oh, the things they pick up from us!

this morning, while we were putting together puzzles, harrison said, "very good job, mommy. i'm so proud of you."

clearly, i am raising him well.

a few weeks ago, while frustrated with me, harrison said, "STOP freaking out!"

clearly, daddy could be doing better in the parenting department.

: )

i love you, mommy

last week the boys and i were outside as much as the weather allowed. we had some gorgeous sunny days in the high 60's. and then the snow came. and then the snow melted. and then the snow came again.

and so it is with march weather in denver.

truthfully, i actually kind of like it. when it's gone as quickly as it comes, you have to enjoy it while it's here.

all that to say we went for lots of walks last week. one, in particular, will forever be etched in my memory. i was pushing graham in the stroller - something he is quickly beginning to resent as he'd much rather be running around like big brother. harrison was riding his bike (aka big wheel). we were strolling along when harrison, out of the blue, said, "i love you, mommy."

i had purposefully never taught him to say that. nor had i ever told him, or forced him, to reply back when i say "i love you". i knew that one day that phrase would have so much more meaning if i just let him come to it naturally. and i was so right.

what a sweet moment! i let the weight of it soak in, even got a bit teary-eyed. and then harrison steered his big wheel right into the street.

and so it is with precious moments.

you have to capture them while they're here because they so easily melt away.

eating for two

this little piggy went to market...

this little piggy stayed home...

this little piggy ate roast beef (and everything else he could get his hands on)...

this little piggy had none...

and the mommy piggy cried "wee, wee, wee...woe is me, me, me".

"eating for two" has taken on new meaning in the white house.

the interesting thing about having boys so close in age is that their growth patterns are so apparent. wasn't it just yesterday that harrison was frantically signing "more please" and stuffing food into his mouth as if he didn't know when his next meal would come? these days ketchup is his favorite food and he thinks eating a couple teaspoons of it with a fork constitutes a meal. hey, at least he's mannerly enough to use a fork! i should count my blessings.

conversely, graham has turned into a squirrel who packs away the nutrients and stores it for winter. i'm really beginning to notice that he's put on an extra layer of insulation! he eats circles around his brother and frequently asks for more after having been excused from the table. graham is doing exactly what harrison did at that age...eating for two!

it seems that one-year-olds instinctively know that the busy, too-focused-to-stop-and-eat, can't-sit-still-for-a-meal, lean, two-year-old years are ahead. it's "survival of the fittest" at it's very best! or maybe it's just graham who instinctively knows that he must happily eat his food in order to keep his mother from becoming deeply depressed. after all, the thought of two little boys living on the ketchup-only diet is quite disheartening.

who knows, though, i may not be able to avoid the depression...or i may just have to get over it...because i keep having this reoccurring idea that as the growth patterns continue the ketchup-only diet will, sadly, be better know as "eating for four".