with woof'ems (roasted biscuit bowls filled with pie filling), a fun and yummy alternative to smores.  Nathan downed at least 8 of these bad boys.  Before heading into the house for bed we all laid on the trampoline, gazed at the stars, and a perfect ending to a perfect visit to Idaho.