It was so cool we were there with Sean and Nicole and Harper and Nolan to all experience it together!

Here's a pic of him on his first day in August -

Sid note: Ian broke his arm over the summer falling out of our campervan. Yeah we have a campervan now too.

In September Reed started preschool and he was SO EXCITED! I got tears dropping him off just tears of joy for him that he was able to go in and socialize. It was a long summer with COVID...

What did we miss? COVID, Ian's in kindergarten, Reed's in preschool, I started my own business.....

Oh and Ian's in t-ball! I had so much fun taking pictures of him today!

When I say we're going to take a picture - "CHEESE!!!"

Wade picked Ian up from school one day and they went out to lunch and this is the picture he sent me. He's just getting so big. <3

I can't remember if I already posted this - but Reed wanted to wear his backpack one day when we were dropping off Ian at preschool. It was so cute I had to document it. And I'm glad I did, it's one of my most favorite recent pictures of them! He just wants to be like his big bro!

Everything super-hero, sword fighting, bad guys, and all.

Florida was a blast. Wade had a conference Tuesday-Friday but then Friday we hit the road and headed to the Florida Keys! We stayed a wonderful family-friendly resort on Duck Key and shared a villa with one of my good friends.

Easter Sunday - matching shirts from Grammy! <3

We met Bill and Christy at a Spring Festival down at a Botanical Garden down near them and Ian got to try out tree climbing equipment and swing. He loved it but when asked what he wanted to be when he grows up he still said a paleontologist. <3

My friend got tickets to Disney on Ice and I got to take Ian the other night. He was SO mesmerized by the show, and had so much fun! It was a very special evening to share with him - I'm not sure who had more fun, him or me.  Love this kid so so so much.

Reed Garrett. My goodness he melts my heart. He's so sweet, happy, and a very easy-going kid. His tantrums don't last long. Most of the time I just have to do is validate how he's feeling (say something like, "I know, you want more candy" after I wouldn't let him) and he just nods and calms down. You can tell TWO is coming, but he never is upset for long. He's got a different personality and I love watching that grow.

A couple of weeks ago he said goodbye to his pacifier. I'm so proud of him. He was so encouraged by pep talks of being a "big boy"... Wade and I would ask him, "are you a big boy?" and he would nod proudly and utter "uh-huh"... Ian also would come in and tell him he didn't need it, he was a big boy and I really think it made a difference. Of course, it took a few times of extra soothing before sleep, but by day 3 he was SO proud and went to sleep with no fuss! He actually thought it was funny to ask for his "ba-ba" and I'd say "you don't need a ba-ba anymore!" and he'd throw his head back and laugh.

And a couple weeks later, Wade and I decided it was time to start putting the boys to bed together. A small adjustment but felt like a big change - they are getting so big! We always put Reed to bed first since he was a baby, but Ian doesn't nap anymore and is tired earlier and Reed doesn't fall asleep right away when we put him to bed. Lots of times he's still awake when we walk Ian in... Ian also started sleeping in later in the mornings so I decided Ian needed an earlier bedtime and we would put them to bed together. They LOVE it. And it's easier for us, too! Brush teeth together, read books together - goodnight!!

The big brother chokehold hug! xoxoxox0

Let's see, Reed is now 21 months old and starting to say new words daily now. I just asked his doctor about his progress because I was a little concerned, but then the rest of the day I worked on writing down all the words he knows so I can really add them up and I figured out he knows more than 40 words! So I think we are ok for now... I'm just so busy it didn't seem like much or maybe in comparison to Ian. But at that rate he is on track with his speech. And then over the next couple of days he said new words - like he heard me talking about it and is trying to prove he can talk ;) He said buckle, cracker, and glasses! All new words since yesterday! (although the words sound more like bucka, caca, and gaga.... ha!)

I'll say it again - THEY ARE SO CUTE TOGETHER I JUST LOVE THEM TO PIECES! See images below to see what I am talking about. <3 These boys just are so sweet together, it makes my heart so happy. The other day Ian's preschool director saw how sweet Ian was to Reed giving him a caring hug and she was so impressed and made sure to tell me I'm lucky. (I know, I know I'm lucky... I thank my lucky stars everyday for the life I have and my sweet boys. BUT the days can be hard and it's nice to hear - especially from a woman who cares for kids all day!)

Ian is becoming SUCH a big kid! His thoughts are becoming more advanced. Yesterday I asked him which he thought was further away from us, the moon or a hot air balloon. And he knew the answer and explained it pretty well, saying the hot air balloon was in the sky on Earth. He broke his arm last month, slipping on hardwood floor in his socks. But it was just a small fracture. He had to wear a brace for 4 weeks and it's already healed. He was a really a good sport about the entire thing.

The other day Reed wanted to wear his toy backpack (that we keep in the car) to preschool drop off and it was so freaking cute. He just wants to be like Ian. He pats his shoulder and says "backback" (aka backpack). Summer is around the corner and you can start to feel it in the weather and the longer days and I just know this is going to be such a fun summer in our new home/neighborhood with our friends and my parents so close now. I'm really looking forward to all the fun times ahead for us.

We are going to Florida in April and Palm Springs in May so I hope to update after those trips! Thanks for reading, and if you do, don't be afraid to mention it to me! Sometimes it feels like I'm just updating this for myself (and now I know my mom and Grandma Betty - woohoo!) so it's nice to know that people enjoy the updates! xo

It's been so cold lately, we are so ready for summer! Reed has been telling me when he wants me to wear him in a carrier, or we've been doing that again more lately. It's pretty cute that he can tell me.

Ian had his first sleepover with his cousin Maddox last weekend! They were SO excited! Ian finally fell asleep at 9:45 and Maddox 11!! Here is a picture of them from the monitor they are pretending to roast marshmallows over a pretend campfire. So cute!

- Ian (sounds like EeeeA)

- Bowl

- This

- That

- Fish (doesn't sound like fish - more like esssgh)

- Book (with sign)

- Change (for diaper with sign)

- Please (with sign - sounds like eeeeeessh)

Other words he's said for a while include:

- Hat

- Bah bah (pacifier, because after he wakes up we always say "bye bye pacifier")

- Cheese

- Ball

- Dog

Here is a video of Reed saying "shoes"... (and more below)...

He is a really happy boy. He loves Ian so much. He wants to do whatever Ian is doing. I'm trying to teach him to not hit, push, grab, etc. which is difficult at this age! Ian is beyond patient with him. He literally never gets mad about it. He just calmly tells me, "mom, Reed's pushing me". 

I hate to sound like I'm bragging, but I'm so very grateful for the two of them. And it just melts my heart to see them get along, have fun together, and not fight (although fighting DOES happen). The other day my friend Jenny was in the backseat between them, and she was pretending to sting them with a toy bug and Ian said "no, don't sting my brother".... I mean.... I just love them.

These boots that used to be Wade's!!! <3

Ian and Reed sharing snacks, all on their own. Captured a sweet moment. <3

Ian at his Halloween parade at school.

Ian is totally in character on Halloween!

Does it get much cuter than this?????

Good thing we got dressed up because the parents on our street DO NOT mess around! It was such a fun night!

1. WHAT IS YOUR NAME? Ian

2. HOW OLD ARE YOU? 3

3. WHEN IS YOUR BIRTHDAY? December (do you know what day?) What?

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD? Cereal

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR? Red

6. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW? Dino Dana and that new show I was just watching and that other new one that’s called Annedroids. Annedroids are people that are kinda like people but they are not and they are kinda like robots.

7. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SPORT? Soccer and baseball

8. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY? December, my birthday, Christmas, snow and Halloween and I can’t think of any other ones, so can you help me?

9. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK? Um um um that stranger book (Bernstein bears)

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TOY? The matching game

11. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DESSERT? My two lollipops

12. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO FOR FUN? Play on the playground and go to the library

13. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? A champion, i learned that word.

14. WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU ARE AFRAID OF? When i was two years old I was scared of those scary bad whales then I learned that whales aren’t bad, they’re nice.

15. TELL ME ABOUT YOUR BROTHER - Reed likes taking my candy and likes screaming a lot and hits me and that’s not nice.

16. WHAT IS MY NAME? Laura

17. WHAT IS DAD’S NAME? Dad. Wade.

18. WHAT ARE YOUR TEACHERS NAMES? Ms. Cathy, Ms. Laura and Ms. Frankie and Ms. Jerry she comes in some days, and Ms. Cathy and Ms. Frankie and Ms. Laura and Ms. Jerry and umm hmm and Ms. Clearly, there’s no one named Ms. Clearly. I can’t think of any other teachers.

19. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE CLASSMATE? Collin

20. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE VACATION? Mexico

Reed is learning new words all the time! This morning he had a wet diaper that I had bundled up and set aside in his hands and I told him it was "trash".... he walked all the way to the kitchen (looking back a few times to hear me say "trash" again) and he went all the way to the cupboard, opened it up and threw it away in the trash can! I have NEVER explained trash to him, pointed out where the trash was, or anything. He observes SO MUCH - I forget how much and it's crazy to me when he does things like this out of the blue! He gives kisses now and can be so cuddly! I try all day long to think of different ways to get him to NOT DO STUFF without saying NO all day long. He's into EVERYTHING!!! But I love him like crazy - he just keeps me busy! <3

Last weekend we visited at Sean and Nicole's to celebrate Wade's grandma's birthday. The kids had such a great time, I love seeing them all together!

O ur get togethers with our friends are becoming weekly - or more! - since we've moved up to Encinitas. Love our crew, everyone is getting so big!

I took the boys to a fire station a couple weeks ago. Ian was in heaven!! He even got to use a fire hose, he was so serious the entire time, of course.

Ian had swim lessons on and off this summer because we were SO busy! But the last two months he's really improved, I think by next summer he will be a swimmer! Just gotta start him in the spring - he loves it!!!

Ian has been wanting to learn how to use a knife - he's getting so big!

When your friends try to help your kid out with that hair that keeps falling in his eyes! Ha!

Enjoying the nice weather now that all the tourists are gone! Love our new neighborhood!! It's SO CLOSE to the beach!

Wade's dad built this house for the San Diego Fair and now we get to use it!! Wade set it up a couple weekends ago - they boys were SO excited! 

One of Ian's favorite new parks nearby - he pretends he's on a ship or boat like Moana. So cute. Every so often he'd say the ship's not working and he'd climb to the top to "fix" it. Reed loved it too!

Ian's nap time post-move has evolved into "relaxing time"... he's pretty much not falling asleep anymore but every so often he does, and it's so cute to walk into him sleeping like this, surrounded by all his books. :)

Reed wanting to be just like his big brother! <3

Also, Ian took swim lessons in April, and then didn't take them again till mid July because of our vacation and move. I was hoping to have him learn to swim this summer but I'm not sure how realistic that is anymore. I may just keep him in lessons through the winter, he loves it and it couldn't hurt. Anyways, here's a video of him in class the other day. He has a lot to learn still, as you can see from this video, but I really do notice improvement every week.

I finally got some pictures of the boys. What else can I say to update? Ian is clever as ever, asking questions and stumping me daily. He likes being silly and making up his own silly jokes, or doing something silly and then saying "I'm just kidding," while batting his hand in the air. He loves his new preschool and has adjusted to the new house marvelously. 

Reed is now saying - mama, ball ("ba"), dada, Kyla, more ("mo"), and no. He is the perfect addition to our family - warms my heart and keeps me smiling. He loves trying to keep up with Ian now that he is walking!

I am grateful DAILY for this life that I have, the time that I have with these sons of mine, no matter how long and difficult the days may seem. I don't take any of it for granted. I am ONE. LUCKY. LADY. <3

When we were back by the car, Reed randomly walked up to Ian and gave him a hug. I mean.... <3

Oh and Kyla came on the trip, too! The perfect MELLOW camping dog! I love our camping adventures and it's so fun to be able to share these experiences with our boys now, too!

GOT A DECENT PICTURE OF THE TWO OF THEM!!! 

Wagon rides around the campsite are a true highlight of the trip (as well as bike rides for Ian).

Reed Garrett on his first birthday - as cute as can be!!

This is why it's so hard getting pictures lately - here's what Ian will do (among a hundred other things) when we try to take a group picture. <insert eye roll>

We celebrated again when we got home on Sunday with Enid and Whitney and she brought the most delicious cake from Everything Bunt Cake - so yummy!! 

Finally! A picture of them together both looking at the camera!! It's a miracle!!!!

I keep this picture in because they are making such a similar face at the same time - and they look so alike (other than their noses)!!

But besides all that, we had a great time. We spent the first 7 days in Copenhagen, Denmark. We rented a great apartment that was close to everything. It was great to stay in one place for so long till everyone got adjusted to the new time. Our apartment also had a playground in the back so it was perfect for the kids! We bought a Copenhagen card that covered access to the bus, metro, and numerous museums in town. We took Ian to the aquarium, children's museum, a dinosaur museum and the 2nd oldest amusement park in the world - Trivloi Gardens!

My sister and her family and my mom and dad flew out the last few days we were there. We met up each day and then all headed on a train to Germany. We stayed in Germany for 5 days and enjoyed the countryside! We visited my dad's old neighbor and childhood friend, Casten. He still lives next door with his wife, and his son and his family. They are such great people, so welcoming and great hosts, it was a great experience. They also have grandchildren, so they had so much for the kids to play with on our visits! Next we drove to The Netherlands. Stopped off for 2 nights in the CUTEST little canal town, Dokkum. It was such a cute place, perfect for a couple night's stay. Then our final destination was outside of Amsterdam. It was a nice bed and breakfast house in a little weird hippy community of different rentals. But it was a short 20 minute drive into the city, which Wade and I did two days. And on the final day we visited a local castle.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from my camera, to see the entire album, click here!

Reed's learned to wave "bye-bye", and sometimes wave "hi", he's using signs more for "milk" and "all done"... When he wakes up from his naps or in the morning he drops his lovey into the crib and his pacifier and we wave "bye-bye" to them. He an expert at cruising around furniture but is still not very interested in practicing taking steps. He has bendy legs and defaults back to the floor to crawl, but I know he'll get there when he is ready!

He is such a happy baby and we love him to pieces! Watching him grow into the little person he is going to become, and develop a relationship with his brother has been so rewarding!

10 months has flown by. He's SUCH a great sleeper. He might even be a better sleeper than Ian, which I wasn't even sure could be possible. I'm not sure if it's genes, or that I can take any credit for instilling great sleep habits, but it doesn't matter. He's just a good sleeper and I'm so grateful. Sleeps allll they way through the night (has since 9 months - finally!!), naps an hour twice a day (FINALLY more than 30 minutes!), and he's such an independent sleeper. Ian used to cry when I would walk out of the room. He required back rubbing, tip-toeing and a multitude of other tricks. Reed just rolls over and falls asleep, or rolls around till he falls asleep on his own. On our Mexico trip we brought the travel tent for him to sleep in, and I'd just zip it up up and he'd watch me walk out of the room - no problems. With Ian, I'd have to zip that damn thing up so slowly so to not wake him up I hated that darn zipper. Anyways, I'd hate to jinx myself, and I know everything comes and goes in phases, but for now I'm so happy with where we are.

Nothing has changed much. I thought Reed would 100% be walking by now since he was such an early crawler, but he's still cruising on those hands and knees. We practice walking but he usually gets over it and wants to go back down to his knees, and so I figure don't rush it. He loves food and eats a ton. He has his next set of top teeth poking through (you can see in some photos below). He's hardly fussed over this last set of teeth coming in. He's such a happy baby. People always comment on how smiley he is, and he really rarely cries. He only cries when I put him in his car seat (he hates it at first), and when he's tired or hungry. The other night we went to Ikea (to get Ian a BIG BOY twin bed) and kept Reed out later than normal. He cried the way home and it was so odd because he's normally so happy and only gets upset when we push him past his limits. He's started using sign language - milk, and all done, and shakes his head yes and no - it's so cute! We just love him to pieces and the fact that one year is creeping up on us could just bring tears to my eyes!! Time slow down!!!! <3

And now, enjoy this plethora of Reed pictures ;)

The day we arrived was baby Isla's 1st birthday, so we celebrated with a Pinata!

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I think I made it into 2 pictures from the whole trip!

He absolutely LOVES his brother. Ian can SO easily make him smile, it's heart warming to watch. And Ian is such a great big brother, he loves to make him laugh, gives him hugs, every so often he'll say "aww he's so cute". The other day Reed woke up from a nap and Ian asked if he could go check on him, so I said yes. I heard him in his room talking to Reed, and Ian came running back to update me that he put a pacifier in his mouth. Then I heard Ian go back to Reed's room and say, "It's ok I'm here now" (because Reed had started crying again). Then when I went in to check on them Ian was reading him books and said to me, "no, I don't need you". He wanted some time alone with his brother. It was so cute.

Ok, on with Reed. He's into EVERYTHING. I can not keep up with this kid, he wears me out. He crawls FAST. He's crawling and getting into one thing from the other. Doing something like brushing Ian's teeth requires me to relocate Reed at least 5 times. He's either getting up into the toilet (or around the bottom which just grosses me out), getting into a trash can, pulling Ian's books down, pulling on Ian's hamper, or plant stand. I use the pack'n'play 1,000 times more for Reed than I ever did for Ian. He's worth every SECOND of the hard work, and seeing his sweet smile just melts my heart. He's a special one and I love watching his personality develop.

9 Month checkup: 20 lbs 1.6 oz, 27.8 inches

Ignore the hairy dog bed he's on. He loved crawling up on this and I couldn't resist snapping a picture.

I need to get better at taking pictures of them TOGETHER - but it's so hard. Neither one stops moving, Ian hardly poses for pictures anymore. But I'm going to keep trying. It's my goal to take more of them together before Reed turns one!

Reed was being SUCH a ham for the camera, check out these last two pictures - especially the last one. It makes me laugh!

Reed is cruising along furniture with better balance. There are times where he's not even really hanging on, but he keeps his balance without falling over. If he falls backwards, he manages to land it on his butt and kind of gracefully roll to a crawling position. For the longest time I wasn't sure if he could sit, because he never liked to try. He'd just get back to crawling immediately. But I think it's safe to say he can officially sit now without help, although he literally never sits for longer than maybe 10 seconds (in the bathtub he'll sit for the longest, maybe a minute).

He's getting into EVERYTHING. I finally moved a plant outside because I just couldn't keep on top of him, and he was constantly pulling the moss out of the plant and making a huge mess. Now he just crawls around the room pulling toys and books and for me to pick up... he keeps me busy! He's also using a walker really well, he'll crawl up to it on his own and just start pushing it across the room with the proudest beaming smile on his face.

He's babbling a ton. He says "mama" a lot, and I'm not 100% sure if he knows the meaning, but I think he might. Other sounds include "ba, da, ga" and raspberry noises. His top teeth started to come in, one is all the way through now. He loves food and is eating more and more and different kinds everyday. He's really into finger foods now and doesn't like to be spoon fed anymore at all. He loves meat, carrots, sweet potato, zucchini, pears, banana, avocado, smoothies... almost everything I offer him, really. It will be interesting to see how much he weighs at his 9 month appointment! I included way too many pictures below, but I just couldn't narrow them down, so here you go -

To see all the pictures, click here.

I couldn't resist a butt picture!

Enjoy!

Shortly after he turned 6 months, he started crawling!! One week later, he was pulling himself up on baskets and stools, and then furniture! He's practicing all the time, and getting stronger everyday. He's less wobbly and has even attempted to take steps when you hold both of his hands. He babbles a lot, ba and ma sounds mostly. And vibrating his lips together "bbbbbbb" sounds. He's able to grasp some food, cheerios mostly, and put it in his mouth. And he smiles at almost anything his big brother does... He is the most smiley baby. I thought Ian was happy, and he was. He was easy and happy. But Reed is so easy to make smile. It's so endearing. He a tough guy, too. Not much makes him cry, unless he's tired or hungry. He is just the most perfect addition to our family. We love you, Reed Garrett!!

1. WHAT IS YOUR NAME? Ian Van Dusen

2. HOW OLD ARE YOU? 20

3. WHEN IS YOUR BIRTHDAY? I don’t know.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD? I like strawberries and apples

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR? Red

6. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW? Curious George

7. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SPORT? I don’t know what is sport? I like surfing.

8. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY? Christmas

9. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK? I like Daniel Tiger book

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TOY? I don’t know - a garbage truck!

11. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DESSERT? Halloween candy

12. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO FOR FUN? I like to be a construction worker

13. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? I want to be a construction worker

14. WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU ARE AFRAID OF? I’m not scared, there’s going to be something on the slope, tall like you standing up, and I’m going to tell you “mom, there’s something scary on the slope”.

15. TELL ME ABOUT YOUR BROTHER - I love him.

16. WHAT IS MY NAME? Laura Van Dusen

17. WHAT IS DAD’S NAME? Daddy Van Dusen

18. WHAT ARE YOUR TEACHERS NAMES? Mrs. Janina and Miss. Allison

19. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE CLASSMATE? Brynlie

20. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE VACATION? camping, that’s why I love camping

Of course, I had to take a few of Reed, too!

After their baths I tried getting a picture of them in their matching jammies in front of the tree. The out-takes are mostly funny. Reed is actually looking great in some, and at the camera, but Ian has his "cheese" face - which I'm not a fan of... I'll try another time!

4 Month Checkup: 15 lbs, 13 oz, 25 3/4"

Last week we met his teachers, and had a "phase-in" day with his class where the parents could be there. He didn't even care that I was there. Not once did he look worried or look around for me. He was so excited to play, he went straight for a train set. Then I decided I'd leave him for a while to see how he does, so when I went up to him and told him I was leaving for a bit and I'd be back, his response was - "I want to go to the playground" (outside area). Me leaving didn't phase him at all. I came back after about 15 minutes just in time to see them all lined up and washing their hands, and have snack time. It was so cute. When he saw me again for the first time, again, he didn't even seem to care. Seeing him be so independent made me so proud. I was texting Wade about it and he texted me back, "you did a good job raising a little independent boy"... which nearly made me cry my eyes out right there. One of the best compliments I've received. That night when I put Ian to bed he said "mommy I want to go back to preschool."

And here we are! September 12th - his first official day. He was so excited this morning, and the drop off went so smooth. He knew exactly which cubby to drop off his bag at, and I took him in to the potty, washed his hands and then walked him to his class in the story room. He sat right down, I told him I'd be back later to get him, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and left. And that was that. He didn't even flinch. I'm so proud of him, and so happy that he's so ready for this. It's only been an hour and a half since he's been gone... it's so weird not having a little chatterbox talking to me all day long!

His first day -

Waiting our turn to check-in!

And here are some pics of his phase-in day last week!

In the meantime, here are some cute pictures!

Here are his checkup stats (he's getting so big!!):

Weight: 12 pounds, 3 ounces (44%), height: 23 1/4" (58%), head: 39 1/2" (59%)

I just loved the looks on his face in these, so I had to keep them! He reminds me of my dad here...

And proud big brother had to get in the mix!

More smiles!!

Sleeping angle -

He looks SO much like Ian to me in this pic -

I'm still not used to holding BOTH my children. I love it and my heart melts. I love being a mom of two, even if I'm so exhausted I don't know which way is up sometimes. It will pass, and they won't want to cuddle with me anymore. So for now, I'm going to soak this up as much as I can. <3

I've been trying to get back into exercising, and hiking Torrey Pines is one of my favorite ways to do it! There's a huge hill in the beginning and I carry both boys - it's quite the workout! Then we walk back on the beach so the kids can run around some more! Here's a pic from this week, I have quite the group of friends... I'm so glad they all have the same interests and feel very lucky to have met this group of ladies!

Every time I do tummy time with Reed (several times a day), Ian has to be involved. He gets down, talks to him, puts his arm around him, and then eventually tells me "he's crying mom, save him". He's such a sweet big brother. <3

He's become a master of jokes and silly names. One of his favorite snacks is edemame and he started calling me "edemommy", he calls Wade "daddy Wade"... I can't think of any more off the top of my head but I'm writing this a bit rushed since I'm tight on time.

He's learned so many words in Spanish, he has been able to count to 10 for a long time now, in English and Spanish, I think he can count higher? Wade says he's gone up to 15 in Spanish. He's just mastered his ABC's, he knows his shapes and colors.

Here's some chopped up video of him saying the ABC's and playing baseball with Wade. Oh and picking potatoes from our garden!

He reminds me SO much of Ian - they look so much alike! I can tell smiles will be coming soon - I cannot wait! He's becoming more and more alert during the day.

I didn't have the heart to take hardly any pictures during the whole experience, but here are a few. He already has lived quite an eventful life. <3

The next day, Wade brought Ian to the hospital so we could all go home together - I hope a memory I will always hold onto strongly. Ian came running in with a stuffed animal gift for his baby brother, stopped by the side of my hospital bed and just stared at him. His face seemed blank to me at the time, but my friend was there to capture pictures, and looking at the photo, I can read so much on his little face. It was sinking in, and you can see it all over his face. Fascination, wonder, awe. It makes me tear to look at that photo, I love it. Ian got a gift from baby brother, a back-hoe loader which he LOVED. He got to hold him and was so excited to ride home with him (after he tried asking to stay at the hospital). On the car ride home he started saying "look baby brother" and pointing things out to him out the window. It melts my heart.

My heart is so, so, so full.

Here's a link to more photos by our friend, Christine Damman - click here.

He's moving a lot and I'm so excited I just can not wait to meet this little guy. To hold him, to stare at his face, to kiss his forehead, to show him to Ian. I just know my heart is going to explode. I think I'm most excited about seeing Ian with him, I think he's going to be so excited to FINALLY meet him. And grow up together.

I stumbled upon this poem the other day and I just loved it. Of course it brought tears to my eyes, just a little.

YOU'RE MY BROTHER

Someday we're going to run and play

you'll be my very best friend.

We might have a disagreement or two

but we're brothers unto the end.

I'm so glad you're part of this family,

I can't wait to show you around.

I promise I'll share my toys with you,

pick you up when you fall down.

If ever somebody should hurt you,

I promise I'll stand right by your side,

we'll fight this world together,

two brothers now sharing life's ride.

And when we grow up and get married,

it won't change how I feel for you,

'cause you are my brother, my family,

and families forever stay true.

I thought there was maybe a chance she'd do it, I've seen her do it to pregnant audience members before. But I was in total shock when it happened. Totally flipped out. I'm actually SO glad you can't see my face. I may or may not have been crying.

Unprompted belly hugs... these will never get old.

He wanted to show the duck his new lego car - how cute is that?!

First discovering the duck, Ian had to go up to it and say "hi"...

Eating dessert, serious business as far as Ian's concerned -

Videos are at the bottom, too!

(I still need to get video of him cuddling and talking to my belly!!)

So the reality is, maybe I was more excited for this event than Ian. It was LOUD there. There were sirens and horns honking ALL the time (from the kids climbing up into the truck). Ian doesn't like loud noises (or crowds I think - just like his father!!), and after a couple of hours I was even sick of the honking. Ian didn't warm up for a while, but he eventually agreed to climb into a Monster Truck, and a Fire Engine. Oh, and I think he really liked seeing the helicopter land.

This picture cracks me up, I was letting Ian watch an episode of Curious George, and this is how they were positioned when I came out to check on them.

We did so many things by hand for his new room - Wade sanded and stained the wood furniture and we bought new knobs, I made the teepee from a canvas tarp, almost everything hanging on the wall I made, Wade stained the book shelves (they are really cheap spice racks from Ikea), and the owl on the dresser was carved by Wade's dad for him when he was a boy - it couldn't fit in better in the new room!

Overall, the transition went ok. Night 1 was great, he went right to sleep and was so excited. Day 2 he refused to nap, which is SO unlike him. Even when we travel, he takes his naps easily. He was clinging to me for dear life so I let him nap on me that day. Night time on Day 2 was equally rough. He didn't want us to leave the room, which resulted in us sitting in his room, and me laying on the floor till 9:20 and when I tried sneaking out he STILL cried for me. I finally just told him I'd be right back, which seemed to comfort him and he finally fell asleep on his own. Day 3 went slightly better, I continued to say I'd "be right back", which has now morphed into "I'll come back to check on you". From there it has progressively gotten better, he still fights naps a bit, but at least has stop crying to "snuggle on couch" instead. I think by next week we'll be back to normal. I'm glad this transition is done, and I can start getting the baby room ready - I need to get those newborn clothes out!!

I still need to hang everything on the walls, when I do I'll try to post pictures of his new room. But for now, here is the video -

Saturday Egg Hunt -

Easter Sunday -

Apparently I didn't take many photos, but here are a few -

We have been working on getting Ian's big boy room ready, and I was going through some clothes the other day and this basket was on the ground and Ian wanted badly to go inside. Then he decided he "needed friends" and went and got all of his stuffed animals out of his crib, pilled them in, and proceeded to read books in there. It's so fun seeing his little brain work these days.

We are in the middle of getting Ian's "big boy room" ready, and moved his rug from his room into the new room for size reference. I was vacuuming, and Wade went with Ian into his original room where he's still sleeping (with the rug missing) and Ian collapsed to the ground on his knees and started crying in distress saying "Oh no!!!! We lost it!!" I'm not sure why but it's been cracking us up. He was so distraught over it, fell to his knees, and the words he chose to use "we lost it," just make us laugh.

At our niece Ellie's First Birthday Party on Saturday! Do Ian and Wade not look totally similar in this picture??! (Minus the coloring, of course)

Leah and I took the kids last minute to Inflatable World the other weekend, the cousins loved it!! When I was taking the picture, I was telling them where to stand and Ian grabbed Maddox's arm - how cute!!

Ian being silly during playtime with his Aunt Enid and Whitney.

Little Picasso at the New Children's Museum. Love this place!

We started first thing in the morning on Day 1. I had previously hid all of his diapers from sight, and he knew this was the day. When I went to get him in the morning, he stood up in his crib, started pulling his PJ bottoms down saying "big boy undies, bye-bye diapers!" I think that morning we had about 3 accidents and 2 good tinkles in the potty (it was hard to keep track). But around 10ish we had a break through where he was on the potty and had a good long pee in the potty. I think that's when it started to click for him. He woke up from his nap dry, went pee on the potty right away. But we had another accident in the afternoon. I learned to be more on top of it, ask him more often but not push the issue. By Day 2, he was telling us on his own he had to go. We also had an incident with poo poo which I won't go into details but let's just say the poo never ended up in the toilet. I think we had 2 morning accidents on Day 2, I had to try really hard not to get frustrated and remind myself he's learning from them. The last accident was because he was not wanting to tear away from his toys. Day 3 there were no accidents (as of the afternoon), he knows when he has to go, and if he hasn't gone in a while I remind him he needs to stop playing with his toys, take a break and try the potty or else he'll have another accident. The BIG breakthrough is he POOED in the potty today!!! Day 3, I knew he'd been having to go for hours, but he was acting too scared to sit on the potty. It came down to right before nap time and he just kept wanting to try. Not sure how he got over being scared, I told him I'd hold him if he wanted and that he's safe. I also started talking to his butt saying "come out poo poo" and boy did that make him laugh. Maybe that's what did it. I told him we'd get frozen yogurt once the poo went in the potty, too. The last attempt I said no more truck videos (it kept him on the potty but distracted him too much, he'd sit there for hours doing nothing if he had the chance). So I was reading him an ABC book, got to the letter R, and he went!! I was so proud I was near tears. I'm still so excited about all of it. I know he's still got some learning to go and there will be more accidents, but I really feel like he's got it down and the hardest part is over. So proud of him, I could just burst. He's a big boy now.

And one from my phone - he's so proud to be in big boy undies the morning of Day 1!

My mom was playing this game with him with puppets and this zoo puzzle where the puppet would get close to the alligator on the puzzle and scream and run away and Ian thought it was SO funny!

Ian and Aunt Lisa really bonded on this trip, he always asked for her. Probably because she was so sweet and talked trucks with him alllllll weekend long. Here she is reading him this truck book for the millionth time -

Showing off his bat swinging skills.

He thought it was so funny to knock this ball off with his nose -

Here's Ian with his entourage -

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He's been talking a LOT. Two word sentences have turned into, 3, 4, 5, and now 6 word sentences! The longest sentence he's said I'm pretty sure he said the other day. I was showing him pictures on my phone of what a sloth looks like, and we came across a baby sloth that was posed in a coffee mug. He said "oh-no! Baby sloth come out coffee cup!" (As you can tell, he likes things in order and if anything is not in place it's "uh-oh! come out! man clean up!").

He still only says "uh huh" for yes. I think it's so cute. "Ian, are you having fun?"..... "uh-huh!!"

He used to say "dicka dicka" for motorcycle for the longest time. He just started saying "motorcycle"... I'm going to miss the dicka dicka days.

I can't remember if I already said this in another post, but everything all day long is: "Ian do it!" or "Do it self!" This kid wants to do it all on his own, all the time. Which is tiring and makes things take way longer, but he's gaining his independence which I know is good. An example is that he MUST climb into the car seat every time by himself. Starting from the car floor, up and around and sitting down in his seat. The good news is, he's gotten much faster at this so it no longer puts us back 5 minutes from going anywhere.

The other day (actually twice now), I've talked to him about getting my coffee in the morning, and once he said "mommy's teeth hurt" (like it's my medicine aka when his teeth hurt he gets medicine), and the other time he said, "mommy sick". I don't know why but seeing him correlate these thoughts in his head and speak them is so funny to me.

Ever since we've been telling him we are having a baby, he's been OBSESSED with his little baby doll. He brings him everywhere. He tells me baby needs a diaper change, baby hungry, take baby's jammies off, baby this baby that. He loves this little baby doll. It's funny cause my mom got it for him a while ago, and ordered the Hispanic version of the baby online, and when it arrived it's skin was SO much darker than in the pictures online! So people always mention how he has a diverse baby doll. Ha!

He's learned the art of stalling, and I have no idea how he just knows how to do this. He asks for water before bedtime, tries asking for one more book, takes forever to brush his teeth. He tries to be a little negotiator. I have to constantly think of ways to expedite the process without giving in and causing melt downs. :)

He's challenging us more and more, so we've had to start laying down the law which has been an interesting transition. He was liking timeouts so much, he was pushing Maddox over and over and over again just to get a timeout. So I stopped timeouts and gave him LOTS of positive praise for good behavior, and just corrected the bad behavior, and he got better. He's since challenged us many times again now, so I've been experimenting different forms of punishment. I'm trying to find a version of timeout that he doesn't like, and works for us. I'm also reading up on child discipline which makes me feel better to educate myself and find what works best for our family.

Overall, he is SUCH a good kid. Even when he fights things, it's usually not for very long. I'm able to calm him down, distract him, and he goes along with the program. He gives lots of hugs and kisses which I eat up every time. Sometimes he just randomly comes up and hugs me in the middle of the day and says in his little sweet voice "mama!"... I'm so lucky to be his mom. I know people say that a lot about their kids, but it's just so true.

Here are some recent pics, my mom's in town helping with Danika so we've been seeing a lot of Nana and Maddox!

Nana came to music class with us last week -

Wade helped our neighbors put their new TV together the other night, and Ian got to take home a prize - a BIG piece of styrofoam which he loved!!

He's become very good on his bike, and enjoys bombing it down the hill to our house. Here's a tiny clip, I need to get a better one...

New baby Van Dusen is due June 22nd, and it's a BOY!! :)

This is from his actual birthday when I took him to the zoo with a few friends.

Visiting his cousin Harper on Christmas Eve. <3

I took him to the zoo with some friends on his birthday -

Also, why is Wade holding his hand like that??!! It's a SCOOP!! You're supposed to act like you're digging! Ohhhh welllll.....

Ian was having so much fun jumping off this ledge to Wade. He got really comfortable in the water with his life vest on during this trip.

On Saturday we went to the Living Desert Zoo out in Palm Desert and it was so much fun! They had a model train track that Ian of course loved, and he got to feed giraffes - twice!

After a hike at Torrey Pines a couple weeks ago. He still rides in the backpack, but walks part of the way now.

My first time attempting an artsy project at home. It went well, got pretty messy and he'd want to go play with his toys with his messy hands, then want to paint, and back and forth. But over all it went really well, and he really liked painting.

Oh, and I love you with all my heart. <3

This picture cracks me up. This is his "what is that?" face.

Some of his new words include: trash, man, Opa, Auntie, Uncle, egg, come, gone, car, bowl, water (wawa), book, walk/walking, pool, kick, shoes, night-night (nie-nie), moon, star, mas (Spanish for more), and so many more I'm loosing count!

And after my mom came out to visit, he started saying "uh-huuuh" for yes!

He actually likes wearing his sunglasses!

Practicing my photography skills on my family :)

Running to chase and pop the bubbles with the big kids!

This is what happens when I ask him to give me Eskimo kisses. It would be cool to get a shot of us actually touching noses. Maybe one day I'll get a good shot of it, but in the meantime, this will do ;)

Ian and Maddox have bonded SO much! Ian loves giving Maddox hugs, and Maddox usually doesn't like it. Which makes the following photos so funny, plus they are naked. We will definitely embarrass them with these photos when they grow up :)

Maddox and Ian playing with the same exact toy that Leah and I used to play with when we were little!

More garbage truck pictures with Nana.

Waiting for Leah and Maddox to get to the zoo, playing in the playground!

Here is Ian hugging his dad <3

Love this photo. My dad is, and always be, a corny goofball.

This is by FAR my favorite recent photo of Ian!! I'm sure I just think this cause he's mine, but he's just so damn cute - I mean look at that face!! Those eye melt my heart.

And here are a couple from the Aquarium!

Here are a few pictures from the day -

The morning started off on the wrong foot with a slight disaster with Ian's smoothie in his car seat. This picture doesn't do it justice - smoother was EVERYWHERE!! Ian just kept saying "uh-oh"!

They love hugging each other!

Wade's started taking Ian with him to bring in the trash cans, and it's so sweet to me seeing them do this. He's such a good dad. Here's a couple pics -

We went with our friends Jennie and Gerry and their 3 kids - Jack (7), Hudson (4), and Beau (1). We all had a blast and it was so cute seeing her kids interact with Ian. I think their favorite thing to do with him was try to get him to repeat words.

Ian had a great time! He wasn't walking still after having his cast off, so he got very dirty but didn't seem to mind! Good thing there were showers at the campsite!

The perfect place to stick them after their showers before bedtime! Thank god they brought the pack n' play!

This picture doesn't even do it justice, but they were filthy!!

And Kyla had fun, too. She's a great camping dog, stayed tied up and stayed near us when not.

Ian's cast came off last Friday, July 22nd. The doctor said it could take up to the amount of time he had the cast on (3 weeks) to fully be walking again. I wasn't prepared for the slow recovery post-cast, but it's been 4 days now and he's progressing. He's standing up and walking (with a limp) with assistance. His leg is just very weak and it's probably uncomfortable and going to take some time to get back to normal. Everyday I work with him to stand, practice walking, and I'm trying to take him swimming as much as possible as that's good for his recovery, too. Poor guy.

Wade's grandpa turned 90 last week and we had a couple celebrations with him. Here are some pics!

On his actual birthday, Enid, Whitey and Evan brought him over to spend a few hours around the house -

Maddox was there too because I was watching him that day! This picture cracks me up!

And on the weekend Uncle, BB, Nicole, Sean, Harper, Michele and Brett (newly engaged!) came down for a visit with grandma and grandpa. Ian learned how to say Harper "Hapa" and Nicole "Cole", and kept asking about them after they left. :)

Our monthly dinner with our friends have become quite lively these days, I absolutely love our get-togethers! This is the best picture we could get with all of us jumping around and singing to get their attention, too bad Ian's head is in an awkward position - but at least they are all looking in the same direction!

He has an appointment (first available) with an Orthopedic Doctor on Wednesday where we will find out more information and he will receive a permanent cast. But fingers crossed he will only need a cast for about 3 weeks. He is SUCH a trooper and I really mean this. Through the whole thing, he barely cried. Only a few times (when he first fell and when the doctor tried to get him to walk when we brought him in). He was so good for everything, as you can see in the pictures. The lady putting on his cast had to use the saw to trim the tip of the cast, and he didn't even flinch. He's adjusted like a champ, sleeps through the night just fine like nothing happened. The first morning he was a bit frustrated because he couldn't walk or move around, but by the afternoon he totally accepted the fact he couldn't use his leg because of his "owie" and asks us for help when he needs it, has learned to scoot around and crawl when he needs to (from toy to toy) and is really good about sitting and playing with his toys for a much longer period than he ever did before. I love this guy with all my heart and need to thank him when he gets older for being so strong and agreeable to anything that is thrown his way.

I was trying to teach Ian to answer that he is one year old, but the trouble is he tries counting and thinks everything is two. So he has the number right on his hand, but just says the wrong number. You just have to watch -

Here Ian is watching Curious George on the plane - he's old enough now to be entertained (only about 30 minutes, but still!) by watching the iPad! It was a great 30 minute break, which was surrounded on either side of constant entertainment with toys and food and looking for airplanes outside the window.

On Saturday, we took the kiddos to a Children's Museum in Marin and it was SO amazing. It had so many things for the kids, Ian was loving all of it!

Here was the view from the parking lot... oh, and Ian was really into these sunglasses he received upon entrance, he didn't want to take them off!

They had a room with a pirate ship, and a bunch of trains - which Ian loved!! Notice his "choo-choo" face, his puckered lips crack me up every time!

Here are the kids before dinner one night, they were great playmates!

They even took great baths together!

Ian is picking up new words every week. A lot of them sound the same (bath/bubbles, dump/duck) but I know what he's trying to say and they are consistent with how he is trying to use them. His favorite things right now are of course trucks, especially construction trucks and garbage trucks, ducks, chasing after Kyla, eating (he is always telling me he's hungry), and attempting to do somersaults (looks like a yoga move with his butt up in the air and his head down on the floor).

He is such a good kid, he's young of course and all over the place, but he's a good listener and he tries to please. He's adventurous, loves climbing, running, and pushing his toy stroller around with his stuffed animals. He's really into blankets now, and likes wearing them around his shoulders like a cape. He is FINALLY starting to call me "mama" which is the sweetest thing to hear and melts my heart. He's a great eater, he eats almost anything, pretty much whatever we eat including - zucchini, kale (yes, raw KALE), chicken, salmon, sweet potatoes, all fruit, cheese and so much more.

I never could have imagined how much I love being his mom, I'd do anything for him and I try each day to be the best I can for him. He makes me so happy, and he's growing up so fast. He's gonna be two before we know it!

My friend Jennie and I attempted to take pics of our kiddos, and we got a few good ones!

Eskimo kisses!

New words this week are apple (his best word yet), and rock.

He also says hola all the time now for hi.

Here he is trying to say banana, which is really funny cause he used to be able to be pretty close to saying it, and now he just uses these sounds whenever a word is too hard to say -

Here is saying apple, I obviously couldn't get him to say it twice and haven't gotten a better video of it yet...

And here is a video of him running just because -

I

My mom sent Ian a garbage truck and he LOVES it! He was so excited and still gets happy and runs up to it when he sees it in the morning! Needless to say he's obsessed with garbage trucks!

Here's our little stinker before bath time -

We did a little hike in the canyons by our house the other day, and he wanted out of the hiking backpack. I just love it when he rests his head on my shoulder, I carried him till my arms were numb just soaking it up.

Uncle's 60th Birthday -

Beach day with Tiger, Holly and Charlie (Ian's shirt is courtesy of his Great Grandma Gloria) -

Ian thought this pile of sand was just too much fun -

Ian and Lucy had such a great time together, I love seeing our kiddos interact. Lucy gave Ian lots and lots of hugs and kisses. Lucy was definitely Ian's first kiss. So sweet. <3

I just can't get enough of this face.

We went to the bay Friday morning... Ian now fits into his dad's sweatshirt from when he was little!

Natalie started doing this with Ian and he thought it was SO funny!

Here are some pics from those two weeks -

Ian's first encounter with a grasshopper, he wasn't sure what to think. Then once he touched it and it moved, he wasn't a fan ;)

Our little helper <3

I think Nana was in heaven seeing her grandsons again!

At the Cuyamaca Conservatory Garden in El Cajon, Ian's first wagon ride!

Hearing an airplane...

We got out the pool and bubbles and water toys for a fun time with the cousins!!

"Where did it go??"

Bringing Nana an onion from our garden for dinner...

Ian's new favorite truck, purchased at a Toys'R'Us visit with Nana...

And lastly, we went to the Carlsbad Flower Fields and rode on a tractor!

We stayed in a house with Wade's good friend Steve and his family and another family, they had a 2 year old and a 3 year old - it was a lot of fun! We were right down the street from the Trotts and Jason so we got to see them a lot, too. The weather was great, and it was a great short trip, 3 nights. Just enough time to enjoy the beach, pool, and drive into town for tacos, and one night Wade, Ian and I went into Puerto Nuevo for some lobster! I love this little getaway!!

Ian is loving the zoo more and more, which is good because his mom likes taking him there!!

This is right after playing peek-a-boo behind the tree. He's such a happy little guy, I hope that never changes.

He's taken a liking to this Curious George monkey, he holds it in the car and always takes it with him into the YMCA. It's so cute seeing him carry it around!

Later that day we spent hanging around Natalie's house and visiting her nephew and new niece down the street. Ian loved pushing around Lucy's strollers of course, and Natalie even put her little dog inside the stroller! It was too funny!

(Ian was mesmerized by all the small dogs they had at their house, I don't think he could believe something so small could still be a dog since he's so used to Kyla!)

It's crazy to think all the times I spent with Natalie, closing down the bars together in our 20's... and now we get to spend time together in this new great phase, and bathe our little kiddos together! I'm lucky to have such a great friend in my life.

Anyways, Kyla got car sick on the ride out there (and threw up twice, poor girl), but other than that it was such a fun trip! It made me really want to plan a camping trip where we can bring Ian next! It's not the same when he's not there with us!!

He's not saying it here, but none the less, here's a video of him going up and down - his first time on a teeter totter! ;)

Here's Ian before we did a hike at Torrey Pines, I forgot how cute these one-piece jumpers are!!

He plays "peek-a-boo" behind trees and posts now. Here he is popping out -

Another beautiful day at the Birch Aquarium!

This is the only picture I got -

A couple days ago I took Ian to the park and there was this little girl there that was playing with a stick in the sandbox. So Ian started to take interest in the few sticks that were in the sand. Later, we were walking back to my car through the grass, and BEHOLD! There were sticks everywhere!! He started pointing, and picking them up, shoving them all into one hand, and grabbing more with the other. Who knew sticks could be so exciting!

Today Wade went into our bedroom and Ian made the gesture (aka "where did he go?"), and I told him he'd be right back. And he was content. <3

Here's a picture of him doing it the other day -

He's climbing up onto this bench on his own now! I'll come outside to check on him, and he's just perched up on this bench, enjoying the view!

Here's another pic of him doing it, but there's a funny story about this outfit. Here he is wearing an outfit that used to be mine (or Leah's?... I'll have to ask my mom)... Anyways, it was so cute because these green bottoms barely had any elastic left so they were starting to slide down. Later, I was in the hallway and I wasn't really paying attention but he was saying "uh-oh" over and over again and I didn't realize till he came running down the hall saying "uh-oh" and handing me the green bottoms. They had completely fallen off him and he was bringing them to me! It was so funny to me I was bending over with laughter!!

Here are a few of my favorite, but to see them all, click here!

Ian kept insisting Wade leave his hat on while he read him this book! If he took it off, Ian would point at it and make noises till Wade put it back on!

Here he is waiting patiently for Wade to fill up his watering pail! He wants to be just like his dad!

This week I took the rascals to the Birch Aquarium here in SD and they had so much fun! I'm getting better and better at handling them both and venturing out and about with them now that their naps are at the same time!

Here's what new with out little man -

Every day he surprises me on how  much he can understand. He's gone from simple instructions like, "can you put this... in here?", to things like, "leave that outside; throw this away; put that back; get your shoes; where's your cup; push the button; bring me a book; this is mommy's not yours"... and more! Today he was eating lunch I told him to eat his green beans and he understood that, too. Or the other day when he woke up I told him Maddox was coming over and when we got out to the front room he put his arms up like "where is he?" and was pretty disturbed there was no Maddox. I had to explain he was coming later, but it was too cute! It's just so cool how much they learn and you don't even realize how much they can understand till one day they're eating green beans on command!!

This memory I just have to share because I don't want to ever forget it - The other day I was making lunch and I felt him touching my toes, then he ran over to where we keep our shoes by the door, and he runs back and brought me my slippers! I almost died it was the cutest thing!! He noticed I didn't have them on because I usually wear them, and he brought them to me!! Ugh I died.

He also makes lots of animal noises including elephant, lion, monkey, dog, and giraffe.

He's saying more and more, his new words include - Hola, Bye (Bah!), Ball, and "bye airplane!"... oh and he makes the sound for uh-oh... but doesn't say it yet.

He can finally nod "yes"... which is so refreshing to just getting the head shake for "no". And he does a cute blink face if you ask him to blink!

Eskimo kisses - I've given him Eskimo kisses since he was a little baby, especially when he's laying down on the changing table, I'd just come down for a cute nose rub with the little guy. Now he gives them if you ask him, and he'll start shaking his head before you can even get your nose close to his face.

And lastly, we've been teaching him the sign for "more" which he doesn't really do correctly, so it's turned into two claps. So, two claps now means a lot from Ian. It can mean - more, help, or want. It's so cute cause if he wants something he claps twice and points at it. So it looks like he's almost commanding us to do his bidding. The other night Wade said he was starting to read him a bedtime book and he clapped twice and pointed at a different book on the night stand - he wanted him to read the other book! Ha it cracks me up!

And now for some random pics and videos!

He's been REALLY into climbing lately. Makes me a nervous wreck! Here he is trying to climb the wall to my vegetable garden, now this one I think is going to be tough to stop!

He's been really into pummeling Kyla lately. Like, literally running up on her and pouncing her, climbing over her, stepping over her, chasing her, etc. Good ol' Kyla is a great sport, and I tell him he's gonna have to pay her back and throw her lots of balls when he gets older! :)

And here's a video (and I know the first fall looks like it could've been bad, but thank god it wasn't... and I'm learning that just comes with the territory of having a little boy!) -

Here he is at the tail end of playing "peek-a-boo" with me -

Nodding "yes" and blinking -

Dancing! He loves this show that has so many songs and dancing videos. I'll ask him if he wants to go watch the Wiggles, and he'll run over to the family room and start bouncing up and down! Here he is jamming out the other night -

Last week we met Wade's cousin Nicole and her little family on a work day, and Wade took the day off. It was the same day that I watched Maddox, so we brought him too and they had so much fun!

One of my favorite times of the day when I watch Maddox is when I'm making lunch, and they amuse themselves outside (still a new concept to me - Ian self entertaining now!). Anyways, I check on them constantly and they are always together, into something. One is always following the other. I got a little video of it, they aren't doing much, but it's still cute to see them next to each other. The beginning of a wonderful cousin friendship. <3

Happy 1st birthday Harper, we love you!!

Not the best angle, but Ian loved making shots into this basketball hoop!

Ian got to take home one of Harper's #1 balloons (thank you Nicole and Sean), and he loves the thing!! The first evening he had it, he did everything while holding it, including eating dinner and his bath!

Here it is -

Here are some pictures from the trip I took on my phone - our camera pics will be updated soon!

There were 3 boys that attended the wedding, here they all are - so cute!!

Here's Ian just posting up and actin' cool...

Here we are at the rehearsal dinner - the house where it was hosted was amazing with this beautiful view!!

We had lots of family pool time!! Ian loved swimming beach and pool!

Exploring with dad!

Ian had a lot of fun with Dave on the trip, too!

Here is the sunset at our condo we rented in Manuel Antonio. I was sick this day with food poisoning, and in between throwing up, I realized I was probably missing the sunset. So I managed to pull myself out of bed to peek outside the balcony, and I'm so glad I did!! <3

We were able to hook up our iPad to the TV at some of the places we stayed, so Ian could catch of few minutes of his new favorite show - The Wiggles!!

This one house in the mountains that we stayed at had these two random objects that he found (dustpan and sprinkler head) that he just loved carrying around throughout our stay there. It was too cute!

Here's our little traveler, all rosey cheeked, and sticky from the humidity but still having a great time waiting for his lunch!! (Note: he's sitting in a chair like a big boy!! We still used high chairs when available, but when they didn't have any I was surprised how well he just sits in a chair on his own!)

On our trip, it was SO humid. So Ian had the cutest, curly hair ever!

One of many beautiful sunsets, this is the view from our condo in the last place we stayed, in Jaco.

We did several hikes while we were there, including one canopy tour/hike. It was so cool!

Today I brought Ian to open gym at a YMCA and he was in HEAVEN!! I could barely keep up with him, and if I turned my head for one second, he was gone!! Needless to say he wore himself out!!

Here's a little video -

Last night we went to La Jolla Brewing Company's 2 year anniversary party and there were balloons everywhere, so of course his dad went and got him one! He carried this thing around all night, when we got home, and even this morning!

These pictures are from this morning, here he is eating breakfast - he's getting really good at using a fork, and he favors his left hand - a lot!!

On our morning walk...

This was this morning after I told him we needed to go to his room to get dressed, he starting to understand more and more of what I'm saying!! ;)

- Bath (he says this over and over again when it's bath time and we are walking down the hall into the bathroom... it sounds a bit more like "ba" but we know he is trying to say bath!)

- Kyla (this is brand new and has only said maybe twice)

- Dada (he likes making this sound, and uses it for many things, but he also knows he can use it when trying to get his dad's attention now)

I have yet to get any of these on video, I'll try to get him saying bath on video soon, but in the meantime, here is a lovely noise he discovered he could make yesterday -

Matching sweaters!!

Opening presents and Leah and Chris's house -

Trying to take more pictures in front of the tree, these out-takes were too funny!!

That night, Enid, Evan, Whitney and Grandpa came over for dinner. I love this picture as they made eye contact...

Here are a few of my favorite, but to see them all, click here!

(Never mind my horrible face, just push play! 😜)

Ian wearing his sweatshirt that he got from Uncle and BB for Christmas, it goes so well with his eyes!!

He's obsessed with carrying things around now. The other day he carried these two lemons around the whole day!

He's just so cute I can't handle it sometimes!!!

It's weird, this morning I was just noticing how he still chooses to crawl around from place to place. He usually only would walk to and from places if was within maybe 15-20 feet. But after his lunch today, just like that, he walked from the kitchen, through the foyer, down the hall, around the corner and to his bedroom!! And then, just like that, he's walking around all over the place!!!

It really amazes me how a transition like that just happens one day. All of a sudden, he decides to (or realizes he finally can) just walk everywhere.

Here's a video from the recent achievement today -

Here's a short video to this song that this toy sings, but he does it to actual music, too. He especially likes the Christmas music that I've been playing around the house!

On one of our last nights in Spain Ian said "up"! He wanted up on the couch and I said "up?" and he said "up"!!! It was actually on Thanksgiving day, we didn't fly home till the Friday after Thanksgiving. Anyways it's been one of his favorite words to say so far! And the next day he started saying "again"!! He says "again" a lot, for multiple things. Basically if he wants you to do something, he points at it and says "again", haha!

So here's a video of him saying "up" -

(Really though, I swear Maddox had fun other than these 10 seconds of when we wanted a picture)

(he's also doing his latest trick in this video, which he just started doing this week - clapping!!)

New things he's doing this month:

- Walking to and from us to objects, i.e. table, chair, cupboard, etc.

- Talking!! He started saying "up" and "again" while we were on our vacation!

- Imitates me, like blinking and bouncing his head.

- Bounces his hand/arm to music.

Some pics from NY with Nana!

This is a cardboard fort that my mom made for Ian (that he loved), it was so impressive I had to document it (the inside was even more impressive) -

Here are some videos of Ian babbling, it's starting to seem more and more like he's trying to talk to me. I think he was trying to point to something, but of course I have no idea what the heck he's trying to say. He's also really excited about finding Kyla's bone.

New things he's doing this month -

- Trying to use a spoon on his own

- His babbles sound like he's talking. I swear he tries to say "all done" when he's done eating!

- Points at things (airplanes, lights, etc.)

- Waves bye-bye

- Hands me things, and puts things in random places (i.e. my flip flop in the tupperware cupboard)

- Puts his hand in the toilet - fun!! ;)

- Hates having his diaper changed!

Here are a few pics, right before we leave for our big trip!! I can't believe he'll be ONE in just another month!!!!

Turns out Ian had "hand, foot, mouth disease" which typically includes a fever for 1-2 days, a sore throat and blisters/bumps on the hands, feet, and mouth. Poor guy was so sick the first day, but was a trooper afterwards even with his red sore throat. I'm glad it's over! (Never mind that I got it after him, arghhh!)

Anyways, here are some pictures from the pumpkin patch, and Ian's first Halloween!!

The pumpkin patch we went to had lots of activities for kids, I think Ian will really have fun next year! This year, we just enjoyed the (very tiny) train ride!

Our little monkey dressed up as a monkey!!! OOOooo oooo, aaaa aaa!!

Stop monkeying around!! This one's my favorite! ;)

Maddox (aka the fireman) at his first house! He loved the lawn decorations at this house, and his lolly pop :)

Ian was really into this banana the entire time, and ended up gnawing on it till he was able to suck out mushed banana out of the peel!

I absolutely love this stage that he is at! All the new things he's learning, and I love teaching him new things (like how to crawl down off the couch feet first), and now practicing walking. I love being able to hold his hands while he walks... especially now that he's perfected walking while holding only one hand. He just melts my heart, I love him so much.

Here are a few of my favorites, and some from my phone as well...

Our little travel baby, getting his wiggles out (or so we thought) before we board the plane to Tucson!

Ian and I flew back without Wade on Monday, so it was just him and I cruising around the airport. He loved looking out at the planes, trucks, and people outside!

Wade and Ian at the resort we stayed at during part of our trip. After Ian was all done eating he got antsy, and Wade took him around and he was incredible amused with these rocks in this fire pit! Luckily we were at dinner so early that there was no one else out on the patio yet! Taking his nap on the plane back to San Diego.

And here are a few pics from the camera... (There's more in the link above from the gallery I uploaded!)

Wade, Ian and Wade's grandparents on his dad's side, Bill and Betty Van Dusen -

He scratched below his eye the night before, but still a cute picture!

Caught him in action making one of his favorite sound effects!

Looking out the resort window at the pool below.

Last week, on 10/15/15 (my 33rd birthday), Ian graduated from having to wear his Doc Band "helmet"!! I was so so so so very excited, and it was the best birthday present ever!!

It's so nice to touch his little head whenever I want now, I find myself still just staring at him with it off. He looks so different! We are so very happy with the results! I still find myself thinking people are staring at his helmet when we go out in public, then I remember he's not wearing it... and maybe they are just staring at him cause he's so CUTE! :)