he ain't heavy

the relationship that is blossoming between miles and henry is more precious than I could've imagined. as the old saying goes a picture says a thousand words, so I think I'll let the images speak for themselves.

it's not all smiles and snuggles though. the day henry took his first steps, the game changed. miles was clearly threatened by his baby brother's newfound independence and ability to get around. kyle and I are certainly earning our black and white referee stripes these days. I know that this stage will not be short-lived, but we embrace it along with all of the other stages. my siblings and I fought often, but the good times over shadow those squabbles and we are the best of friends now. I'm sure my parents have some pretty tattered referee shirts hanging in their closet! the beauty is that this special brother-brother relationship will be stronger because of their ability to get-along and to duke it out. it's a strange balance. 

such sweet eyes...

...such a quiet thinker...

...but he's very capable of a good body check...

a common sight these days

our first-born is a fast learner. I came into the kitchen the other day to this sight.

it's strange to hear him sounding out words and pointing out letters on random roadside signs. speaking of signing...our boys are both big signers. miles has a pretty extensive knowledge of many signs, but did not communicate much through this amazing second language. henry, on the other hand, has quickly taken to signing and uses it as a very useful communication tool. I know that it has nearly eliminated any and all toddler tantrums at our house and jump-started the language development of both of our boys. I take very little, if any, credit for their sign language. I gladly divert all acclaim to the phenomenal Signing Time series. if you haven't heard of it...check it out!

as soon as I figure out how to post a longer video - you can watch miles sign the alphabet. he's really into finger spelling these days...it's amazing!

it's late now and I'm clueless as to why I'm not under the covers right now gearing up for a fun anniversary celebration weekend with my husband...but here are just a few other favorites that have been lying around iPhoto. enjoy!

helping "rocket" on little einsteins blast off!

came home to these beauties on a friday afternoon when daddy and the boys were home alone for the day