From My Camera

My baking buddy...

Baby in a bucket
Going for a ride with Daddy

Going for a ride with Rylan

Working on projects

Working with clay

More bugs in jars in my living room

Feeding said bug in a jar
The bug that's destroying my eggplant (and what the bug-in-a-jar is eating)

Baby watermelon

Morning Glories

Lots of Morning Glories

Hummingbird, way up in the tree. Do you see it?

8 months old, playing with ribbon

Crawling
Standing
8 months old today....and I've lost my favorite portrait chair due to mobility.

Celebrations

We spent the Christmas Eve day up in Gatlinburg with my dad and stepmother... they boys love spending time with Grampy and Gram....and you can't beat a 60 degree Christmas Eve on the top of a mountain.

Christmas morning festivities began around 7:30 when all the boys were finally up....stocking first.....when I was little- and actually up into my teenage years- Santa left our stockings on the end of our beds....my brother and I would wake up ridiculously early and tear into them...then go back to bed. I have yet to continue that tradition...I like seeing the kids open up their stockings too much. Here's Lakin.... a banana and a bus- his 2 favorite things in the world.... it's funny how quick they learn. By the end he definitely knew what a present was and what to do with it.

One of Cohen's big ticket items....

And Christmas morning fun....they were in their PJs until about 2 pm when we had to leave to go to Paul's grandmother's house.

Rylan's big item....

And with all these outdoor toys...

I'm glad it's been mild....temperatures are getting up near 70 today!

New skills....

Saturday afternoon one of the training wheels broke completely off of Cale's bike. It was his 3rd broken wheel. He'd already ran though the 2 that came with his bike and was now onto the 2 that we took off of Rylan's bike. We have a running deal with the boys that they get a new bike when they learn to ride on 2 wheels. We've tried a number of times with Cale, at his request, but he wasn't ready. He leaned a lot and overcorrected, a lot. But out of necessity this time, we took off the remaining training wheel and gave it a shot. He didn't fall. He didn't lean. He just rode off...

He only goes maybe 20 ft at a time before he stops himself and falls over because he's going too fast to simply put his foot down. He's ready for a new bike now....and is in need of one too....his seat padding has been fading fast and the rust is creeping up too....

Here's the other skill he learned yesterday:

Can you see what he's doing??
That of course made me have to step up and do it too...it never bothered me as a kid. I loved dissections in school. Now?? eww!! I'd better get over it so I can do dissections with the boys before too long!

We've been fishing a lot. It's one of Rylan's favorite things to do. We've been going down to Fort Loudon since it's close to our house once or twice a week. Working on Rylan's fishing belt loop and pin for cub scouts. Of course he is supposed to bait a hook- he can do corn, he can do artificial lures, he can pick up a worm and play with it....but stab it with a hook a few times?? No way!