Muscles

Skyler loves flexing his muscles. I'm not sure that he knows what muscles ARE, but he loves doing it nonetheless. Our routine that we used to do with him was, "Give me five... Give me knuckles... Show me your muscles!"

My Kids are Growing Up

So the other day, Skyler tried on my shoes and started heading out the bedroom door, announcing that he was "going to buy milk." I asked him if he had money to pay for the milk. He thought about it for a minute, then headed over to one of our dresser drawers and went right to the container we keep our change in and grabbed a few coins. My mouth just dropped... How did he know that's where we keep our change, or how did he even know what money was (since he usually just sees me use a debit card)?

And then Miss Kimberly is getting SO big too!

Mommy vs. Michelle

Skyler recently discovered that I have another name besides just "Mommy". Apparently I wasn't responding to "Mommy", so he decided to try out "Michelle", to which I had to do a double-take... "What did you just say Skyler?" It's pretty cute to hear how he pronounces "Michelle", but it just sounds so informal and un-loving when he calls me "Michelle". So we've now had the conversation that other people can call me "Michelle",
but to Skyler, I'm just "Mommy".
And somehow, being called "Mommy" feels good.

Phrases

Like most kids, Skyler has a few favorite phrases that he says a lot lately. One of them he says is, "I'm a lucky boy!" whenever he gets a piece of candy or gets to do something fun (obviously we've TOLD him several times that he's a "lucky boy").

Another phrase he picked up from Laron is "Let's DO it!", and then he now adds very matter-of-factly, "That's what Daddy says."

The other day too, as we were playing a game, Skyler blew me a kiss as he left the room and said, "That's what Grandma says." Apparently Grandma must blow him kisses from time to time!

Another phrase he frequently says is, "Oh... I forgot!" while dramatically placing his hand on his forehead & then reminding us about whatever it was he forgot. What a silly boy!

Imitating

Skyler sure picks up on everything, and feeding and burping the baby are no exceptions! I don't even have to teach him what to do, he just does it... And I must say, he's pretty good at it (although I'm glad he has his OWN baby doll to practice it on!).

Handsome vs. Beautiful

The other day, Skyler told Kimberly that she was "handsome." It was a very sweet comment, but then we had to have the conversation about boys being handsome & girls being beautiful. Since then he's been practicing up. At least once a day for the last few days, Skyler has stroked my face and told me that I'm beautiful. How precious! And lately he finds the quiet moments to tell me, "I love you Mom." AND, as the cherry-on-top, he really likes to brush my hair lately. It's those moments when he melts my heart like that that motherhood pays off & it all seems worth it. If Skyler continues being such a sweet guy, he'll have a very happy wife someday!

Reminded of the Past

The other day we decided that maybe Kimberly was old enough to appreciate the bar over the top of the bouncer that plays music, so we tried it out. As soon as I turned on the familiar music, I felt like I was transported back in time to when Skyler was a little boy. Suddenly I could just imagine being back in Logan in our little front room, with Skyler's big wide eyes staring back at me. I enjoy life now, but I kind-of had to hold my breath & hold back a tear or two as I reminisced about the memories of the past. Hmmmm.

Reading "Scriptures"

So a couple weeks ago Skyler found this book of "Tom Sawyer" in with Grandpa's kids books, and excitedly opened it & showed me the text inside & proclaimed, "Mom... Scriptures!" I was confused for a moment, but then realized that the only other book that he's ever seen without any PICTURES was the Scriptures! So now Skyler gets excited every time he sees that book & he pretends to read his "Scriptures." What a smart boy!

"Not so Bad"

The other day we took Skyler to the Doctor. He's always been pretty nervous about the Doctor's office & starts screeming as soon as they start doing ANYTHING (yes, even weighing him and checking his height). But the other day when we took him, he did SO good & was so brave as the Doctor listened to his chest with the stethoscope and looked in his ears with the light. Then, after getting his sticker for being a good boy, he walked down the hall like he knew exactly where he was going, turned slightly back to me & said thoughtfully, "Not so bad." Finally, the message that we'd been trying to tell him for months had sunk in... going to the Doctor is "not so bad."

Me & My Girl

There is something about having a little girl that is just fun... When I see the way that Skyler imitates Laron doing things & following him around, I look forward to the day when my little girl will do the same thing to me. It's not always easy though taking care of a needy newborn, but it's these special moments when she cuddles against my cheek or something that I enjoy her the most!

What a Big Boy!

Wow, my little boy is sure growing up fast! I think it's even more obvious now that I have a newborn baby to compare him with. But the other night when I was putting Skyler to bed, he announced to me that he could pull up his own covers... and my heart broke! For the last 2 1/2 years I have been wishing for him to get a little older for some reason or another, and now, I just want time to stand still while I cherish the sweet, cuddly boy I now know & love.

Don't grow up too fast on me Skyler!

So Helpful...

Skyler loves routines, and he especially loves reminding us of our routines. When he wakes up in the morning, he goes through the list of what needs to be done before we can eat breakfast... "Scriptures, prayers, dressed." When Laron wakes up (from sleeping during the day after doing a night-shift) Skyler kindly reminds HIM of what he needs to do... "Scriptures, prayers, dressed." And when he goes to bed, he once again loves to repeat back to us the list... "Scriptures, prayers, dressed, brush teeth, push buttons (for his heater)."

And what's even cuter is when we forget a portion of the routine and he remembers later, he puts his hand up to his forhead and says, "Oh, I forgot!"

My Talented Kimberly

For just being a month and a half old, Kimberly sure is able to hold her head up well! It's amazing how such small things can seem like such huge accomplishments!

A Much-Needed Break

After a long night and a busy morning, it is so nice when both of the kids take a nap at the SAME time!



If only I could get a nap in myself...

High Self Esteem

It's amazing how cool most kids think they are... And somehow, that's okay. Lately Skyler will out-of-the-blue just start naming off all the people that like him:
"Daddy likes me."
"Grandpa likes me."
"The baby likes me."
"Mommy likes me."

Or if someone smiles at him at the Grocery store, he'll turn to me and say, "Mommy, they like me!"

And when we come home from somewhere he'll now remind us how much we missed him:
"Daddy missed me."
"Grandpa missed me."

To which, of course, we agree and tell him how much we missed him.

Lego Choo-Choo Train

Skyler got some legos for Christmas & was playing with them the other day like normal, when he started lining them all up in a row. He then excitedly over to show me his creation and said it was a "Choo-Choo Train." Wow! It's always impressive when kids can come up with new things like that on their own... or maybe my kid's just smart!

Discovering His Eyebrows

So Skyler recently discovered his eyebrows... It's been funny to watch him purposefully try to raise them up and down.
What a cutie!

What a Sweet Older Brother!

Skyler sure loves his new little sister! I can already tell by the way he treats her that he's going to be a "lady's man". He is so sweet with her, especially when he lovingly strokes her face... Precious!