The best gift you can give your child is a sibling...

When I was pregnant with Austin, a wise woman once told me, "The best gift you can ever give your child is a sibling." And while there are times when I wonder if I am being the best mom I can be with my attention divided constantly between the two (phew... I can't imagine having more!), when I see the love that is shared between my boys from such an early age... I know it is such a blessing for them to have each other. Austin can't get enough of Parker. 

Football time with Dad!

Parker went to the Aztecs game on Saturday night with Pete, Grandpa Bob and Calvin. We were really unsure how it would go. I was fully prepared to drive down there to retrieve him in case he wasn't lasting. But lo and behold, he had a fantastic time! He was enthralled by it all. Here are the boys ready to go. Go Aztecs! (San Diego State). 

 And here they are at the game. Parker put on his red shirt and said, "I look handsome."

Parker did a great job at the game. He loved having his own little lemonade and chips (he passed on the hot dog). When the Aztec mascot came out on the field with his flaming spear, Parker got VERY frightened... so much so that he actually pooped his pants. Not joking. Once he stopped shaking, he kept saying, "I don't like the Aztecs." He did like the other mascot which was a Spartan, but Parker thought he looked like a Cowboy. Parker also loved having his cousin Calvin there with him. All the way home he kept asking Calvin, "Which  mascot did you like?" He also enjoyed seeing his Uncle Ryan and Chloe at the game.

His vocabulary is quite amazing these days. He says things like, "I'm shivering," "Is that a type of dog?", "Austin will choke on that," "My name is Parker Dahlquist," "I need a spatula to cook with," and "That's a beautiful song, Lexey." He is so polite and well spoken. We love hearing the things he has to say. It's amazing to see the world through a child's eyes.

Stir Fresh with the fam

 We love Stir Fresh Mongolian Grill but it had been a while since we'd gone. Now that Austin is sitting up much better on his own, we gave the high chair a try for the first time. He did pretty well, considering he's still new at this sitting up thing!

 Parker gets so excited to see Uncle Ryan and his girlfriend Chloe. We miss him since he's gone to college. When it was time to go, Parker said, "I want to go to college!" These pictures took MANY takes to get everyone looking (and by everyone I mean Parker!)

Fun night together. My dad loves to pile up his noodle bowl really high. Well, we all do... but he takes his stacking to a whole new level. When he got back to the table with his dinner Parker asked, "Papa, did you make a big mess?" The kid doesn't miss a beat!

Flashback family photos

 When Pete's brother left on his mission a few weeks ago, his sister Denise did some scanning of old family photos for him to take. These pics, all taken shortly before his mom passed away, are so sweet and wonderful. Love this trampoline session- Pete, Dan, and their mom, Clare.

 Reading with little Dan.

 Best family picture ever (according to Denise:)) I agree.

 Pete and his mom.

Cousins... again

These two are just too cute... I couldn't not share. Love Austin and Jo together. I hope they are always good buddies. I bet there's a much better chance of that if he leaves her blanket at home:)

Going to the zoo, zoo, zoo

We went with my parents to the zoo on Saturday. It was a lot of fun. Especially since Parker was wearing his Superman cape. As if he wasn't enough of a bolter already... that kid zoomed from exhibit to exhibit. Fun day. 

Austin- 6 month dr visit

Austin has been a tank since he was born. He's chubby all over, especially his cheeks, arms, and legs. He's so squishy and we adore him. Today at the doctor, I was pleasantly surprised that his growth had slowed down. He weighed 17 1/2 pounds, which is closer to the 50%. Phew. He's average! His length was about 26 1/2 inches (but that's a tough measurement to be accurate). And his head is growing sufficiently:) He's just such a little Gerber baby. Strangers comment on his eyes and his Gerber look all the time. He was a happy boy, until the shots. He hates them, especially the oral vaccine. He loses it on that one. But I'm just thankful he's healthy and thriving. He usually goes to bed about 7pm, eats again at 10pm and then wakes at  3 or 4am to eat, and then wakes again around 7:30am. It's a good schedule. He's sitting up better on his own, he loves toys, and burying his face in blankets or clothes. He has been enjoying pears and squash baby food. He still doesn't like bottles, but the doctor suggested just trying a sippy cup instead. We'll try that. These aren't the best pics, as he was a little spastic and every picture was coming out blurry. haha. 

 Check out those rolls...

We love you Austin. You're the best little baby around!

Austin and JoAnne

We LOVE living near family. It's so neat to see the cousins all play together. Austin and JoAnne are 9 months apart ( I found out I was pregnant the weekend she was born). So Austin is 6 months and Jo is almost 15 months... but they are roughly the same size, and actually Austin ways a bit more. Jo came to play this morning and Austin loved it. He just sat and giggled at her. 

Here are the kids playing. 

JoAnne loves her blankie, so when Austin tried to steal it, she wasn't pleased. Then Denise said when she was watching this video again at home, she got mad all over again and was screaming at the computer reaching for her blanket. 

Trip to the grandparents

We went to my grandparents house yesterday. It was a lovely day. Just Pete, the boys, and I. We had planned to drive up during naptime, so they could sleep soundly in the car and then be ready to play when we got there. Well, of course they didn't want to sleep until we were 20 minutes away. Oh well. Better than nothing. Austin liked showing off his sitting up skills. He just stabilized a few days ago:)

 And Parker was Grandaddy's shadow. Playing ball, building blocks, and running in and out of the house. My grandaddy has amazing stamina to keep up with this guy. Even I can't keep up most of the time!

We had a delicious dinner and chocolate pie, then came back home. It was a quick but fun trip. Can't wait to see them again soon!

Inaugural post

I feel weird... like I have a blog... but this isn't it. Having to start fresh at this new blog address will certainly take some getting used to. After 852 posts, I'm going to miss dahlquisthappenings.blogspot.com, but I will definitely enjoy the shorter title of this blog. Dahlquist Love sums up what this blog is all about. Of course we have our ups and downs, but at the root of our family is love. I love my husband, I love my sons... I have a very blessed life and I look forward to documenting all the milestones right here. So continue with me on the journey. And let's see how long it takes to reach the photo limit at this address:)