Fall Fun

 Arlo knows how to make even yard work seem like a fun time!

 Da boys!  Arlo n Otis take time out of their day for a little photo shoot.  Otis is willing to smile for anything, and Arlo, well, he is a regular ham, so bring on the cameras!

 Up close and personal with Otis...

 He sure has Daddy's hair!

 Daddy rakes the leaves up, and Arlo proceeds to spread them all over the yard again.  Actually, most of the time, Arlo is a great help, and can fill a yard bag almost by himself, armfulls at a time.  He is a 'getting work done' kinda guy.  Show him that there is a job going on, and he will run for his shovel, rake, or hammer.  Let's see how long we can keep that trend going:)

 Where's Arlo?

Don't put me in the compost Mamma!

Heads Up!

 Otis has been holding his head up since the moment he came into this world.  Jenny first held him on her shoulder in the delivery room, and he lifted his head up to look around right off the bat.  He continues to have a strong neck, and enjoys tummy time a lot. 
He is obviously way ahead of himself for his age, as the receeding hairline also shows.  Though it isn't clear who he most closely resembles in terms of facial features, the hairline is certainly helping to draw comparisons with his daddy...

 "Hayden I am ok with, but this Mickey character I don't like the look of...."

 Breakfast at my very own table.  Thank you Grandma and Grandpa K for hoding onto daddy's old table, and bringing it up for me.

 Breakfast time with the brothers.  Things are really busy around the house in the morning.  This is a brief moment of quiet, with Arlo's mouth full, and Otis taking it all in...

So tired, but still having fun...

Everything is a juggling act right now.  We are really just trying to learn some balance between the week and weekends.  Arlo is missing the time he used to get with mom and dad, and Otis is demanding time when Arlo is really needing it, so we are trying to work on some balance that they both can benefit from.  Unfortunately this means that Jenny and I are burning the candle at both ends, and are running on empty.  The hope is that soon we will be able to have a day when we can go to the bathroom, or answer the phone, or return a call, or just eat a warm meal without shovelling it in our mouths to the sound of wailing or whining.  This is just a phase, and it is just now, but it is intense.  That is why we still are trying to take pics, so we can look back and remember that it is not all a struggle, and it is totally worth it for the wonderful moments we get along the way.

 

 The scene of the crime

 Arlo insisted on wearing a 'big boy shirt' for the family meet the teacher BBQ at his Daddy's school.  He also insisted that Daddy put on his shirt that was the same.  These two cool dudes did a bit of Risky Business dancing in the living room with their cool guy collars up.  Watch out ladies!

 Arlo on a wagon at the Carp Fair.  He lost his mind over the wagons, tractors, dump trucks, combine harvesters, recycling trucks, and every other piece of giant farming machinery they had there.  The rides were a bonus, as were the fries and min donuts, but the big machines, that is where it was at.  Arlo also enjoyed watching the horse and wagon shows, but didn't love going into the livestock barn for the cow judging.  He held his nose and asked to "get out of this place".

 That is a good big brother, playing with his little bro and keeping him entertained.  If only it really worked that way!

So so tired...can barely hold Otis up.  But then he has grown three cm, and gained over 3 pounds in the past couple of weeks, so he is tough to hold in any event.

Relaxing end to summer

 Arlo enjoyed some fun times at the park, playing in the sandbox, while Otis just chilled and got some much needed rest.

 Mamma and her boys....

 Arlo found a baby doll while going through some of Jenny's old Kindergarten supplies, and he has become quite attached to it, but he will pass holding it for a chance to hold his 'baby Otis'.  He loves having his brother close to him.  This was the calm moment before Otis really started to squirm.

 A trip to Pink Lake, reminiscent of one we took with Arlo when he was only a few weeks old, and we carted him along in a sling.  This trip was for a fun picnic, but it turned to a long slog with Arlo at the end when he fell and smacked his head on the path after tripping on a root while running.  He had about eight dents from stones on his forehead, and they scabbed up for a week or so, but they are gone now.

 Snuggled on mamma.

 Ray and Otis enjoying a break at Pink Lake.

Arlo checking out the water.  We kept him out of this lake, but it was tough going at times, he is such a water bug.

Everyone wants to hold Otis

 Daisy and Hayden got up close and personal on their first visit with Otis. 

Dropping in to meet Otis

 Cheryl took care of Arlo when Mama and Daddy went to the hospital to deliver Otis.  She came and visited Otis on his first day at Ottawa Civic Hospital, and then she came for a visit at home a few days later.  He likes to be held, but he is a bit gassy at times, as Cheryl found out while Otis was in her lap.

 Iris helped take care of Arlo during the day that Jenny was still in the hospital with Otis.  She finally got a chance to meet Otis today when she dropped in with her dad for a visit.  I wonder if she will be up for sitting for two boys one day?

 Rory and Otis, modern day philosophers.

 Claudia was out with her mom and happened to bump into Otis' proud daddy in the street, so of course a visit was in order.  Don't worry about his crying Claudia, you did a great job of holding him, he was just hungry.

Visitors Part 2

One of these pictures is not like the others, one of these pictures just doesn't belong.
Can you spot the differences???
 Grandpa Ron did this same dress up stunt with glasses on my brother Arlo I hear.  I don't plan on needing specs when I get older though Grandpa.

 Grandma and Grandpa Brown with Arlo and Otis.

Never enough kisses.

Grandparents, grand time

 Arlo and Otis with all of their grandparents.

 Otis is pretty cool, but splashpads are lots more fun, and refreshing.

 You can't catch me!

Proud Big Brother

 Arlo is getting used to life being different.  One thing that took no time for him to get used to was the idea of having a baby brother.  He regularly asks 'where's my baby?'  and refers to Otis as "My baby Otis".  When he is crying Arlo offers up advice such as "maybe he has an owie" or will tell us that he is hungry or has to poop.

 Arlo can never give enough kisses to Otis.  He always wants to hold him and snuggle.

What a proud big brother.