That's a Keeper!

If you have ever seen Bolt then you know that the main human character Penny always takes a picture with her dog and says "That's a Keeper". So the other day I thought it was funny when James got a hold of the camera and I could hear him taking pictures in the other room and saying "That's a Keeper" He took about 13 pictures of various angles of the living room. And I really don't think any of them are keepers!

Today we had Michael's Two Month appointment. I can't believe he is already 2 months old! Here are his stats:

Height-22 1/4 inches (20th percentile)

Weight- 11lbs 7 oz (40th percentile)

Head- 15 inches (20th percentile)

He weighs about a pound more then James did and is the same height, which is why he seems so chubby to us! We are still having some struggles with his eating and sleeping habits. It is so hard to get him to take a nap during the day so he gets overtired then screams and screams. James doesn't seem to help the situation because every time I finally get Michael to sleep James does something very loud and wakes him up. He seems to sleep better if I feed him a bottle so I am thinking that he is not doing very well nursing and we are going to see a Lactation Specialist as soon as we get back from Colorado.

A few nights this week he actually slept for 6 hours straight! I was so excited because I really needed longer then 2 1/2 hours of sleep for once. I think once he regularly sleeps 6+ hours a night we will try moving him in with James.

A really busy weekend!

We had such and fun and busy weekend, so this is going to be a longish post. I will try to keep it brief, but you can just look at the pictures if you want! On Thursday we had some of James's friends over for a pool party. It was a little cool out so James is really the only one who played in the pool, but they had a lot of fun.

On Friday we went camping. We wanted to go to Warm River, but it was full by the time we got there so we went to Lower Mesa Falls instead. It was a nice little campground (only 9 campsites) which I really liked because it was quiet. I forgot how much I enjoy being in the mountains/forest areas. It is very calming and peaceful. We set up camp. James liked helping set up the tent.

Michael was very content in is pack and play. He was amazing the entire time. I am ready to move outside permanently with how good he is.

James found this trail by our campsite. He loved to walk down it and stop at the "chicken log" then walk back. It is called the chicken log because he wouldn't step over it so Doug called him a chicken. So then whenever we got to the log James said "chicken" then turned around and walked back.

We had very yummy tin foil dinners for dinner. James didn't want his so we all shared it.

Once it got dark we put James in the tent and sat around the fire with our fire sticks. It was funny because every once in a while we would hear James repeat what we said. About 11:00 we gave up on James going to sleep and decided to go in the tent with him. He kept climbing in the pack and play and playing all over the tent until about 12 or 1 I put him in my sleeping bag with me and held him there until he fell asleep. Michael on the other hand slept from 11 to 5:30. That is the longest he has slept in his entire life! I would have got a good nights rest if it wasn't for James constantly kicking me or hitting me.

When Michael woke up to eat at 5:30 James also woke up, so we were all pretty much awake then. James took us to see the waterfall. We had a very good view of it, but couldn't get down to it. He loved throwing rocks and wood down the hill with Dad.

I tried to get a picture of his dirty camping face. It was pretty dirty, but he was so grumpy that it was impossible to get him to cooperate.

After breakfast and cleaning up camp we decided to go to the Upper Falls. James had a snack and stuck the entire thing in his mouth at once, it was pretty funny.

I thought it was really cool to see the falls, James really just like climbing the stairs.

Michael was really good the entire time. Here is one of the rare moments that he was actually awake.

When we got home everyone had a bath and got cleaned up, we all wanted a nap but the boys didn't really cooperate. Michael was wide awake after all the sleep he got camping.

Saturday night there was a demolition derby in Rexburg so we went. James liked the Nemo car, but got pretty scared when they were actually going because it was so loud. He mostly just liked walking around.

He was really worn out after all the activities and fell asleep during dinner on Sunday!

And today my new stroller came! I am really excited about this because hopefully it will be easier to take both kids places. I didn't want a double stroller because they are so big and most of the time James prefers to walk. So I thought this was perfect because it is smaller, but there is a place for James to sit or stand on the back.

Oh Cool!

Every morning and every afternoon when I go and unlock James's door and let him out he does the same thing. He grabs his two blankets runs out of the room and says..."Oh...Cool!". It makes me laugh.

Here are some pictures from the 4th of July. We went to Porter Park to watch the parade. I think James's favorite part was that we brought his bike and he got to ride around on the sidewalk. He did a total of 5 laps while we were waiting for the parade.

He loved getting candy, but mostly just eating it!
I thought this float was very creative.

This is what happened when Dad would let him have the whole piece of salt watter taffy. It just didn't fit in his mouth that well!

This was James's favorite float. They put a tumble track on this flatbed truck and had some of the gymnasts do tricks on it. James really thought that he should go ride on it, after all it is his favorite part of gymnastics!

Riding Bikes and Smiles

Michael learned how to smile this week. I love how happy he can be. The past couple of days have been great! He seems to be learning to put himself to sleep better and getting less fussy when he is tired.

I know what the experts say... but sometimes the only way I can get this kid to nap is on his stomach, and doesn't he look so peaceful!

James learned how to ride his bike this week by himself. Now he has to have his bike wherever we are. If we go outside the bike has to go outside, if we go inside then the bike has to come inside. It also helps if he can find Dad helmet and gloves to ride his bike.

National Camp in Your Backyard Day

Yesterday was National Camp in Your Backyard Day ( wonder who comes up with these "holidays"), so of course my boys had to camp in the backyard. Doug actually had this "camp out" planned for a long time. It was sort of a test run to see how James would do if we really went camping. I think they had a blast.

First they set up the tent. James didn't really care too much until it was set up. We got this tent last year and for some reason never even used it. So this was the first time we have ever set it up.

When it was time to go out they put on their backpacks to "hike" to the campsite.

They arrived tired and ready to camp! I think it was a pretty long hike for James with such a big backpack!

Time to take off the pack....

And jump on the bed!

I guess it took James forever to fall asleep. Doug said it was like watching a Dog, he kept turning and turning until finally it was time to settle down and go to sleep. They came in about 5 in the morning because it was so cold. I guess the nights here never get warm. It was supposed to get down to 40 degrees last night.

Rain, Rain, and More Vent Problems

Michael is now 1 month old! He is getting so big, I weighed him on the Wii Fit and he unofficially weighs 9.7lbs. He is getting so big! This picture of him is right after his bath. When his hair is clean it is curly and blond, it is pretty cute, but of course Doug wants to give him a hair cut.

It has been raining every single day this month! We are so tired of the rain and staying inside, but luckily James loves to play in the Garage almost as much as he loves playing outside.

Finally on Friday it was a nice day (don't worry the clouds came back and it is raining again today) so we went outside. We all loved it. Michael took his nap in the "shade".

James roamed around everywhere! Amazingly he kept his hat on which I didn't think he would ever do.

He loves blowing bubbles, and he learned to peddle his bike on his own for the first time. I tried to get it on video, but he is just too fast at getting off his bike.

Finally the story of the vent problems... I feel really bad that I didn't get a picture, but I was more worried about the safety of James at the time. I put James down for his nap and did the routine pick everything off the floor that could be used as a toy, the shut and locked him in. An hour later he was still playing so I went back in, put him back in bed. I think around 2 or 2:30 he started crying a little, which is usually a good sign because it means he is going to go to sleep so I didn't worry about it. He finally did fall asleep, but at 3:00 he was awake and crying again. Crying when he wakes up is unusual so I went in to check on him and was a little shocked by what I found. James was on the floor under the window, but only from the waist up. At first I was confused, but soon I realized that the rest of him was down the vent. I have no clue how he got both legs down the vent but I am so grateful that it held his weight!

The First 3 Weeks

Michael is now three weeks old. It seems to have gone really fast! He had his two weeks appointment last Tuesday and weighed 8 lbs 5 oz, so he is gaining weight really well! His "belly button" finally fell off on Friday night so he had his first bath at home on Saturday. He seemed to really like it until it was time to get out.

James is also adjusting well to having his little brother around and loves to give him kisses. We have had Grandparents and cousins in town this past weekend and James has loved every minute! We really wish we lived closer to cousins because James loves to play with them so much.

Michael loved all the attention. Ok really he just loves to be held and sleeping in anyone/everyones arms.

We blessed Michael in Church on Sunday. He was very calm, definitely a different experience from James.

Michael was given this play mat from his Grammy. James loves to lay in it. I thought it was so cute that they both had their fingers in their mouths.