Nine is Just Fine!

So.  August happened...  And oh, the changes!

This little boy is MOBILE!  He was pretty lazy when he first learned to crawl (never really put forth the effort unless an object or person was just a couple scoots away) but now he is inch-worming all over the place!  While he loves to chase after a ball or a toy that evades him (i.e. waterbottles and other round objects) his other haunts include the vents, the piano pedals and, of course, our DVD tower.  The DVDs fell on him early on, so we've taken to laying the tower on its side and letting him play with the DVDs.  I call it his "work station."

We love this laugh!

Another favorite for him are door stops.  The kid figured out early on how to remove them and now, a day rarely goes by during which he doesn't pull off at least one!

Not surprisingly, all this mobility has had a pretty slimming effect on our little hunk.  He's still a chunk, but not nearly as thick as he was a month ago!

He has also gotten pretty handy with a sippy cup!  He just guzzles water.  :)

Another development is his hair.  It's gotten pretty thick in some areas.  It's hilarious- when the wind catches it just right, it looks just like a toupee!

Atticus couldn't get enough of his cousin Ashton when we had a chance to hang out.

His third and fourth teeth came in!  #3 came near the beginning of the month and #4 on around Aug. 15.  It's funny, because a lot of his little friends who are older still don't have teeth or only have 1-2.

He's been blowing a lot of raspberries lately.  It's so adorable.  I'm not entirely sure why he's taken so to the sound, but it just might have something to do with all of the little girls he meets at the pool.  It certainly makes an impression!  ;)

He also ran his first race with me, and he even placed!  Ha ha, not hard to do when so few were involved.  :)  Here he is, drinking some victory milk.
Ooh!  He rode his first pony this month!  He did great!

He's also becoming Mommy's little helper.  He loves to sit on the counter with me and "help" me wash dishes or prepare food.

Can you tell?  Daddy just got home!  

A less positive milestone this month was his second cold.  Sick babies are so sad!!!

 

Thankfully, it didn't last long.

At the end of the month we celebrated Dane's 29th birthday with a trip to Tucano's and some gifts at home.  Atticus LOVED the wrapping paper.

One of our newest favorite things to do is go to the park so we can swing.  There are little baby swings there and Atticus LOVES them.  I also enjoy swinging with him on the big kid swings.  It's a great way to end the day, as swinging seems to soothe him- he's kinda dreamy once we're done.

It was funny.  The other day we were swinging and I saw that Atticus was staring to his left.  He was watching his shadow.  As I watched the shadow, I started to realize just how much I needed to enjoy the moment.  One day, all of these beautiful days will become shadows!

8 Months

Well, the numbers for months 7 and 8 are in!  18 lbs and 27 inches on July 7.  Then, a month later (on Aug. 4) he weighed in at 19 lbs!

 This little guy is such a champ! Even though he was in pain he was trying his hardest to smile back at me. Maybe it was the Star Wars band aid that helped him push through.

This month has been a whirlwind, but it has sure been a busy one when it comes to milestones!

This little boy started really sitting up right after our trip to St. George.  It sure makes playtime more enjoyable for him.

He's also crawling all over the place!  It's so fun to have his efforts rewarded.

He is getting waaaay better at eating.  Every so often it's like pulling teeth, but most of the time he loves it.  This was one night where he just couldn't get enough! 

Speaking of teeth, his second tooth came in at the middle of July.  What is your hurry, little dude?  But I was glad to see it come.  He was starting to look like a hick with that single tooth.  ;)

But our favorite, most anticipated part of the month was our visit with the Laneys!  We got to meet their newest addition, Natalie Esther.  It was such a blast to see all of the crazy kiddos and especially great to hang out with my beautiful sister, Laurel.

 Here the kids get reacquainted at Mom's house

Ellie sure had grown up!

 Atticus and Natalie got to meet!

She is the sweetest, smiley-est, most beautiful little doll!

 Their next meeting was at Dad's house.  Atticus seemed a little indifferent at first.  Then he went for a kiss from his cousin!  :)

Little Natalie's feet.  So sweet!

 We got to go out on the boat and hang out on the beach with the babies over at Pine View.  Fun times!

Dad trying to balance Atticus
on one hand before we head out.
He's got a little ways to go...

Gosh I love these kiddos. 

Terree trying to keep Atticus from eating all
the sand he could see.  It was no small task!

When the Laneys came to stay at Grandma Toni's house, the fun really started.  Day 1: Climbing at Momentum...

 

 THIS was a whole lot of fun!

Mom gets the Best Grandma Award for watching TWO very wiggly babes while we climbed.

Day 2: The Curiosity Museum...

 Atticus's favorite part?  Do you have to ask?  The WATER!  Whoever came up with this is a genius...

 Over time, these two warmed up to each other.  I'm not sure Natalie appreciated the foot bath...

 But by the end, Atticus really seemed to genuinely enjoy being around his little cousin.  Success!

On a more sober note, we got to see my childhood best friend and her family.  It was under sad circumstances, as McKay's grandma (lovingly referred to as "Poppy") had passed away.  

So, we saw Cheyney Webb with her cute munchkins on Sunday.

 

Then we got to see McKay and her adorable little Bowman (just a couple weeks younger than Atticus!)

 Now, if we could only get over to Alabama so Atticus could meet his three Gibson cousins...  No joke- he looks at this picture just about every day.