Belated 4th Greetings

I found this gem and couldn't resist posting it.

As it is almost August and I am just now getting this up, clearly I have been a bit out of it for a while. For example, Mere Mere left us two adorable outfits for the boys to wear, and it turns out neither of them were in their outfits for our 4th of July celebration. Luke decided to slather himself in Vasoline and Vick's Vaporub during his "quiet" time beforehand, (as seen here, along with the entire pack of wipes that he emptied onto the floor)

and I put the wrong outfit on Baby D (sorry Mere, better luck next year!).

Let freedom ring! 

Very Blessed

Baby D has officially been named and blessed! Here are the pictures to prove it. 

Turns out getting two kids to hold still long enough for a picture is ridiculous. This was the best one out of 20+ pictures, despite Luke's hand in his face and Derek's funny scowl. Here are some of the outtakes:

And because he's just so adorable, here's Baby D in the Young blessing outfit (6th boy, and counting!):

Baby D's Two Months

Cute Baby D is nice and chubby. At his two-month appointment he weighed in at 13 lbs. 3oz., just under 80%, and was 24 inches long, which put him at 90%. He is still very content, usually just happy to sit and be talked to (still not a fan of being left alone for long).


He has started smiling all the time and seems to particularly like it when Luke comes around (or maybe his big eyes are actually open in shock and terror), and prefers to be held by his mom most of all. His hair still sticks straight up and makes him look like he has a massive cone head, but we still think he's adorable anyway. He is focusing on objects more and more and loves to get ahold of blankets and clothing and fight with them, trying to get them into his mouth.

Derek is a pretty good sleeper, too! Down to one waking at night and easily soothed, Mere had the best time holding the baby while he slept during the day. And Baby D didn't mind it either.

Best Birthday Ever

Who doesn't want to drive a firetruck...

shoot a fire hose (both at a pretend building and at some sweaty soccer players in the field next door)...

hang out with firemen...

hang out (and squirt each other with water) in a nearby park...

 and eat cupcakes on their birthday?

Every three-year-old's dream.

(And speaking of dreams, Baby D spent a good chunk of the very hot day naked and dozing in a friend's stroller.)

Baby D's First Tub

Loved every minute of it. 

Didn't even cry when Luke threw a cup of water right in his face. 

Baggies of Dirt

Since we don't have a yard (yet, hopefully) Luke likes to go out and trash our balcony by digging around in our pots of dirt that I decided not to fill with living things this year since I was having a baby. Today after he had been playing for a while I heard him yelling for me and came to the door to find this:

and the demand, "Put this in my room." 

To play with later, I assume. 

(And yes, that is a ponytail; he kept wiping dirt into his eyes trying to move his hair)

Illegal Mudbug Fighting Ring

This past weekend we took part in our very first crawdad boil! 

Crayfish (pronounced crawfish), potatoes, corn, garlic, sausage, and onions go into a big boiling pot of water with cajun spices and then are dumped onto a table, where you spend a lot more time peeling the darn things than you do eating them. But it's well worth the effort.

And while Luke ate a few and seemed to like them okay, what he really liked was
a) the watermelon

 

and b) the little buggers themselves.

Fearless as usual, Luke had no trouble picking them up and walking around with them, even though I saw him get pinched a few times. He was the chef's biggest helper--when a bunch escaped from the giant bag and were making their way through the grass to the mud, Luke picked up almost every single one and threw them back in the bag. But not before he decided to make a few of them fight by slamming them together.

And where was Baby D through all of this?

Passed out under some tables, taking a siesta.