Exersaucer

Last week we brought out Rachel's old exersaucer toy for Carson to play in. After getting used to it for a few days Carson has decided that he really likes this toy. He sits in a little seat in the center and can spin 360 degrees with colorful little toys in all directions. Rachel likes to climb into it too - she has a keen interest in any toy that Carson enjoys. When she is not toturing her little brother she occasionally will give him a hug, as seen in the third picture below. He even looks like he's hugging her back!

Mealtime Fun

Wow, two posts in one night! Trying to make up for the past two weeks which have been very busy. Carson has been eating solid foods for about two weeks now and is doing very well with them. He eats mainly rice cereal but has also tried bananas and applesauce, both of which he seems to enjoy. Mom and Dad have been feeding him in our laps which can get very messy as you can imagine. Tonight for the first time Carson tried out his high chair and it worked very well. You can see from the third picture below that he had lots of fun! And its nice for Mom, now I only have to change my shirt twice a day instead of three times. Rachel has transitioned to her booster seat and is doing very well with it. Sometimes she eats at the big table and sometimes she uses the tray that came with the booster seat. I was afraid there might be some jealousy seeing Carson in her old high chair, but she seemed to have no problem with it. Its fun to watch them interact at mealtime.

Unka Pete An Jen

Labor Day weekend we had a visit from "Unka Pete An Jen", as Rachel refers to them. Rachel was shy for about 3 minutes until Pete & Jen started playing with her toys and then Rachel resumed her usual state of perpetual motion. Pete showed off his Lego skills by helping Rachel build a castle for the Little People. And Jen demonstrated her amazing flexibility and strength by giving Rachel airplane rides on her feet! We are all very happy about their move west, it will be so nice to have them living closer to us.

Wheeler Farm

Yesterday we went to visit Wheeler Farm, a Salt Lake County park complete with pigs, sheep, cows, horses, chickens, turkeys, ducks and even tractor rides. Rachel loves to see the animals. We have many books about farm animals and a toy farm at home so it is a nice validation for her that these are in fact real animals and they really do make the noises that we teach her. She also just learned Old MacDonald, a fun song to sing on the car ride home.

Carson's New Teeth

Carson has teeth! Just today his two bottom teeth started to peek through the gums. Looks like he will be an early teether just like his sister. Rachel got her two bottom teeth at just about the same age (four and half months). Maybe this explains why he has been up several times during the night for the past week. Hopefully he can now get back to some good solid sleeping!

Brush with Fire

It has been a very hot and dry summer in Utah with wildfires running rampant. Most have been far away from us but today we saw one burning in the local mountains behind us. These pictures were taken in the little back yard we have at our townhome. Fortunately the response for this fire was quick and it was under control within a few hours. By late afternoon it was gone completely. Phew!

Toys Galore

Rachel loves to give Carson toys to play with but sometimes does not know when to stop. Today she decided to give him all his toys at once - poor little Carson was buried in a mound of toys. The second picture says it all. Rachel has a certain spark in her eye which says, "I know I'm tormenting my little brother but isn't this fun?!"