clearing the cobwebs

wow. it's been too long since I've been on the blog and posted ANYTHING. it's not that we haven't been busy, because we have. I think I just got out of the groove. after grandpa died, it seems like thanksgiving came plowing in and work has been nuts. but we're back and here is a glimpse into our november.

on my days at home with the boys, we fill our time with puzzles and playing, lunchtime and coloring, step-and-throw games and reading books. time seems to fly by and before we know it, it's dinnertime and daddy is coming through the back door.

there have been plenty of nights filled with pjs, basement lounging, baths, and snuggling. I definitely feed off of those moments. I'm somehow refueled by the craziness of prepping, serving, and cleaning up dinner for our little family. I sit in awe at how quickly henry is going from baby to toddler and how miles is transforming into a little boy right before our eyes.

kyle loves to trade in his shirt and tie for some comfy lounge pants so that he can get right down on the floor to play with his babies. listening to miles' giggles as kyle chases after him or hearing henry's little voice say "daddy!" as he signs it is proof enough that they love him right back. c'mon now, you know you're diggin' the tea party pic!

there is something sort of magical about bath time. sure, we have our fair share of tears, floaters, and wipe-outs, but they are overshadowed by the splashes and shrieks and the "watch this mommy!'s" I have to confess that I have a huge weakness for a freshly bathed baby. I love to snuggle in with them and feel their warm soft skin against my cheek and smell that yummy baby magic soap. henry's fuzzy flyaway hair tickling my nose is certainly an added bonus. mmmmm.

so yeah, we've been away too long and I promise many more posts. we have turkey day to catch up on yet and many-a-holiday photo to be taken. don't get me started on my love of all things christmas. speaking of...there is a twinkling tree in my living room with my name on it.

nine months old...already?

you know what it's like when you have every intention of getting something done...you've planned every last detail and can practically swear that it actually happened? except that it didn't, so there went all of your best laid plans. poor henry. these monthly photo shoots that used to occur on the precise day that miles turned that new month have somehow morphed into this-picture-of-henry-was-taken-sometime-between-nine-and-ten-months-old. but hey, we did it and we got them taken outside. just as I had planned, of course. it was just shy of snowing out, so we weren't out for long. henry couldn't have cared less about the chill in the air, because this boy is (almost) always happy. he is a spunky, quick-moving, lively, cuddly, and chatty little guy. he loves his brother, napping, chewing on everything, drooling, nabbing the remote, petting his puppies, singing, spitting (this one's fun), reading books and turning the pages, watching signing time (or whatever miles is watching), and giving hugs.

he's figured out how to stand up to anything and everything...and he's fearless.

henry is still somewhat of a peanut - a very long and skinny one. this was solidified by his latest stats:

weight  = 18 lbs. 1 oz. (12th %ile)

height = 29 3/4" (87th %ile)

the doctor says he's healthy and meeting/exceeding all major milestones, so we'll just keep monitoring his weight (he's gone from the 89th %ile at birth down to the 12th!). and contrary to his size, he LOVES to eat. he's eating three solid meals a day and has even begun to munch on quite a few snacks - baby mum-mums, puffs, cheerios, graham crackers, cheese, cooked veggies, diced fruit - he loves it all...even the occasional stick. why not?

we are in love with his crazy personality and are so thankful that we were blessed with yet another amazing son. we are definitely smitten with this little peanut.

if you are curious, check out henry's professional pics here.

boo!

I guess you could say that this post got away from me. it's nearly the middle of november and I'm just now posting pictures from this year's annual costume party. miles chose to dress up as his favorite pbs kids character - Super WHY! - or as he calls him, "su-su-suuuper why" (still stuttering...).

and although purchasing a pre-made costume goes against my creative genes, I broke down on this one. he was adorable and still wears the mask around - so I guess my $20 wasn't a complete waste. henry was a soft and cuddly dragon. this also went against my usual halloween tradition of everyone coordinating, but I couldn't seem to come up with a very good sidekick for miles and we already owned this costume, so I gave in and took the easy route. as for kyle and me...well, that's a little more complicated. I'd been planning our mary poppins and bert costumes for awhile, but hadn't gotten all of the pieces together prior to going to phoenix. needless to say, we were scrambling at the last minute for a good "bert hat" and some sort of chimney sweep. I called my brother to borrow his newsboy hat, which sort of gave our costumes away...since brian and blair had already rented mary poppins and bert costumes from a local costume shop. (thank you to blair for giving me the heads up) I didn't really want to come as the same people, so kyle and I made an 11th hour switcheroo and came as mr. and mrs. banks - same movie, different couple.

not too shabby given the fact that we had less than 2 hours to whip up a costume! everyone else looked fabulous and fun was had by all.

I think kyle and I are probably two of very few parents who didn't make a haul on halloween candy this year. we headed out to trick-or-treat at grandpa's house. let's just say that door-to-door is impossible, so we laid low and relished in the calmness of halloween night - our years of running ragged are in the very near future, we know! so we drove to see a handful of loved ones and came home with a half dozen candy bars, a giant coloring book, adorable shirt for henry, and some age-appropriate snacks for both little guys. gotta love family!

I'm already brainstorming our costumes for next year and have a handful of ideas simmering on the back burner. you'll have to wait a year to find out what doesn't get cast on the cutting room floor. after this year lack of creativity, there's no place but up!

no words

heaven received its newest angel this morning. the most gentle and kind man this world has ever known. we were blessed to call him GRANDPA.