Practice.

Logan is working very hard on his electronic skills every time I look around. This is what I found this morning when I came around the corner.

Apparently being very close to the screen is important.

Backyard Picnic

Today the sun came out and warmed up the crisp air just enough to make staying outside impossible to avoid. We had a sort-of picnic in the backyard for lunch today. The boys loved it...,almost too much. I think nap time almost happened outside too ;)

Brothers

These boys go everywhere and do everything together these days. It is great to see them learning (keyword) to play together, and becoming more and more capable of it. They often have conflicting ideas about playtime, but they always work it out. Sometimes Mom helps with this, and often a timeout is necessary followed by an attempted explanation. Here are some fun shots of them just being together.

Connor's "words"

Our sweet Connor is 14 months old and at such a precious stage. It is so fun to see such a personality developing in him! He is a silly boy who loves to snuggle. When he wakes he wants to just sit in your lap, suck his thumb, and hold your hand with his free one. Such a precious time! I love every minute of it. If I allowed it, he would eat nothing but Bananas. He has an awesome laugh and a smile that can warm any of my moments. He is getting quick on his feet and I fear will be running soon. It makes me so nervous! He is a climber that gets into everything. I have found him on tables, chairs, bookshelves, opening the toilet, the oven....YIKES. So different than Logan was. I love how awesomely unique my two boys are. Connor knows what he wants, and is definitely strong-willed. I am convinced that he is going to be my trouble maker, as he is fearless and doesn't mind getting in trouble. He keeps us busy and is learning something new everyday. We love you so much Connor Jackson, and pray that you grow to learn and enjoy many more days! God bless you sweet boy.

He is beginning to babble more and more words that I can actually understand and that are said intentionally. Here's the list we've got so far...as many as I can think of at least.

Dada

Dog

Moon

Mo-Mo (our cat)

No

Hello

Nemo (His favorite movie)

Banana

Up

Duck

Outside time

Here are some pictures I got of the boys during this wonderful crisp fall weekend!

Mr. Shark

From time to time if I am looking for a way to entertain the boys inside somewhere, we will end up at Toys R Us. This is always a fun treat for my boys as they get to look at all the awesome toys. Fortunately, we aren't in the phase (yet) where there is a meltdown when it is time to go and we can't have a new toy. Logan is always so good at just saying "playtime" is over and leaves without a request for anything he had been playing with. I am so thankful for this, and am trying to soak it in while it lasts.

As HUGE as that store is, Logan still manages to make his way through almost every aisle of goodies while we are there. Connor and I stay busy keeping up with him! For months now, one of the neat things we have seen there is a toy shark. Logan LOVES this shark! He picks this one toy, every time, and carries him with him throughout the store as he looks at all the other toys. He will show "Mr. Shark" other neat things, and have a little playtime with his toothy friend. It has always struck me how it is consistently this shark. It never fails, he will find it each visit. And as much as he loves it, he never complains when we have to tell him "goodbye" as we leave him in the store.

Well, this week my mom and I took the boys to Toys R Us one morning to get ideas for Logan's birthday, and Christmas. Within minutes, Logan found his shark hidden in the back of the shelves with the other animals on it. My mom thought it was too cute how he would carry him around, talking to him and playing with him throughout the store. Needless to say, Grandma bought "Mr. Shark" for Logan that day. He didn't know what to think when he got to take him with him as we left to go home. It was so sweet. Since then, "Mr. Shark" has been present at every event. He sleeps in bed with Logan, watches as we go potty, sits next to us at the table, and plays with everything we do... Definitely a great new friend. Thank you Grandma :)

Boys and Sticks

I don't know what it is about my boys and anything dirty, but there is definitely a connection there. My boys are outside boys. They would stay there all day long if I allowed it..., and they take FULL advantage of the time outside. It takes seconds before dirt, rocks, and sticks are involved. If I were smart, I would sell all of our toys, and just turn them loose.

Fortunately I love being outside too, so we are a pretty good team. I don't even mind the getting dirty. What does keep me completely on edge these days is trying to do all of this with a 1 year old and an almost 3 year old. I mean, the stage is changing (and always is!). The boys used to both find their own "fun" and co-exist. Now that Connor is walking everywhere quite quickly, Logan is on full alert at all times to jump into Connor's fun. Logan will follow him everywhere, usually taking whatever Connor is playing with. We are constantly working on the sharing these days, and Connor has learned to stand up for himself. He is quick to retaliate. This worries me too..., especially when sticks and rocks are involved. Everyday that I can keep them alive, and out of the Emergency Department is a good day!

Life with boys. Most days I think I should pad the walls and floors, bubble wrap the kiddos, and then put on my referee outfit and grab the whistle. It is crazy fun, and I can only imagine how much this will grow as they do. I am glad my boys have each other, and know that Logan and Connor will grow up being the best of friends.

This was a day where I didn't have time to go to the trail or park with the boys before getting dinner ready. They were obviously missing the rocks, sticks, water, and dirt. They found the only "sticks" in the backyard they could find..., our firewood (*sigh*). At least they were small pieces?! Thank you Lord for keeping them safe! One more day down, hopefully many more to go.

Our expressive Logan

I was trying to take some pictures of the boys outside today, which is easier said than done between the almost constant mommy need from one of them, but I caught some of Logan entertaining himself. After observing for a minute, I noticed that he was being unusually expressive. I asked him what he was doing and he said "Mom, I'm making my faces. You know, this is Happy. This is Surprised. This is Scared. This is Mad." I got each one of them on film and wanted to share. I thought it was interesting that he didn't do a sad face....

Happy.

Surprised.

Scared. This one makes me laugh...everytime. He gets this look on his face, his body tenses up, and then his whole starts shaking. Too funny.

Mad. Is it terrible that I see this most often these days? Well, this and Happy are the two common faces these days. I love him even with this terrible look on his face.

A funny turn of words.....

Logan is a very chatty little boy. He has been talking, quite well, since he was very young. This "gift" is something we give thanks for on a daily basis. The other hand of this gift, however, brings a more vocal twist on the "terrible two" phase. It has been an interesting journey through this phase as he is still learning how to express himself in a controlled manner. Sure, we have been "that family" quite a number of times. And we are beginning to reach the phase where Logan is asking people very blunt and embarrassing questions. The innocence and lack of awareness are a scary (but precious) combination right now. Everyday he says something, usually depending on what we have seen/ been around recently, where I think to myself...."I should be writing all of these things down". Of course I never do. I wanted to share a few of the most recent expressions I've heard from our sweet Logan Tyler.

"Oh my Peas!" (instead of "Oh my gosh" or "Oh my goodness")

"Well, Bust my Bumper" (you can tell he has been watching Thomas again recently)

"No thanks, Mom. I'm good." (usually a reply to something like "Logan, please come in for your bath/ nap/ dinner")

It's in the blood.

Derek is an amazing man, full of many gifts, and many hobbies. One of the things he loves to do is play video games. It is one of the many ways he is a fun dad, who is young at heart! Though he always plays his games when the boys are sleeping, Logan has stumbled onto the X-Box controller recently. As with everything else he is curious about, Logan asked plenty of questions, and is slowly getting some "lessons" in how things work. I suppose it was inevitable....after all, it's in the blood. All of my guys are proving to be "electronically gifted". There have already been times that Logan and Connor do something with my phone, the television or computer that I have no idea how to correct. As long as they learn how to teach me too!

Just some of us.

Here are just a few pictures of us these days.

Bathtime Fun

One of the simple joys in my every day. I love these two.....so much.

Happy Halloween

Logan is now at the age where he is getting so excited about special events and holidays. It really is so cute to see, and has even gotten me more excited for them as well. One of the fun perks of being a mom....you get a glimpse of life as a child again! In this case, for Halloween, Logan was just thrilled that he got to dress up as Buzz Lightyear. And even better, there was a magic phrase to be said in this costume that made people give you candy! Say no more. Happiest. Kid. Ever.

In the past it has been a struggle to keep him in any sort of costume. This has definitely changed. He now wants to wear his costume every day. He obviously takes his role of saving the universe very seriously. He keeps telling me that he wants to "go back to Halloween" and that he will say "trick or treat again and get more candy". So cute. He really got the hang of the trick or treating, and loved every minute of it. Of course, now we are trying to explain why he can't eat all of the treats...and that this is a once a year occurrence! We are getting there with a lot of repetition. Oh, and Mommy is doing her part in cleaning the candy out of the house ;).

Little Connor was pretty indifferent about the whole event, but still was adorable. He was Frankenstein, and a very convincing one I might add. I think the evening of trick-or-treating lasted a little longer than he was happy about (he goes to bed by 7:30 every night and we were out and about in the neighborhood until 8:00), but he was a good sport like he always is. He lets you know when he is upset about something, but is very very adaptable. Such a sweet and easy going little guy. Can't wait until he begins to find the joy and excitement in days like this too. It is so great to see their phases and how much changes every year!

I missed the cool air and colors that "go with" the holiday, but still had a fun time with the kiddos. Here are the best of the pictures I could get. Nothing great, but you get the idea. Happy Halloween!

More fun at the park.