What's new?

Lately I've been putting up a lot of pictures, and not saying much... That's how I prefer it really, but I figured it was time for a real update... I guess.

So, Nicholas is growing up faster than we can even blog about it. :) He is walking now, but still likes to crawl if he thinks it will get him there faster. He is into/onto/under/eating/throwing/etc EVERYTHING. The other day he got his first kiss. A little girl (probably 6 or 7 months older than him) had been following him around the play area at the mall (a new favorite thing for us to do) and I just assumed it was because all the other kids get excited about "a baby!" Well, apparently it was more than that, because Nicholas had walked over to me, and the turned around to look back at the play area, and was just standing there when she walked right up to him and gave him a little kiss on the lips. Everyone around was saying "oh how cute!" or laughing, or whatever. I just said "oh, thank you!" and her parents were off to the side laughing so hard! It was cute. I went home and told Tyler and he was very proud. 

As you can tell, Nicholas has a ton of energy and is a very active little boy. He went through a growth spurt in the last couple of days, and I think it made it hard for him to keep his balance, so all yesterday when he first stood up, he would wobble and fall down. Poor kid. He's all used to it today though. He loves to laugh, and has a couple different fake laughs that he pulls out just for fun. One is high pitched like a girl, usually followed by one of those high screams way up in your head that comes out like a half silent, breathy "ahhhhhhh." Another is back in his throat like a little machine gun "eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh." The best is his real laugh though, hearty and sounds like a real little laugh. :) This one only comes out if you tickle him or surprise him just right. 

When we first moved in to this apartment I decided that the whole living room would be his little domain, and I set up barriers all around it so that he couldn't get to anything we would need to worry about. That way he could just play and have fun. A stroller was laid down in front of the doorway with the shoes, a banana chair was laid down in front of the computer desk, etc. Well, then he got tall enough (and adventurous enough) to climb over those, so I had to put a crate over the cords and move all the shoes away from the door. Well, now he can reach on top of the desk, he can climb onto the couch, and can reach on top of the bookshelves. So, it looks like I need to do some more organizing.

He knows when he is doing something that he's not supposed to, because he always looks at me first, and then waits to see if I'm going to stop him or not. If I don't have the child gate up yet, he tries to wait until my back is turned and then double times it to try and get through before I figure out what he's doing. And if I beat him there, he gets very frustrated. 

He waves "hello" and "goodbye" and says "dadada" when he is happy and "mamama" when he is upset, and if he's in the mood to show off will throw his hands up in the air when we say "touchdown!" I can't believe my little baby is almost one.

That's what's going on with Nicholas these days. Tyler is doing well in school, despite his very busy schedule. He says time is flying by too quickly, and he feels like all the days are meshed together because he is so busy. He got a calling in our ward here to teach the 11 yr olds. I got called to be a relief society worker. They have me as a VT supervisor, and also asked me to substitute teach occasionally, but I guess the stake doesn't want anyone teaching that isn't set apart as a teacher, so it may turn into a regular thing. And, someone finally asked me if I play the piano, so that's now a known fact. I even threw in that I know how to play the organ because I was feeling especially helpful that day, lol. I think that the RS Pres is actually going to try and keep my secret within the walls of the Relief Society for as long as possible though because she says musical people tend to get stolen. 

We are super excited for the next couple of months. Next month Nicholas turns one, so we are planning a fun gathering for that. Then in November, we are going to Utah to visit family for Thanksgiving. 

That's what's new with us!