Fuzzy photo dump.

I'm mad at Blogger. My photos are fuzzy! I try really hard to not take fuzzy photos very often, and they hurt my brain, so if I did, I certainly wouldn't post them. But these photos!! They're all showing up fuzzy (but only on Blogger - not the originals), and my eyeballs are aching just looking at them. I'm sure it has something to do with me uploading (to Photobucket) not-full-resolution photos (because they'll load faster? I don't even know). I need a photo / blog / life intervention, people. Someone manage it all. 

I also need someone to take 7+ years of blogging and turn it into hard-copy form. Please. 

(This has been on my to-do list for, oh, several years now.) 

It was really cold several weeks ago - really cold. We had a few days that almost felt like winter (I wore my down jacket!), and then it was pool weather again. Let me tell you, those few days of winter were quite enough. I love Texas weather a solid 9 months out of the year. 

We've been busy! My mom came to visit, my brother Andrew and his family came to visit (we did the zoo, and the rodeo, and our favorite fajitas - and came up with the perfect routine of getting all 7 of us into our car in a somewhat reasonable amount of time), and Mike's parents came to visit last weekend. We had a little trip booked to Austin this weekend and cancelled last-minute, in favor of staying home and enjoying some quiet instead (it was a good decision). Mike let me sleep yesterday morning (oh, blessed sleep) and I got a massage in the afternoon. The boys took super star naps and we grabbed tacos for dinner down by the waterway. Austin isn't going anywhere and we'll go in a few weeks instead. 

West! Almost 7 months old, and growing up so much already. His head is pretty much giant, which means that he isn't sitting up yet, which means that we haven't started solids yet (or even thought about it, really - although I've purchased this book and have intentions of reevaluating my approach this time around vs. just spoon feeding purees like I did with Quinn). We're 5 weeks in to his helmet, and he's doing great - solid progress + visible changes, and he has handled it all so well. We had one hard day with naps, and that was it. He's still nursing like a champ, sleeping really well (12+ hours every night!) and basically just an all around happy, chubby, sweet baby. He was moving his Sophie (the giraffe) back and forth between his hands today and I pointed it out to Mike - new trick! I'm sure he's been doing it for a few weeks, and it was fun to observe for a few minutes, but I couldn't help but think that had it been Quinn - our first child - we would have been doing back handsprings in excitement and I would have documented it with a video and a detailed blog post of its own. Poor second child. But really, he's doing great - learning new tricks, laughing at his older brother and giving us so many smiles every day. I sing him this song and his cheeks spring out, his eyes sparkle and he erupts into laughter -   

Oh Mr. West, West, Mr Baby West, Mi-ster Ba-by West 

(Think Mr Sun, Sun, Mr Golden Sun, Please Shine Down on Meeeee)

It's simple and easy, but he loves it. Quinn has caught on and will say, Helloooooo Baby West! Helloooooo Mister West! 

Quinn ran towards me this morning saying, Here comes the choo choo train! Here comes the choo choo train! over and over again. He's obsessed (still) and asks to go to the zoo to ride the train every. single. day. He's also been asking to ride an airplane approximately every 17 seconds, ever since we got back from Colorado. I've told him that this is a bit more tricky to arrange (not until July, at this point), but there's no reasoning with a two year old. I plan on taking him to the airport to watch the planes take off and land next week. 

(In his sweet earnest way, after I've told him several times that we can't ride the airplane today, he has said - Mama, please this ride airplane! "Please this" - We can't get him out of the habit of saying that instead of just please.)

This evening at dinner he asked for Grandma. When I asked where she was he replied, Spokane! I think of the lake being home more than Spokane (nor do we really ever discuss Spokane), so I was surprised at his answer. He's been asking to go to Priest Lake this week (I didn't realize he really knew the name) and really wants to put on a swimsuit every day.  

I made BBQ quinoa burgers with sweet potato fries for dinner tonight. Personally, I thought they were delicious. Quinn ate half of his bun, wouldn't touch the fries (his favorite!), picked out a few black beans from his patty, and then politely asked for a cookie. Sweet boy. 

Mike is out of town all week. I'm tired just thinking about it. 

Fuzzy + a-few-weeks-old photo dump of snapshots from our days.