Soaking it all in!

This is such sweetness!

My sleeping baby:

and his quiet little smile when he gets a mommy kiss!

Awww!!!! I love life!!!!! lol

And here is a cell-phone-photo of Jake during a swim lesson. He is so cute!

This pic was taken last week after I was ignoring my boys for a few minutes while I was on the phone... I glanced over to see Austin (gasp!) standing up!!!!!! Here's how you know he's my 2nd & not my 1st: instead of running over there to protect him from falling, I instead ran and grabbed my camera! (P.S. he did fall, and luckily I was right there to 'ease' the fall a bit. he's learning quickly to stick his butt out and land on his bottom. he's now crusing & is the most happy when he's standing upright)

Here's some family time at the park, and (below) another development in Austin's amazing little life. His military scoot is progressing into a crawl! He's so strong, already trying to stand up without holding on to anything! I'm curious to see when he'll walk. It seems all of these (movement) milestones are coming up really quickly!!! While some of the others, like sleeping, ahem!, are taking a bit longer!

Below is a sweet brother picture, but Jake isn't pictured. You can see the interaction, though. So cute! These boys are so cute, I love watching them interact together. Jake likes to make Austin laugh. Austin likes to watch Jake's every move. We're teaching Jake about sharing and taking turns, and I have a feeling this will be a process that spans over the next many years!

P.S. I know the pic below looks shocking. I *know* because when I glanced over & saw him perched on the edge of the boat, I almost gasped! But then they explained that the bar of the railing was between his legs so he couldn't fall in, and Grandpa had his hand on him almost the whole time. I had to explain that so you don't think he was just balancing there!

So often I feel tired and sometimes I even feel bothered by the constant pulling of my pant legs when I'm trying to get my ever-important things done. I get trapped in a self-seeking spot where I feel like "me-time" is so important. And then I am brought back to my senses. These kids... they are precious. And I am absolutely honored & humbled by the opportunity to be their mommy every.day. I take such joy in this position, and have been seriously thinking about my highest (& most lofty!) goal, which is to teach these sweet children about God. And by the realization that they learn through watching how I live out my life, not necesarily by what I tell them. When I 'mother' them, when I discipline them (or withhold discipline and instead comfort them through it), am I reflecting God's grace? That is my goal! Do I maintain a positive outlook in life? Do I seek God first? These are thoughts that I want to keep in the forefront of my mind.

I once searched for parenting and discipline books, which was an overwhelming task in itself, and in the midst of piles of books, I felt these words in my heart: Just Love Them. Just Love Them! Those words soften my heart & bring clarity to my mind in times of frustration.

These are just some of the goings-on in the R household and my ramblings. I'm trying to soak in all of this. My baby's soft skin & baby rolls, the boys' laughter, Jake's little voice as he pronounces new words and strings together little sentences. I want to hold on to every second! The years go by so fast and I don't want to forget any of this or take it for granted. Ahh, my cup runneth over!

So enough mushy stuff.

Here's awarding some "good-mommy" points for taking the boys to the pediatrician for their well-checks. haha I went to my old Doctor, and it was soooo refreshing- he is so wonderful!!! So here are the updates:

Jake (25 months)

Wt: 25 lb, 8 in (20%)

Lgth: 35 1/2 in (75%)

Head: 49 cm (50-55%)

Austin (9 months)

Wt: 23 lb, 1 oz (90%)

Lgth: 30 1/2 in (97%)

Head: 45 1/2 in (65-70%)