Bruce turned 2 years old last month! Wow. That went so fast! He is quickly blossoming into his own person, which is increasingly evident through the new words and phrases her learns. For example, one of the most recent is "no like that". He's learning to let everyone know his preferences. He has become quite the little chatterbox. On our way back from the zoo, he talked for an hour and a half non-stop! He still enjoys his role as big brother. He now will find a toy for Autumn when she is playing and offer it to her. He also tries to entertain her and helps cheer her up when she's fussy.




Autumn is growing well and becoming more and more interactive each day. She's 7 months old already! She is working on crawling but for now just scoots around on the floor - backwards only for now. :) She is eating a much larger range of foods and seems to enjoy participating at the dinner table with the rest of the family. She is just the happiest little thing. Unless there's a problem (or she's lacking for social interaction), she is content. She thinks her brother is hilarious - even when he's doing something he shouldn't be! She loves watching the pets and laughs at them even when they're just sitting there.

Seeing the zoo from the front seat of the limo stroller



Happy girl in the back seat



Watching the elephants ("a-pi-tas")



Turtles



Discussing the ducks



Gila Monster



Playing with Mommy in the zoo sandbox (could've probably saved the admission fee and done this at home)



Watching the "daffs"



B woke up that morning talking about seeing the zebras, so here they are!



It's rough being the baby!



Cuddling with Great Grandma

The Fam at B's birthday party



Eating birthday dinner with Daddy



Serious about his cupcakes





"What are you looking at?"



Learning to sit up on her own



Waiting for Daddy to get home from work



The backhoe is still his very favorite vehicle.
This is bigger than getting a picture with Santa Claus!



Doing crafts with his buddies Walt and John



Holding hands with David



Showing off the butterfly he made



"Hmmmm..."



Oops - we picked a few



First pigtail ever!



"Holding" his little sis



"Rood ta ta!" (red tractor)



So peaceful



He wanted to "hold" her, but wasn't excited about having his picture taken



Laughing girl

Spring at Our House

Jerret and Holly...
Oh, wait - wrong file...






We hope everyone had a happy Easter and you are all enjoying spring - whatever that may mean in your area! Since I haven't updated in a while, I'm afraid this post is mostly pictures. I have been taking them but haven't had time to put them on here until now.




Getting ready for church on Easter morning




Playing together



Time with Daddy is a valuable commodity



Something's hilarious

Mom and Dad's bed is the coolest place to hang out in the morning

Bruce is almost 2 and now talking 90 miles a minute! He talks almost constantly and I have even heard him talk in his sleep! He has really grown to love the big brother role, for which we are very grateful. He loves to hold Autumn's hand, help me rinse her in the bath and change her diaper, and shares his toys with her. He still calls her Au-ti, the name he gave her when she came home. He even adds her in the bedtime ritual, saying "Nite nite Au-ti" following "Nite nite Mommy". He's learning so much so fast that it's hard to keep up sometimes! His most endearing quality is how he looks out for everyone around him. He will bring Jerret his shoes when he's getting ready for work or tell me if Autumn is awake from her nap. He always reminds me to let Willow in from outside and not to forget Autumn when we leave the house. He has recently developed an obsession with construction vehicles, particularly the backhoe. For example, he pointed out 4 of them on our 30 minute drive today, making sure to emphasize that they were YELLOW ones. He also pointed out 3 green tractors on the same trip. He's also big into colors right now. Here is some of what he's been up to.

The Med Evac Helicopter visited his preschool.
He was slightly overwhelmed but really enjoyed it.



Here he is sitting inside the helicopter. There was so much to see in there!




Showing off some cool stuff he found in his Easter basket



Egg hunt #1 (out of 3 total for his first egg hunting year!)



B's improvement on the more traditional method of sliding



Bruce and cousin John at Clark Gardens



It was pretty difficult to get him to stop playing in the water long enough to take this one!



Bruce and Grandma watching the trains at Clark Gardens

He recently discovered the purpose for dandelions

"Pull me! Pull me!"



I think all kids love boxes - I did too!



Big shoes to fill



Enthralled with the egg dying process

Autumn is a very happy 6 month old. She's turning out to be a very social little girl! She is constantly looking for someone's eye contact to get their attention and smile/laugh with them. She's very flexible and isn't a big fan of schedules. She will let you know when she has a need but is just along for the ride otherwise. Her latest favorite pass time is watching her brother's entertaining antics. He can make her laugh by just being himself. She's now scooting and will not be in the same spot if you leave her on her blanket on the floor. She's still a tall, skinny one. It almost seems like all her growth has been lengthwise. She is now eating solid foods and we have yet to find something she doesn't like. She's a very good eater just like her big brother.

First time in a real swing

Hanging out with GG (Great-grandma)



Loving the jumper...


...a little too much!



I love the sleeping pictures!



All dressed up for church on Easter morning

Just a slice of what goes on at our house




Egg hunting