My growing boys

I can't deny it. My boys are growing...and growing fast. Spencer has no baby left, although sometimes his behavior contradicts this. Ashton is definitely not a newborn anymore and quickly transitioning into the playful baby stage. I love watching my boys be brothers together. Spencer has really taken on the big brother role and is protective of his little brother; and Ashton absolutely adores Spencer.

The letter this week was Q, and it was no more fun this time around than the last time we did it. It's just a hard letter to be creative with. We started by cutting scraps of paper. Spencer got to practice using a scissors, which he absolutely loves, but still doesn't quite grasp how to use with just one hand yet. Then we glued these scraps onto upper and lower case Qs in a quilted fashion to make our flashcard. Our other project was to paint with Q-tips.

Besides the letter Q, we also made a bunch of birthday cards. Spencer associates tractors and farming with my dad and brother (who share a birthday on the 3rd), so I did my best attempt at drawing a tractor and a barn and Spencer colored them. Then we mailed off the birthday cards. Our other card was to Daddy, who turned 29 on Cinco de Mayo. Again, Spencer wanted to incorporate tractors and barns. He was only semi-interested in my Super Daddy concept.

On Saturday while David was turkey hunting, Spencer and I sang Happy Birthday on Dave's voicemail and made funfetti cupcakes (Dave's favorite). Then when he came home we sang to him and gave him his card. Later we dropped the kids off at Grandma and Marmer's and enjoyed date night at The Outback. It was a lovely evening with no kids. It's amazing how much you take for granted when you're used to dining out with kids, like being able to eat all the croutons in your salad, being able to conduct a whole conversation without multiple interruptions, not rushing to avoid a meltdown, etc. It definitely makes you appreciate the rare occasions when you're able to get out without kids. 

Earlier this week we also made May baskets for Spencer's two best friends, Lella and Jax, and Daddy (his idea to include his daddy).

For "outside school" this week we went to Deer Park, where we fed the deer. Of course Spencer loved this and couldn't get enough of it. We also hunted for rocks to paint and enjoyed playing at the park on one of the hottest days of the season.

We loved the nice weather this week and soaked up as much of the sun as we possibly could. Here are some pictures from our time outside.

Eating a dandelion.

Blowing one of the several weeds from our dandelion garden.

Showing off his newly developed sitting skills.

His favorite place in the whole world: the sandbox.

Our first meal of the season on the deck.

Ashton had his 6 month well check this week. He now weighs 16 lbs 7 oz (down to the 25th percentile) and is 27 1/4 inches long (75%). I was a little shocked (and oddly saddened) that his weight is in the low percentile now because I feel like he is getting pudgy again. Maybe he'll be a skinny little guy like his brother after all, although he might surpass him in height.

Ash can now sit unassisted very well. He is still a bit top heavy and topples over, but he's much better than before. He prefers to be down on the floor playing and will try to crawl right out of our arms to get down. He's Mr. Squirmy! He scoots a bit on his tummy, but he doesn't get too far yet besides going in circles.

We went bowling on Friday with some friends. I think we were a bit naive, not realizing it was going to be more work than fun. Next time we'll go without the babies, so we can devote our attention to the toddlers bowling. Both Spencer and Briella went a little crazy running around and screaming instead of bowling while the adults took turns reeling them in, watching the babies and trying to bowl ourselves. Ash wasn't feeling well because he got shots earlier and didn't nap much all day. Needless to say, we didn't finish bowling a whole round and had to leave early.....just when I was getting good, too!

How many pins Spenc knocked over.

How many pins Briella knocked over. Pretty sure Spenc kicked some butt!

Occasionally I like to pretend I'm a photographer and do photo shoots with my kids. Spencer is at the age where he does not enjoy this at all and refuses to participate, but luckily I have another target who can't crawl away or sass back to me yet. So this week Ashton was my model, and a very cute one if I do say so myself! Here are some of my latest Mommy Photography.

And, finally, I have to share some pictures of my baby sleeping. I just can't help it. He's so darn cute when he sleeps! And lately I've been able to snap a few without waking him up. Speaking of sleeping, he's become such a good little sleeper. I almost hate to say it in case I jinx it, but he usually only wakes up once, maybe twice a night, and he is a pro at putting himself to sleep. He prefers to sleep on his tummy now, whereas before he'd scream and get mad if he rolled over and got stuck on his belly. His favorite sleeping companion is his blankie. He'll rub his face in it the moment you give it to him and snuggle right in. Baby Spencer had a nuk (now Toddler Spenc has a million stuffed animals); Ash has a blankie.