Happy November!

Wow! It has been a busy couple of months around here... Fall is in full swing and so are the boys! They are moving and "running" all over the place which means we are moving right after them. They have figured out how to crawl down the stairs and giggle the whole way. They are putting more and more food in their own mouths which is FANTASTIC! They also are much more proficient at using sippy cups, so eating has become much easier for Mom and Dad. We are still waiting for those first words, but they are starting to sign for "more" and are waving goodbye and understand much of what we say. Their play is becoming more sophisticated and they are starting to play with each other more all the time. We recently went to visit Russ's family in Wisconsin and had a great time. We got to celebrate Ayden's first birthday and spent lots of time with family. We even got to see Alison's family on the way there and back as we passed through St. Louis. It was good to be there and also good to be home! The boys were real troopers and did well in the car and sleeping in lots of different places. Joshua has had a battle with hives for the past few weeks. We have no idea what has caused them and are on our second round of steroids, so hopefully he will soon be on the mend. The boys wore their pirate overalls for Halloween and looked cute as ever. After all the activity of the past couple months we are now looking forward to a little bit of "normal" for a while. Enjoy the pictures!

Caleb's Climbing!

I wanted to share one more special thing that Caleb has been doing the past couple of weeks... climbing on top of the chair! So far there is only one chair that is low enough for him to climb up on, but I'm sure that won't last as long. He is such a ham and is always so proud of himself once he accomplishes his goal as you can see by the pictures! I can only imagine what I will find him on top of as the days go by!

1 year and 2 months old

We have had a busy, but enjoyable second half of the summer here in Kansas! The boys continue to grow and change all the time. Both Caleb and Joshua are now walking proficiently and even starting to pick up the pace quite a bit! Both boys continue to chew on EVERYTHING... Joshua has a total of 6 teeth and Caleb still only 2 to show for their efforts. Both of the boys will now put food into their own mouths which is fantastic!!! We are making progress into feeding ourselves independently! We are still working on figuring out how to tip the sippy cup so we can get a drink, but I think we're making progress. I still enjoy being at home with the boys and Russ is getting into full swing again with fall programming at work. Enjoy the pictures of the antics the boys have been up to!

One year checkups and more family!

We had the pleasure of having some of Russell's family visit us as well this past week. Willie and his fiancee Christine came for a quick visit this past weekend. What fun we had playing with the boys in the pool and going out to eat while the boys slept at home with the babysitter. Mary Jo and Gary also came to visit for a few days and we had a lot of fun with them as well. The boys continue to enjoy all the company we have been having. Caleb showed off for Mary Jo and Gary while they were here by starting to walk! He can now walk across a room all by himself and he is so proud! We went to the doctor yesterday for their one year check-up. The poor little guts had to get 4 shots each, but they were troopers. It was a good visit and he says they are doing great! Here are their current heights and weights:

Caleb: 29 inches long, 17 lbs 12 oz
Joshua: 29 1/2 inches long, 20 lbs 6 oz

We now know just how much heavier Joshua is than Caleb and trust me, you can tell when you pick them up! Here are a few more pictures of us and our recent visitors. Let us know if you want to come and visit too!

Happy Father's Day and fun at home

We celebrated Russell's first Father's Day this year by going out to lunch together after church, since Russ had to work the rest of the day. We had a good time together and we know that many more fun father's days will come... The boys are continuing to explore EVERYTHING now that they are more mobile. They are very curious and will open any drawer, cabinet, etc... that they come across. Caleb can now walk about half way across the room (or about 10-15 steps) without falling down and he finds it very exciting! Joshua has chosen to expand his horizons by trying to climb on top of or into various things. We definitely have our hands full! Both boys have been teething, so they have been a bit on the fussy side as of late. Hopefully those teeth will come in soon! The dogs continue to be very good with the boys and Joshua just can't get enough of them. Enjoy the pictures of their recent adventures!

They're ONE!!!

Wow! It is so hard to believe that these two little boys are already one year old! Time has gone by so quickly and we are having such a good time! Grandma and Grandpa Witbrodt came to visit this past weekend and helped us celebrate the boys' birthday a little early. We had a great time opening and playing with gifts, although Caleb didn't care for the sound of the paper ripping. Cake was fun to squish around in their hands, but neither of the boys was interested in having any of it in their mouth. Caleb is now taking 4-5 steps on his own in a row and Joshua could really care less about walking as crawling is really much faster. Here are a bunch of pictures of our birthday weekend... more will follow over the next few weeks as we celebrate with other family!

11 months old

It is hard to believe that the boys are just one month away from being 1 year old! As you can see from the pictures and the previous videos, the boys are on the move! They are now quite proficient at crawling and can get just about anywhere they want to go. Both of the boys can also pull themselves up to standing and Caleb is cruising everywhere! You can even tell that they are doing their best to see if they can climb up on top of things. So far they have been unsuccesful at this endeavor, but I'm sure at some point they will succeed. All of this has opened a whole new world of exploration for them and they are loving every minute of it.

The washer and dryer are always entertaining for at least a good 10 minutes when they are running and even 2-3 minutes when there is nothing inside! We have a tunnel that they like to explore. They will both go inside and then sit and giggle with each other. Another favorite activity is to empty every drawer or shelf that they can get their hands on. They also like to climb on top of and tackle anyone brave enough to get down on the floor with them. Needless to say, we are loving every minute of the time that we have with them! Joshua has developed curls... we're not exactly sure where they came from, but they sure are cute. Both boys are working on tooth number two, so they are starting to get toothy little grins and are looking less like babies and more like little boys every day. I had a great first Mother's day and I'm looking forward to many more!

Many of you are planning trips our direction this summer and we can't wait to see you! Enjoy the pictures of all of Caleb and Joshua's explorations and antics!