The randomness continues....

It seems I've gotten away from the thematic/event/cohesive blog posts.  Not sure why, but thats just what is happening.  So here is another random assortment of pictures of our crew.  

cute little q.  I really like this picture because I think that in 15 years this is what I'll think of when I think of one year old Quinn.  It is just sooooo him right now.  And I'm a sucker for the smile behind the thumb.  

Sand box pics....I told you I can't NOT take pictures of it.  They are just concentrating so hard and its cuter than cute.  

man oh man oh man.  For sure a favorite .  It was amazing what KLP had to do to get them to both smile and semi-look at me. 

KLP was mowing the yard while me and the boys were watching and playing. klp wanted to "help" so KLP was carrying him.....our neighbor saw that and brought us their backpack!! haha!!  He loved it!  I think it made KLP's job significantly harder, but at least he wasn't having to use one hand like he was when he carried him!  check out klp's LOOOOOOONG legs!  

The sand and water table is currently a rice table.  They have lots of fun with it.  This pic shows klp's stance...he leans against the table and then turns around to play. I think its the easiest way for him to stand and play at the same time.  

....here klp is making his way around to the other side of the table.  Anything that keeps him standing for long periods of time is good for him....seee...even play is work!!  

Sweaty klp layed down in the sand box for some reason and came out with sand all over his face.  It stuck to the sweat on his face!  haha!

The nursery at church texted me this picture on Mother's Day of my little q man in bible class.  I might should've included this in the "pictures that make my heart explode" post.  

I'm sure we'll be back soon with more potpourri posts.  I'm trying to get an "interview" with klp on video.  We'll see how that goes.

PIctures That Make My Heart Explode

Here are a few pictures that just absolutely kill me.  They make my heart totally explode. 

This was one night right when KLP got home from work.  Both boys were wanting him to hold him and then they were so excited when he picked them up that they were squealing and shaking each others' hands! 

little boy on his knees pushing a truck....oh man.  

Sand box pictures.  They are just so busy playing and working so hard.

This whole series causes major explosions!  Q found our dirty clothes cabinet.....

....the tractor joined him

i mean REALLY!!!

Another series that is just SO BOY....and especially sweet since its MY boy. 

the tractor has lots of hours on it!

klp LOVING a book! He studies every detail of every page.

another sand box.....I had gone in to get drinks and was walking back to them, spotted this shirtless brotherly hard playing cuteness, melted in the yard, then took a picture.

sleeping boys in the car...

klp enjoying a "drink" (it was water and he's still not quite figured out the straw thing...but oh well) at Taco Delite

Meeting my cousin Julie's baby CALLIE! 

getting to swaddle baby Callie.  I am obsessed with swaddling and seeing a baby burrito warms my heart like nothing else. 

klp had a blast on the phone at my parents' house. He was chatting it up all weekend long. It was so cute to watch. I caught him here sitting down all scrunched up in the corner.  

the thumb and the blanket...EXPLOSION!

he loves to "wiiieeee" (write) and he is very serious about it. 

seeing him sprawled out like that gets me every time. 

brothers in diapers side by side making beautiful music....well mostly just BANGING on the keys. 

Funny quinn

Quinn has become quite a crier.  Big time.  He cries all the time over anything/nothing.  He cries LOUD.  It is ironic considering he wasn't much of a crier as a baby.  At about 10 months he started all of this and I thought it might get better once he got tubes in his ears.  No such luck.  He's what I like to call "emotionally unstable".  BUT he's not all tears and screaming......lately he's been CRACKING ME UP.  Here are a few recent pictures that make me laugh.  

I think he's trying to be a yoga instructor:

another day,  another impromptu yoga session

Right before he started walking everywhere he made one last attempt to transport himself WITHOUT walking....he walked on his knees.  He did this one afternoon several times.  I'm sure it hurt, so he was over that in no time and on both feet that next day.  Ironically, q never tried to scoot like klp.  ALL other kids try it when they see klp scooting around, but I've never once seen q attempt it.  Interesting.

He does this when he watches TV!!! HAHAHA!!!  He mindlessly picks at the top of his diaper and it eventually starts to fall. He doesn't seem bothered by the exposure.  

He found klp's walker!! It is usually not in the house so he's never really had a chance to walk with it.  He spotted it one morning after klp's therapy and loved it! 

He eventually ditched the walker.  Also.....Why is everything cuter and funnier when he's wearing skeleton PJ's.  They kill me.  (not to mention his attachment to the blanket is growing ever stronger....I have mixed emotions about that).  His little penguin waddle walk is cracking us up.  I think i'll be sad when I look up one day and he's not waddling anymore.  Growing up is tough on ol' mom! 

I make klp smoothies for his breakfast.  I make big batches at a time and freeze them in bags.  I had a little left over one morning so I gave it to q.  I'm not sure if it was seeing him drinking out of a straw like a big boy or.....again....the skeleton PJ's.  

skeleton PJ's + straw= MORE THAN I CAN HANDLE!! 

How do you NOT laugh...

Ha Ha Ha Quinn!!!

My Animals

Not sure what started this train of thought in my head, but it is now a blog post:  

When describing what kind of eaters my boys are, I usually end up making some reference to an animal. So, here are my boys' Alter Animal Egos based on their eating habits.  

Kanyon

(this is his serious/model look)

Chipmunk:  Probably primarily due to his weaker oral motor development, klp often ends up storing food in his cheeks until he can get around to chewing it.  Its like his jaws can't keep up with his eyes and growling tummy.  He eats as fast as he can, but can't seem to chew as fast as he wants to.  It is a common thing around here to say something like, "Chew what's in your mouth first, then you can have some more." Can you believe I'm having to SLOW this child down from eating! ha!

T Rex:  As far as his menu, the child is a CARNIVORE!  (So, he could've been any animal thats a carnivore, but I kinda liked the TRex, that's the first thing I think of when I think MEAT EATER...even though they're extinct..oh well....work with me here).  klp isn't much on side items or fillers, he goes straight for the big stuff.  I guess he should get his fill of protien!  Ham, turkey, beef BRING IT ON! He loves it!  I think it may have something to do with the fact that he can dip it in ketchup, but even before his discover of ketchup, he was a meat eater!

Horse:  Think....apples. He eats an apple a day and loves applesauce too.  An apple was the 3rd thing he ate....Cheetos, Goldfish, Apples.  He loves them and is so cute eating them. Apples. Horse.  Kanyon.

Quinn

(someone needs to teach him not to say "cheese" his mouth full)

Fruit Bat:  If I would let him, he would eat NOTHING but FRUIT.  (So does that make him our herbivore to klp's carnivore?)  He loves fruit so much, he will eat any type of fruit until I just stop feeding it to him. On a daily basis he has a banana, cutie orange, strawberries, grapes, raisins, and whatever else i have on hand.  Blueberries are his favorite and the one fruit we've found that he won't eat is watermelon. Other than that, he's a lover of all fruits. He has such a sweet tooth (more on that later) and I'm hoping to continue to give him his fix of sweets through the sweet yummy healthy fruit.     

Pig: This isn't quite the direct connection the others are, but I say pig because if he ever starts eating something....particularly SWEETS and anything else JUNKY he won't stop.  He will just keep eating and eating.  Soooo....he would end up looking like quite a pig if I didn't extend the long arm of the law and hold off on the junky sweet stuff.  His brother could care less about the sweets, but this boy could live on it.  My little piggy.  

The BOTH love chips.  What is it about chips? It seems like all kids love them!

Also in regards to eating....but not so much animals....would you believe it if I told you that QUINN is my picky eater.  Kanyon is my easy one!!!!!  WHAT???!! KANYON???!!! He is pretty good about eating whatever the "main course" is.  Quinn is so picky and gets ANGRY if its not something he wants.  Usually he will eat at least some of it, but he is always skeptical at first.  He takes a bite and it usually comes right back out.  With a little help from us he can usually eat it, but it takes work.  I just give klp his plate and he does pretty good on his own.  Its Q causing the stress these days!  I just can't believe I am writing this.  They are both picky in their own ways and they both have things that are definitely lacking in their diets that I can't seem to get them to eat, but I'm just glad we can all sit and eat at the same time.  There was a time that I couldn't even IMAGINE putting a plate in front of Kanyon and just letting him eat it.  And I for sure couldn't imagine hearing, "Mama.  I owww moooo." ("Mama, I want more.)

I took this a few weeks ago and I admit that I maaaaaaay have been having one of those moments when I was just so thankful and in awe of my 2 children EATING TOGETHER and I was just watching them.  It seems like nothing, but if you've known us at all, you know it is a big deal.  One of these days I think I'll kind of get over it and it won't be such a big deal, but I'm not there yet.  Its still a big deal.  HUGE.  Q was very very new at this spoon thing, so it was pretty cute.  I just thought they were too cute eating their applesauce.  

Sometimes the spoon is just too much trouble!

Random pictures

No real order to this post....just fun pictures.  

Q loves books.  When he gets quiet he is in one of two places:  the fireplace (bad) or in his room reading books (good).  

Guess who's hand-me-down shorts these are??  Notice the hole on the right side of his rear end.  Q wears lots of shorts that have a similar "wear pattern" on them! :)  

KLP spent a weekend with his college buddies, so I went to Paris....

klp, Landry, and Avery checking out the fish on the dock.  

klp the fisherman. I wouldn't call him "good".  The rod went in the lake twice but he did love spinning the reel.  He was throughly excited the whole time.  Like WHOLE BODY excited...if you've been around him when he gets really excited, you know what I mean!

He did touch a fish Mo caught (with the Dora rod you see in the background!).  He was not scared AT ALL.  I really think he has no fear.  I can't say the same for his younger brother.  

I had big dreams for this picture. I've always wanted to get a picture in bluebonnets for my Mother in Law.  She's from Texas so I thought she'd especially like it.  Well, finally after being a mom for 4 years I actually did it.  BUT can you tell they were both sick?  Running a fever? Snot everywhere.  Smiles were scarce.  wind+their shaggy hair= rough.  Oh man.  It cracks me up.  We'll try again for that framer next year.  Plus we were a little late with the bluebonnets so they weren't very thick.  

klp was crazy about this book.  The Napping House.  He called it "bed" (said:"beeeee" as in bed with no  d) and he STILL asks for it. I had to put it up on the shelf and get some more down to break the cycle. I don't think I could've read it one more time.  

He sort of rotated favorite pages, but this was his favorite for a while.  

klp got this sand/water table for his birthday. They LOVE it.  So far its just been a water table and now a rice table.  Both at the same time sure look nice on the box, but I just don't see how that could work in reality.  Seems like they'd be all mixed up in seconds.  Q especially loves it.  He spent forever pouring water out one scoop at a time!  

See Q eating?  Well I had made them a snack to eat while they were playing.  I noticed after a while that Q was dipping his in the water then eating it. sick.  

My mom and I got to go to Dallas shopping one Saturday.  We left the boy with KLP and my dad (and the MULE) while we spent the entire day shopping! We love doing that and haven't gotten to since before Kanyon was born. It was such a fun day!  

Here are some pics KLP took while I was gone: 

klp and Paw Paw on the swing.  Shocker.  

Ready for a (nother) ride in the mule.  It is the great babysitter.  

So ends the randomness.