Mountain Man

In preparation for his upcoming ski trip with the guys, Kent has decided to forgo shaving--something about male bonding and keeping his face warm.

While we are impressed by his thick beard, we look forward to seeing his face again soon.

New Addition

We have a visitor at our house this week. Daisy the Dog is spending the week with us while Grandma and Grandpa Smith are on vacation. She has her own little fan club at our house, with the boys squealing whenever she enters the room and following her around the house. Grant pats her and tells her not to worry--her mom and dad will be back soon. He also says:"We love our sweet dog."

Looks like a dog--or cat--may be added to our family soon.

Saturday Morning

On our way to a Zoo Tots class at the zoo. Eating a bagel while listening to "Yellow Submarine."

Proud

G was so proud of himself last week when he discovered he could climb the rock climbing wall on our swingset -- all by himself. He did it over and over again, each time announcing at the top, "Mom, I did it! You're so proud of me."

I was -- and he obviously was too. And I was proud of myself for capturing a genuine smile on camera, which is why I love this picture so much.

Best Buddies

17 Months

In the past month, Miles:

• Played in the snow for the first time and hated it.
• Has been emulating his brother in more ways. A few examples: He likes to sit at the table like a big boy, wants to dress himself in the morning and pretends to use the potty.
• Has unfortunately become a biter. We think this is either a sign that he's teething {he hasn't gotten any new teeth in many months} or he's found a defense mechanism.
• Has a few new words, including "sorry" {see above} and "thank you." 
• Continues to have very strong opinions, ranging from what books we're reading to what we're having for dessert.

Previous monthly photos are here.

Parallel Play

A new development in our house is that the boys have discovered a mutual love for trains. So they actually play--not so much together as next to each other--at the train table. Occasionally trains crash and drama ensues. But for the most part, they are content to play side-by-side.

This post coming to you from my new MacBook Pro! My computer died the week before Christmas--"Catastrophic hard drive failure" are not words you want to hear when you're in the middle of a freelance project.