Daily Pictures

I take lots of pictures throughout the day with these kids on my phone that I end up forgetting about.  Well I went through tonight and pulled many of them to share on here.  I never have my camera around for all the cute and funny moments, but I carry my phone everywhere so they can be captured.  These are from November.

First, Jax has taken an interest in all things baby, including all the baby gear.  I think this bouncer is just a little too small for him ...

I was trying to get a picture of Jax as he was lovingly looking at the baby in his swing.  In the three seconds it took to snap the picture though, Jax managed to throw a blanket over Miles' head andturn my cute picture into one of big brother trying to suffocate little brother.  Poor kid.

Father/son lookalike day!

Sent Jax off for a day with his Mikey and Meme! Gotta love that he hugs Miles and says "bye baby" before heading out the door. When did he suddenly become such a big boy?

 Various picture of Miles in his swing because, well, that is what newborns do, sleep in their swing and look cute.

 

Jax, practicing his morning yoga.  He also practices his surfing technique on this laptop tray.

Sleepy baby.

 Proof of eyes!  The only time I really got to see his eyes open in those first few weeks were before we fed him. 

Baby it's cold outside!  I love bundling Miles up before heading out.  His great grandmother Gey made the hat. :)

 The bonus of all my internet shopping this year... Lots of boxes to play in!

Jax LOVES his little brother.  I sometimes wonder if Miles isn't thinking "just leave me alone!"   I am sure in time Miles can return the favor.

 

One Month Old

Dear Miles,
It is hard for us to believe that you have only been in our lives for one month.  You have captured our hearts from the moment we first saw you and it feels like we have always been a family of four.  We call you "Mellow Miles" because of your laid back demeanor.  You seem to just roll with the punches which (for which we are very thankful) and are just a happy sweet baby.  We are finally starting to see your eyes for more than a few minutes at a time as you are more alert and aware of your surroundings.  We are afraid that you might not learn your name for some time as you are often referred to as "baby" especially by your big brother who is simply fascinated by you. 

You love to hear us sing and a favorite of yours seems to be Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  While you looked like a twin of both your father and big brother at birth, we think you are now developing your own look and have already changed so much in this short month.  We cannot wait to watch you grow up over this next year and look forward to all the amazing moments to come.  We love you so much. 

Love, Mom and Dad

For Miles' monthly pictures we decided he needed his own "MILES" marker.  

Turkey Trot

For many, the turkey trot may be a 5k or other race to run.  For us, it is the three days of Thanksgiving in which we stuff ourselves with more turkey than any normal person should consume.  Both have similarities:  sure with one you are burning calories and the other consuming, however with both you are tired at the end, but glad you did it!

For us, the Turkey Trot starts on the day before Thanksgiving with dinner at Jasper's parents house.  While Jax liked dinner, I think he was most interested in playing ball outside with his dad and Uncle Kevin.  Maybe he was just burning on the calories to make way for the meals ahead.

Day two of Turkey Trot 2012 brought us to my parents house where Miles did what he does best ... sleep.

 

Before dinner we did manage one family shot.

Then it was time for the main event. 

 

Jax enjoyed the dinner, though I don't think he consumed much turkey.

Miles on the other hand, well he slept right though it.  Such is the life of the second child.  If jax had been this young last year and been asleep during the meal,I probably would have been holding him and barely eating the entire time.  With Miles, well he slept in his car seat against the wall.

 

After the meal Jax was full of energy and ready to play.

I think the effects of the food finally took hold though.  He will soon master the art of post Thanksgiving meal laziness that seems to overtake us all.

Miles seems to have completely embraced this concept and decided to chill with his father some and watch some football.

While Jax may not have watched the game, he can still get excited about a TOUCHDOWN!

So far Jax had been a trooper with the extended hours that go into a holiday weekend.  By Friday morning he was ready for round three!

Of course Miles was ready as well.  Ready to snuggle with anyone that would let him.

Not sure how he could remain so sound asleep with 50 people walking around talking loudly, but somehow he managed.  Maybe it is from his practice sleeping around Jax?

Speaking of Jax, he didn't have time to be held because there was too much playing to do!

One might ask why there are inflatable pools filled with balls at Mikey and Meme's house.  I think their answer would be, why not?  I know Jax sure enjoyed playing in there with his cousin Jack!

 

He also spent time outside with his Mikey playing ball and watching the bigger boys play football.

When we finally arrived home after three big days of the Turkey Trot, we were ready to rest.  

This is the face of a newborn who is exhausted:

This is the face of a toddler who is exhausted:

I think it is time for us to go to bed. :)

Thankful

Thanksgiving is an obvious time to take a look at your life and realize everything that you have to be thankful for.  I feel this year that is too big of a task because it seems impossible to list all the things that Jasper and I are thankful for this year.  We have two amazing boys that are the center of our lives, we have a new house that we are able to fill with love and laughter (and chaos), and we have each other to share this whole experience with.  Life is good and we are thankful.

 

Play Date

Jasper and I have always loved that holidays meant not only that we got to see family, but also great friends.  Several of Jasper's high school friends now live out of state but come to town during the holidays.  We are usually able to schedule at least one get together during that time and now that everyone has kids those get togethers tend to be earlier in the day and surround by pure chaos.  We had two of Jasper's friends over today along with their families for a total of 6 adults and 6 kids.  On previous play dates Jax hasn't been very happy that other kids were playing with his toys.  For the last few play dates though he hasn't seemed to mind and has really enjoyed having other kids to play with!

Before the kids came over I think Jasper was talking to Jax about how he would need to share and how much fun he would have with his friends.

Little Miss Sarah:  pure cuteness.

Jax LOVES big kids and I think he felt pretty cool hanging out with Max.

While it may look like Jax was interested in Sarah ...

it was really her crackers that he was after.

There is no sweeter sound than the giggles of children as they play.

Of course every visit from our friends makes us wish that they lived closer so that these play dates could happen more often.  Until we convince them all to move back home though, we will gladly settle for some great holiday memories.

Mommy's Little Helper

Jax is starting to like helping with things and I love watching the excitement he gets from everyday tasks.  He loves to go get an item for me and put things away.  Today's task was laundry and I think I have found a little helper.

Big Boy Haircut

While Jax has had a few haircuts now, I had resisted form letting them cut much because was slightly terrified of my little baby looking like a big boy.  Well my denial is over and I am willing to admit that his is in fact a big boy so with his haircut today we let Julie cut it short (well shorter, I still refused to allow clippers).  Here is the end result!

This was also my first trip out with Jax by ourselves since Miles has been born.  I wanted to do something special with him since we had a sitter at home with the baby so I took him for his first frozen yogurt.  He mostly ate the fruit toppings but the little bits of yogurt he had he loved. 

Ok I will admit it ... the big boy haircut is cute. :)