Nine month photos, plus blooper reel

Our little deer is nine months old! which is exactly what I said about his sister when she was nine months old and wearing the same reindeer suit for HER nine month pictures. Because that's what you get to do when your children have the same birthday!

This little guy is just...well, I was late for work today because he is so irresistible. And then Anneke came in and jumped on the bed and it was too...much...coziness! Baby Ben is clapping now, and crawling up a storm. He can stand holding himself with one hand, and he loves to babble and sound his barbaric yawp when the spirit moves him. Y'all, I am seriously, so blessed!

Oh, Anneke LOVES it when we're focused entirely on her baby brother. She really follows directions during Ben's photo time. And what a good idea for us to include/but not include her instead of distracting her with a TV show!

Darn you, white balance in the yellow room at almost dusk in front of the Christmas tree!

eight months old!

Using a fancy camera is nothing like riding a bicycle, especially in low November light with a crawling baby and a bored three-year-old who is NOT impressed with the attention her baby brother is getting. These were the most in-focus shots we got, and they're frustratingly fuzzy.

But I digress. Ben is eight months old! Still just an easy going guy who loves to crawl around and grab things. I just can't believe how sweet and delicious he is. I want to go chew on his legs right now, but he is sleeping, and waking him up would be completely insane. He is not sweet and delicious when it comes to sleep. His tendency to not sleep longer than 2-3 hours is not appetizing at all. What happened to our little infant who slept through the night and made me feel smug and sorry for all those parents of babies that don't sleep? what?

One more thing! Guess who will be nine months old in December and playing Baby Jesus in the church Christmas Pageant? This guy:

Halloween 4

It just gets more and more fun! This year cousins and grandparents came to our neighborhood for trick-or-treating, and we had special guest star Miss L. and her family join us! Miss L. and Anneke have been buddies since their days at daycare, and now they are big preschool girls together AND neighbors!

I love that this is the look we get when we ask our daughter to smile for the camera. Five-year-old cousin Claire was the trick-or-treating mentor, guiding the younger girls up to porches when they were feeling spooked. When Claire herself got spooked she asked, "who's going to go up to the porch with me?"

The force is strong with cousin Connor. Am I getting that reference right? Poor thing. His light saber burned out as soon as his stroller hit the sidewalk.

This little monkey slept through the whole thing. We returned home to find him clad in a swim diaper and reports that he peed all over grandpa.

Why the long face? because you're interrupting my unwrapping of the chocolate eyeball for the annual photo in front of the Bleck-o-Lantern. Not cool.

Sweet Child o' Mine

I think I'll take a break from a slew of First World Problems to do some mommy-blogging about that sweet girl of ours.

You might remember she's three and a half now. These days she's really into space and the solar system. She and Daddy pasted construction-paper planets on her bedroom wall. At the grocery store the other day she got a mummy sticker. That, of course, lead to a discussion about Death, Burial Practices, and Egypt. Why didn't I just tell her a mummy is a Halloween costume?

She started preschool and dance class. She's really learning some nice skills, like standing in line and how to make friends The other day she got DISSED at the playground by a little girl from down the street. She took it in stride, though. Of course, I wanted to rescue her, but she didn't seem to need it. With all these leaps and bounds, she also enjoys retreating back to babyhood. Don't we all, Anneke...don't we all?

She's still such a good big sister. I love being the four of us.

What a difference a month makes!

Poor baby Ben. Already getting shortchanged on the monthly photo/blog post. I assure you, Anneke had her photo taken on the seventh of every month--not before, and certainly not after--and had a blog post for every month of her first year. Clearly I was looking for something to do during the two looooong naps she took every day. No wonder I had time to open a private practice. Ben is more of a cat napper. And Anneke is a no napper. And I am a want-a-napper who has since closed said private practice. 

So here's our guy at six months and change, drooling and getting ready to crawl! Or was he crawling? I don't remember. It's in his baby book.

And here he is at seven months, getting ready to stand.

And teething!

How to make your daughter into a nerd

Anneke says she wants to be an astronaut when she grows up. I told her that I wanted to be an astronaut too when I was a little boy. I hope she makes it through elementary school before reality sets in.

Baby Love

It's always ourselves we find at the sea

Just got back from a week at the Kroner house. The weather was beautiful. Honestly, it was a bit cool windy on our beach. But I'm including these shots so it will be clear I didn't have anything to complain about.

Oswald West State park, where, after almost twelve years here, I JUST discovered agate hunting!

Sea Lions in Astoria, just returned from California: obnoxious and fun to watch.

Sunset at the Kroner house.

Short hike to the beach.

Everyone loves a brown-eyed girl

Five months!

Well, I guess it's time for my monthly blog post/baby progress report. I'm coping better with the relentless schedule we're living with, but it's still relentless. One hobby that's completely on hold is photography. I know I'll get back into it, hopefully soon.

It's been a fine summer. Not optimal, but lovely in many ways. There are moments I sit on the porch at that time where the breeze starts to blow as the day changes to night when I feel like I'm in heaven. I took the kids to Arkansas and took very few photos (see above). But I had such a nice time with each and every family member I saw, and Anneke had an absolute blast with her cousins. She also went to Vacation Bible School and came home with all sorts of crazy questions about God. She'll be talking about one thing excitedly, and then come out with, "Mommy, how did God make the world?" The other day she started to ask if God was made in China--this after she asked Dave if God made her Mardi Gras beads, to which he replied they were probably made in China.

I'm savoring this ripe peach of a baby boy, that's for sure.

Big sister

And what of big sister? She's lovely as usual. She is inquisitive, imaginative, and oppositional--very, very three. Last week in Arkansas she had nary a time-out, and I have solved the behavior problem: I need to import her cousins and instruct them to run around with and entertain her. Everyone is so much happier come the end of the day.

Little Tiny Little Head, untouched: 4 months!

Ask Anneke what we call her little brother, and she will reply, "Little Tiny Little Head." And indeed, we do. I'm not sure how long he will let us get away with it. At four months, he continues to be sweet and easy even as he rolls over and grabs things. He's just a happy, mellow little guy.

These unedited photos are quite indicative of my skill level working a fancy camera, especially when photographing wiggly kids. They're just slightly, annoyingly out-of-focus. Some that I didn't include seem to depict a glowing pole sticking out of Ben's head because of the way the light hit said (flag) pole and my amateur composition skills. Someday I will learn photo shop, but, honestly, I have barely picked up the camera these past couple of months--too busy picking up the baby!

Also, we took these in a hurry the day before Dave had gall bladder surgery! Family life is busy with two under four!

I do think these capture how beautiful these two, are--don't you?

Don't go toward the light, Little Tiny Little Head!

Mom, please get this pole out of my head now.

The Little Guy

Yeah, this blog has become pretty boring, but cute! Here is our little three-month old. He's rolling over now, and generally clearly delighted by his family's presence. He's as sweet and easy as they come.

Outfit courtesy of a family friend back in Camden, AR, where they know how to dress a baby boy.

Photo editing courtesy of Dave, who is learning all about Photoshop. I would love to learn Photoshop, but, strangely, have not had time. But that was not a dig! No sirree. That man of mine pulls his weight around here for sure. Thanks, Dave, for bringin' home the bacon and comin' home to do bath and bedtime while I finally get around to those bon bons we SAHMs are notorious for eating.

Mother's Day

Today was perfect: alone time with the New York Times in the morning and a flat full of annuals in the afternoon interrupted only by Eggs Benedict with the family and lots of Anneke and Ben being extra cute throughout the day. And seriously: I realized the other day I am the mother of the two most beautiful creatures on Earth.