He Keeps Growing

Felix just turned 15 months. However, it feels like he's been 15 months for months already, probably because he is so crazy busy and has been walking for 5 months!

 See how Felix is sitting on this park bench? He climbed up there himself.

Those curls. You guys. I am crazy about those curls.

This torpedo? He can climb on and off it himself. 

An aside: While we are on the subject of the torpedo, can I just say how weird I think it is that the cute chipmunk at our local park is paired with a deadly torpedo? I can't help but think of Dr. Strangelove whenever I see it, and that's a disturbing image to have every, single time I go to the park.

Felix can feed himself with a fork and a spoon. 

I think I find this much more remarkable than it is because Beckett (although he could feed himself with a fork and a spoon) was still asking me to spoon feed him until well after 2 and a half.

These two are getting along.

Kind of.

 

Beckett loves to show Felix how to do things. Big brothers are good teachers. Some times too good. Beckett is teaching Felix to be a tough guy, thanks to all the knocks he takes around the house. Felix didn't even cry when he got his shots today.

There's something about this age that is incredibly charming. Felix is so engaged in his world. He is a super pointer. The problem is, of course, that half the things he points to he can't have, like electric razors and houseplants. He's started looking at books on his own and letting me read to him, instead of snatching the book and putting it in his mouth. Felix listens to us and usually does what we ask him to do. Everyday when we get dressed I will show Felix his pants and socks and tell him that it's time to put them on. He then walks toward me, turns around and backs up to sit in my lap. The cuteness gets me every time. This curiosity also means that he's into everything. Everything. He'll pull every single wipe out of the case. He'll slowly tear tissues into tiny pieces. He threw a book into the toilet tonight. He likes to rummage through the trash. Every morning he makes his rounds and unplugs all of our electronics. We had to replace the outlet plates with baby proof versions so he'd stop trying to then plug everything back in. We are constantly saying, "Felix. You are such a mess."

Felix has always been a happy boy. He continues to love people. He will look and look at someone until they finally smile at him and then he'll flash a big grin back.

He's pretty much the best and cutest baby in the world.

Best Library Finds (5)

What Time Is It, Mr. Crocodile? Mr. Crocodile plans his day, but those pesky monkeys just won't leave him alone. This is a fun little tale, written in catchy verse. It has a clock on every page.

Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow? Beckett loved this book. It has a lot of things going for it. The question and answer style was a big hit. It also has colorful illustrations, flaps on every page, and a review half through and at the end. It's pretty clever too, for example, "If a kid grows and becomes a goat, can a sweater grow and become ... a coat?"

Tupelo Rides the Rails Every time we go to the library we have to come home with at least two train books. Sometimes this seems like a pretty tall order, and I settle for ANY book that has a train. Needless to say, some of the train books we've brought home have been real duds. I was sure that this would be one of those duds, but it's not. Tupelo is an abandoned dog. She joins a bunch of other dogs who ride trains looking for homes. Not only is it way cuter and cleverer than I thought it would be, but I would recommend it to both dog-loving and train-loving children.

{Mother's} Day Camping

On Mother's Day we went day camping. What is day camping, you say? It's camping that doesn't involve spending the night. Fortunately for us, we have fantastic campgrounds in the state park just 15 minutes from our home.

We had a few reasons for day camping: 1. It was Mother's Day and camping gave me a bit of a break. 2. The kids have never been camping before, and Nate wants to take Beckett camping this summer, so it was a dry run. 3. It was cold. 4. We've had church at 9am since January and having everyone inside the house for the rest of the day is driving us all insane. 5. Beckett insisted on going home to use the potty.

The boys got the campground an hour or so before I did (that was part of my Mother's Day break). They played on the tire park. 

Felix slid down and climbed up the slide. Little Monkey. 

I think Beckett must have been running around like a crazy kid playing bullet train or something because I don't have any tire park pictures of him to post.

Once I arrived we went to set up our campsite. Nate cooked on the grill, and Beckett fed his brother.

The boys helped set up the tent.

Here's our car's audition for a car commercial.

We climbed into the tent, and Beckett showed off his sleeping bag. It has a pocket, and he thinks that's super cool.

Felix is starting to actually enjoy reading books, instead of just eating them.

The fire made Beckett crazy silly.

Happy Mother's Day to me.

Not Ready for This

I found Felix on the table for the first time today. He was eating crackers from the box and very pleased with himself. Nate nicknamed him "Felix, Little Monkey" when he was a wee baby. He seems to be growing into the name. He's not even 15 months yet!