Echo Point

 

Horny Toad!

Blue Haven

Hermit's Peak Nate eating in his backpack
Picnic on our hike
The boys drinking coffee - yes, coffee (blame Mark!) 

Don't Throw away the Laundry!

When Cade was a baby we took a family trip in our trailer to San Antonio and to the coast at Corpus Christi. The coast was swarming with mosquitoes so if we weren’t on the beach we were in the trailer. It came time to leave so we drove to the dumpster to throw out the trash. Mark ran outside, grabbed the trash bags out of the trailer, threw them in the dumpster, and ran back into the car. He still managed to get attacked by the mosquitoes. We drove home and then we realized that Mark threw out the laundry not the trash. Some of those clothes were brand new!

We were headed into town on Wednesday in order to do some laundry at the Laundromat since the dryer at the cabin bit the dust. We stopped at the dump site in order to throw away the trash. I was teasing Mark by telling him to not throw away the clothes. He grabs the trash out of the back and goes to the dump site when Chase starts to tell me that Mark grabbed the clothes! I look over and Mark is throwing in a bag of clothes!!!! I yelled at him to stop but it was too late! He had to jump in the dump site in order to retrieve the clothes. I can’t believe he did that right after I was teasing him about it! I think I need to be in charge of dumping the trash next time!

It's Okay

We have worked very hard at helping Cade realize that mistakes happen and that it is okay. He tends to get very upset about mistakes and very dramatic. We might have taught him too well. Anytime he makes a mistake or misbehaves he will immediately say, “It’s okay”. Like when he pees all over the toilet seat and the walls and the counter (yes, the counter). Or when he is wiggling and wiggling in his chair until he falls over, chair and all. Or when he is not paying attention and he knocks his baby brother over.

He has also started to repeat what he says over and over, especially if he found it funny. He will add a silly fake laugh into the repeated statement. He will preface his statement with “I said” or “Like”. He is too funny!

Teeth and More Teeth

Nate got his upper right tooth on Tuesday and his lower left tooth on Wednesday! He still has 3 big bulges on his gums! I can’t believe that he is getting so many teeth at once. He is already grinding them together – yuck! How can he grind them when he barely has any teeth?!

All About the Daddy

Nate has really enjoyed spending a lot of time with Mark this week. He has become super attached to Mark and prefers Mark over anybody else – including me!!! He will reach out to Mark and if I try to take him back he will cling to Mark like a koala bear. If I take him then he will start crying and will want to go back to Mark. It is seriously hurting my feelings! I am supposed to be #1 and Mark is supposed to be a close second. It makes Mark feel really good. It is also a reflection of the fact that Mark is a wonderful daddy. He plays with his boys, provides for their basic needs, loves on his boys, and spends a lot of time with his boys. He is always trying to be a better father. The truth is that my boys have the best daddy ever! Nate still needs to love me more!!!

Dylan's Photography

 

Fun at the Farm

Playing Farm-opoly
Chase trying to save the baby kitten
My sweet niece, Lanae
Vacation has started for us. We stopped at the farm on the way to the mountains. The boys had fun playing Farm-opoly (the farm version of Monopoly). Dylan cleaned house! He was very happy to be the champion! The boys had a lot of fun playing with their cousins. There was a sad time. There are 3 different sets of kittens at the farm right now. One of the mommies is not taking very good care of her very little kittens (their eyes are not even open yet). The mommy kitty had 3 babies and 2 of them have already died. She has deserted the other one. Chase desparately wants to save the last one, but it seems highly unlikely. Chase tried to feed the baby some milk with a medicine dropper, but it did not work very well. I don't think the poor baby kitty will make it through the night. It is pitiful to hear it crying and to want to help it and to not be able to help it. Chase, with his very tender heart, is having a hard time with accepting the fact that this kitty probably won't make it. He wants us to bring the kitty with us on vacation and try to save it. He thinks we can bring it on hikes with us. He has been praying for the kitty. I wish we could save the kitty for him.

We leave in the morning for the mountains! The boys are very excited. It will be a fun adventure. 

Uh-Oh

Here is Nate getting into all sorts of trouble! We have got to find the baby gate! He also got his first tooth yesterday (his bottom right tooth).

On another subject, Cade can be so funny. He is still talking about the baby in his tummy. I thought the baby's name was brother Judy but it is actually brother Julie! Dylan and I had a very funny conversation with Cade about brother Julie. According to Cade, Julie will be coming out but he is unsure about how that will be accomplished. He does know that it will happen at the hospital. Dylan and I were having a lot of fun asking Cade questions about this baby in his tummy! Silly boy! There may be something wrong with him (just joking). 

Nine Months Old!

Nate playing at one of his favorite spots
Chase taking care of his bubba when I was at work
I can't believe that my baby is 9 months old today! He is so sweet and soooo busy. Changing a diaper has become an Olympic event! He crawls all over the house and seems to know when I put the cat food back out. He makes a dash for it and manages to spill it all over the place before I can get to him. At least he is not eating it anymore! He still eats really well and he is a lovely yellow hue from eating his veggies. He is so close to having teeth! He has six huge bumps on his gums and we can even see the white teeth trying to poke through on the bottom. I think he is going to get six teeth all at once! He weighs 17 pounds 4 ounces and is 27 1/2 inches tall. He is in the 5th percentile for weight and the 25th percentile for height - still a peanut! His brothers still love him very much. They are all so sweet to him. Nate thinks they are great! They can all get huge belly laughs from Nate. We feel so blessed to have our precious baby boy. 

Strep Throat Again!

Need I say more?