I have to admit that sometimes after a long week, much like the one I have had this past week, I am rushing to get AJ to bed. There are times where I just feel like I need some peace and quiet and some time with my husband ...

But then I see something like this and I realize what I really know deep in my heart ...

He really is only going to be this age for a short time, that with each and every day he is getting older and more independent with each passing minute ... So at night when he begs me to rock him, and in the morning when he begs to watch Toy Story 3 I will gladly oblige.

At 5:50am this morning I heard our bedroom door squeak open, then little footsteps creep across the room and then a certain little boy try to sneak into our bed. As I was debating if I was going to let him stay in our bed or make him go back to his I felt a gentle tap on my forehead and a little voice go "Mommy, I want to watch the Movie Toy" (aka Toy Story) and then a sweet little kiss on the top of my head.

I know I have said it a million times before, but watching this little boy grow up, develop a personality and learn new things makes me the happiest and proudest I have ever been. I am truly amazed at who he is becoming and am so excited to see what is still in store for him and us. I love that little boy so much and am so blessed to be his momma. Even if I was told today that "the Movie Toy is more my favorite" than anything, including his momma :)

We had a jammed packed 4th of July weekend.

AJ loved going to all of the parties and playing with his "friends" He was fascinated by sparklers and a little scared of the big boom from fireworks. We tried to make the boom a little less scary when we watched them on Sunday night by having him wear JPs shooting ear plugs.

Spending time together like this makes me really appreciate and oh-so happy that our family grew to a family of 4!

We decided to take advantage of the time I have off of work and the fact that JP gets a Friday off each month for taking call and head to the beach for our first family vacation as a family of 4!

And let me tell you ... I am SO glad we did a short trip like this. Both boys did so good on both the trip down and back - there were almost no tears from either boys. AJ didnt nap while we were gone but it helped him fall asleep at night. We were worried about how he would handle having all of us in one room.

AJ loved playing on the beach and with his cousins. He spent all of his time following them and trying to do what they were doing. Colton spent all of his time under the tent and spent most of the time sleeping.

My goodness has time flown by ...

I have somehow blinked and its the middle of June and we have moved and suddenly have two little boys!! Colton Jacob arrived on April 29, 2011 at 7:52AM. He was 7lbs 11oz and 20.1 inches long. He is a very laid back, sweet, calm and easy baby. He is healthy and perfectly fits into our little family - there are days where I have to really sit back and try to remember what it was like before he arrived. It seems like he has always been here! He is a great little eater and for the first few weeks was waking up at exactly three hours to make sure that he didnt miss out on his next feeding :) Over the last week or so he has settled into a routine and has started sleeping 6 hours at night waking up for a quick feeding and then back to sleep for another three hours. It has been absolutely perfect. He almost never cries - only when he is hungry or needs a diaper change. And he is definitely the little cuddle-bug that I wanted!

AJ has done pretty good adjusting to being the big brother. He is usually pretty oblivious to him and just keeps on about his day - including the rough housing on the bed and couch. We have to constantly remind him that his brother is close by and he needs to be careful. He does always make sure that we know Colton is crying though! He has struggled with not having Mommy and Daddy immediately available when he wants or needs something but we are starting to find ways that he can be more independent and ways for us to multi-task to make sure we are still there for him as quickly as possible.

Every day I am absolutely floored at just how blessed JP and I are with these two little boys. They are beyond precious and each day I just want to grab them up and cuddle them and never let them go. I will say that going back and forth between Colton and AJ makes me realize just how quickly they grow up and change. There are times when I am holding Colton and I have a flashback to holding AJ - and then AJ needs me to pick him up and hold him and I realize that it really is that fast. You blink your eye and suddenly your brand new baby boy that is only a few days old is a 2-1/2 year old who is constantly telling you "No! I do it!" and trying to master all of the tasks that you have done for him his whole life. I used to worry that by having a second baby I would be missing out on things with AJ because I would be busy with the second one or too tired to spend the quality time with him but in all honesty I believe it has made me cherish AJ that much more. I spend each day trying to find ways to make sure that they both know just how much I love them and that each of their needs are met.

We went to the zoo the other day. This was AJs second trip but he definitely enjoyed it more this time. He was fascinated by all the animals and we really cant wait to take him again. I think next year we will have get a membership so we can go whenever we want!