A Basket of Bounty

It has come to my attention that I don't update often enough. I don't usually think about it unless something exciting has happened, or if it's gotten to an embarrassing length of time between posts (a month or so). But I can at least try to post cute pictures of Michael more often, which I always have on hand, and, let's be honest, everyone checks our post for the pictures anyway. ;)

Michael still loves eating solids. He'll sit in his highchair and demand a portion of whatever I'm snacking on. Often, I'll just distract him with a heaping helping of Marshmallow Mateys. The kid is smart. He always goes for the marshmallows first:

This week, we were finally able to participate in Bountiful Baskets -something we've been meaning to do for a long time, but never actually got around to signing up for. Once we did register, it took a few weeks for us to be able to find a pick up relatively close to our house. It's so popular, everything disappears within minutes of the site opening up. We got lucky this week and the site went down for a few hours, letting Jeff snag us a Springville basket.

It was a lot of fun. Jeff was even more excited than I was. He wanted us to get so much produce we'd have to force ourselves to eat it so it doesn't go bad. He pretty much got his wish. We got asparagus, apples, oranges, lettuce, bell peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, a watermelon, strawberries, mangoes, and green beans. We were especially excited for the asparagus. It is so good grilled and drizzled with a little butter. Michael especially loved the strawberries:

The weather here is a little on the fritz. One day it will be beautiful and sunny, and the next we get hail, wind, and snow. On the nice days, I open the door and set up a gate for Michael. He loves the outdoors but hates to play on the dead grass, even with a blanket under him. This is a perfect setup, because he gets sunshine and enjoys watching kids play basketball and ride their bikes in the road. Meanwhile, I get to visit with my neighbor who sits on the porch while her kids play outside.

The boy is getting more and more comfortable standing, and is getting better at balancing every day. He'll let go of whatever he's holding onto and can stand on his own for a few seconds at a time. Then he inevitably loses his balance and falls down. It's very cool to watch. I'm sure walking is just around the corner. I wish I could catch a picture, but it only lasts for a few seconds, and I'm usually the thing he's holding onto.

In other, less happy, news, Michael is altering his sleep schedule. We use to get in three good naps during the day and then he'd go to bed around 9 or 10pm. Now, we're losing a nap. It's not that big of a deal to me. Three naps was great, but my day kind of revolved around them. The worst part is adjusting and trying to figure out what the new schedule is going to be. It's frustrating, to say the least. He'll stay up longer, but gets more upset if we're late for a nap. Also, bedtime has moved up to sometime between 7:30 and 9pm (depending on how he's feeling that particular day).

At least we still have a bedtime ritual, which helps him know when it's time to stay down til morning. It starts with a bath, then pjs, feeding, and a story or song while I walk with him in his room. It's one of my favorite times of day because he's usually really cuddly. There are times, of course, where I'm late putting him to bed or he's just really grumpy. I can't help but laugh at his angry face. I love it!

This was an especially bad night, because he was cranky and I had to wash his hair (I try to do it every other night, because he hates it so much):

He is so mad at mommy!:

And now she's making fun of his crazy hair:

Life is so hard for baby Michael!