Blake received a much-needed haircut last week. I took him to Pigtails and Crewcuts, a place that specializes in kids' cuts. Blake picked out a "race car" to sit in (which was actually a taxi) and watched Madagascar 2.
Before:
After:
(His mouth is blue curtesy of a miniature Air-Head candy)
I just had to jot down this funny little Blake-ism from tonight. After getting home from a Wal-Mart trip with Blake, I was telling Tony how Blake was saying the funniest things at the store and car ride. Then I looked at Blake and said, "you just crack me up, Blake." To that, he replied: "I no wanna crack you up, Mommy. You not an egg."
He is such a smart kid and so much fun to have around!
I absolutely LOVE my boys!!! I am grateful to have both of them and was happy when I found out each one was a boy. However, there is a reason why I don't want to have ALL boys. Perhaps, all kids can be crazy and make huge messes, but I like to think it's just a boy thing and when I do have a girl, she'll be easy to raise and little more laid back. And of course, I'll never walk into the living room and find this....
Within about 3 minutes, Blake and Egan had pulled out every wipe from a new box of wipes. And, when I found them, they were tearing each wipe to pieces. I was furious. Although I can laugh about it now, I was not happy at the time and sent them both to bed. (I needed to keep Egan out of the living room so I could clean them all up....and Blake knew better!) I was still furious as I carefully tried to refold each wipe. Of course, the pop-up dispenser was useless after each one had been torn apart.
As if I needed any more reminders of why I deserve a sweet, perfect little girl to keep me sane in this house, Blake decided to dump out a bottle of black acrylic paint on the floor last night. Tony was busy with an online "meeting" for school, so I was left to clean this mess up on my own...
I'm not satisfied that this picture does the mess any justice. It's hard to tell that there is a big glob of the paint in the middle. Sadly enough, both boys were right in front of me when it happened. I was just too busy trying to delete old shows from the DVR list to notice what Blake was playing with.
I went through 3 big bath towels and a whole bottle of carpet cleaner and it's still not out. Thankfully, the paint is water-based, so I do have hope of it coming out eventually.
Tonight was a BIG first for our little man. Tony's mom (affectionately called "Gangy") and I took Blake to the movie theater for the first time. I honestly did not think he would get through the whole thing, so we started with the dollar theater ($1.75, actually). We saw Monsters Vs. Aliens. He of course talked throughout the whole thing. The kid does not understand how to use his "quiet voice," so in his Blake voice he yelled out the blatantly obvious and said "UH-OH" at all the right moments.
I think he really enjoyed the movie...and his Sprite, popcorn, and sour apple candy!
Here are some of the best moments:
Before we got to the theater, we were all trying to prep Blake and explain what the theater is. Finally he said, "I wanna see the Big DVD."
When the movie first started there was a meteor shower seen and Blake kept saying "Rock. Rock. There's a rock! Another one. There's lots of rocks!"
"Uh-Oh!!!"
"What they doin?"
Out of nowhere, he turned and asked me for M&Ms. When I told him we didn't have any, he told me to take my money and go buy some!
After the movie, we let him sit and "drive" the motorcycle in the game room. Blake imitated every sound of the much older kid next to him, including "WOO-WOO" and "Oh, crap."
Egan is finally taking off and walking. Although those first steps were a while ago, he is just now getting brave enough to really get somewhere with his feet!
We are so proud of our little Egan Monster. He is really a joy in our lives. Egan is so sweet and usually so happy (although teething has been a pretty rough time for him!). Egan loves to give big slobbery kisses and even tries to make a cute "MUAH" sound when he kisses you (sounds more like "BUAH"). You have to be careful though, because once he starts kissing, he doesn't want to stop! Before you know it, you have a face full of Egan slobber!
Here are some pics of both of the boys. I took these with my phone on the way to church last Sunday. It's amazing how much easier picture-taking is when they are both strapped down!
Father's Day was pretty low-key this year. We went to church and then came home and had a late lunch/early dinner. Blake and I wrapped a present for Tony. Blake was so funny. He was really confused at why Daddy was getting a present when it wasn't his birthday. Blake kept asking where Daddy's birthday cake was! Blake also "signed" the card for his daddy. Blake loved giving Daddy his present and card. When we picked Blake up from nursery at church, he was so excited to give Daddy the little treat he had made. Blake had also picked out the cards that was sent to his grandfathers and added his own personal touch by choosing a special sticker for each card. It is so fun, as Blake gets older, to see him not only happy to receive presents, but also to give them.
I love my boys!!!
I am so grateful my boys have such a wonderful daddy! I am also grateful for my own father and the extraordiary example he has been to me throughout my life. My boys also have 3 wonderful grandfathers who I hope they will know and learn from throughout their own lives. I have been blessed to have both my grandfathers in my life and to have gotten to know them. I know my family has truly been blessed with many great fathers in our lives!
...to walking!!! My baby took his first step May 21st when he was barely 9 months old. Until tonight, he would only take one step at a time and you could never tell when he was going to do it. He would only get brave enough to take that one step about 3 times a week. Tonight he just took off and took about 4 steps at once! It's hard to believe my baby is taking his first steps! With Blake, I was always looking forward to the next milestone. This time, I have just wanted to enjoy every day and try not to let him grow up too fast. Unfortunately, time doesn't slow down any. My baby is just growing up before my eyes! Although it will be a few years, I can really tell that I'm not done having kids just yet. I just love babies! And, I miss mine already. Of course, I do love watching my boys play together and enjoy being able to do more with the two of them now that Egan's a little older.
Kids are so funny. Seems one thing all little ones have in common is the mess they can make while eating. Here's house Egan looked the other day after a little bit of squash (or maybe carrots?)...
Then, just a couple nights ago, Egan decided I needed to share my pudding cup...
Blake is so funny, he grabbed the spatula I used to make his grilled cheese and decided it would make a nice spoon...
While uploading some pictures from my camera onto the computer, I found some other great food photos!
Painting with ranch dressing!
Man, my life would be so boring without these two!!!
The last weekend in May, the boys and I packed up our things and moved to Little Rock, AR. Tony had already been working in Little Rock for a couple weeks before we came out. Somehow, we managed to fit almost everything in a tiny U-Haul trailer and the bed of my dad's truck! I think we were all surprised by what actually fit!
Although excited for the change, it was difficult to leave our Missouri family and friends behind. We said goodbye to our first house...
...and moved into our West Little Rock Apartment...
Many exciting things have already happened since we've moved here to Little Rock! (some good, and some not-so-good)...
During the first week, Blake fell off our bed and hit his head on our dresser on the way down. As I was trying to console him (and Egan, who was hit on the way down), I noticed blood streaming down his hair. Since we have no doctor in Arkansas, I called my doctor's office in Warrensburg. Of course, they advised me to take him to the ER. Luckily, Tony works at and otolaryngology (ENT) center and they were generous enough to see Blake there (for free!). A very kind doctor (Barbara) glued him back together for us. She said he would have a nice scar, but luckily it is on a very discreet part of his head. He was so nervous and didn't want anyone to touch his head. Once they mentioned Popsicles, he got distracted arguing over which color he wanted. They told him to pick a color, and he said yellow. Of course, yellow was a color of Popsicle they didn't have! He finally settled for orange. He also made it out of there with over a half dozen stickers!!!
Last week while Tony was working, I drove the boys about and hour and a half north to visit Tony's mom and step dad at the resort they were staying at. Although we weren't there very long until it started to thunder, we did catch a few minutes in the pool. Blake, of course, loved it! He had his little ring and was jumping in and out and swimming around all by himself. It was Egan's first time in the water and he wasn't such a fan. I guess we'll have to warm him up to the water a little more. He sure looked cute in his swimming outfit though! (It was a hand-me-down from Blake!)
Last Friday (June 5th), I got back in the car with the boys and traveled 6 hours back up north to watch one of my best friends get married. Angela and I have known each other since we were in preschool and have done just about everything together for over 20 years. She made such a beautiful bride, although she may be upset to find out the only picture I have of her in her gown is one in which she is eating! (Sorry, Angela!!!)
The boys of course had fun with their Grandma and Grandpa Harris and their aunts and uncles in Missouri. 
Now we are back home in Little Rock and things should settle down for us. I will spend this week at home with the boys and then start my new job next week. Blake really likes our "Arkansas House." Every time we leave he says, "I wanna go back Arkansas!" He seems to think our apartment is "Arkansas." We are going to miss our Missouri family and friends, but we are all excited for our time here in Little Rock!
Blake is going through this stage where he insists upon calling his daddy by his first name. He will just walk up and say "Tony." Yesterday he told me, "Tony in the red car," and later pointed out a picture of "Mommy and Tony." Just today, Blake and Tony were having a discussion that sounded like this
Tony: "No, I'm Daddy"
Blake: "Tony"
Tony: "Daddy"
Blake: "Tony"
Tony: "No. Daddy."
Blake: "You name, Tony"
You can probably get the idea, but this argument went on for quite a while and ended with Blake being tickled until he was laughing so hard he could no longer talk.
Blake is always talking up a storm and amazing us with the new things he says. The other day he asked me if he could watch "Wall-E." Since we do not own the movie, I told him it was in the RedBox and then added that we needed money to watch RedBox movies. He responded: "Go work, Mommy." His comment made me think about how much we must discuss finances around him. Poor kid. I rented Wall-E for him a couple days later.
Here is a picture of Blake after eating some candy he found at my parents.
Here is our little Egan. He is getting so much better at crawling. The not-so-little guy is just moving into 12-18 month clothes! The same clothes that were too big for Blake when he was a year.
This is the two "best buds" after Blake decided to "help" feed Egan while mommy was trying to re-caulk the bathroom. As you can see, he dumped the whole container of puffs onto the highchair. Many were also on the floor. 
Egan had his six-month appointment on Friday, February 27. He weighed 21 lbs. 3 oz. and was 29 inches long. He was over the 95th percentiles for both length and weight and in the 90th for his head circumference.
Our little Egan has changed so much in the past couple months. He is still a pretty happy kid. He loves laughing, spitting, cooing and watching his brother. He is really good at sitting up and can sit on his own and play with toys for at least half an hour. He seems to adore Blake. Blake can be totally unaware of Egan and then do something that will send Egan into a fit of hysterical laughing. For the moment, Egan seems to be sleeping pretty well at night again. I finally learned that if I get up and close his bedroom door and then close ours, we can hardly hear him. I let him cry it out a few nights and it seems to have helped. It doesn't bother Blake since he usually crawls into bed with us at some point during the night. Egan still loves eating! He has tried rice, oatmeal, and several fruits and vegetables. He is still working on crawling. He can't quite make himself go forward when he wants to, but can manage to cross the living room floor in no time....it's just usually in a backwards direction!
On Tuesday, January 13th, Tony had a birthday. Not just any birthday. He celebrated 30 years of birthdays! I really wanted to make it special for him. Money was tight, though, and a party wasn't very feasible. So, he just got a few gifts and we hung out as a family then went to dinner with his parents Tuesday night. I think it ended up being fun--a lot more low-key than I would have wanted for him. He was a good sport though.
It's crazy to think that we have spent the last 8 years together! We first met December 17, 2000! (And just so everyone doesn't assume that I am as old as him, I will point out that I was only a high school senior when we first met.) I can still remember the first time I saw him. I think I was too nervous to really think about anything that night. If it weren't for my little sister and his little brother, I don't know that I would have ever talked to him! (I was a little shy.) But it didn't take more than a couple days to know I wanted to spend my life with him. He is such a wonderful husband and the best dad I could want for my children. I am so greatful to have spent these years with him and look forward to the next 30, or 60!
Happy 30th, Tony.
Wow. Two posts in one day--I must really be trying to avoid my research paper. But, we may have another sleepwalker in the family, and I thought I would capture the moment before I forget about it. It happened the night before last. The boys had both been asleep for a couple hours and Tony and I were just bordering on sleep. I heard an unintelligible strand of "words" from Blake. I jumped out of bed quickly so I could comfort him before he woke up Egan. By the time I got to our door, Blake was walking into the living room. He said "mommy" once and seemed to look around for me. I was calling him to come to me, but he never really acknowledged me. Instead he just walked over to our over-stuffed green chair and crawled up into it. I kept saying his name and told him to come to me, but he fell right back to sleep in the chair. Tony and I laughed for a little while, but then didn't know what to do with him. Tony covered him up with a blanket and Blake ended up sleeping there for almost 5 hours (until 4 a.m., when both him and Egan decided to wake up).
Poor kid. We can only hope his episodes don't get as bad as his Aunt Linzi's (my sister) or his Uncle Scott's (Tony's brother). There are plenty of funny sleepwalking stories from both sides of the family!
Perhaps, the title gives it away, but I've been working on my research paper now for the past 4+ hours. As a break, I have decided to jot down some of the new things Blake is saying. Of course, he is still repeating words all the time (especially ones you wouldn't want him to repeat). The bigger news is that he is beginning to add new sounds! Lately, he has been trying to add the "s" and "z" sound to words. Last night he said cheese, and it was actually very intelligible. His "s" and "z" aren't perfect yet (and I don't expect them to be for a few more years), but at least he will soon be more understood by others.
Also, within the past week, he has started saying "k" and "g" sounds a lot. Out of nowhere, he will just say, "caw, caw, caw" or "guh, guh, guh". So far, Tony and I have been unable to "trick him into saying a "c"/"k" or "g" word intentionally.
After all my classes on speech and language acquisition, it is awesome to witness firsthand, especially from my own son! He will sometimes try to tell me a word and will end up saying it three times, in three different ways. I can almost see his brain figuring things out and trying to make his mouth work. As excited as I am to watch his progress, it's so funny when he comes up to us and just spouts of strands of jibberish! I'm sure I will miss that!
