Handsome Irish Boys

I can't resist posting a few pictures of my Handsome Irish Boys from this past St. Patrick's Day! My aunt got them adorable matching shirts that said "Handsome Irish Boy," which were very appropriate, since they are Irish, and they are definitely handsome! I thought it would be a great opportunity to take some nice pictures of them together... but it didn't go exactly as planned. Jaden refused to let me fix his hair, which is the reason for the bed-head look, and Elijah can rarely be found without something in his mouth (even bubbles, in this case)! But they are cute, nonetheless (if I do say so myself!).

Alpacas

We recently took a trip to a local alpaca farm (how many people can say they’ve ever done that?)!! I never had; actually, I never even knew there was such a thing! But I learned about a nearby one and knew we had to go check it out! It was a fun experience for sure! I forget the exact number, but there were lots of alpaca mommies and babies there (plus one llama, which Jaden loved seeing because the book Llama Llama Mad at Mama is one of his absolute favorites)! Jaden got to touch one of the baby alpacas and we could barely tear Elijah away from the fence! They loved it so much and we learned some very interesting things about these amazing animals! Here are some pictures from the day.

Alpaca Facts (just in case you're curious and don't have your own local alpaca farm :o)...

- Alpacas are a domesticated member of the camelid family, and a cousin of the llama.

- They have a cashmere-like fleece. Garments made from alpaca fiber are known throughtout the world as being soft, warm and durable, lightweight, and lustrous.

- An adult alpaca stands about 3-feet tall at the shoulders and can weigh between 100 - 150 pounds.

- Alpacas make wonderful companion animals, are easily trained, and are gentle enough to be handled by children.

- Alpacas are in such high demand that a high-quality female can range between $10,000.00 and $20,000.00. A high-quality superior male can cost over $50,000.oo

- Alpaca lifespan is 15-25 years.

- Average gestation is 342 days; average birth weight is 15-20 pounds.

- Alpacas are considered disease-resistant animals.

"Mom, He's Just a Baby"

Usually it's the parent who has to remind the older sibling that the baby is "just a baby," as the baby unintentionally breaks the brand new toy car; screams at the top of his lungs when you don't get him his bottle fast enough; or when the big brother decides that it might be fun to take little brother for a piggy back ride. And we've done our fair share of reminding Jaden that Elijah is "just a baby." But lately, there has been a little role reversal going on at our house, as my sweet little Jaden has been reminding me that Elijah is in fact... just a baby. Here are a few situations we've experienced lately:

• It is very typical for us to take a 45-minute drive to El Paso every weekend or so. The boys do great in the car and are typically very content the whole time. On one particular trip, Elijah must have cried the entire way there. I finally said, "Elijah, that's enough!" Jaden said (in the sweetest voice you have ever heard), "Mom, you should just say, 'Lijah, don't cry, it's okay.'"

• We introduced Elijah to a sippy cup several months ago and he is finally getting used to using one; but regular milk is a different story. He's not too sure he likes the taste of that yet. As he was sitting in his high chair with a sippy cup full of milk, Elijah decided that he didn't want it, so he chucked it overboard. I playfully asked, "Elijah, why did you do that?" Jaden said, "Because babies do that sometimes, mom."

• Anyone who knows Elijah knows how much he LOVES to eat! There isn't a single food that that little boy doesn't gobble right up! As I was feeding him applesauce one day, I couldn't get those spoonfuls into his mouth fast enough. He began to scream in between bites. We have been working on the sign for "more," so I was trying to get him to sign "more" instead of screaming at me! Jaden patiently informed me, "Mom, he's just a baby...sometimes babies cry."

Isn't it amazing what we can learn from kids and how they remind us of what's important!

Upcoming Posts

I've got a lot of blog catching up to do... Here are some family activities that I will be posting very soon...

• Alpaca Farm
• Handsome Irish Boys
• Spring Break
• Springfest
• Easter
• And of course, Elijah's First Birthday!!!

See how behind I am.

Cowboy Days

We have a wonderful little place here in Las Cruces called the Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. It is an interactive museum that provides a lot of fun learning opportunities for kids, focusing on lots of different aspects of farming and ranching in New Mexico (more than I ever thought I would want to know, in fact). Every year there is a special event called "Cowboy Days." We were so excited to get to take the boys this year and they both had such a wonderful time. Jaden got to ride on a horse for the first time and thought he was a real cowboy! And Elijah would have loved to climb over the fence to join the sheep in the pen if he could; he absolutely loves seeing animals!


Playing cowboy games. I just realized that those horse shoes are are just about as big as he is!
If you know me, you know how I feel about Jaden shooting any kind of gun, even a pretend gun...so needless to say, I was a bit (okay, A LOT) paranoid as he did this shooting activity. But I figured he couldn't have the true "cowboy experience" without getting to shoot the rubberband gun a couple of times. And secretly, I wanted to try them out too... :)

This was Jaden's favorite activity - throwing the football through the cowboy's lasso.

Jaden with cousin Annie, Sam, and Elijah.

Cow milking demonstration.

This was Elijah's favorite part - seeing all of the different farm animals. He was on the edge of his seat the entire time. He's a bit like me and would have loved to pet each one.

Jaden's very first horse ride. He rode all by himself, with daddy walking right alongside, of course. As soon as the horse started to go, Jaden waved his hat in the air and shouted "Yee Haw!"

Jaden noticed that those "horses" were smaller, just like his size. He wondered why he didn't ride one of those (donkeys) instead.

We couldn't go to Cowboy Days without enjoying a few extra special treats... chocolate covered marshmallows and a snow cone (and a bottle for Elijah)!

My precious little cowboys in training!