Growing Boys

The boys grow a lot in a month. Okay, maybe not so much, but they seem to. Sometimes I look at Nick and am breathless with how cute he is. Joey is cute also, but the cuteness is changing from the little boy cute I am so used to, to a more "big kid" cute.

Nick (I am trying to get out of the habit of calling him "Baby Nick" as he is not so much a baby anymore) is branching out in more words, finally starting to talk. He doesn't say much, but there are a few words that I can at least tell what he is trying to say. He is so funny about it though; if Nick (my husband) or I try to get him to say something, he usually smiles a bit shyly at us and won't say anything. But if Joey asks him to say something, he will at least make an attempt.
Here are a few recent pictures. Nick had his first Dilly Bar and as you can see, he thoroughly enjoyed it. He is in the habit of styling his hair with whatever kind of food he is eating. I have given up trying to keep his hair clean. As long as I can get the majority out of his hair with a washcloth, I won't dunk him in the tub every time. I just don't have time to give him a bath after breakfast, lunch and dinner every day!
Joey also enjoyed his Dilly Bar, although he was a bit more careful with his. I think it is funny that he wanted another tattoo....this time, we put it on his shoulder so it would stay covered with his shirt. He looks like a big soft "tough" guy in this picture with his shirt off!
We took them outside to play for a few minutes on a day where the sun was partially revealed through the clouds. As you can see, the snow was still melting, creating these large puddles of ice cold temptation. I love seeing Nick's pants wet up to his thighs and the look of enjoyment on his face. His shoes were soaking through, and when we came inside, he was stripped down to his diaper and shirt.
Joey wanted to cut down the trees around our place. So he brought out is chainsaw and started hacking away. He was a little frustrated when it didn't actually cut the tree off. He took to hitting the limbs with his saw to make them come off. He had a blast.
Nick has finally learned the art of showing off his muscles. I love the expressions on his face. He is so animated in his face. Here he is showing how strong he is. He actually is quite tensed up to show his muscles, and his face is just short of turning red. But he sure looks like he is having fun.