Austin the chatterbox

Love the babble and singing of this little guy lately... he often recognizably babbles without prompting, but I have him mimicking for the sake of the video.

Austin Glen- 1 1/2 years

Austin is such a little joy. From infancy, he has had this glow in his eyes that exude joy. And I'm so pleased he hasn't lost that little sparkle. He is so jolly, and in the words of his uncle, he has "slimmed down nicely." He still weighs just under 20 pounds, and has kept with the trend of not growing much after 9 months of age.

Austin loves his big brother. He mimics everything he says and does, which can be good and bad. He loves trains especially, but also shows an affinity for sports. When Parker was little he could have cared less about TV, Austin is the opposite. He loves shows. He will often come hand me the remote control and say, "Show, show." He doesn't care what is on... but he loves to lounge on the couch or in my lap watching a show. My favorite time is right after his nap when we curl up together to watch a show. He is still very cuddly and loves to hug.

He is a great eater and will just eat and eat and eat. Good thing he is walking so much, or else he wouldn't maintain his 20 pound figure. He has gotten quite good with a spoon and loves to eat cereal and yogurt on his own. He loves fruit, especially blueberries. He loves fries and ketchup, applesauce pouches, fruitsnacks, and cheese. He also loves bread on a plate.

He is gaining more and more words lately. I think I already wrote some of these down, but aside from the norm, he says: choo choo, cheese, bread, helicopter, airplane, dog, cat, cow, water, milk, book, amen, and go blue. He lights up when Pete comes home.

Austin loves to kick around the soccer ball and try to hit with a baseball bat. He still naps twice a day and gets up once or so during the night wanting more milk. He loves music and can fill in the last word of "I am a child of _____ (God)." He loves to sing and dance.

We just can't say enough good things about him. I would have a hundred more kids just like Austin. What a keeper! Plus I get WAY more pics of him than Parker, so he's my favorite... just kidding!

Parker- age 3 1/2

Parker is 3 1/2 now and is such an amazing kid. He is so much fun to be around and is always amazing us with the things he is thinking and the things he's able to do. Here's some fun things about Parker...

Parker is an okay eater, but mostly prefers the staples of cereal, milk, chicken, broccoli, zucchini, and Chick fil A. Parker still sleeps in his pack n play, though we do have a twin bed set up for him. He has yet to sleep even one night on it (except for a partial night when he had the stomach flu). He looks ridiculous in there, but he loves it. We have recently put Austin in the room with him, so we have a twin bed and two pack n plays all in the room. 

Parker will be attending preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays for three hours, starting next week. He will be in my mom' class, and he is very excited! We'll see how much he tries to test the boundaries in Mrs. Lieber's class. Parker is very social and enjoys the classroom atmosphere, especially playing with friends, doing art, and playing with dinosaurs and cars. 

In terms of play, Parker loves toys. He has a great imagination, and loves to play with his trains, imagine with his toy animals, and he still loves playing sports. He'll spend hours out back at my parents playing baseball, hitting home runs, and kicking the soccer ball around. 

He and Austin have entered into a phase where they love playing together. Parker is becoming much more patient with Austin, and genuinely enjoys his companionship. They love putting together train tracks and Austin follows two steps behind everywhere Parker goes. It's darling. 

Parker continues to have LOTS of energy. He still naps 2-3 hours a day in the afternoons, due to his constant movement in the morning. :) Both his body and his mouth are constantly moving! He talks nonstop...his vocabulary is extensive and it's so neat to hear him articulate his thoughts. He was starting to throw a tantrum about what he wanted to do, go with Grammy or go to play with kids at church. As he started to cry he said, " I just don't know which to choose." 

Parker is very thoughtful and loves to ask others how they are feeling, what they are doing, and if he can help. He says very sincere prayers, including everything and everyone he can think of/see. 

Last night, Austin started crying after Parker went to bed, and then Pete and I hear a little singing voice. We walk over to the door and see Parker sitting beside Austin's bed singing " I am a Child of God." Parker has a tender heart, even though he can also be very stubborn and strong willed. 

I am thankful that Parker and Austin have each other. I am already seeing glimpses of their future together and I know they will be good friends. 

 

My hope for Parker this school year is that he will continue to improve in his impulsiveness and listening skills, but most importantly, that he will continue to enjoy learning and socializing. I hope he will be a good friend that is attentive to the needs of others. He is also starting Wee Sing this year, and he's VERY excited to perform. Can't wait for him to perform! We love Parker Higgins Dahlquist, and he truly makes our lives exciting.

Bounce house maniacs

I'm convinced bounce houses and trampolines were made for my children. They could go all day. Thanks to my aunt and uncle for always providing one for every function at their house:) 

Cuties

Just some random pics. 

Hook 'em!

 Austin checking out my cousin Anthony at my other cousin's graduation party. We are so proud of Jenna that she got a scholarship to play softball at Pitt this fall. We will love having a new football rivalry in the family. (They still play right? We used to).

 Me and the boys.

 I love when they play well.

 Austin taking a selfie.

Sea World Nights

Sea World is like a different place at night. Way back when, probably 10 years ago before Pete left on his mission, we went to Sea World together because I knew he loved it as a kid. We had fun there all day and then left to go Tony Romas for dinner (his fav) and then returned for the fireworks. It was magical, except that the spot we picked to watch fireworks had a huge tree blocking the view. Anyway...

I knew I wanted to do the nighttime thing with Park before the summer ended, but it's tricky with Austin. So my mom was kind enough to let Austin spend the night there so I could go out with Parker. We also decided to take his cousin, Lexey. It was so special. 

First Parker and I went to In n Out for dinner. He loved his hamburger, but he loves their stickers more than anything. 

Then it was Sea World time. Dolphins were a must see. This guy just sat with his nose up against the glass looking at the kids for the longest time. So sweet. Flipper...

 Usually Parker does NOT like touching the animals. But Lexey was so excited about holding the starfish, that prompted him to want to give them a touch. I was so proud of him and it was cool to see someone else able to help him try something new.

 My little loves...

 Bouncing back and forth on the springy walls.

I will always remember that night. We also saw the Madagascar show, which Parker asked, "When I grow up, can I be one of those characters?" 

Children's Museum trip

Be prepared for picture overload... it's a combination of actually having my nice camera with me and having fabulous lighting in the Children's museum the other day. I love that both the boys really love this place now. Austin even went down the slide by himself for the first time! 

 Cute baby, Mason.

 Graham, the grocery guy.

 A boy after my own heart... he loves a cash register just like his mama!

 Watching the scarves float up the funnel.

 Puppet master. He's really into introductions. He was saying, "Introducing Parker Dahlquist. Now enjoy the show!"

 Dress up...

 Bubbles!

Such a fun day!