zoo

I decided to take the boys to the zoo today. Spur of the moment. We only stayed for about an hour, but we were able to enjoy ourselves. The orangutans were particularly enjoyable; Joel kept smiling at them. We even made a quick stop at the water play area. Joel was NOT a fan. I had accidentally positioned him right over a spout, so when the water went off it when right up... well, you'll get the idea. The baby orangutan kept covering himself with the sheet. I only got 2 shots out of 20 of him uncovered. Silly "monkey".You can't see them, but there were tears in his eyes...Like their fo-hawks? They were the result of rubbing sunscreen in their hair.

i do

If I have seemed distant recently, it is because I have been utterly absorbed with my friend(of 20 years)'s wedding. I was her matron of honor and seamstress of accessories (I sewed the bridesmaid sashes, groomsmen pocket squares, and ring bearer vest & tie). The lovely bride was popped the question a year ago, so it always felt like the wedding day was worlds away. My how time flies...Rehearsal dinner was Mexican food. Guedo's Taco Shop. Delish!My little man was the ring bearer! It was adorable (until he screamed... luckily not while walking down the aisle). And I would have posted a picture of the me with the bride, but I looked relatively ridiculous in the photo. Generally, I take about a thousand pictures at events... there were only 21 on my camera from the wedding. Sad day.The bride was smashing, the food superb. Wonderful night for a dear dear friend.

party, play, park

Party:

Saturday was our niece, Taylor's 1st birthday party. I helped with the party; pink and green polka dots. Though several cute decorations were made, few were used. The wind decided to blow and tear through the little park ramada - just during the length of the party, of course. The cupcakes, however, prefect! Joel devoured most of his cupcake... that is, until mommy accidentally bumped his hand and made him drop it on the asphalt. Uncle Jess made Joel go from screams to smiles within seconds. The birthday girl enjoyed the yummy frosting.

We stuck those circle stick things in the cupcakes. It was cute. And yes, it was planned for my niece's dress to match. That is where the inspiration for the theme originated.Play:Sunday, Joel began pulling his helicopter around by the string. He has had this helicopter for the past 6 months, but he just figured out the purpose of the string. Despite a rough morning (he burned his hand on my flat iron an hour or so earlier), he pulled his little helicopter 'round and 'round the house. He went so far as to upright it when it tipped over. I am in LOVE with these jammies. They came in a 4 pack; 2 tops and 2 bottoms. Size 2T. Sad thing is, Lucas was wearing the other half when this photo was taken... my 6 month old... wearing 2T...Park:Today, Monday, I decided to take the boys to the park. Just to get out of the house. Stir crazy. We went to Chaparral Park. Joel figured out how to climb up the steps and go down the slide all by himself. He does not need my help. Nor does he want it. He probably went down that slide twenty times. The swings, not as fun. So where did we return to? The slide. Another five times. Lucas just chilled in his sling. LOOOOOVE this last photo. More than words.

6 and 18

Lucas is 6 months old. Joel is 18 months old. Where is the time going?!(I know, this photo was in my last post. We are doing family pictures Saturday)
JOEL:Weight: 28 lbs, 1 oz (78%)Height: 32 1/2 in (57%)Head Cir: 47 cm (28%)
Words Joel knows: hi, bye, night-night, uh oh, mama, dada, baby, Lucas (comes out "du-da"), mimi (my mom), gigi, (my grandma), T.C. (future SIL's nickname), Amy, Beth, kitty, doggie, bunny, wolf, bear, apple, banana, broccoli, cheese, shoes, happy, yes, no, eyes, nose, ear (comes out "or"), mouth, done, ball, bath, boo, up, go, please. Whew. While he knows 30+ words, he mostly just babbles. The kid talks a lot; I don't know what he's sayin', but he talks a lot. The doc had a blood allergy test done. The poor guy has the worst eczema. Hopefully something will turn up on the test. It would be hard if he had an allergy, but at least we would be able to combat the eczema better.
LUCAS:Weight: 18 lbs, 1 oz (62%)Height: 26 in (36%) Even though in the 36%, he wears 12 month clothing...Head Cir: 45 cm (83%)
Lucas is on the verge of sitting up on his own (about a month behind his brother). It looks like he is going to skip sitting and move straight to crawling. The other day he scooted forward to get a plastic baby spoon. I thought it was just luck. I placed the spoon two feet in front of him. Sure enough, he scooted to it again. I moved it over and over and over. Each time, Lucas would scoot forward to get the spoon (happy-screaming the entire time). Within two days, Lucas began pulling his knees up under himself to help propel him forward. WHAT?! Joel didn't do this until nearly 8 months; I wasn't prepared for this! My little bity baby is mastering movement.
Ps. Notice how Lucas' head circumference is just 2 cm smaller than his brother who is 12 months older than him. Creepy big head? I think so.