July

July is a HUGE month for us, and one I don't want to forget.  Besides the 4th of July which I've already blogged about we also celebrate both Tim and my birthdays.  I turned (and from this point forward will forever be) 29. 

For my birthday, and for the amusement of Arlo (who loves trains) we took a day trip up north and took a ride on the Verde Vally Train.  It was a beautiful ride and it was nice to get out of the heat and do something different with the boys.  Here is a few pics...

It has become a tradition of sorts to go up to Utah for the 24th of July.  We love it because it is easier for Tim to get off work, it is so much cooler in UT than AZ in July and, it lets Tim and Arlo legally celebrate with fireworks 2 times in the same month.   Usually we go up with no definite plans, but this year we were up for 10 days and we had plans every single day we were up there.  It was a BUSY, exhausting and extremely fun trip.

One of the fist places we went was to the Hogle Zoo with our good friends and their son.  It was a great time to go because the had a dinosaur exhibit throughout the zoo with life size dinos everywhere that made noise, moved and some even squirted water at you.  Arlo LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the dinosaurs as long as he did not get to close to them.  (It was pretty funny!)

We got in more friend time by going to the park and picnicking with Zupas.  (I have to eat there at least twice every time I go!)

The next few pics are of our afternoon of fireworks on the 24th.  The night is a blast because the boys get to spend all afternoon running around with their many cousins.

Arlo spent some bonding time with his closest cousin, Maebel.  They have the same bikes and helmets (not planned)  they were so cute together.

We went to Great Skate where they have a water park... which Arlo still talks about to this day... he had a blast.  We played in the water park, ate pizza, danced with a DJ and then went inside and played in the arcade.  The day was perfect and once again he spent it with his cousins.

(sorry I was screaming, the music was so loud... and if you are wondering what Arlo is doing in the second video, he saw another kid break dancing and that was his version of how to do it.)

We also went to Lagoon and Arlo had a BLAST!!!!!

We also spent a night with adults only where we went to Tim's favorite restaurant and celebrated his B-day.  That ended with the girls going out to a movie and the boys going home to pick up the kids.

We ended the trip by stopping on the drive home at Moqui's Cave.  Which was a much needed pit stop.

We all went home physically and mentally exhausted.  But it was well worth it!

The trip ended our very busy month of July.

Say Cheesy!

When I finally got to review the hundreds of photos we've taken over the past few months I noticed how cheesy Tow's smiles can be...  so here are some of my favorites.

And since I have two cheesy boys here are also a few of Arlo...

I hope these made you smile! 

My boys make me smile everyday... and I am so grateful for it!

Why?...Why Not?

So, I'm not even going to mention why it's been two whole months since I have blogged last, because there are too many reasons to list here.  And, although I have been bad about blogging about our little life... it does not mean that our life has stopped.  But before I forget with my HUGE catch-up blog, I wanted to write down a few things that Arlo has been saying.

Arlo: (Acting like a zombie... thanks Aunt Niki) BRAINS...BRRAAIINNS...BBRRRAAAIIINNSSS
Me: Arlo, What are brains?
Arlo: BRAINS...BRRAAIINNS...BBRRRAAAIIINNSSS
Me: Arlo, Where are my brains?
Arlo: (With a smile) In your teeth caps!

Me:  Arlo, will you _________ (fill in blank)?
Arlo: Why?
Me: Because _________ (fill in blank).
Arlo: Why mommy?
-Repeat 3-4 times-
Mommy:  Arlo, PLEASE ________.
Arlo: Mommy.... Why not?
Whenever Arlo does not get the answer he wants with Why? He now asks Why Not?  Like it's going to change my mind.  He's funny, clever, and very irritating!

Arlo's names for Cohen:
Tow
Tohen
My baby- Whenever someone else is trying to play with him
Baby brother- When he loves on him
Stinky boy- When he's asking about him... Where's my stinky boy?


In the grocery store:
We were going up and down the isles and just like every 2 year old, Arlo wanted everything and when I would tell him no, (usually to the sugary stuff) he would ask why, and my answer is usually along the lines of, 'because we don't need it' or 'we don't need it because it has too much sugar and it's not good for us'  among other things like 'because I said no'.  Well we were walking down the baking isle and he grabs a bag of marshmallows and instead of asking if he can have them, he looked at me and told me that
he NEEDS it. And so I asked him what he needed them for and he said 'CAMPING!'  Well that would have been a great answer if we were going camping but we were not going camping, and so he did not get marshmallows.  But it was to funny because he showed me how much he had been listening to me about not getting things we do not need, and he came up with a great reason why we would need marshmallows.  He is growing up so fast and not only is he looking bigger but he is getting to smart for his own good!


In the tubby:
Arlo was playing with the bubbles in the tubby when I asked him to stand up so he could get washed and he told me: "Hold on."  I said, "Arlo, when I tell you to do something, you need to do it."  Arlo replies, "hold on means HOLD ON MOM, mommy I said hold on."  I busted up laughing!

And We're Off

Here he goes!

Cohen is now a crawler. 

Let me tell you it has been a proccess to get him there, but he is finally a crawler.  It all started about 2 months ago when Tow started scootin and rollin around to go get things.  If he was going somewhere in particular, it would take him a while to get there but he would be able to do it.  If I just put him on the floor, he would be in a different spot in less than a blink of an eye.  (The scooting has progressively gotten better.  He is now a scootin machine.) Then he decided to learn how to get on all fours and rock.  But that is all nothing else.  Then about three weeks ago he decided that he wanted to start climbing.

Since then, the kid has fallen and bumped his head hundreds of times because he will not stop climbing on stuff.  Not just pulling himself up, but he will climb onto the ottoman and then climb onto the couch.  He is crazy and the whole time he does it, he just smiles!  And then about a week ago I decided that I could finally call Tow a sitter as well.  He still does not sit for long (he likes to go, go, go) but he can sit all by himself for 30 seconds or more at a time before he falls over.  Now, starting today, he is a crawler.  It was funny, because I was sitting on the floor and Tow crawled over to me.  At first, I didn't even realize that it was a crawl and not a scoot.   After I was holding for a few seconds did it process.  So, I put him back on the floor a few feet away from me and sure enough he crawled the entire way.  I was in shock and disbelief.  He crawled like he has been crawling for months.  When Arlo started crawling he was shaky and it took a few seconds for him to move each hand.

It is funny how different 2 boys from the same parents can be.  They are polar opposites.  Arlo started crawling at six months and then learned to sit up a few weeks later and then pulled himself up for the first time at around 8 months.  He did not start eating solids till about 8 months and when he did it had to have chunks in it, he would not eat smooth food.  Cohen has loved food from the first bite at around 4 months.  He liked it so much I had to stop feeding him food, because he would fill himself up on food and not want to drink his milk.

Arlo slept through the night since 3 months old.  Cohen has never slept through the night.  I have slept trained him once to only wake up once throughout the night and that only lasted for a few weeks.  Arlo was never sick, Cohen gets little colds ALL the time.  Arlo has a very high voice, Cohen's is very low.  Arlo has always had hair, Cohen has never had hair.  Arlo would never take a binki, Cohen cannot live without it.  Arlo did not go through a 'mommy' phase until he was about 17 months, Cohen will cry if I leave the room for more than a few seconds (it's bad, I can't even let Tim do night duty for me, because if Tim goes in and gets him, he screams bloody murder until I take over, and then as soon as I hold him he stops like he was never crying in the first place.  Can you say SPOILED?) These are just a few examples of their differences.

I am so proud of my boys.  I could not be a happier mama!

100th Blog Post: My Babies

For my birthday, I am getting my blog turned into a book, to have a hard copy of my journal.  (I am getting it done at blog2print, the best prices and easiest to do without downloading something or other.)  So, before I get it printed I wanted to finish my 100th blog post.  This post will be ALL about my favorite subjects... my boys.  And, I am even adding in a video which, sadly, I won't be able to see in my book, but fun none-the-less.

The video is long, but Arlo loves to read, this is an animal book that he loves, but some of his favorite stories are Caps for Sale, The Hungry Caterpillar, The Mouse, The Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear, Goodnight Gorilla, and all his library books that he picks out each week.  I love walking in on him as he is reading... so dang cute!

Tow in a Box!

He is such a mama's boy, if I put him down for more than 2 seconds he starts to cry.  We have a bumbo, a jumper, an exersaucer and for the past few days, he cries the minute I stick him in any of them.  So, I've been coming up with creative ways to keep him contained AND happy.

Every morning we go outside from about 9-10:30 or as late as we can stand it.  Even on 115 degree days.  (It's really not so bad in the shade, with water.)  Once again, since it is an everyday thing, we have to come up with creative ways to stay happy.  The new craze... Bubbles!  

Let me introduce you to.... THE BUBBLE MONSTER!!!!!!

Yes, he always wears his boots outside.

Tow, does the same thing everyday... plays in the pirate ship and gets wet!

He loves it! 

And here is a picture that I just had to post...  This is a picture of he dust storm last night.  It took me a few hours to clean up after it.  There was dust EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!

Fourth of July

I would first like to give a HUGE thank you to all our military men and women who work hard and put their lives on the line everyday to make this country free.  So..... THANK YOU to all the military people active and non active, past and present!  And Happy B-Day America!

Now... this is how we celebrate!

We had a fourth of July breakfast in the morning with our wonderful ward.

My brother Bryce came by and chilled with us throughout the afternoon.

And then we went over to Rob and Alexa's BBQ where we spent the afternoon eating Dry-Aged steaks, swimming and playing with fireworks.

Arlo learned to jump off the diving board a few days earlier.  He was so excited about jumping, when the older kids started jumping off the roof, he kept saying "Arlo turn" after I told him no for the 10th or so time he proceeded to throw a tantrum and tried to climb the ladder anyways.  I swear, this boy will be the death of me!

Rob and Alexa have a little boy 1 day older than Arlo... here are the boys...

Picking out fireworks,

Setting up fireworks,

Watching Fireworks,

Lighting Fireworks,

 Are you catching a theme here?  Once again, I am worried!!!!!

Here are me and my boys!

Cohen only lasted a few minutes outside with the fireworks.  The loud ones made him cry.  So we went inside and after 30 seconds or so, he was out like a light!  

We had a wonderful day.