Four for the Fourth!

Happy Independence Day!

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Nine Months of Clarky Pants

Oh my goodness this has been fast!  I have tried so hard to savor every moment of Clark's infancy, but he is definitely racing hard and fast toward toddlerhood these days.

Making it even worse: we marked nine months with yet another haircut (I've lost count as to how many he has had), and I feel it aged him SO much!

It's adorable, but I'm not sure I was really ready for this change.  All his previous cuts had been because the top was too long, but this one was because the sides and back needed it.  

He is turning into such a big kid in so may other ways, too.  He LOVES to eat!  His very favorites are meats and cheese.  Veggies and grains come next with fruits at the end.  We definitely haven't noticed a sweet tooth in him. 

He does, however, have six real teeth.  The sixth one came in the day he hit 9 months.  He'd been sporting just five teeth for a couple weeks beforehand in a cute, goofy grin.

Clark is falling in love with books these days, too.  His very favorite book is a finger puppet one about a polar bear.  He also loves Peek a Who and a couple Sandra Boynton Books.

 Clark has the amazing ability to smile and be happy almost no matter what is going on.  He can be sleepy and hungry away from home and still be smiling.  Occasionally, we have to add in a little extra time being held just to make that all work, but it is so worth it.  Clark is such an easy going kid to be around and a joy to love.

Of course, Clark is off the growth charts for height and near the top for weight, so he is spending more time in the stroller and less in carriers as the weather warms up.  Most of the time, he thinks it is so exciting to be sitting up and seeing the world, and it can be a lot of fun just to watch him taking it all in.

Clark has hit an age where he would much rather be playing with anything of Calvin's over any of the baby toys.  The two of them can have quite a fun time dumping blocks and cars and animals and music toys all across the playroom together.  It also makes for ample opportunities to see Clark's little personality starting to shine through.

Those are some of the best moments for Clark.  He thinks that Calvin hung the moon and soaks up every bit of attention Calvin gives him.  Calvin loves having the audience, too, so more and more of their day is spent laughing and playing together.  Watching these two grow closer over the last nine months has been one of the very best parts of being a mother of two.

 We love you Clarky Pants and are so excited to watch you learn and grow!

Happy Birthday Hobbes!

First thing this morning, Calvin informed me it was Hobbes' birthday.  He told me he had already sung him Happy Birthday, but we needed to have a cake and presents.  Also, I was informed that he had turned 2.  So, we celebrated!  

We compromised with banana bread in a bundt cake pan.  Calvin helped make it and waited patiently until after dinner to eat it.  And, a new puzzle and coloring book that were stashed for a special occasion were brought out as gifts. 

I was more that happy to celebrate someone who has been bringing us all happiness for (a little over) 2 years!

Hobbes originally joined our family to complete our Match Day ensemble, but as we'd hoped, he quickly became much more than a prop.

Hobbes was one of the first toys Calvin formed an attachment to and has been the most lasting one.  He's been a lot of places with us but only seems to get more cuddly as he ages.

Calvin quickly took to holding him around the neck (always tucked under an arm), so he's got a bit of a long neck these days.  And, he's a bit less shiny, but we like him just the same.

These days, Hobbes has his own seat in our car as Calvin has designated the cup holder as his spot.  Every time we get in, Calvin makes a point to pretend to buckle him in as well.

Hobbes gets a little neck sparing time in his "carrier" as well.  Calvin requested we make this one morning to look like the one I use with Clark.  He was pretty proud of his efforts in helping and loved using it for a while.

Calvin used to not understand the significance of us calling his tiger "Hobbes."  He went along with it because we had always done it.  These days, he is excited that there are whole books written about the two of them and loves to have us read them to him.

I loved that we were able to have a special day to recognize such an important part of our family.  Happy, happy birthday Hobbes!  We're so glad to have you around!

Inaugural Train Ride

We took our first train ride of the season today!  Clark was unsure what to think of it, but Calvin was very, very excited to be back on it again!

So much has changed since riding it the last couple weekends in the fall!

Of course, we couldn't be at the park without a little more fun.  Calvin has been coming to this playground since just before his first birthday.  (He spent time here even before we closed of this house!)  Of course, he especially loves visits with Daddy because they are a bit more rare.

 Clark loved the swings today. 

It brought back fun memories of taking Calvin to a park for the first time when he was just about a month older than Clark is now.

Today, though, Calvin only spent a couple minutes on the big boy swing before climbing up the jungle gym every way possible.

These days, he is loving the big "noodle" slide, the rock wall, ladders, and playing make believe with the set up underneath it.

I'm so excited about all the fun we have ahead of us at this park this summer!

Two Weeks of Germs

We've had a rough couple of weeks around here.  Calvin spent almost a week with a cold virus.  He was a sad little boy with a fever and no appetite.

More than once, I found him wanting to play with Clark but unable to do much of anything but lay next to him on the floor.  It made me feel terrible for him. 

Unfortunately, that meant Clark was front and center with the germs and came down sick a week later.  Clark took it a step further and got pink eye on top of the cold, though.

Shortly thereafter, the germs caught up with me and then Devin a few days later.  Then, Calvin's seasonal allergies flared up before spending yesterday with an upset stomach.  Thankfully, the boys were both still their cute, sweet, funny selves but were just sleeping a bit rougher.  We are all on the mend now, though, and I'd really, really like to keep it this way!

Cousin Time

In the space of less than a year, Calvin and I managed to see almost all of the nieces and nephews on both sides.  This started with a trip to visit my parents last March where we spent time with my sister's two boys.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take any pictures of them together that trip.

Over the summer, all the Stephens cousins were together for the Fourth of July.  Calvin especially fell in love with Mary and Luke that visit and referred to Andy as "Baby Candy."

Mary was gracious enough to give Calvin lots of rides in the Jeep which won him over very quickly.

And, Luke took the time to find things he and Calvin could do together at the playground, which was very sweet.  This was especially true since Calvin was still a bit awkward and timid at barely two years old.

Later that month, Baby Charlotte came to visit with her parents for a weekend.  Calvin thought it was a lot of fun to try to teach her things but wasn't at all excited about sharing the tub with her.

Shortly thereafter, my sister came to visit with her two kids.  And, my Dad surprised us by showing up for two days of the visit as well!

Calvin loved showing his barely younger than him cousin all of his favorite things around here.

And, having an almost one year old cousin trying to keep up with him was pretty fun for Calvin as well.

In October, we had all the Stephens cousins together again, and this time Clark was around for it, too!

Lastly, I was finally able to meet my sister's son Sam at the beginning of March just a couple of weeks before his first birthday.  This would have made for seeing all of the nieces and nephews in one year, but my older sister had her third child just hours before Sam got here.  We had a lot of fun with Sam, though!

Now, it's time to start another year with lots of cousin time!