signs of spring

We are sooooooo ready for spring to arrive! The warmer temps recently have been wonderful - we've even dusted off the stroller and gone out for a few walks.

Some signs of spring at our house:

Sunglasses! B found his from last summer and has been wearing them around the house. Silly!

Strawberries! So they aren't fresh picked, but frozen strawberries are just the thing to help soothe painful gums as those molars poke through. Our poor guy is working on the last 4 molars ("2 year" molars) - ouch!

and finally, sandals! I just love flip flops/sandals, and apparently so does Braden! I picked up these super cute sandals for the pool this summer (gotta love sales and a 30% off coupon!) and as soon as he saw them, he wanted to try them on - seriously, I think he really does love shoes just like Mommy . . .

In other news, we've hit the 17 month mark! It's been a lot of fun to see Braden begin to really show preferences for certain toys, games, etc., and watch him figure out the world. He love to "help" fold laundry, can climb onto the couches now without help, and is working on walking down steps (so far he's only brave enough to take an actual step off the bottom step, which is scary enough for us to watch!).

He's still a great little eater - tonight we went out to eat and I got him a side of mixed veggies with his meal and he loved picking out the lima beans (to eat them - I'd pick them out and would NOT eat them - and he ate the other veggies too). He also insisted on eating/sucking on the lemon wedge from my tea - it was funny to watch him pucker up, but he kept gnawing on it!

I just love his laugh these days - more like a giggle. Billy can really get Braden going by chasing him around the house - Braden runs away, then gives up and runs right into Billy's arms.

And I can't leave out B's new accomplishment: he says "car." He's still a man of few words, so we were so excited to hear him add a new word to his repertoire. We know he understands words, because he will follow directions/prompts: where's the ball? make a basket! find puppy (toy), give puppy a kiss (so cute - he does it!), time for a bath (runs to tub), and no (many times he will burst into tears when hearing that one! - it's a little heartbreaking to see those big crocodile tears when he knows we've caught him doing something he shouldn't - but he's got to learn!).

So we're enjoying this fun stage, and can't believe B be 18 months soon! I'm excited to schedule/take 18 month pics though, since we haven't done pics since 12 months and he's changed a lot since then.