more video of eban's dancing skills...

Jack took his first steps and Eban can break dance!

Jack took his first steps yesterday. We were in the bedroom on the first floor and he took about three steps towards me and I couldn't believe it. He hasn't done it since...but he's about to get into everything now that he's learning how to use his two legs!

This weekend, it was SO cold out that Seamus' slingers turned into icicles as he waited to come back inside. I had a paper towel ready to wipe them and then they broke into a zillion pieces...couldn't believe they froze!

Eban and Avery had a dance party in our kitchen Friday night...we all thoroughly enjoyed it. Here's one video of many that we'll post when we find an extra 10 minutes or so...

More photos and videos...

Just read the post under this one to get caught up...Here are the additional pics and videos that accompany yesterday's blog.

I'm picking up inserting photos from a couple of days before Halloween when Jenell and her kids came over. Eban and Ella were instant friends...that was, of course,
after Eban saw her walk up and he scowled while saying "go away" and he slammed the door. It was a great first impression for Jenell and her kids. After those formalities, the eating, running around and snuggling ensued with the wee ones.

Jack and Jacob just hung out...not a lot of interaction with those two!

Then Grammie Kass came in and we went to the Boulder Campus of Microsoft for a Halloween party. They had hay rides and other goodies for the kids. Eban loved the horses! It was great to FINALLY see where Ryan works.


Then Halloween came...woo-hoo...CANDY. We heard a lot of those cheers on the 31st.

Here are just some random pics and a Grandma Patti pic...

"Let Go Jack" Video

Avery, Dennis and Eban Running

Eban at his first swim lesson

Dennis and Eban Jumping on Avery's Bed (Check out Dennis try to hug Eban when he thinks he hurt him...so sweet)

"P.U....I don't like that"

Yesterday, Eban made us laugh so hard!

He went to the garbage to throw something away and obviously, he's nose-level with the kitchen garbage can. As he was walking away from the garbage, he was shaking his head with a scrunched up face saying, "P.U....I don't like that." So I went over to the garbage and looked inside and Ryan had emptied a jar of pickled red peppers (or something pungent like that) and it was stinking up the garbage big time. We were laughing so hard as Eban was clearly unimpressed with the odoriferous garbage can.

Yesterday, he also had me in a state of shock. He was coloring with markers with Jack and he started stacking them so that they made one long marker. He then ran from the kiddie bench around saying "boom boom" or something like that. Then he happily looked at us and said "gun." Then he ran into the living room with the marker contraption. I couldn't even look at Ryan...we never use the word "gun" in our house, how could he even know that "guns" go boom boom...ugh. Disheartened - maybe - is the word I'm looking for...I don't know how to feel about this little, new fact.

On to better and more exciting news - it has been a GRANDMA galore/frenzy at our house this past month. That's a good excuse as to why the blog hasn't been updated as we've been spending quality time with every grandma. First Tutu came out for 12 days or so...then Grammie Kass and then Grandma Patti!
We also had our godson's second birthday party! Dennis finally turned two and the theme of his party was, of course, Halloween. Eban was a dinosaur and Jack was a puppy. Once we got there, Eban was off and running. He played nonstop with Avery and Dennis. They painted pumpkins, played with trucks, ate so many candy corn candies that I thought Eban was going to pop...and Jack was great too. He takes everything in with his wide eyes. Pretty soon, he'll be walking and causing trouble with Eban...I look forward to the day where they can play with one another and now accidentally hurt each other. The boys are definitely more interactive now. It's great to watch them play together and smile...yet it's terrifying to see Eban doing a run and flying jump over Jack and miscalculate the jump and land on his head and squash little Jack...I wish my legs moved faster...but I think this is going to happen for the rest of my life at this point!So let's go back a couple of week's to Tutu's visit. Tutu came in on a Saturday and we immediately left her with both kids so that we could go to a black-tie gala. It was one of the most fun events I have ever been to. It was the Booklover's Ball put on by the Denver Public Library to help them raise funds for new books, upgrades and to help literacy campaigns in Denver. It was fabulous. Most of the two tables we sat with dressed up like characters from the book Water for Elephants. The book revolves around a man and his life in the early 1920s in the circus. Amazingly enough, it was the last book I read before I learned that our tables would be dressing up in character. We didn't but most of the others we sat with did...and they were great! We even sat in the historical fiction part of the library. Anyway, Ryan left the next morning for a training class in California for a couple of days and then he had to fly up to Redmond, Washington, for a day...so he was the family's jet-setter.

Tutu and I played with the kids all week. We went to our first pumpkin patch and picked out pumpkins...it was great as it was a little mom and pop farm in Erie so I felt good about supporting the local farmers. We also picked out a spaghetti squash and another type of squash. Tutu also worked with Eban to make a pumpkin shaped pizza and he helped decorate it...well...it was more like she would shred the cheese and he happily put the cheese in his mouth rather than on the pizza.

Then Grammie Kass came in to Denver for the first time. She was able to participate in the crazy Halloween festivities at our house. We also had the Rehms and Jenell and her daughter, Ella, and her mom...so it was a house full of guests. Grammie held Jack the puppy the entire time until we realized we had strollers...Eban, Avery and Ella ran to every house saying trick or treat and couldn't wait to go to the next house. It was so darn cute to see them hold hands and yell at one another to hurry up. Seamus was better this year as he didn't try to eat any of the goblins that showed up at our door...he would bark but he wasn't scared like last year. Funny dog...

Then Grandma Patti came in! She finally saw Denver on this trip as all her other trips were confined to the house. We felt so bad when we learned that...so on the next trip, we promise to show you Denver, Patti - not just the zoo!!

And yesterday, Eban had his first swimming lesson...he did well laying on his back and floating around with Papa. He also worked on pulling himself out of the water to grab a toy on the deck. I hope next week the lesson gets harder...I may crash the lesson with Jack??

Other random updates:

1. Eban's voice is getting deeper and deeper and deeper. It's like a low baritone! Ryan said that his Uncle Donny had a voice like this as a baby. Maybe he got this voice from him???

2. Jack's laugh is simply contagious. He laughs hard with Eban and Eban only.
3. Seamus is such a good dog for us. We can't get over how neurotic he was in the beginning (even for three years) but he is more than superb with the boys. Check out the picture of Eban sitting on him while he's attempting to sleep and Eban was playing on the couch? CRAZY! :)

4. Seamus is so spoiled...he gets food every meal from the boys and he takes the food SO gently from them. He has become picky and he doesn't like Cheerios anymore...finicky, huh?

5. Ryan is almost done with his two classes this term from DU...he'll most likely get his master's next September...so we'll definitely celebrate that accomplishment!

6. Nani is coming for Thanksgiving! Yeah...she's coming in the Saturday before Thanksgiving and staying for a week.

7. Tell me why all kids pick their noses and find it funny??

Okay, I'm so tired and it's 10:30pm Tuesday night and I have so many other pictures to upload...and of course, videos...I'll do this later without the diatribe but at least you can see pics and read the stories now...