Lazy Days

Around Our House

Cormac has an impressive lower lip. He has started jutting it out as far as he can right before a break down. I think it's pretty adorable. Does that make me a bad mom?

We have had visitors from time to time. This time it was Taft who came to play. My friend Heidi was in town and she brought over her two little boys. Luke was only a month old. So tiny. Taft and Cormac got along pretty well for the most part. As long as Taft wasn't trying to play with Cormac's 4-wheeler or his Xylophone they did okay. We are going to have to work on sharing.

Cormac has this crazy weird hair growth going on right now. At the sides he has hair that is growing a lot longer than the hair around and below it. It sort of fans out and wraps around his ears now. It might be getting time for a haircut, but there is still so little to cut. My mom told me that getting that first haircut really transforms a baby into toddler. I'm not ready for that.

I can't play the piano solo anymore. It is always a duet. Cormac loves the piano. What's not to love? It makes noise, you can bang on it, and it is usually off limits.

The weather has been nuts this year. We get dumped on with tons and tons of snow and by afternoon it is gone. This was taken in the morning. In some places there was nearly a foot and a half of snow. By afternoon it was all gone. Even in the shady places.

Cormac has a new found love of his belly button. He pulls up his shirt to show it off to me all the time. He also takes off when I'm trying to dress him and it's time to put a shirt on. He loves to have his shoes on, but would rather show off his manly torso.

This picture makes me smile. He was chasing me around with the animal crackers box (which is nearly as big as he is), and I was running for my camera rather than opening it up to get him what he wanted. He's a pretty funny boy.

Puppy Love

Thanks Londyn and Taylor for the awesome puppy. Cormac loves to snuggle with it,

Explore it,

Squeeze it,

Sit with it,

And occasionally throw it.

Finger Painting

I recommend waiting until you are planning to mop the floor anyway before engaging in this particular activity. But it was a lot of fun. All you need is some pudding and food coloring.

On a side note, the scabs on Cormac's forehead and nose are from a nasty run in with the pavement outside. He kicked the garage wall and went down. Neither of us had time to react. He didn't even have time to get his hands under him before his face made contact. Poor little man, but he is on the mend and this picture actually looks a million times better than he did right after the accident. The bloody nose was the worst part. But he only cried for about a minute and then was just annoyed that I was still fussing over him. He's one tough kid.

The Park

Cormac loves slides.

The Glove

Cormac has discovered the joy of gloves. He likes to put them on. One day he refused to take one glove off all day. Thus we have the following.

Construction

When construction is underway it is important to have the appropriate safety gear. Bright colors are encouraged (thanks Grammie and Papa for the cool pjs). If you can't find two safety gloves a winter glove will work just fine. Shades can double for safety glasses in a pinch.

It is important to exercise your face muscles while you work, 

otherwise they will not be as in shape as the rest of your muscles.

The shop is going to be a pretty neat thing once we are done with it. The Cormac likes it because he gets to be outside. And there used to be tons of sawdust to play in. But we have successfully cleaned all of that out. Poor kid. I guess he'll just have to play with the wood stove instead (just kidding, Coralee).

The Mass Update

So, what has been up at the Dahl house you ask? Much. We have been a busy group these days. We have been projecting. Our list of projects currently underway includes (but is not limited to):

~ the kitchen
~ the bathroom
~ the shop
~ the chicken coop
~ the basement
~ the sunroom
~ the yard

This is what happens when you buy a fixer upper. It's also what happens when you start new projects before you've finished the old. We are not very good at finishing. We are excellent at starting. We are still living with a blanket for a bedroom wall. And you may have noticed that the bedroom has not made the list of projects underway yet. We may never have a bedroom wall.

Ammon is a busy guy. He was just called to be the Elders' Quorum President in our ward. It's a big job. But he's doing a fine job. He is also still the man in charge of the sports in our ward. Between the two callings, his full time day job, and his work here at home in the evenings we haven't had the chance to just zone out for an entire movie for nearly a month.

I am doing well. Cormac had RSV this last week. By the time Friday came I was ready to get on a ship and sail away. Dealing with a very grumpy baby for so long is challenging. But Ammon has been home to help this weekend. Cormac seems to be on the mend. But, of course, now I have it. And I think Ammon has it as well. I'm getting ready to start teaching yoga here in the near future, which I'm excited about (let me know if you want to get in on it). My health continues to baffle all of us, but I'm doing alright.

Cormac is nuts. He is a busy boy. I am very proud of him for learning to say "thank you" before he learned to say "no." In fact, he hardly says "no" even now. When you ask him for kisses he puts his cheek on your lips and then says "mmmmmah." But he very rarely gives an actual kiss. Which is really okay since he hasn't figured out the closed lip kiss. He still gives the baby open mouth slobber (sometimes with teeth, he left a mark on my forehead the other day from a "kiss").

Cormac also has an obsession with closing his eyes and doing things. He tries to walk with eyes closed. It's pretty comical. He also tries to eat with his eyes shut tight. I'm not really sure where he learned this. When we ask him to fold his arms for the prayer he folds them and then starts clapping to congratulate himself for the good job he is doing.

We now have to make sure we only use the words "bye, bye" when we are actually on our way out the door. This boy loves to go outside. If I say "bye, bye" and we don't actually go anywhere there will be a full blown melt down immediately after.

Cormac loves to be outside. But he is terrified of the neighbor's goose (justly so). So when we walk out the front door he freezes to figure out where the goose is and to make sure I'm not too far away so he can grab my hand if he feels sufficiently threatened.

This is getting long, so I will end it here, but stay tuned for a picture overload. I know all those Cormac fans out there have been cursing me for not keeping up with this better, so I will deliver.

Aquarium

It is possible that I may become a binge blogger. Many posts all at once. Anyway, we bought a season pass to the aquarium in Sandy. Cormac's favorite part is the sting ray pond. Just the pond. He can't reach the sting rays, but he loves to play in the water (and then suck the salt off his hands if I'm not fast enough to clean them, yum). So without further ado, I present Cormac and the Aquarium for your viewing pleasure.