Well, it has been a very eventful summer… and how could it not be with these two growing boys by my side.  Here are some memorable things I thought I would share for an older version of Gabe and Miles:

GABE:

You have officially discovered independence. You want to do everything by yourself now: make your own chocolate milk, zip up your own pajamas, get your own vitamins (which proves difficult due to the ole child safety mechanism.) You are so strong willed but I try to be patient as I realize little by little you will need to take on the world yourself… but for now, please let mommy help a little =)

You have always been able to crack us up, but your sense of humor seems to be growing as fast as the rest of you. You are always ready to make someone laugh with a funny voice or some good old fashion slapstick. Lately though, you pronounce, “That’s funny!” when something is silly or amiss or you have laid out an elaborate funny act. Your statement of the obvious seems to draw even more laughs.

Despite your love of trains (which is a love affair as strong as any in history) you do love to pretend to fly by swinging your arms behind you, arching your back and pointing your head in the direction your facing.  You announce, “I fly” and off you go. Planes in the sky and having superman rides on mom and dad are still a lot of fun.

You have a great imagination and yet when I say something like, “oh you’re a monkey.” or “oh you’re a dinosaur” you look at me like I’m crazy and say, “No, I Gabe!”  You are a big fan of  lions, bears, dinosaurs… pretty much anything that “ROARS!!”

MILES:

Despite many toys meant to be walkers, you prefer to use a little tikes kitchen chair to help you get to where you want to go. You walk a foot or so behind it and waddle quickly trying to catch up to it. You beam at everyone as you pass as if it say, “I’ve almost got it!”

You are OBSESSED with anything electronic. The coffee maker, air conditioner, CD Player, TVs, remotes… you just know the power buttons and can pretty much make mommy crazy trying to keep you from them. At your one year check up you shut off the scale before the doctor could read your weight. She said she never had a baby figure out how to shut it off before.  I also once walked into the room and saw you watching a Bob the Builder video which you somehow magically figured out how to play.

People refer to you as a Zen baby because you are often so chill, taking the world in. BUT you certainly have a touch of mom’s temper. If I dare take something away or you want to be held, you SURE make yourself heard.  And it sounds like you are really yelling at me. You say, “Muh muh muh muh, muh!”  It’s hard not to laugh sometimes you get so serious when you’re upset. Keep up with that centered, peaceful version of you, please!

You have fully established your pointing skills (perhaps a lab in a former life?) When you are held you just point to everything that fascinates you and if you don’t get closer to the thing you desire, your point becomes sharper and more animated.  You have found that people, light switches, toys, the dog, you name it, can be accessed with this motion and you don’t want to leave anything undiscovered!

More on you later, little ones. I have to go get you ready for your day so I can discover even more about what makes you tick!