18 Months?!

I'm just not sure how that is possible! My little baby is 18 months old today. He has grown SO much! I feel a little guilty for not keeping up on his milestones like I did with Eli, but I have a few more things rolling right now than I did when Eli was his age.

So here are a few fun things about Xander as we mark his 18th month in our family.

• He is starting to talk up a storm! He is picking up oodles of new words every day. So nice when they can communicate!
• He not only walks with ease, he can also run and jump! He has the CUTEST little hoppy run!!
• He is TEETHING! 5 coming in at once is a bit brutal, but 3 of the 5 are almost all the way in.
• He's got ATTITUDE! Much of this is learned from big brother (Thanks, Eli!). He's a bit sassy and will spit at me when I tell him no or do something he doesn't like...definitely NOT my fav!
• He LOVES balls, especially his football! He loves throwing them and chasing them and just holding them.
• He adores the CAMERA and always lets out a big "CHEEEEEEESE!" whenever he sees me trying to take a shot.
• He LOVES Eli and Daddy! The first words out of his mouth in the mornings are "Eli? Daddy?"
• His sentences are frequently peppered with "Whoa Dude!"
• He is so SMART! He amazes me with all the things he understands and how fast he picks things up.
• He loves playing outside ALL the time! None of us do well cooped up in the house...winter is not my fav season...brrrr.
• He loves taking baths and will try to strip naked whenever he sees a tub.
• He has the most beautiful hazel eyes and the longest eyelashes.
• He loves to be wrapped up in his blankets at naptime and bedtime. All you have to do to get him to go to bed is ask him if he wants to snuggle. He goes to his room and waits for you to lay the blankets down and he plops down waiting to be bundled up.
• He still makes amazing MESSES at meal time. Really very impressive. I won't be sad when this phase passes. He also refuses to let me feed him and gets quite indignant when I insult him by trying to spoon something into his mouth.

He is the sweetest little guy and we just love him to pieces. He is such a treasure and brings joy to our hearts every day. We love you Xander!!!

He is saying "CHEEEESE" in all these pictures...

F

Halloween Etc.

Here are some fun pics of what we have been up to. The boys had a blast on Halloween and the Halloween Fairy brought some pretty sweet Hot Wheels Big Rigs in exchange for the excess candy! Love this new arrangement!

Enjoy!

Take a Zebra

I've been working with Eli and Xander to take a deep breath when they are upset to help them calm down. It's been amazingly effective!

This morning I was watching a touching video of a certified therapy dog who comforted the elderly who are near death. Of course I was sobbing. It was a beautiful video.

Eli, who saw me weeping came up to me with open arms saying,

"It's okay, Sweetpea! You're okay! Take a zebra." He then demonstrated taking a very deep yoga breath ending in the Namaste position.

Wow! That was absolutely hilarious. I got a whole bunch more hugs and kisses and requests to take another zebra while I was choking between tears and laughter.

I really do love my job!

Sneak Peek into What's Been Keeping Me From Posting about my Adorable Kids

Hi Guys,Sorry I have been totally MIA the past six months or so. Rest assured it has all been for a good cause. A VERY good cause! I am creating an e-course to show parents just how incredible and intelligent their children are and show them how to teach their kids to use more of their beautiful minds.

I am getting pretty close to completing it and am SO excited to bring this information to the world! Life is starting to really pick up pace and amazing things are happening all the time. It is so incredible to watch as all these pieces begin to fall into place. So, if you want a sneak-peek into this e-course that will totally revolutionize your relationship with your children and the world, go to

http://www.positive-parenting-for-life.com/sneak-peek.html

I am also going to be on best-selling author and speaker, Carol Tuttle's radio show on Monday October 5, 2009 at 7:00 Mountain Time. Go to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/CarolTuttle for details. You can listen online, call in, or listen to the recorded podcast after the show.
Here are a couple of pics to whet your whistle.

From the Land of Ranch and Honey

Talking to my Eli about bees today and explaining how they take pollen from flowers and make honey.

As we all know, Eli's two favorite condiments are honey and ranch combined (not my personal fav, but whatever I guess).

After thinking for a bit, he informed me that bees make honey AND ranch.

Talented bees.

A Successfull Experiment in the Laboratory of Parenthood

One thing Brandon and I have learned recently is the importance of being able to switch our emotions. When feeling sad, you have the ability to switch that emotion to happy. When you become frustrated, you can be calm. You can make this switch as quickly as changing the channel on the TV. (Though it takes a bit of practice...maybe slightly more than a bit).

We always are in control of how we choose to respond to things around us. Victor Frankl (a survivor of Auschwitz in WWII Germany) wrote in his book Man's Search For Meaning, that through his horrendous experiences at the hands of the Nazi's, he realized that no one was able to force him to think anything. No matter what the external circumstances, he always was able to choose his thoughts and responses.

So, if we can change our thoughts and emotions just like changing the channels on the TV, why would we choose to keep it on an unpleasant station? I, personally, would much rather find a more pleasant program.

Eli is a very observant child. When I start getting a little snippy or grumpy, he looks at me and asks, "Are you happy, Mommy?" Until recently, I used to just force a smile and pretend like I was happy.

I realized I was missing a great teaching opportunity. Rather than faking happiness and hiding the way I was really feeling, I began telling him how I was really feeling. I followed that up with what I was going to do to change that. Usually, when I am frustrated or grumpy, we go for a walk and my mood improves dramatically.

I communicate to him that I am not feeling so happy and then I tell him the different things I can do to change my mood so I can feel happy again.

Last week at the grocery store, Eli started throwing a fit in the store (mostly because he was hungry because he refused to eat his breakfast before we left). It started escalating, and then he stopped and came up to me and said, "Mommy, I'm just a little bit grumpy. I want to just sit in the cart now."

The lady next to me got a hearty laugh out of Eli's declaration. It was a very proud moment for me. What I have been teaching is getting through!

Over the last week, when Eli starts getting a little out of control he will tell me he is "feeling just a little bit grumpy" and either curl up in the chair, go up to his room for a bit, or go outside and play!! Needless to say, I am ecstatic to see these changes in my little 3-year-old!

I can only think of how knowing that he can control his emotions and he never has to allow his emotions to control him will affect his life. Even more than that, it just reaffirms to me that if a 3-year-old can learn to control his emotions, I can, too!

Man, these kids are incredible teachers!

Pictures at Last!

Here are some pics of the boys (finally). Here is a random, scattered post of our goings on.

I can't believe how fast they are growing!!! Xander is talking more and more. Yesterday when looking at a photo album he started saying Grandma and Grandpa (sounded much like gra-gra). He will answer an adorable, breathy "yes" to any question you ask him. This is quite fun! He is such a lover and snuggler and is cutting his first molar (ouch)!

He has to be into EVERYTHING Eli is doing and we have a bit of WWF in our own house, not just on the TV!! Such great entertainment.

My favorite thing Eli says now is when he is asking for something, he says "Can I want some?" So funny!

The other day in the grocery store Eli was starting to throw a fit and I asked him what was going on. He looked at me and said, "I'm just feeling a little bit grumpy. Can I want to sit in the cart?" The lady next to us burst into laughter.

They are both HUGE fans of dirt and playing in the river. Outside is the only place we love to be, which is fine with me. Enjoy summer while it lasts!

We love doing yoga together. The boys have a mean downward dog! We have been learning German in the car. Xander's favorite German word is "nein" (aka "no"). No real surprise there.

Kids are just so dang smart! They will continually amaze us if we keep giving them fun things to learn.

Without further ado, here are the boys!