Logan & Taylor are 14 months!

It's official, Logan and Taylor aren't babies anymore, they are toddlers! At times it makes me feel really old =( But I hope some day they'll look back and say, "Mom, you were always the coolest mom ever!" =)

This month, Logan:
- CAN WALK!!! (most of the time)
- says my mum, dada, ball, and peekaboo
- made it through the car ride to Maryland, a 16-1/2 drive
- made his first attempt to draw, but ate the pencils
- has a new obsession with dogs
- went to a parade (and ate a funnel cake)
- switched to whole milk
- went apple picking (and had a taste of every kind of apple)
- rode a wagon pulled by a tractor
- had his first video chat with daddy
- got his first top right and left molars
- figured out how to go down the stairs, feet first
- started sleeping with a stuffed animal and blanket

Logan totally loves to cuddle, but doesn't give a whole lot of kisses. This month, though, he gave me the best kiss ever - smack on the cheek! I loved it!
He loves veggies and fruit, but will eat carbs and proteins, too.
He usually comes crying to me when Taylor steals his toys, but lately he's been hanging onto them.
He loves playing peekaboo and chasing Taylor around the house. He also loves reading books and playing with blocks and random kitchen stuff. And he enjoys watching me or Bonne-Maman cook.

This month, Taylor:
- CAN WALK!!! (most of the time)
- says mama, dada, a tantot (see you later), and attends (hold on)
- made it through the car ride to Maryland, a 16-1/2 drive
- made his first attempt to draw, but threw the pencils then ate them
- has a new obsession with dogs
- went to a parade (and ate a funnel cake)
- switched to whole milk
- went apple picking (and had 1-2 bites of each apple before throwing them on the ground)
- rode a wagon pulled by a tractor
- had his first video chat with daddy
- got his first top left molar
- figured out how to go down the stairs, feet first
- started sleeping with a stuffed animal and blanket

Taylor loves to give kisses, but only in moments of affection, and only to me, daddy, Bonne-Maman, and Bon-Papa (so far).
He is getting better at trying out new foods, but he likes variety. He will only eat a few bites of something before wanting something different. He likes meat and yogurt the most.
He somehow enjoys stealing toys from Logan and watching him crawls over to me, crying. Lately, though, Logan has been fighting back, and Taylor is still not sure how to respond to that.
He loves chasing Logan and being chased by him. He also loves to play with kitchen stuff and blocks. And he enjoys watching me or Bonne-Maman cook. He loves playing with doors, too, opening them then closing them.

Weeks 1-2 in Maryland

The day before Logan, Taylor, my dad and I started driving to Utah, Billy surprised us by making the drive from Tulsa, OK, to Des Moines, IA. We were so excited to see him and impressed he made the trip to see us for less than 2 days. That's my definition of love right there.
Since we've been in Maryland, we have been playing hard. There is never a dull moment at my parents'. The house is so big that there is always something to get into. And the yard is so full of grass, flowers, and squirrels that there is always something to look at, chase, or eat.
Although you won't find any plants here, or anywhere else in the house. My parents totally thought they had baby-proofed their house... Hum, have you met your grandchildren? You know, the ones who get into EVERYTHING!

There used to be a plant there. Not anymore!

Of course the blinds had to get out reach, too.

And the T.V. had to get blocked off, using the coffee table.

There is plenty of room for Taylor to push Logan around, who is very relaxed.

Or for Logan to push Taylor, who is enjoying every minute of it.

Sometimes pushing the ride-on is tiring of these little guys, so mommy takes a turn pushing both of her little guys.

And when I say that they get into everything, that is very literal. Here is Taylor inside the laundry basket.

Taylor is not the only one who enjoys getting into stuff. Here is Logan inside my CD collection box.

We also like spending time outdoors. Here is Taylor helping Bonne-Maman to water the flowers.

And here is Logan helping Bonne-Maman. Well, actually, he's trying to get the water.

Every weekend, Taty Marie comes to hang out with us. She's awesome!

It's so fun to play with Tonton Fred. He's a blast!

We were fortunate enough to be around for the town's annual parade. The boys were fascinated by the trucks, sports cars, and thousands of people.

Logan and Taylor got to eat their first funnel cake.

Taylor was covered in powdered sugar.

Logan thought it was totally worth it.

Logan and Taylor could hang out in the yard and play with water all day.

We made chocolate mousse and the boys got to lick the spoon. Yum! We don't do this very often, so every chance they get is golden.

Bonne-Maman cannot get enough of her little Taylor. He loves her so much he follows her every move.

Of course she cannot get enough of her little Logan, either. He loves her to hold him wherever she goes and whatever she does.

We went to the Apples Orchard to pick apples and check out the corn field.

Logan really enjoyed eating the apples. He was so focused on finishing them that nothing else mattered.

Taylor was more focused on picking apples, biting in them a couples of times, and then throwing them on the ground.

I miss Billy and my friends in Iowa very much, but it's been really fun and relaxing to be out here with my family. Plus it's been great for Logan and Taylor to hang out with their Bonne-Maman and Bon-Papa. I wouldn't have it any other way =)

Highlights of Utah trip

Last month, Billy was able to set up a 2-week rotation in Utah, which allowed us to spend some time with his family. It was really fun to watch Logan and Taylor being entertained by their cousins.

Billy was gone with the car, so traveling was not always an easy task, especially when we were hanging out with Billy's older sister who has 5 kids of her own. Her youngest one, Charlie, is just a couple of months younger than Logan and Taylor. All I gotta say is Thank goodness for the GMC Yukon.

Logan loved playing with Spencer. He kept tackling him down and laughing his head off.

Taylor enjoyed playing with Ashlynn. She chased him around the trampoline and he probaby could have kept going all day.

Going up the stairs became their favorite pass-time. Going down was another story. We still have to work on that.

There are some horses near Billy's parents' house. Logan and Taylor were very entertained by them. And I think the horses were entertained by Logan and Taylor, too, especially after we shared some Cheerios with them.

Going to the playground with 7 kids could have been a nightmare, but with the older kids helping out, it became really fun... Logan and Taylor definitely thought so.

One morning, we went to Sundance and rode the ski lift. I was a little nervous about trying to keep my little movers still for 45 minutes, especially as we got closer and closer to their nap time, but eventually they fell asleep in our arms.

The views from the top of the mountains were amazing. I couldn't imagine anything more beautiful.

If we lived closer to family, I'd bet these 2 would become the best buds in the world. Logan loved getting attention from Spencer.

At Meili's birthday party, Logan had a whole piece of chocolate ice cream cake. He probably could have eaten more, too, if I had let him.

Taylor was very intrigued by Charlie at first. But then he became totally okay stealing toys from him.

Surprisingly he was okay sharing food with him, though. And if you know Taylor, he does not share easily.

Sundays are the perfect day to go to the park. Taylor was on a hunt the whole afternoon, trying to pick up and eat anything he could find.

And Logan was, too, especially with wood chips. They must be pretty tasty, at least that's what it looks like from his smile in this picture.

Logan and Taylor sometimes had a hard time napping and sleeping at grandpa and grandma's house, so occasionally we went out for a ride in the car to get them to sleep. That day we drove by Provo Lake and stopped for a minute to get a picture.

While we were staying at Billy's brother's house, we went to Antelope Island where we got to see the Great Salt Lake.

Billy was the only one adventurous (or crazy) enough to actually walk into the Great Salt Lake, filled with these bugs that move in waves everytime someone walks close to them. Gross!

Maybe one of these days we'll invest into one of these. Taylor loved being pushed around the house.

Logan also really got into it, especially after he saw Meili riding it super fast all over the house.

Just for fun, here's a picture of Logan eating pasta and meatballs.

Taylor is a little cleaner because most of the food ended up on his lap, in his chair, and on the ground... not in his mouth.

Other highlights without pictures:

• We actually got to Utah a whole day earlier than we had expected. We drove through the night as well as through naps.
• We picked fruits and veggies in grandma's garden (apricots, peaches, apples, green beans, yellow squash,...)
• Billy took the boards! Then he was finally able to relax and spend some time playing with us.
• Billy and I went tubing but only made it 100 yards before our tube popped underneath a bridge.
• Billy, who was holding Taylor, tripped on a coffee table that was blocking off the stairs. Billy dislocated his shoulder, but Taylor was fine.
• Billy, who was holding Logan in his carseat, tripped down the stairs. He hurt his back really bad and had to go to the ER, but Logan was fine.
• The boards, the tube, and the fall ALL happened the SAME day. Bad day for Billy. Hopefully that's not a reflection of how well he did on the boards.
• The last night in Utah, after the boys got to sleep (all 3 of them), I layed in the hot tub. It was so nice and relaxing...!!!