Sweet Summer

Sawyer

Sawyer has finally noticed something is off with the empty tank in his room. While I get him ready for the day he eyeballs it quizzically and then looks at me and asks, "Fish?" And..I totally lie and tell him they must be hiding. That worked for a minute but I'm pretty sure his little brain is like, "Where, behind the two inch plastic plant? Yeah right, mom." So, we'll see, but a tiny crab might be up next for the fish tank.

He was invited to his first birthday party. All of the kids were years older than him and I don't think he had a clue what was going on but he had fun being outside and eating goodies. He was especially impressed by the dinosaur piñata but was really concerned when it fell to the ground and the kids started ripping it to pieces. Dillon and I tried to help him get candy on the edges of the mosh pit. He picked up the Smarties and then chucked them back on the ground and went after the suckers and LaffyTaffy's (kid after my own heart..Smarties are a waste of sugar).

Dawson

Dawson has actually started to like his Wubbanub binky. He's been using it as a teether, which worked for me, but out of the blue started sucking on it and likes it on occasion. Pacifiers just make life easier.

He's started to be really opinionated about the funniest things, mostly toys and entertainment. If he wants a particular toy and is given something different, he'll screech and stretch towards the thing he actually wanted until he gets it.

Dillon

Dillon and I took (what I assume is..) the short internet version of the Five Love Languages quiz and were both surprised by our top result. Dillon's was Quality Time and mine was Acts of Service. Our runners up were more what we would have guessed for each other but there was a pretty big scoring gap between the first and second love language for both of us. It's been fun using that information for one another.

Dillon is such a tenderhearted soul. Last week he told me that a guy at his work just found out that he is seriously sick and will need a lot of treatment, which means he will miss a lot of work. So Dillon told me that he was going to donate some of his vacation hours to this guy so that he would have some more paid time off. Dillon always does stuff like this without giving it a second thought or without looking for recognition (He doesn't read this blog so he won't know that I told this story..and I promise I don't tell it to brag but more to just say that he really impresses me and helps me to be more kind and generous).

DaNae

This video was making it's way around the internet this week and it had me nice and teary-eyed. I needed to watch it so much. I love being able to stay home with my boys and don't regret making that choice at all. BUT I worry a lot that I don't make their days interesting enough. A lot of the times we don't even leave the house. Or if we do, it's for something like a grocery run. We still do parks and walks and what not but not as often as I feel like we should. Anyway, it makes for some pretty good mom-guilt and this video helped alleviate that. What, to me, might feel like a normal and wearing day might just be a really fun and magical day for them.

All the boys doing some yard work.

Finally stable enough to ride in the cart with some cushion assistance

Making Jiffy Pop

This bubble gun has been one of the best purchases..the wand dipping just gets old (and messy).

At the birthday party

Clearly he is going to have the same happy outside face as his dad and brother. 

Pro at frosting eating (but never the cake).

Little man in his swimsuit for the first time

We played at the lake with the Morris family and Sawyer was in heaven. Next time his puddle jumper is coming too. No fear in the water with this one. I thought the temperature of the water would keep him close but...not so much.

Dawson on the other hand definitely noticed the temperature of the water and did not appreciate having his feet dipped in it.

Some playing between Sawyer and his dad ending in an accidental headbutt. 

Mothers Day

Sawyer:

Something about Sawyer that I keep meaning to write down but forget is that he has a funny habit of repeating things others have said and he does it in a whisper. If you've ever seen the show The Middle, it's kind of like what Brick does but instead of whisper repeating himself, Sawyer does it with things others have said. I'll say, "Hey buddy go sit up to the table." And he'll whisper, "Table". Dillon will say, "Do you want juice to drink?" Sawyer whispers in reply, "Juice".

We got Sawyer three little goldfish to replace his lost beta...and they all died within eighteen hours of their purchase. I knew goldfish were basically the pansies of pet fish but my gosh. And we, especially Dillon, were really careful about transfer, water temperature, all that jazz. So now there's just an empty tank sitting in Sawyer's room which has stalled his noticing the fish are gone.. for now.

Where do little boys learn the things they learn? (Or all little kids for that matter?) Sawyer has started to spit the last few weeks, out of nowhere, wherever he feels like it. I've told him not to do it because, gross.. but Grandma Paula told him he could do it as long as he's outside. After him spitting all over the bleachers when we went to Dillon's game because he was, after all, outside I have since told him that he is only allowed to spit at Grandma Paula's. You're welcome, Mom.

Dawson:

Dawson turned seven months and got his very own post. Besides him being on the move, the most pertinent Dawson paragraph (for me) is this one: He still wakes up one or two times a night and it's killer. Mostly because I'm confident that he's not actually hungry and just wants to be comforted back to sleep. Since he won't take a binky, we all know what that means...enter human binky. I've even gotten desperate enough to try to wait it out when he wakes up. He doesn't usually cry hard but will whine and fuss LOUDLY. After listening to that for an hour I finally give up because I'm not sleeping anyway and get ornerier by the minute. So..someone tell me how to night wean please.

Dillon:

Dillon finally had a softball game at an early enough time that I could take the boys to go watch him. Dawson chilled in the carrier and Sawyer would alternate between spitting, even after I told him not to, and jumping up and down excitedly when it was Dillon's turn at bat.

Dillon took Sawyer to their first Fathers and Sons at Otter Creek. They didn't stay overnight but they did dinner and played in the dirt and water. Dillon said Sawyer parked himself by the edge of the water and threw rocks in it the majority of the time. He forgot to take pictures for me but I'm glad they got to have some one-on-one time together; and sometimes it's good to just enjoy time without whipping out the phone for pictures. Dillon's better at that than me. 

Dillon spent the rest of the weekend giving me an awesome Mothers Day. He made a board for me to keep track of our kids heights on, took me shopping, let me nap, did the dishes, took care of all the messy diapers (perhaps the best gift of the weekend), and made the cake for our barbecue with my parents. He's so good at holidays, and regular days, and husbanding.

DaNae:

After spending some time outside with the boys earlier in the week, my forehead felt nice and tight from the slight sunburn I got..because that's normal after forty-five minutes outside in the spring. So I've officially entered the season of sunscreen, sunglasses, and hats if I'm going outside for longer than ten minutes. Hats are the only thing that save my face and the part-line in my hair (arguably one of the worst parts of your body to get burned) so I spend a good majority of the summer in them.

I did an online LuLaRoe party for my friend Taylor (her page here for some shopping!). It was fun! And semi-stressful. I always get nervous when I throw parties because I don't want the person that's selling to feel like I've wasted their time. But a few people found some things they liked and I earned some free clothes. Win-win.

And then I spent the weekend hanging out with all of my boys. It was a great Mothers Day weekend. Everything makes me all teary-eyed since I've had babies. My hormones are permanently set to sensitive or something. But at church the primary kids sang, as per usual. One of the songs they did was, "Love is Spoken Here" and, as a surprise, all of the men in the congregation stood up to sing the second verse and man, it got me. I'm so thankful for moments like that that help me feel the Spirit.

Literally the only picture from the week besides for the ones of Dawson that went in his post..

From Instagram: I kind of hate DIY projects but really wanted one of these boards to track our babies' heights on. Thank goodness I have Dillon who was nice enough to make it for me for Mothers Day. Love it! And him 💖

Dawson Seven Months

Dawson starting rolling back to front during this month. For a minute there he stopped rolling front to back. Consequently, he would get stuck on his belly and get mad. But he rolls both ways now and is constantly on the move if left on the floor. Now that he has some exploring options and isn't stuck in one place anymore, he doesn't cry to be held nearly as much (though still a significant amount).

He is a major reacher which I really have to watch out for. He's already come close to spilling my mealtime plate multiple times. Gone are the days of being able to hold him and eat peacefully (because we all know that putting him down to eat is not an option). 

He is ticklish on about ninety percent of his body. He'll laugh especially hard when his neck or thighs are tickled.

I don't think he's ever going to sit up on his own (not really..but he sure is fighting it). When I try to prop him up so he can get some practice, he immediately throws himself backwards and goes as stiff as he can so I can't bend him into a sitting position at all. He'd much rather be on the move, rolling around on the floor.

He still wakes up one or two times a night and it's killer. Mostly because I'm confident that he's not actually hungry and just wants to be comforted back to sleep. Since he won't take a binky, we all know what that means...enter human binky. I've even gotten desperate enough to try to wait it out when he wakes up. He doesn't usually cry hard but will whine and fuss LOUDLY. After listening to that for an hour I finally give up because I'm not sleeping anyway and get ornerier by the minute. So..someone tell me how to night wean please.

Bathtime, photobombed by Sawyer

His hair is getting to that funny stage where there are weird long hairs but most of it's short and peach fuzzy so I can't commit to cutting it yet.

Playing with dad

I don't know why, but something about that simple baseball hat from Wal-mart just gets me. I love Dawson in it and loved Sawyer in it before.

Laughs from being tickled

Hello May

Sawyer:

Sawyer has gotten more independent this week. There's a lot more No Way! and Mine! going on in our lives. I don't know why but that little "no way" instead of just "no" always makes me want to flick him right in the face. He never yells it, always says it quite calmly, but there's something about it that gets me.

He wants to do things himself, signifying the end of his babydom. But he still needs help so we often compromise. Most often he's okay with it.

In the midst of his independence though, he's decided that he still really needs me and his dad for comfort. His new thing is to walk up to one of us and say, "Hold you?" and then he'll snuggle us for ten seconds or ten minutes depending on his plans. I soak in those moments.

He's started to really stutter when he gets excited about something. He has some word associations that make it so funny and endearing. For instance, when he wants to watch Moana it usually goes something like, "Wa-wa, water, wat-wa-wat, water, wa-wa-wa-....Moana." It's kind of the cutest and makes me laugh every time. His little mouth just can't keep up with his brain yet.

As of this morning, his first pet went to Heaven. Clearly I'm a pro at fish ownership. Maui the Fish was barely hanging on and I tried my best to help him out but the poor thing went belly up. Sawyer didn't see any of that tried and failed rescuing so I just cleaned everything and moved it out of his room. I figured that since he's only two it would be no big thing. Rookie. While I was getting him dressed, he eyeballed his dresser and noticed it's lack of occupancy then exclaimed, "Fish?! Back!" So I do believe that our FHE tonight will involve acquiring some replacement fish.

Dawson:

You guys. Dawson officially takes a bottle. Insert all of the Hallelujah emojis here. I still nurse him about 98% of the time and there were so many times that I thought to just quit trying with the bottle but it is so worth it to be able to leave him and not feel guilty about whoever is watching him. Breastfeeding, for me, can feel a bit suffocating so it's nice to have the freedom to take a break a couple of times a week. It's tempting to just switch him all the way to bottles but then I remember how much it sucks to pump seven times a day and decide to be content with our current success.

I thought he was maybe teething earlier this week (it's always such a guessing game with babies). He and Sawyer both got another cold about a week ago (Thanks Aunt Andee! 😉) so he didn't feel good anyway. He ran a fever for a few days but didn't seem to have anything else going on. But then I got sick a few days later so I'm thinking probably no teeth yet (thank goodness). He's doing much better now and is back to his happy little self.

Dillon:

Dillon has been doing his extra duty of programming at work for a few months now and decided to check back in to see what the plan was for his raise and what not. It turns out that his work is restructuring how they pay the whole engineering department and they're working on making him a salary based employee rather than an hourly wage employee. If it all works out how we're hoping it will mean a lot less hours that Dillon will have to put in a week which will be so great! He'll get more rest and we'll get to see him more. The sooner the better.

DaNae:

I already mentioned that I got sick but it was the weirdest kind of sickness. On Thursday I was stretching after walking on our treadmill and when I turned my head to lean to the side I suddenly felt uncontrollably dizzy. I had to lay on the floor and still the room would not stop spinning. I managed to make it to mine and Dillon's room so I could change into pj's but that much movement made me so nauseous that I threw up. The rest of the night and into the morning were like that. Crazy! The next couple of days were okay as long as I was laying down (which was interesting with two kids). And now I only get dizzy if a turn my head a certain way or bend over to grab something but it doesn't make me nauseous anymore. I don't know if it's some inner ear thing or what but I feel bad if that's what poor Dawson had. He definitely handled it like a champ.

Our shopping trips have been lengthened significantly due to this fact. If Dawson's nice, I really don't mind it. If he's not, it's just about my least favorite thing ever. But Sawyer's good about riding in the cart when we're in the parking lot so we've got that going for us.

From Instagram: King Sawyer has decreed that the time for peacefully riding IN the cart has past unless the rest of the kingdom wishes to be witness to a royal tantrum. #heavenhelpme #whateverdude #SawyerD

He's figured out that the ice will slide around on its own while it melts on our fireplace (sans fire) and thinks it's so, so cool.

This poor feverish baby was struggling so he got some Tylenol and his first taste of an ice cream sandwich while we visited my mom on her birthday.

He loooved it.

 Saturday was one of my favorite easy kind of days with no schedule and nice weather. We hit up the park since Sawyer asks to go every day then did lunch at Hermies.

That tiny little butt-chin is one of my favorite features that comes from Dillon.

Such a good daddy

All my boys swinging. Dillon looks absolutely livid but that's really just his outside face. I've tried to convince him sunglasses are the way to got but I guess he prefers to squint angrily.

Dawson with Uncle Devan during one of our visits

End of April

Sawyer:

Sawyer is turning into a little boy, no longer a toddler. He's so happy that it's warm and that he can spend time outside. He would love nothing more than to be outside all day in the dirt and with water to splash around in. He is always making his dad and me laugh with the things he comes up with, how he remembers certain things, and the associations he makes.

He's a big fan of his cousins and doesn't really get that most of them don't live a short drive away. He got a chance to play with all of them on my side this week and loved every bit of it.

Something I want to remember that I haven't been able to capture in picture..when we go to Wal-mart (which is more than I wish) I often try to park close to the front or close to a cart return. When we are lucky enough to get a front spot, I remind Sawyer to stay right be the car while I get Dawson. While he waits, Sawyer grabs as many small rocks as he can to stack on the big boulders that mark the aisles. Then, even after I've gotten the baby, he insists on carefully placing his smaller rocks as he sees fit. When he's satisfied, he'll grab my hand so we can go in the store.

Dawson:

Dawson was getting back to just waking up once a night but I think he's started teething. He's been running a fever and is a pretty miserable fella. I'm totally unprepared for this typical teething business. Sawyer didn't get any teeth until he was over a year old and, with the exception of his molars, they just popped in without really bothering him.

Dawson wiggles like a mad man when he's excited and is getting attention. He flaps his limbs and wiggles his head back and forth with a big grin on his face. It makes me laugh every time. I'll have to capture it on video.

Dillon:

Dillon worked his normal schedule but decided to take a day off on Friday. He hasn't taken a day off (with the exception of when I had the babies) without doing some other kind of work in a long, long time. It was nice to have him home for some extra time without anything planned. We all took a collective nap (no small miracle) and lounged together.

He watched the NFL draft with his buddies on Thursday and had a softball game to play so we didn't see him much then but Friday more than made up for it. Plus it was good that he had a chance to have fun with his friends he hasn't seen in awhile.

On Saturday he was asked to help clean out a storage unit. While he was helping, he just happened to find the part that our guest toilet needed to stop a small leak. And now it's fixed, and it was free! Can't beat that.

DaNae:

I had Bunko Wednesday night. The more I get to hang out with those ladies, the more I'm so grateful that I was invited to play with them almost two years ago. As cheesy as that sounds, I mean it with all of its cheesy goodness. I've gained some really great friendships that help keep me sane.

I had been messaging with my friend Lindsay about how it has been far too long since we've seen each other (like two years!!) and it turned out that she and her family were coming down for her sister-in-law's college graduation. So we got some much needed Brito family time. It's nice to have those kind of friendships that are easy and low-maintenance. We went to dinner and met each other's second children and then hung out at the house to catch up. It was such a fun (and much too short) visit. We already miss them.

So chill after being fed. That belly.

We got Sawyer some squirt guns and he LOVES them. He gets the big one and either Dillon or I get the little ones. He calls them drills and asks to play with them daily.

 This picture I was able to catch during our first squirt gun fight kills me. All of it is perfect.

From Instagram: Squirt gun fight!! #SawyerD

Dawson just wanted to eat his squirt gun.

 My parents took Sawyer with them down to St. George to watch Austin play soccer on Saturday. Dillon was helping clean out the storage unit so it was just me and Dawson. I was able to get SO much cleaning done I was in awe. One immobile kid who happened to be cheerful playing on the floor and took a long nap made for some awesome productivity.

Sawyer and G catching some zzz's

Three toddlers in a wagon and an Austin on the side.

Being pulled by Braden.

Livy, Sawyer, and G.

The Brito's little girl Jane was enthralled with Dawson.

Multigram from Instagram: This made me all nostalgic for the times when I got to play in these same ditches by my grandparents house. I'm glad my baby gets to experience these little joys. #SawyerD