Just Another Day in the Park: Update at the Clouse House!

So it's been a loooong time since I've posted, but wanted to catch you all up on what's going on at the Clouse house!

The boys are growing...kind of :) They are now 16 months old and running all over the place. They love to run around the circle in our house and think that being chased is really fun! They just got their 2nd haircuts this week, it seems like their hair must grow as fast as mine does!

Luke -before and after

Logan -before and after

In addition to new haircuts, they have been growing and developing a ton lately! They don't talk too much yet (just mama, dada, and No), they can totally understand many of the things we say and if we ask them to do something. They know to sit down and grab their shoes when we ask, they definitely know that a "dog" and Eddie are the same thing, and they are working on being able to point out their facial features, including their tongues, noses and heads. They love to smile and laugh and really can have fun together. I sat them in a laundry basket the other day and I showed them they can shake each others' hands, give each other high 5 and then Logan gave Luke a big hug. It definitely warmed my heart, and they thought it was pretty cool too!

There are also a few difficult things we have gone through over the past few months. In January both boys got a respiratory illness (the Doctor said it was likely a form of RSV), so the boys and I spent a week indoors together and it was definitely a little rough as they both felt rotten. We also finally took away all their day-time bottles of milk. They are so stubborn though! They know how to drink out of sippy cups and have been drinking water out of them for months, however the minute they know you put milk in a sippy cup they throw it across the room. So, we just do milk at night (in bottles) and then they get water during the day. We also supplement with lots of yogurt and cheese, which they love. Also a sidenote, since they don't drink much milk anymore, we have noticed they eat like little monsters!! They are always hungry and love food! They eat all tablefood and stuff that we eat now (done with babyfood), and so it's always a challenge to find lots of healthy options for them, but they do like a lot of fruit and "healthier" foods, so that's a good step in the right direction. One other bad issue that has arisen is biting and hitting. When they get frustrated or mad, like if they are fighting over a toy, or a spot by the window to look out the house, they tend to bite or hit. Luke is more of the biter and poor little Logan has gotten several big bites and bruises from his brother. Logan likes to hit more, although he will still bite, especially when he's frustrated.

Overall, my little boys are growing up and I can't believe how much they grow, develop, etc every day! I am really enjoying spending more time with them, I absolutely believe my decision to quit my full-time job and spend time with them has been the right one! I am currently teaching an MBA-level accounting class at Strayer University which has been fun and a challenge. I also work part-time for an accounting consulting firm, Kaiser Consulting. Once my class is over in a few weeks, I'll be just focusing on the consulting job for the time being and spending as much time with my little guys as possible. (also I try to get out to work-out in several times a week, which has been great!). Tim has been very busy with work, as always,and will be working in Tiffin quite a bit over the next few months. We are working on a solution for his long-distance work arrangement, but I'll post about that later! Here are a few more pictures of the boys, enjoy!!