Catch up

Obviously my plan to update more often didn't work out :) So I'll play a little catch up with what's been going on the past few months. 

April
Besides Emmory's birthday which I already posted about, we went to Folly Beach near Charleston for a long weekend with Mark's family. We had a great house right across from the beach, and the beach was really nice. There were actually some waves too, which is rare for the east coast, and there were almost always surfers out right where we were. Emmory LOVED the beach. It was actually warm enough to go in the water, and he would go out there with no fear, even when he would get knocked over and go under the water, he would just pop right back up with a smile on his face. When we got back home he kept asking to go to the "deach". Here are a few pics from the trip. 

May

Two weeks after our first beach trip, we headed to Kiawah Island with my Mom, Dad, sister, and brother-in-law who came into town. Kiawah is a beautiful island with lots of nature. Our house was on a lagoon, and we had our very own alligator, which was very exciting for Emmory (and everyone else too). And it was only a two block walk to the beach, so we would load up the wagon with beach toys and Emmory and head on over.

Watching the alligator

Running on the Ocean Course (practice greens), the 2012 PGA

Evan loved the swing on the porch

Mother's Day

 
June

As I think back to June, I really can't believe it's already over! It went by so fast. We didn't do any traveling in June, just stayed around home. Here is a brief update on what is going on with the boys.

Evan: Is 8 months old! I cannot believe it, it has been the fastest 8 months of my life. He started pulling up to stand in the middle of June, and now that is all he wants to do! He will be an early walker no doubt. He also stopped nursing. It was rather sudden, or at least seemed that way to me. He just started refusing to nurse. Had it been just me and him, I might have been able to work with him all day long to get him to, but after two days of him going 6+ hours without eating, and having to take care of Emmory too, I had to start giving him bottles. And then there was no turning back. Was it earlier than I wanted to? Yes. I have always wanted to be able to nurse a baby as long as I wanted to, and be the one to decide it's time to stop. But that's just not how it's been with both boys, and maybe that's what will always happen. It broke my heart. But I am okay with it. What I feed him is not what is important. It's what I live out before him. That's what I'm trying to focus on. He is doing great. He likes to move, likes to watch his brother, likes to pull up on everything. He is happy most of the time. He is driven. Seems like he will probably be a little more strong-willed and stubborn than his brother. But oh, he is so much fun!

Emmory: Is very much a two year old. I am amazed each day at how much he has grown, and the things he picks up on. He is so smart. The memory of a toddler always amazes me. He is a big helper (you know, relatively speaking for a two year old). He is still very much dependent, but there are a lot of things he can do on his own. And he is potty training! We attempted potty training a while back, he wasn't even two yet, but was very interested and would ask to go. So I decided to give it a try. But he wasn't ready. There is a big difference this time compared to last time. He pretty much initiated it again. I didn't just decide one day I was going to potty train him. And it has been surprisingly very easy. He goes on his own and pretty rarely has an accident at the house. However, we still put pull-ups on him when we go out, and for nap time and nighttime. He would need to be moved to a bed he can get out of in order for him to not wear a diaper while he sleeps, and we are not ready to do that yet. We like containment :) He still wets heavy at night though, so he's not ready for that yet anyways. And I just haven't wanted to deal with accidents when we are out and about yet. But that is the next step.
He is very much a boy. He loves dirt, water, and any kind of vehicle, but especially garbage trucks and construction vehicles.
Here are some pics from the last month.

 This is Emmory's "garden". This is where he spends most mornings. He loves to play in the dirt, as I said earlier. And he is either naked or doesn't have pants on because like I said, we are potty training

 

 I walked in and Evan was so proud of himself for pulling up. And yes, we lowered the crib after this

 This is my attempt to blockade him in the living room