Brothers, Enemies, Best Friends

I can see the budding friendship between these too and it makes me both excited and anxious. I know, as brothers, these two have many battles in the years ahead. For now they're all about sharing, hugging and laughing.

I love watching these two as they grow together!

Show 'n Tell & Showin Off

This week Brooke was the "Star of the Week" for class, which is an opportunity each kid in class gets to share a bit more more about themselves. Mid week (today) the Star of the Week gets to bring in something for show and tell. Brooke chose to bring her little brother, Luke!

Luke was a real ham, and everyone in the class was smitten. Brooke was a really proud big sister :)

Tonight night Luke was feeling pretty cocky after all that attention and he decided to walk a few extra steps for us all. He has walked a step or two here and there, but this was his first real effort at walking. Brooke and Ryan were so excited, they wanted him to do it over and over. Brooke wanted Luke to walk in her room, and he did! 5-6 steps from me to her bed. Then, of course, Ryan demanded he walk in his room too. Since Luke was in such a show off mood ... He was happy to continue the show.

She Said / He Said

Ryan: I just wanna not be in this family cuz they're so rude.

Happy 1st Birthday!

Woke up to greet the birthday boy and found him standing in his crib - first time he ever did that :)

After the kids got off school we took Luke to get some pictures taken, then went out for a delicious burger dinner.

After dinner we went out for cupcakes at Sweet Mandy B's. Luke got a mini cupcake and polished it off pretty quick.

We went home after cupcakes to open a few presents. Luke was pretty uninterested in presents, but his siblings were beyond excited to deliver gifts and share in his birthday celebration. The only think Luke was truly excited about were his balloons. Unfortunately, most only lasted overnight and the one mylar balloon was "accidentally" popped when his big brother stabbed it with a pencil the next morning.

Brooke made Luke 15 or so presents, which consisted mostly of art and notes she had written him. Each was individually wrapped, some in paper, some in bags. She expected him to open and review each of these presents, which was a challenging feat for a 1-year-old-kid. Luckily we made it through Luke's first birthday and look forward to the many more birthday celebrations to come.

And So It Begins ...

The little guy randomly climbed up a stair in MI. He's honestly never been near stairs, so we didn't know what he could or couldn't do. I gave him some space to see what would happen ... And he climbed the whole flight! He did stop twice to stand up and jump like a monkey on the banister, so if I wasn't there as backup there would have likely been a nasty tumble. However, those stairs came a little too easy for him :(

Easter

The kids were so excited the night before Easter (which Brooke officially dubbed "Easter Eve") it was like Christmas all over again. In fact, she deemed Easter to be her favorite holiday because "we get to look for our baskets together". However, its hard to take her too seriously. As every holiday approaches, she declares it to be her new favorite :)

Brooke made the "bonny" a special welcome sign.

She Said / He Said

Ryan falls on ground
Mom: You having trouble walking?
Ryan: Yeah, my feet are not meant for ground

Egg hunt