14 Months

Eli and Landon are 14 months old today. I just love this age! They are so much fun to play with and they learn something new everyday. They are starting to enjoy simple games like build a wall of blocks and knock it down, throwing balls back and forth, hide and go seek (sort of...I'm always the one hiding and I have to make noises so they can "find" me even though I'm almost in plain sight), and just last night we played ring around the rosie which was a huge hit. They now laugh at things that could actually be funny. They are such a joy.

But they have also formed other, not so attractive habits like throwing fits when something goes even slightly not their way, biting each other to get toys, and hitting each other with blunt objects. Just this past week Eli bit Landon on the cheek so hard that it bled. He still has a bruise and teeth marks on his face 5 days later. Eli is so quick and I very rarely am able to catch him in the act, making it hard to discipline him. Discipline is another thing I struggle with. I try hard to be consistent with rules and consequences, but some days I feel like that is all I do. Sigh...

Here are a few notes about each of the boys:

Landon -

The biggest difference between last month and this month with Landon is his new-found love of climbing. This boy will climb on anything and everything. I have to make sure the dining room table chairs are always pushed in, or I'll find him standing on top of the table. He constantly crawls up on top of the coffee table in the living room and on the couches. Just yesterday, I was hanging up clothes, took my eyes off of him for about 30 seconds, and he had climbed up onto a stool and then climbed onto Dustin's bedside table. By the time I saw him, he was standing right on the edge of that little table. Anyone else have climbers? How did you handle it?

Landon has finally started giving me kisses. He is not excited about it, he does not enjoy it, and he is very picky about when he does it, but when he does...it makes me feel like the most important person in the world. He cracks me up.

I just don't know if I can adequately describe Landon's sweet nature. He's tenderhearted and a little bashful at times. He's got the most kissable cheeks and when he talks (which he does A LOT), he squints his eyes and moves his head from side to side. It's adorable.

I am totally smitten with this guy!

Eli -

I am constantly amazed at how different Eli and Landon are from each other. It's kind of hard to explain their differences, but just a little time spent with them makes it very obvious. Eli is a little more outgoing and a little more particular about everything. He knows what he wants and he'll do anything to get it. Eli has the most infectious laugh and the goofiest smile I've ever seen. I just can't help but smile when he does. He is also a fan of climbing, but he's not quite as eager about it.

Eli is quite the daredevil though. If an activity doesn't have an element of danger to it...he's altogether not interested. He loves his rocking horse, but he wants to stand up and rock, while only holding on with one hand. He likes to ride on his car standing up as well. He likes to crawl on the couch and run from one side to the other and then teeter on the edge. You would think the several falls he's taken would deter this kind of activity, but...he's either a slow learner or doesn't care.

Eli is my very enthusiastic kisser. He smiles really big, opens his mouth as wide as he can, sticks his tongue out, and licks the whole side of your face. Then he laughs. Seriously...is there anything sweeter than that? I'll be the first to admit, depending on the amount of slobber already surrounding his mouth and the length of the kiss...it can get pretty disgusting, but I still can't resist his kisses. He'll be busy playing and every now and then, come over on his own to kiss mine or Dustin's cheek. Precious.


Well...that's what the boys are up to these days.

I still don't have a camera, so here are a few old ones.

We're having a huge celebration today because both Eli and Landon slept all night in THEIR OWN BEDS last night. It has been over four months since that has happened! I'm just so excited.

This is what it's usually like: