obsession

to say the boys are obsessed with trucks is an understatement. at this point, our world revolves around identifying every truck on the road, in every book, and on articles of clothing. it's not enough to be riding the toy truck. no siree, we have to be looking at the truck book while riding the truck toy. and no, it's not enough to wear pajamas with trucks and other motorized vehicles. you have to wear said articles of clothing while sucking on a matchbox truck. this is clearly a case where nature has taken over. it's definitely in these boys dna.

walk about

the boys have become hard core neighborhood walkers. we typically take a 40 minute walk around the hood in the morning and the boys can walk half of it on their own. and it's pure delight for them. i honestly think it's their favorite thing to do. they stop and touch all the leaves and flowers, inspect all the major cracks and stains in the sidewalk, wave to the passing cars and cyclists, and say hello to all the neighborhood cats. our family walks, especially during the weekend when we have the time to really relish them, are some of our most treasured times. hopefully we maintain it as a ritual for many years to come.

family foto

it's a rare thing to find pictures of the four of us. i hunt through iphoto in hopes of finding a good family pic from different stages of the boys' lives and there's slim pickins'. so with j's mom in town this past week, i was determined to have some pics taken of all of us. i knew it wouldn't be easy. out of about 40 pics in 3 different shoots, we managed to get ONE good shot:



now, i say this pic is good because we're all sort of looking at the camera, no one is crying, it's not blurry and jordan and i actually look decent.

here are some of the pics we got to choose from. you'll note that the oz-man was having an especially rough time of it, due i think to his molars. or perhaps the site of the camera made him want to vomit?



i don't even have the words to capture this expression. it speaks for itself:



obviously oz doesn't want to be on my shoulders:



getting closer, but distracted by the car driving by:



and last but not least, my personal fav:



i think there's a very good reason professional photographers get paid the big bucks to capture those pics where everyone is smiling and looking fabulous and i think one of them is going to get a call from me very, very soon.

prime spot

the boys have decided that the coffee table affords them the best view while watching the backyardigans. where do they come up with this stuff?

food fight

for jordan's deceptively easy lamb kafta recipe, and to read about our latest foodie trials and tribulations, check out my recent post over at how do you do it!

you say potato

to say our boys have their own individual styles is an understatement. they just approach life differently, and it shows in interesting and funny ways.

- abie goes down stairs on his butt (always) and oz either crawls down backwards, side steps while holding the door frame, or (when a small enough step) will just barrel down forward. it's hysterical watching them go down the step at the same time to get to the garage.

- oz signs everything and abel verbalizes everything

- oz moans really loudly when we put him to sleep and abie is quiet as a mouse

- abie loves him some binkie and oz has nothing to do with it

- abie gives open mouthed kisses and oz does the peck

- oz is a terror when he eats w/ food going everywhere; abel is neat and tidy and gets the spoon in his mouth every time

- ozzy is right handed and abel is an obvious lefty

brotherly love

affection is exploding out of these boys lately. j and i now receive awesome kisses on the lips, hugs galore, as do lots of objects around our house including matilda, the couch and ottoman, blankies, stuffed animals, etc. but last week the boys' realized that they can shower each other with affection. sure, they've hugged before, but it's becoming a regular thing nowadays.

last week in the tub, abie was standing in front of a sitting oskar. oz looked up, saw abie's penis, and touched it. jordan said matter of factly, "you can touch your own penis, but not abel's." within 60 seconds the boys were sitting facing each other and, laughing, leaned in to give each other a big open-mouthed kiss. and then it happened. oz slipped abie the tongue, which made them laugh even more.

but this increased physical contact comes in all forms, and while sweetness is behind lots of it, frustration is behind some of it too. the boys are certainly sorting out the concept of "that's mine, this is yours" as well as taking turns on favorite toys and books. we're reffing lots of MMA matches around the house lately and they are both totally guilty. we really don't have one offender, but rather they have demonstrated that they can equally well tackle, pin, pull hair and clothing, get each other in the guard and smack each other on head. we really try not to laugh and find ourselves bitting our tongues a lot.

on the whole, i'm pretty impressed by how well they get along and how much they enjoy playing with each other. they have a really caring, empathetic relationship and they are constantly doing nice things for one another. if one goes into their room to get his blanket, he always brings his brother's blanket for him. if one goes into the kitchen for milk or water, he always brings his brother's cup too (and offers it to him!). they frequently hold hands and play footsie in the stroller. it melts my heart in ways i never imagined.

it ends as fast as it starts, the anatomy of a fight:

oz steals the wagon so abie pulls his hair


oz retaliates with a double fisted shirt pull



oz takes abie to the ground


they turn a corner and abie pulls oz in for a kiss


smiling and laughing, they're back up and abie is pushing oz around in the stolen wagon


hmmmmmm...i wonder where they learn this behavior?

(note bald man holding his best friend richard in his guard)

balancing act

abie's new thing is balancing objects on himself and matilda. two nights ago he spent a good 30 minutes following mati around the house, balancing cups on her back. and last night in the car i heard him cracking himself up. i looked back to find his book balanced on his head. over and over and over again, balancing the book on his head and cracking up. calling all pageant contestants, abel charges $100/hour for lessons on good posture.

MIA

i know, i know. it's been a while since i posted and i'm sorry. really i am! it's not for lack of things going on here, i promise. but these days it's been difficult to schedule time on the computer. with the boys solidly on one nap, i find i have to use that break even more efficiently now. and jordan is getting his CFP (certified financial planner) which involves him glued to our mac 3 hours every night. truth be told, i've enjoyed taking this break from technology! but as i run through my memory of all the fun things going on with the boys, i realize i've got to get my bunz in gear or else 16 months will have came and went. so get ready, here comes the barrage...