The Nitty Gritty

Van is two years old! Where does the time go? I am loving this stage right now--William, a big preschooler and Van, an active toddler. Van is doing so many cute things. I can't imagine my life without him. He loves to chuck everything (not one of my favorite things). Every time he finishes eating he starts throwing his food. When he sees me in a panic coming over to get him out of the high chair, he throws faster and even tries to chuck his dish before I reach him. He also loves to stand at the top of the stairs and throw his toys, shoes, pillows, whatever he finds, to the bottom.  He LOVES bubbles. The first thing he says when he gets in the bath is "bubbles!" He loves our bedtime routine. When we finish one story he looks at me with a serious look, holds up one finger and says "One more book." After three or four stories I say, "Ok, Van. This really is the last book." When we say prayers on our knees, he and Will lay on their tummies--easier than...

This month we took a family vacation to Louisiana to visit Grandpa Steve and Grandma Dana. We spent two weeks there and had a wonderful time. In addition to seeing Steve and Dana, we also got to see Aunt Abbey! It was fun seeing how well she is doing and it was fun hanging out with her. Since we flew out of the Vegas airport, we also got to see Great Grandma and Grandpa Bickmore. We love to see Mike the Tiger at the LSU stadium. This time we went at night when he was up and walking around instead of sleeping in the corner. August 2nd was our 9th anniversary! We got to celebrate in New Orleans while the boys stayed in Baton Rouge. It was fun to hold hands and stroll through the French Quarter. We ate delicious southern food, devoured beignets, danced to live Jazz music, and walked along the Mississippi River. We also stopped by Congo square in the Louis Armstrong park. One of the things William was looking forward to was seeing a live alligator. We took the boys to a Gat...