Hat Twins

As soon as I saw these photos of Bennett, I immediately thought of similar photos I took of Orelia two years ago when she and I used to sit in the backyard by ourselves.

Times sure have changed.  Orelia and I do hang out in the backyard by ourselves still, but there isn't a lot of sitting on blankets with shady hats anymore.  There's lots of hopping and running and singing these days.

There's something about putting my kids in bucket hats that makes them look a lot alike, and I'm okay with that.

 Bennett is a bit older in these photos, but they definitely look like siblings.

It's not as if it makes them "more related," but there's something thrilling as a parent to see similarities between your children.

They are their own people, but they are so very much alike.

Bennett at Ten Months

Our favorite little boy is now ten months old!  

He seems more like a boy and less like a baby every day.  He likes practicing assisted standing and takes some steps when holding onto our hands (something his sister never did).

He still isn't really crawling, but he gets on his hands and knees all the time and moves forward a "step" or two.  He can get into a seated position on his own and I almost always retrieve him from his crib while he sits there happily sucking on a pacifier.

He takes two 1.5-2 hour naps every day and gets about 12 hours of sleep at night.  We are so thankful for this good sleeper.

He's nursing four times every day, but isn't very interested in it.  His real love is food.  He loves all meat and fruit and will happily eat for an hour straight if the offerings are good.  John calls him our little chunk-a-munk because he loves eating so much and is so dense.

He has six teeth and four more on the way.  All of the incoming teeth appear to be on the top, so it will be funny if he ends up with almost a full top set and only two on the bottom for awhile.  They say teeth fall out in the order they arrive, so he may have a hard time eating apples without top teeth when he's in elementary school.

This little guy loves to laugh, and there is no sweeter sound in the world.  His sister is hilarious to him when she gives him raspberries, shakes her head, jumps around, and generally just comes running.  He loves her so much, and the feeling is mutual.  

He's starting to play with toys differently lately, and is pretty uninterested in most of our baby toy stash.  He loves Hot Wheels and board books with Star Wars pictures.  Apparently my house full of Disney princess paraphernalia will not be satisfying him.

 Luckily all our singing and musical toy are hitting the spot right now.  He loves to make as much noise as possible.  Boys will be boys.

Happy ten months to our fun outdoor-loving boy!  We love you, B!

Model Second Child

Everyone always said that parents take five times as many photos of the first child as they do of the second.

I have to disagree, however, because my entire memory card, Photostream, and Instagram feed are just full of pictures of my one child who sits still and smiles nicely for the camera.

There are no groans when I take out the camera, and there is no escape.  Bennett loves the attention of a photography session, and he's always eager to try and grab any item of camera equipment he can get his hands on.

This model behavior won't last for long, and I'll soon have to work for these chubby-faced grins.  Photography is a big part of my life, and I'm so grateful to have this little guy so willing and able on the other side of the lens.

Sun-Drenched Summer

Has one truly lived until they have put aviator sunglasses on their chubby baby?

Or heart-shaped glasses on their two year-old?

I don't think I grew up in a world with toddler sunglasses, much less toddler sunglasses in the Target dollar bin.

I think I smile every time I see my kids put on sunglasses, and that makes it a dollar well spent.

Orelia has changed Bennett from "Boosky" to "Booey" these days.

Booey adores chewing on a pair of sunglasses almost as much as his sister enjoys wearing them.  Big sister is an accessories maven.

 I must not just be me who enjoys good child-sized eyewear, because they were present at back-to-back birthday parties last weekend.

Orelia considered herself very glam in a star pair.

Two pairs are better than one, apparently.  Who can argue with this girl?

We are spending our sun-drenched summer with our toes in the air.

With our sunglasses on.

And with smiles.

Stay cool, kids.

A Long Post About Bobby

We recently had John's mom and brother out to visit, and everyone had a great time.  They were flying out to witness Orelia's first dance recital and take a trip to Yosemite.

Bennett would usually wake up from his nap a little before Orelia, so the family would head outside for an impromptu photoshoot with our blue-eyed baby.

Bobby is always eager to be in photos, which makes my job a lot easier.

Grandma is always willing to take photos as long as her grandkids are involved.

Bobby requested on multiple occasions that I write a super long post all about how wonderful his visit was and how helpful he was.

Well, here it is.  Cheers to the man who gives Orelia manicures and pedicures on demand.  To the only person who has ever given Orelia a haircut.

 To the walker of Harper.  To the cuddler of Boosky.

To the always enthusiastic, eager, and entertaining Uncle Bobby.  We miss you dearly.

Celebrating the 4th

 It's so much fun celebrating holidays with the kids.  This was Bennett's first Fourth, which made it extra special.

 I was eager to put my kids in their red, white, and blue finest, just like every other parent on social media.

We were lucky enough to celebrate with a four day weekend, which makes any holiday even more fun.

The kids aren't old enough to stay up for fireworks, but thankfully they slept right through all the noise.

 We had a BBQ with a few other families and Orelia was eager, as always, to have a "party with friends."

No summer BBQ is complete without watermelon, and all of the kids had tons.  

Bennett was covered from head to toe in watermelon juice by the end of the day.  That and some snuggles with Daddy were the highlight of his holiday.

We are so grateful to live here and raise our children in this wonderful country.

We hope you had happy Independence Day with your families!