Camera Clean-up

The time came for me to finally clean out my camera. There were several pictures I had forgotten about. I guess this is my version of spring cleaning, my house will have to wait!

A couple weeks ago we had a bad 2-3 days where me, Ryan, Patrick, and yes even Gizmo were sick. The 2 legged ones just had colds, but poor Moey must've consumed some grass while in the yard. She puffed up something awful. You may or may not be able to tell in the picture, but her face is twice as wide as normal.

Patrick isn't as a huge fan of the Exersaucer. We have since put it in the basement and replaced it with the Jumparoo (more on that later). You wouldn't know if from this picture though as he seems content in it. I loved the cheeky grin he was giving me here.

No, Al Sharpton, I wasn't eating the blueberries.

I promise you he likes this toy. However one morning while Ryan was at school, I put Patrick in this while I was throwing in a load of laundry, I came out of the laundry room to find Patrick asleep on his feet.

Another cheeky smile I couldn't resist. His eyes are brought out by the color of his shirt.

Uhhh, does dad know I'm wearing this?

I'm Popeye the Sailorman. Or is it just me that thinks this is what he looks like here?

From time to time Ryan will ask to ride his trike and is getting better about wearing the helmet. It all has to be his idea though. And after about 3 trips down the driveway, in which gravity does most of the work, he's done.

One Saturday, we took the 12 minute train ride to nearby Libertyville. From the trainstation we walked to a restaurant for lunch, then to a park. After that we hit the candy store before heading back home. Ryan loved it, he asks everyday to go on a trainride again. I braved it with the boys alone a few days later, but here are some pictures from our trip. I love how Patrick looks at Dean adoringly.

Well now that the camera is cleaned off, I guess it's time to tackle the basement closets.

More Brotherly Comparisons

Hello again from the Stoeber Household where we're counting down the days until Spring.

Not much new to report on. Ryan is still doing well at school. Potty training is proving to be a struggle. I fear we started this process too early, but now there's no turning back. Patrick is really drooly, so more teeth must be on the way. He's really happy, and like his big brother, has turned into a fairly easy going child (though he's got a set of lungs on him!).

Other than sledding, we haven't gone many places or done many exciting things. So for this post, I decided to post some comp. pictures. Patrick is now 8 months old, he's 6-8 months in these pictures, as was Ryan.

1. Ryan or Patrick?

2. Ryan or Patrick?

Answers: 1 - Ryan, 2- Patrick. Though I used to think they looked alike, I now see a vast difference. Something about their bright eyes and pointy chins though has me sometimes seeing similarities. Patrick also uses the Bumbo chair to eat in (that Ryan is using in photo #1). Perhaps the fact that Ryan is in shorts and tee shirt tipped you off. Don't know when we'll be able to dress Patrick like that!

3. Same outfit comparison -Ryan or Patrick?

#4. Ryan or Patrick?

Answers: 3- Patrick, 4-Ryan Because of when they were born, the seasons of their clothes never really matched up. I have few pictures of them wearing the same outfit, this happens to be one of them. It was from Uncle Chris and Aunt Christy. I remember always thinking Ryan has good coloring, so I don't know if it's being on a white blanket or what, but here he looks pale and Patrick has the better skin tone. Ryan also, ahem, favor's Dean's hairline. On a side note, gotta love how we tucked Patrick's socks into his pants so he couldn't kick them off.

5. Tough guy look, Ryan or Patrick?

6. Ryan or Patrick?

Answer: 5-Ryan, 6-Patrick Yep, no similarities here. I realize it's tough to tell since it's an extreme close up of Paddy Daulton.

#7-Who's in the Jumparoo? Ryan or Patrick?

#8 Ryan or Patrick

Answer - 7-Patrick, 8-Ryan If you were reading above, the clue that may have tipped you off was the Patrick kicks off his socks (did you notice he was only wearing 1). Or maybe it was the fact that they Really don't look alike! Or again with the shorts/t-shirt combo. We recently pulled out the Jumparoo. It was something a neighbor who was moving had as a giveaway in front of her house. Ryan was at the older age of the usage chart in this photo (probably 9-10months). He prefered using the exersaucer, whereas Patrick might be our basketball player/highjumper as he prefers the Jumparoo. To this day, Ryan still likes the lights and music of both toys. Ahh the issues of Ryan Kennedy. That is a posting for another day.