9 months old

Paul is 9 months old now and is still as happy and busy as ever. Everywhere we go, people are always commenting on how smiley he is. His smile definitely brings happiness to those around him. I say that he has two moods - extremely happy or screaming mad. He doesn't get upset too often, but he definitely lets us know it when he is mad. I love hearing his little chattering and he loves it when we mimic his squeals. Paul enjoys playing with anything he can put into his mouth and delights in watching his brother do anything. Yesterday he started to do some crawling on his hands and knees but still does most of his moving on his belly. Paul is a big fan of food, especially food he can pick up on his own, and eats anything we put in front of him. He's added egg yolks, chicken, and yogurt in the last month. His sleep habits are improving. He'll usually take an hour nap in the morning and two hours in the afternoon, but this still varies depending on our schedule. He lays down around 8 pm, wakes up sometime between 10:30-11:30 and again around 2:30-3:00, and then sleeps until sometime between 7:00-8:00. He is very good about going to sleep on his own. He doesn't usually nurse to sleep for naps but will chatter/cry/play for a bit and then conk out. We are so thankful for our amazing little Paul James.

Paul James - 9 months - It's hard to get a good picture because he rarely sits still, thus the blurry monkey.

Our happy little boy

Snow fun, part 1

We got a nice little snow on February 20. The boys and I went out to enjoy it the next day. Paul hung out in the sled while Stephen and I made a snowman. Stephen did a good job of helping me add snow to the snowman. We also went down and played on our swingset (which I will post about soon).

Stephen is crying because he didn't want to go inside.

Road trip

We ventured to Nebraska over President's Day weekend. We got there on Friday in time for supper. There was a train show we went to on Saturday. All the kids loved seeing all of the trains.

Stephen and Grandma check out the trains.

Our lunch stop was at Valentino's - a family favorite! That evening, Steve, Clare, Grandpa and I went to the Nebraska-Michigan State basketball game. It was a good game, even though NU lost. We had a fun time.

Before leaving for Mass, we took the traditional cousin pictures. My favorite is the series of Paul/Monica pictures.

Too cute!

Monica goes in for a kiss but is foiled by Paul.

Monica's had enough.

We all went to Mass at the Newman Center on Sunday. We had to take advantage of what would be our last chance to go to Mass in the chapel where we got married. Afterwards, we got a chance to chat with Fr. Matya, the priest who married us. It was fun to catch up. After goodbyes, we got back on the road. Another great visit with family!

Happy anniversary!

3 years ago, Steve and I professed our love for each other in front of our family and friends in a beautiful chapel. We will most likely be attending Mass in that chapel for the last time on Sunday as it will soon be torn down to build a bigger and even more beautiful one.

These three years have been wonderful. We've grown in our love for each other and have two amazing boys as a result. I'm looking forward to the many years to come. I love you, Steve!

Meeting Basketball Coaches

 Stephen's making friends with Division 1 basketball coaches already. We saw Tad Boyle, the head CU men's basketball coach, at a high school basketball game.

Brother fun

I love watching Stephen and Paul playing together. Some commonly heard phrases around our house are "tackle Paul" and "ball Paul." Stephen loves playing basketball with Paul. Paul loves clapping for Stephen as he shoots baskets. I hope they always enjoy playing together.

Playing with Duplos

TACKLE!

Fun at Lowe's

 Stephen and Paul had fun on our trip to Lowe's this morning.