Boo

Just a quick post informing you that we, indeed, are still alive. I apologize for being M.I.A. for the past few weeks. We have been on-the-go with funerals, weddings, birthdays, and family gatherings. Now that the month of October is basically over, I will have more time for blogging (and for every thing else I have been neglecting to do... like cleaning my house and caring for my children). That is all. But I thought I would end on the note of HAPPY HALLOWEEN (with, of course, some pictures).To answer your question, yes.

patch

On Wednesday evening, we had the opportunity to go to a pumpkin patch with our friends the Rogans (and their triplets). It. Was. Fun. The babies had fun wandering through the pumpkin patch, tossing pumpkins around as they went (um... oops...). They also enjoyed the hay ride, the bounce house, and the baby chicks. Lucas, Tucker, Joel, Audrey, & SeanThanks, Rogans!

one two

We celebrated two birthdays in the last two weeks. On September 30th, Lucas turned one. On October 8th, Joel turned two. That meant eight days of two one-year-olds. IN.SANE. Both boys are growing like weeds.

Lucas:

Stats:height: 29.5 in (40%)weight: 21 lbs (25%)head circumference: 47.5 cm (HUGE)diaper size: 3clothing size: 18mo tops, 6mo bottomsshoe size: 2-3

Lucas has the smallest feet ever. Trying to find hard-soled shoes for him is nigh on impossible. We tried the soft-soled shoes for a while, but that limited his walking to indoors. And since he has been walking since 10.5 months, sturdy shoes have become important
Lucas is our little trouble maker. He is very innocent in looks, but when it comes to actions he is extremely mischievous. He waits for the prime opportunity to steal food, drinks, and toys from Joel. He knows when you aren't looking; he nabs when your head is turned. Then he walks away with a satisfactory smile.
Lucas is a lover. He enjoys being held and cuddled. He does not need prompting to crawl over and sit in your lap; he will come on his own. He has a very sensitive side when it comes to snuggling. He adores big hugs.Lucas is king of drama. When he is upset, the ENTIRE world knows. He will stop breathing from crying so hard. He will arch his back in half (literally) from hysterics. He will drop down and roll on the floor during a tantrum. All while looking at you with "pained" eyes. The main culprit to his fits: finishing a meal. Lucas is a boy, through and through. He loves cars; he loves ANYTHING with wheels. He does not mind getting dirty or making a mess. He is in awe over tools. Bugs? Loves them. Total BOY. words he says: Dada, Poppa, bye-bye, All done, Mama (sounds like Baba)
Joel:Stats:height: 35 in (70%)weight: 30 lbs (70%)head circumference: 48 cm (only .5 larger than Lucas)diaper size: 4clothing size: 2T-3T tops and bottomsshoe size: 6-7
Despite his growth slowing, Joel is still a big kid. Not fat per say, just big. Even though he is large, his size is not an indicator of his demeanor. He is in no way a bully. In fact, he is the opposite. He is basically a pansy. He lets others (even younger babies) push him around. Big guy is as soft as a teddy bear.
Joel is extremely inquisitive. He LOVES to learn. He had the ABC's mastered by 20 months. He recognizes and recites all 26 letters in and out of order, upper and lower case. He recognizes about half of the alphabet in sign language (no hard core sign language here, just curious as to how well he would retain). He repeats all 24/25 letters of the Portuguese alphabet. He knows all body parts. He knows all shapes. He is learning to count; he has 1-5 down. This boy retains information like a sponge.
Joel is very independent. He is at the stage where he has to do EVERYTHING by himself. He gets upset when you try to help him. He has to feed himself. He has to take his shoes off by himself. He has to climb in bed by himself. Everything must be done BY HIMSELF.
Joel is like Mommy and has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. He divides his attention equally among certain things; if he has four similar cars, he plays with each car for the same amount of time... then repeats the cycle. He is the cleanest two-year-old I know. He does NOT like to get dirty. He has to have things symmetrical, too. He can't have one shoe on and one shoe off; both must be on.
Joel can have quite the temper. His attitude is black and white; when something sets him off, it shows. He has mastered glaring at people (mostly Mom). He can scream unrelentingly for hours. If you try to fix the situation it usually makes him even more angry. Luckily he is content a majority of the time. phrases he uses: "Wuv Yoo", "Cuca, sit down!", "Touch it!" (don't touch it), "NO!NO!NO!"-with finger wag(Can you tell what he hears a lot of?)
We have been blessed with two boys who love each other. They get along well and help each other out. They both eat well and sleep well. They are not demanding or unhappy. I have enjoyed the last one and two years with them.

Birthday

Yesterday, my baby turned one. What did we do to celebrate? Nothing out of the ordinary. Like with Joel last year, a picture of Lucas was featured on the Arizona Midday's 1st Birthday segment (I put Joel's picture up from last year for comparison). Other than that, nadda (don't be alarmed at my inaction; ridiculously cute combined birthday party coming up at the end of the month). Below are a few photos of our most recent favorite things.I hope you don't mind my change in blogging style. Let's face it. You don't want to hear me go on and on. You just want to SEE what's happening in our lives... And this is it; I have been focusing on my boys.