
Happy belated Valentines Day!

Little Riley is his BFF. I can leave him on the floor and walk away for a minute and when I come back, Riley's come to find him and keep an eye on him for me. He loves to "pet" her, and she never runs away from him. It's really sweet.

...and MUM MUMs! (He only got one since I am crazy and when I read the ingredients and saw they were not just rice cakes!!! I couldn't take it...and Whitney just had to laugh at me. He sure did like it though :))
Avery was SO sweet to the little ones. OH2 took the cake as the littlest baby, but she had a lot of fun with MP2 as well.
(and MP2 loved Avery's tutu)
I wanted to get a shot of Alex - here he is kissing MP2, but as was Alex's MO all weekend, he does not stop moving long enough to get a focused picture. That little guy is on-the-go. At one year older than MP2, he showed me what I have to look forward to this time next year!
It was such a great time. All of us were totally on board with the low-key, flexible, kid-friendly weekend. And it was a good thing, since on day 1 we tried to leave the house, and by the time we had all eaten dressed napped fed changed etc, it was 3:30....then when we loaded our four children three strollers and one dog into two cars, it began to rain. All we could do was laugh and plan to try again the next day. Luckily, Sunday was sunny and unseasonably warm, and we enjoyed a great walk near the beach. (Clearly unseasonably warm is not actually warm)
Look at these cuties. (Why so serious baby Max?!?!)



He's also getting really interested in toys and loves to play.

This new skill has culminated in an ability to ride in the cart at the grocery. Which, in turn, helps me get the shopping done quickly, as MP2 isn't keen on being contained in this seat for very long. In fact, this very trip ended in tears (and my apologies to the cashier checking us out as MP2 was wailing in the cart - they were probably about to call CPS on me if we hadn't gotten out of there quick)
With sitting (basically) mastered, we're now moving on to crawling drills. I think our friends with toddlers and kids of their own may wonder why we would even remotely be pushing this milestone. And, with only a slight glimpse in my mind's eye of what's to come, I am wondering myself. I know life is going to change dramatically when MP2 won't stay in the same spot where we leave him, but even still, it is just such a joy to see him change and grow, that I can't help but spur it along.


He loves making sounds - raspberries, squealing, etc. Still no belly laughs, but we do get chuckles on a very regular basis.
His two toothies - all the better to eat up all these random veggies I am feeding him (who ever heard of actually eating parsnips?).
I only wish this onesie read, "My dad can run faster than your dad" Not that I don't think MP is strong!! But we all know he could take most folks in a race! :)
MP took this one, and I just think MP2 looks super handsome.
Oh, the one time we have braved the snow and cold, it was to visit our friends and neighbors across the street. Ethan's got a few months on Max, and while someday it won't matter, it still really shows. Good thing he's such a sweet boy and showing MP2 the ropes on sharing toys!
So, hopefully February will find us on some more adventures (and I'll be able to keep up with documenting them).