Conspiracy Theory

Reason #1 why to not trust a toddler when he gets quiet: mischief, otherwise known as curiosity.
Reason #1 why not to trust two toddler boys, together, quiet, in the other room: double the mischief, or double the curiosity, and therefore double the cleanup....

Thankful that I could scrub it clean!

First Day of School...

Oh NO!
It is WAY too early for that...but whether these boys know what school is or not, they sure do get excited to wear backpacks!

And maybe even more exciting than that, it's watching the trash truck drive by our house! It's a big fascination around here. Not sure if it is because they are boys, but they hear the truck from inside and run like they are running for the ice cream truck (if they knew what an ice cream truck even was!).

Contained...

If only...
If only "containing" my 1 and 2 yr old boys were really this easy...

Please know that this is by choice.
By THEIR choice.

Transitions...

I'm not sure if kids this age (1 and 2) are good with change (when talked to a bit about it first) or if it is just that our boys seem to be good with it, but I am very thankful!
Micah did great about this time a year ago when we transition him into a toddler bed as Judah was ready for the crib. He was excited about the "new" and the freedom, and it went fairly well. Not that I have another kid to compare him to, but in my mind it went well.
He LOVED his new bed, and he wanted EVERYTHING in his room in his new bed with him...HAHA!!

Well, it is time for some more transitions as we get ready for baby boy #3...
The changes we knew needed to happen: Micah moving from a toddler bed to a twin bed, Micah moving into Judah's room so they can share and the new baby can have his own room for a while, and Judah moving from a crib into a toddler bed so baby #3 can have the crib.
We decided we would do both of Micah's changes at the same time: new bed in a new room. And at least with Judah still in the crib, only one of them can be "free" in their room together right now...
micah LOVES sharing a room with Judah and LOVES his "big boy bed."

 (Micah pretending to sleep on his first night in his new bed)

One of Micah's "struggles" recently has been wanting to act more like Judah, acting and talking like a baby at times. We don't like it and don't allow it, and the threat of having to go back to his little bed in his old room by himself has been a great incentive!
Overall, he is really doing great! He gets tempted a little to stay up and play or talk with Judah, but I think it is more because he is a follower and Judah draws him in...
And, as if these changes weren't enough, we decided that it was time for Micah to be done with using a pacifier. We weren't sure how he would react and we had some plans of attack we had heard from others, but I went with my first plan first. One evening before bed (about a week after being in his new bed) I told Micah that since he is in a "big boy bed" now and big boys don't use pacifiers, then he shouldn't need a pacifier if he is sleeping in his new bed...He said okay. Literally, that was it. "Okay." And then we went to bed. And he didn't ask for it. And he didn't cry. And he wasn't upset that Judah still had one. And, just like that, we were done with Micah using a pacifier! Was I EVER grateful!!
Next up: Judah moving into a toddler bed...duh, duh, duh....

Outdoor Boys

We've got some boys that love the outdoors, and if it wasn't so hot and humid right now, we would probably spend a lot more time outside. Looking forward to camping with 3 boys in the future. I think they'll love it.
For now, a glimpse into the world of outdoor boys during the summer of 2011...

Judah @ 15 months

Micah @ 2.5 years

Micah and Judah playing "together" in the sand. Judah with a pacifier so he won't eat the sand...anymore...

Micah driving the bulldozer at Dutch Wonderland in PA.

Judah relaxing on the bulldozer at Dutch Wonderland in PA.

Running in the grass, in the front yard, in a diaper. Perfect summer activity.

Micah playing a combination of golf, baseball, and something else that involves a giant inflated ball. And yes, he is likely a lefty, though he is still quite coordinated with his right.

Judah saying "baby" as he pats Micah's head. Getting ready for baby Carroll #3.

Micah on an inflatable slide at a friend's birthday party. He loves the water.

Judah playing in a pool at a friend's house, but wanting the water to be deeper..."get me out, mommy."

When there is not time for a slide or a visit to the pool, there is always the hose right outside...

Micah and Judah on a tire swing while visiting with Pappy in PA.

Judah, "what?"

Judah and Daddy on the lake for July 4th. He would rather be in the water or running around freely than on the boat and in a life jacket...

Micah and Mommy posing for the camera on the boat for July 4th. Nice that we can both share the sunglasses...

Judah tubing, but wanting to be IN the water.

Micah and his "swimmies" that have helped him with his independence in the water this year.

Micah and Judah on the hammock at the lake after a long day...

I think I can...

 It's hard to keep up...not with my boys so much as on here! Almost 2 months!
It's not because I am SO busy, because I find time to do things I enjoy.
It's not because I don't think it is worth it, because I love looking  back and reminiscing.
It's more because I get into lulls, get out of the habit, get distracted, and then it's been so long that I get overwhelmed thinking of where to start...
Talking about the changes and activities and lives of two boys so young over a two-month period is insane...things happen and change so quickly around here!
There is one thing that hasn't change...these boys adore each other! If it has changed at all, it has grown!

Judah Spring 2011

Judah is 15 months!

His personality is blossoming and so obvious so much of the time. He loves to say Hi to people, even if they are so far away they have no idea what is going on. He is outgoing and full of himself.
He is also my snuggler of the two boys. So cuddly!
He also has a buzzed head as noted in the picture.  After buzzing the boys, we realized we like it better on both of them and it is good for the hot weather too, so it will probably be like this for a while. Thankful Matt does it and we don't pay to have it done!
Judah has not gotten any more teeth in recently. Still two on bottom and four on top. I think Micah may have had a mouth-full at this point, but the good thing is that Judah is a very good eater with the 6 teeth that he does have, so there is nothing we would be feeding him if he had more teeth than what we are already feeding him now (pretty much anything). He is also pretty adamant about feeding himself now, which makes things a little easier during mealtimes, but a little messier too.

It is so easy to make Judah smile and laugh. He finds many things to be humorous. He is very ticklish. He is just a pretty happy, easy-going kid (most of the time).
Judah is walking and even running so good. I know he learned earlier on how to withstand little pushes because of his brother, but this has helped him greatly. We can even tell the difference in the baby pool of how well he can catch himself from falling when he gets a little off balance.
He spends time chasing micah everywhere, but when Micah is napping, he also plays quite well on his own. We are pretty sure that Judah may be bigger/tougher/stronger than Micah one day, so it's a good thing they love each other!

Judah has just recently started talking, and he is trying to say everything we tell him to. His biggest, cutest word right now is umbrella. He is also learning some signs so he can talk to us, but it seems they don't always mean what they should mean. "More" often just means food/eat or more of something or get me something. But he is trying and learning.
He loves being outside. He is always going to the front door and getting his shoes and bringing them to us so that we will know he wants them on and wants to go outside. And he gets upset if we don't oblige. He is pretty adventurous inside and outside, and he is pretty comfortable in his abilities to try new things, i.e. going down slides and playing in the water at the pool.

He loves his pacifier and I think it is going to be harder to "break" him of this than it was for Micah. For Micah, we just started when he was 1 leaving it up in his bed and only using it for sleeping...and he was totally fine with that. Hasn't been as easy with Judah...
He sleeps well in the car, but I may change this after we take a trip to the beach and see how he does on a longer trip since we don't try them often.