He's walking!

It's official, walking is now Ezra's preferred way of getting around. He has sure taken his time, especially since he is 16 months old, but now he is lovin' it! He took his first steps a few weeks ago, but he was quite timid and is just now feeling confident. Even though he's a late walker, he still seems so tiny to be up on his feet. He weighs in at just above 18 lbs. He is definitely thrilled with himself!

Nightmare at Church

We've really been enjoying October this year. It's definitely my favorite month, especially when it's as warm as it has been lately. Last weekend, I took the boys to the cabin. Dad stayed home to work extra hours and get homework done for his online college course (he's working on a certificate from Stansford... he's loving it!). Each of the 5-hour drives went fairly well, and they really did have so much fun at the cabin. I don't think I remember either one of them getting bored. The only trouble was church.

While the sacrament was being passed, Nolan started yelling things like, "I hate that! I'm gonna kill him! I'll knock him dead!" I don't know what he was angry about but I had to drag him out as he continued yelling 3-yr.-old obscenities. Not more than 3 or 4 minutes after coming back in, I watched as he stuck his head through the small square opening on the back of his plastic chair. Next, he stuck his arm through. Before I could do anything about it (yeah, you guessed it, folks) he was stuck. I quickly tried to get his arm back through but soon Nolan panicked. He was screaming in terror and it became obvious that there was nothing to do but take him out with the chair still attached to him.

It was so awkward getting out because the chair legs kept clanking along and banging into everything we walked by. He was screaming so loud. By the time we got out to the hallway and I pried him out of the chair he was sweaty and panicked. I was so angry with him and, looking back, I feel bad because I know he was just scared and didn't mean to be naughty. Why is it so hard to find these kinds of moments funny at the time? Later that evening, the bishop from the Alton ward brought Nolan a baggie of suckers because he'd heard about "the chair incident." What a nice guy, although I hardly think the experience deserved an award.

The whole thing was so ridiculous but at least I wasn't the mom just one row up from us whose little girl coughed, gagged, and then vomited all over her. I was amazed that she calmly caught the bulk of it in a little pool between her chest and arm and then quietly walked out without causing a scene. The Dad then used wet wipes to mop up the stray chunks on the floor. It was at that moment that I totally second-guessed whether or not it is okay to let Ezra eat treats that have fallen to the floor during sacrament meeting.

The rest of the trip was fabulous. We had good food and I enjoyed reading The Hunger Games. Do any of you local readers have the second book I could borrow?

The boys at Duck Creek:

French relatives

It seems like just yesterday that our French relative, Pierre, visited:

Now Pierre's cousin, little Gaston, has come to play. What a cute little French boy!

Both Ez and Nolan were around 15 months when these photos were taken. I'm never very good at telling whether they look alike or not.

One last taste of Summer

We had a heat wave last week so I thought I'd take the kids for one more outing at Liberty Park. Ez was getting over a stomach bug during our last visit so I didn't dare let him in the water for fear of spreading germs. So this time he was truly enthralled with all the little rivers and rocks to climb over. I had a fun time photographing his excitement. We loved our last chance to splash in the water before it's too cold. Now we are looking forward to soup weather, wearing jackets, and going to the pumpkin patch!

October Conference

We were due for a visit to Logan, and what better time than General Conference weekend? It's a tradition that Justin go to the priesthood session with Grandpa Moulton while all the women in the family have girl's time (along with their kids, of course). This year we went up Logan canyon for a campfire. The s'mores were so delicious. Ez was in love with his marshmallow. Thank goodness for wipes!

We kept busy between sessions by taking walks and visiting Moultons and Great-Grandma Petersen. We attempted to drive up to Mt. Logan and see the Fall colors, but we soon realized our gas light was on. We did enjoy the bright colors as we coasted down the hill trying to conserve gasoline. As always, Nolan's favorite part was all the motorcycle rides with Grandma K. It's pretty awesome that Grandma is the one in the family with a motorcycle.

It's challenging trying to listen to the speakers while two little boys are demanding our attention, but there were many wonderful talks. I'm so thankful for our dear prophet. I'm sure there are few people out there who think of us as a perfect, happy family. But just in case, here is a picture of Justin glaring at me for something snippy I said, while Nolan spits in my face. Nice.

And here's one of my favorite moments of the trip. There couldn't be a cuter little white bum on the planet!

New Bike

Nolan has outgrown his 3-wheel tricycle recently. It just didn't go fast enough for him. He was so excited to receive his new bike and give it a try. Whenever he passes people he says, "Look at my new green bike. It came on a delivery truck!" It only took him a day to get the hang of keeping his balance and he can really cruise now when there's a little hill to go down. He coasts down our driveway with his feet completely up on the footrest, even as he goes off the bump and into the gutter. The idea with balance bikes is that kids learn to balance first and then when they are introduced to pedals they'll already know how to stay up - eliminating the need for training wheels. So far it's a hit. Even Ezra wanted to try it out. Now when we go on walks it's great exercise for me because I have to work to keep up with him.

Brothers

Just before running a quick errand I had to go back in the house for something. When I got back in the van Nolan said, "Look Mom, we're brothers!" Here is what I turned around to see:

These brothers like watching for trucks, playing Legos, wrestling with Dad, and watching VeggieTales.

We finally got the pool out this year. I know we're a little late, but Nolan still had a good time. Ezra splashed a little but he took his "swimming" very seriously. We got it put away just in time, too. Today is the last official day of Summer and it's now 65 degrees and raining. Goodbye Summer!

Nolan doesn't really take naps too often anymore, but sometimes he can't help but sack out in the late afternoon. After building a "cave" with the couch cushions, this is how I found him. I took a quick picture and then repositioned him before all the blood could flow to his head. As I'm looking at this picture now, it seems like Nolan could have used a potty break before falling asleep!
And Ezra even found a place on the floor to curl up and rest. I just want to kiss those little lips!

Last of all, here's yet another favorite place that Ezra likes to kick back and relax:

Ez Stats

Warning: one for the journal, not entertainment:

Went to Ezra's 15-month checkup today. Turns out he has gained about 6 oz. in the past 6 weeks since his last weight check, for a grand total of 18 lbs. (My sister's 2-month-old baby only weighs about 3 lbs. less!) That puts Ez around the 1st or 2nd percentile. The doctor said there's no need to continue weight checks since it's most likely genetic. And I know that Ez eats quite a bit so I'm not worried. Oddly enough, I always thought Nolan was heavier and never dipped that low on the percentile chart. However, I reread my post from his 15-month checkup and realized that that is when he finally went above the 10th percentile. So maybe when Ez gets walking he'll gain some weight like his brother did. He's around the 30th percentile for height.

He wasn't happy about shots today. First time a sucker hasn't cheered him up. It's good to have his flu vaccine taken care of already. It sure beats waiting in line at 5 a.m. like last year to get the H1N1 for the family. It's so nice that it's all in one vaccine this year.

And for my memory's sake: Developmentally Ezra seems to be doing well. He says several words: ma ma, da da, bye-bye ("buh buh" while waving), uh-oh, uh-uh (as in "no" and shakes his head), and he knows the sounds for a monkey, dog, and chicken. He absolutely loves animals. He makes high-pitched squealing sounds when he sees a kitty and gets so happy when they approach. He's getting close to walking. He has taken several "first steps" but hasn't really progressed beyond that. It's always two steps and then falling forward or turning to jelly legs. He's a lot more cautious than Nolan ever was. But he's so darn fast at crawling (forward AND backward AND in circles... very funny!) that he probably sees no use in walking even though he'd be capable if he wanted to. It's hard to imagine him walking because he's such a little tiny Ezra-Doodle!