Oh Boys

It's been so long since I've done spefic kid updates that I can't remember what I've recorded and what I haven't. The boys are so busy growing and changing that I can barely keep up. RL is showing a variety of personality traits these days that range from greeting us each morning with a cheerful "Hi Mom! Hi Dad!" followed by a request to snuggle and making sure he hugs T before he leaves to work to saying "I need..." a hundred times a day about something...his cup, his "trocs" (crocs), to "cereal with milk and a bowl and a fork." He has many very specific needs and he likes to tell us about them...he is becoming a master of articulation and persuasion. Like last night, after we'd played outside at least an hour but it was time to come in for supper and he wanted to go back out...he kept saying "I want to go outside...I can, I can, I can..." in a tone that didn't give the impression he was demanding it so much as that he might have expected that just saying it would make it so. Now that I think about it more, it was almost Little Enginish! He now has the verbal skills to make his thought process clear, and it's fun to see what comes together in mind and then out of his mouth. Tonight, we took a mid-movie break and when one of the girls called to me, "Can we start it?" RL said, "Bob the builder...can we start it?" (which begs the answer: Yes, we can!). Some of his favorite characters are "'Venture Hat" (aka Cat in the Hat) and "Lightman Tween" (or Lightning McQueen!). He likes to put his cap backward and say, "I'm a fireman." I think I need to get him some real uniformish dress-up clothes.

I think I took this on the day I took all 5 kids to the eye doctor (for only 2 to have their eyes checked). If you think about that scenario it might be easier to understand why I allowed him to go out dressed like this:

SA is growing and continuing to delight us all with his sweet little baby ways. He is mere days away from being eight months old! He's a laid back little guy mostly, although he has his moments where it's clear he's most content on my hip with his thumb in his mouth! His first two teeth made appearances within a week of each other this month. He's become a tummy sleeper, I think, and he makes an adorable little gargling coo when he's really happy! His appetite is certainly healthy and so far he's thrilled with almost everything he's tried...just this week he even had a few smashed black beans! SA and one of the members of his fan club:

Bathtime smiles!