Latest and greatest

Life has been getting better with Sam sleeping through the night more regularly. The first 6 months with a new baby is....well....hard, to put it lightly. :) So we are just coming out of that phase and enjoying the kids more, going places like normal people again, and thinking more clearly with more rested brains. :) I'm sure every parent says this, but Stu and I agree that we have the cutest, most wonderful boys that ever lived. We love them more and more every day and they keep getting cuter and more fun. Burke is still talking up a storm and can now open doors on his own (look out!). He wants to sit on the potty all the time now, but won't go to the bathroom there yet. Baby steps though, we are so proud of him! Sam is sitting up on his own!! and.....has curly hair!! It is so adorable and goes with his big cheeks and eyes very nicely. :) Here are a few pictures of the past few weeks in our lives. Enjoy!



Burke loves pasta, and he loves feeding himself. He says 'do it yourself' whenever he wants to do something on his own.



Burke loves Pooh Bear and wants to be with him always.


And I mean always. :) He frequently sleeps with him in his crib and will roll over on his belly and make him talk, so we'll hear on the monitor 'Have you seen Piglet' or 'I have a rumbly tumbly'. It is terrifying to awaken to that, but he loves it so we put up with it. :)




Dad and Sam. This picture was taken about 2 months ago and he has really grown into those crazy eyes. :) They don't seem all that crazy anymore. :)


This is an almost daily ritual. Burke wears Dad's shoes and walks around the house. So cute!


Brothers true!


Sam has a mustache! We're pretty sure he will have a walrus mustache by the 3rd grade. He'll be bossing all the kids around on the playground with the intimidation it brings. :)



The first 'brother bath'! They loved it so so so so so much!


Sam's 1st solid foods, oatmeal and bananas. Yum!


Burke loves the new big wheel that Grandpa and Grandma Grater got him. He rides it every day, inside and out.


Sam is so ticklish on his neck and tummy. This is a picture of one of our tickle sessions. He will gut laugh over and over, it is so much fun.


A spring wreath I made. I gave it to my Mom, so it no longer graces our door, but I thought it was cute so I wanted to show it off. :)


Dad and Burke snuggling before bedtime. Burke rarely snuggles with Dad, but he just got out of a bath and was especially tired from a long day so he chilled on Stu's lap for a long time.


Go Bolts!!



Burke helped me wash the bird bath. He scrubbed and scrubbed for about 10 minutes.


I love cleaning the bird bath!


What a big helper!


Burke and Sam playing together before breakfast. A daily occurrence.



Easter picnic at the park.


Burke always wants to get in the crib and "lay down with brothers together" whenever Sam is in there. He'll lay next to him and kiss and hug him then cry when Sam pulls his hair, then when he stands up to show mom how good he is at balancing or bouncing on his butt, I'll pull Sam out. It's a cycle we do many times a day. :) I'm so glad they love to play together.


Simon at the park enjoying the sunshine.


Burke can go down a slide now....all by himself. Our little munchkin is growing up.


Enjoying a mouthful of plums at the park.


Check out Sam's curly hair!!!! I usually comb it straight down after a bath and it always dries pretty straight with a slight wave to it, then the other night I just ran a towel through it after the bath and it dried in little ringlets on top of his head. Our little Sammy has beautiful curls. It is so adorable!!


Curly head with big beautiful blue eyes. Watch out ladies! :)




Sam is sitting up! He seemed to get good at it from one day to the next and is loving the independence. What a cutie pie.

Cute kids and family pics

Ok, so Happy Leap Day! :) Last night we got family pictures. It was quite a different experience from last year's picture day. Burke is mobile now and was telling everyone how he wanted to 'get down', or 'stand up', or 'I'm done'....basically the opposite of whatever the photographer wanted him to do. However in the end, we still got some winner pictures.



Showing us how he can 'bend and jump'.


Go Chargers! This was the last picture of the photo shoot, Sam has had it and is trying to smile through his tears, and Burke had a football prop, but threw it down cause he was done holding it and wanted to go home. Can't believe the photographer got him to smile. :)


What a living doll. Love his feet!


Samuel's famous smile. What a handsome little bugger.


Pig in a bucket.


Awwwww!


I'm done with this picture taking business. See you later aligator!


Our little cutie pie!


Sam just started doing this 2 days ago. Just in time for family pictures. :)


Double trouble!


Hey Burke, show us what a little kid having a fit looks like. Good boy, that is a very good impression! :)


The Grater Clan





Brothers!!! Oh alright...the cutest brothers in the world, there I said it. :)




It has been unseasonably warm this winter so we have been spending a lot of time outside. The boys love it, and I can't complain either. 56 degrees in February!! I'll take it.:)



What beautiful eyes Sammy has! And a formidable double chin. :)


Getting pretty good on his bike. I love how he sticks his tongue out when he is concentrating.


Playing ball with Simon.





Burke has a new game that he made up, he wants you to put him in his crib and cheer as he bounces and runs around and balances and falls. It is so adorable and nice for Mom, cause I get to sit in the big comfy rocker with Sam and relax and laugh.

This is Burke, asking to 'get in my crib and play around' face.


You can't see his legs, but he is very purposefully balancing against the side of his crib...on one leg...without the use of his arms. Ya, he is amazing! :) Grandma Madelyn taught him how to balance so now he wants to do it everywhere. He puts so much effort into it, I have to try not to laugh.


What a handsome man Stu is! So. Incredibly. Handsome. :) I love you Baby!

Trip to San Diego

We spent a few weeks in San Diego visiting Stu's family in late Jan/Feb. It was such a great time and, as usual, we LOVE spending time with the Grater Clan!!!! I was very nervous to fly with the boys by myself, but after much research on the internet to get prepared I'd have to say it went smoothly overall. Burke was an angel on both flights, and Sam only got upset for a few minutes each way. My favorite part of the trip was seeing everyone and of course the warm weather. I wish we lived closer to everyone so we could hang out all the time! Sonya and I would be regular yoga partners for sure :) We love you Grandpa and Grandma Grater, Grandma Faye, Auntie Sonya, Uncle Paul, Trixie Moo, Kid Kiddo, and Maximum Trouble and we miss you all like crazy!

Burke seems to be getting bigger every day lately. He is talking up a storm and so fun to play with. Sam is a delight and is growing like a weed too. He smiles and laughs a lot and has many, many ticklish spots which are irresistible to get. I feel so lucky to be the mom of these 2 wonderful boys and I love hanging out with them.





Flying out of SLC with the kids.....alone!! You can't tell from this photo, but I was so nervous and my heart was beating fast.


Auntie Sonya and Burke taking a lunch break at the park.



Bath time!! Sam is a clean little cherub. :)


Sam loves his Uncle Paul.


Burke helping give Trixie a bath.


Meeting Aunt Tiffany for the first time. She fed Burke like a champ!


Awwwwww... Grandma Faye was so wonderful with the kids.


How old are you Burke? "I'm 2" (we worked a long time to get him to do this)


Burke cleaning off the patio, what a big helper!


Happy 2nd Birthday to Sir Burke!!! Grandma Sue and Grandpa Guy got him a Raiders football. He loved it! Once he learns how to read I'm sure he'll dislike it, but for now it's a fun ball to play with. ;)



We snuck in while Burke was asleep for his nap and hung balloons from the ceiling fan in his room. When he awoke, we watched him on the monitor, as he squealed with delight..."Momma, Daddy.....ballooooooons!!" It was awesome. This will be a tradition for sure.


Happy Birthday cake. We couldn't ever get him to actually taste it. Oh well, guess Mom will have to clean up after him :)


Burke and Max were fast friends.


Sam sitting up like a big boy.


Burke and Auntie Sonya playing together at the park. Check out how Burke is looking at Sonya. He idolizes her, it is so cute to watch them together.


Trixie had to get in on the fun too. :)


Burke and Trix marching to check out the playground. Stu played on this exact playground when he was a kid, just like Burke. Pretty cool!


Playing around with Dad at the park.


Sam staying warm with Granddad.


Eating dinner at the RV park Guy and Sue were staying at.


I love this picture of Auntie Sonya and Sammy.


Awwww.... Sam is so cute. I hope someday he can tell us what he is so amazed at. :)


All the guys together. From left to right: Sam, Stu, Burke, Guy, Uncle Larry, Paul


Listening to tunes with Grandma Faye. Burke is in heaven cause he LOVES listening to tunes.


Dick playing guitar at the Super Bowl party. He put on quite a show for us.


Gary and Lupe hosted the Super Bowl party this year. What a back yard they have! It was a lot of fun hanging out with everyone.


Sonya and I were feeling a little crafty one day so we whipped together these adorable banners for the boys, one for Sonya and one for Faye. Mine say 'happy birthday Burke' and 'happy Birthday Sam', Sonya's says 'celebrate' and Faye's says 'Bless this home'. I love how motivated Sonya is in life and thankfully it rubbed off on this project cause we finished them about an hour before I flew home! I seriously could hang out with Sonya all the time. I am lucky to have you as a sister-in-law Son, I think you are wonderful!


Sonya, Paul and Sue at the Super Bowl party.


Stu and Guy during the white elephant exchange at the party


Uncle Larry, Burke and Faye laughing at the silly gifts everyone brought.


Mom and Sam having fun at the party.


The boys and I made it home to SLC!! It was a long day of travel, but the kids really were great. Its so good to be home!!!!


The crocuses stuck their heads out today by our front door. Spring must not be too far away.


It was 54 degrees outside today so Burke and I had to go enjoy the sunshine. Could he be any cuter?! This is how he smiles when you say 'say cheese' for a picture. I love it so much.


Picking berries off the bush out front. Check out that double chin and his big marshmallow cheeks. I know those will fade as he gets older so I am always kissing them.


What a handsome little guy!



Happy 2nd Birthday Burke!! We love you.