Monkey Trouble

We are always teasing Jack that he is a monkey.  We tell him that we stole him from the zoo when he was just a baby and now we shave off all his monkey fur every night while he sleeps so he looks like a little boy.  It makes him so mad when we tell him he's a monkey- "me not a monkey!"  OK, maybe we're cruel parents but you have to admit he does look a little like Curious George.  The other day he was being naughty and we told him that if he couldn't be good that we would stop shaving him and then we would take him back to the zoo.  He then promised to be good and begged us to keep shaving him- "Please shave me.  Me no want to live in the zoo."  I think he's really starting to believe us that this whole monkey things is true.  I guess our not-so-subliminal messaging is working a little too well.  Look at this video and tell me children don't become what people consistently tell them they are.

It's great to be 8 months old- today!

Well, another month has flown right on by and suddenly Porter is 8 months old!  He is growing and learning and doing all the great things an 8 month old should. He has been working really hard on his crawling lately and he is soooooo close. He's been rocking back and forth on his hands and knees for 3 weeks now!!!  I thought today might be the day but so far he still hasn't done it.  It seems that his gears are mostly stuck in reverse for the time being. That makes him really frustrated (and me too since I have to go console him all the time when he can't get where he wants to go). Poor kid sees what he wants right in front of him but it takes him forever to get to it.  Often he'll end up scooting around in circles or spinning on his tummy until his bum is pointed toward his object of desire and then he'll scooch backwards towards it.  Other times he does the lazy baby crawl where he gets on his hands and knees and stretches forward onto his tummy like a giant inch worm and then repeats as many times as necessary to get where he's going.  He puts an arm here and a leg there and amazingly if anything is messy, dangerous or fragile he manages to get his hands on it somehow.  Atleast he's resourceful.  Sometimes it's hard to tell exactly when all the improv-crawling turns into actual crawling but I know it won't be too much longer.  Before I know it he'll be climbing the stairs (but hopefully not tumbling down them).  Let the baby proofing begin!

So, anyways, here are so pictures of my cute baby (it won't be too much longer that I can still use that "B" word on him.  *Sniff sniff sob sob*). 

                                                                                                                       9/20/2011

It's hard being a baby!

So serious.

Being loved almost to death by the big kids.

And some older pics too...

                                                                                                                         9/16/2011

                                                                                                                        8/28/2011

                                                                                                               7/29/2011

In other news, the grasshoppers are out and "giving each other piggy back rides", in Jack's words.  Jack and Eve have been busy turning the nasty little creatures into pets.  As you can see they've even been making cozy little homes for them.

Evidently there are "wild" grasshoppers and "tame" grasshoppers.  According to the kids, in order to make the grasshopper tame you just have to introduce yourself to them.  Uh huh.  OK, even tame grasshoppers are not above peeing all over you.  Thankfully they are starting to die off on their own.  But I refuse to have any grasshopper funerals.

Well, Porter has now lived long enough to see it go from cold to hot to cold again. Well, almost cold. I mean, any true Cache Valley native doesn't really consider it "cold" until the car doors are frozen shut and even the die-hards have given up their shorts for the season. But I'm a wimp and anything below 80 is getting into sweater weather. Ever since September hit it has definitely felt like Fall around here. I even brought out my space heaters the other day and they will have to do until we are desperate enough to turn the real heater on for the season. But I'm holding out and hoping we can squeeze out a few more warm days and pleasant nights before it comes to that.  

Family Pictures- Summer 2011

My sweet and amazing friend Jen Bryner is a blossoming photographer that recently started taking her hobby to a professional level.  She took our family pictures several weeks ago and I figured I should finally get my act together and put them all up on the blog.