Houston was pretty tired, but I wanted to get the next load of laundry going before I put him down for a nap. I guess he didn't need me after all.

 He had his 6 month check up & shots. He was 29" and 20.5#  Still off the charts in everything.  He got a fever the next day and seemed pretty miserable.  It was new to me, the first time either of them have had a fever from shots.  poor little guy. 

Heath has been really into coloring lately.  I love how he knows exactly what it is that he's drawing, even though you wouldn't have a clue. It's all perfect in his mind.

Almost every picture he draws is a horse or someone riding a horse. 

(Heath, Mommy, Daddy or Houston)

He loves to "dress up" especially while I'm folding laundry. This lovely ensemble is one of my shirts, with his head thru the arm and Houston's sock.

Hats are very important to Heath.  Any time we go outside he must have a hat on. It's usually a bit of a struggle to get him to believe us that it will be ok if he goes out without a hat, that mostly happens on Sundays when were heading to church.

 Matt has trained Heath that when he finds a flower he should pick it and give it to mommy. Usually that's fine in our yard, but now were trying to get him to understand that not all flowers are dandelions, but oh well. How can you resist a little boy bearing flowers saying, "Mommy I got flowers, for wooo!"

Matt has been using the elliptical again and every time he gets on it Heath goes running to find his  rocking horse then urgently drags it into the room and rocks as fast as he can along with Matt.  It's pretty cute!

He doesn't do it for me, only when Daddy's doing it, because Daddy's cool.

We've been getting things ready for the garden and Heath has had lots of fun helping this year.

Notice the cowboy boots and shorts.  I sometimes hide them when it's just too hot outside because he always wants to wear them and his feet get SO sweaty.

Houston's world is really starting to grow.  He notices and tries to grab at and move towards everything in sight. We can no longer eat with him on our laps because he grabs everything and makes a big mess.

He is also very excited about toys now. He will roll and scoot to get to one, and if he drops the one he's been playing with he will scream and scream (one of the only times we really seen him that upset) if he can't find it.

Houston has grown very attached to the blanket my Aunt Mary made for him.  At nap time if he has that he will go right to sleep on his own in his bed. He loves to bury his face in it and hold it close to his chest. Much like Heath and Bear Bear. I guess our boys just need security items.

We have a where is waldo book knock off called where is Donald. Heath absolutely loves it (as can be seen by the fact that he's holding just one page that he's ripped out) and will sit for half an hour or more just looking at the many things going on. It has been wonderful with all the travel lately.

I'm so grateful that I get to stay home everyday with these two!

Daddy's been moving things with the tractor so naturally little boys want to go out and watch.

Our little Houston has just not been himself the last few weeks.  He has had a little cough, mostly at night, but other than that nothing has really given us a red flag on any illness. He has just been a little sadder and needing to be held more often than normal, especially when it's time to be sleeping.

 So we talked it over and decided since the next two weekends are really full and Fridays are really the only day it's convenient for me to go to town, being a one car family, that we should go ahead and take him in and get him checked out. It has been almost a month that he's been this way.

 

So we went to work with Matt on Friday and saw the Dr, and she said that little Houston had a really really bad ear infection. She asked if he had been pulling on his ear or had any discharge, but it was a no to both. She was really surprised at how pleasant he has been for us. I felt pretty bad and sorry for the little guy, that he had to put up with it for so long. I guess that is a down side to having such a happy baby, you don't really know when something's wrong.

 Hope you feel yourself again soon little Houston. 

oh, they weighed him at the Dr office and at 5.5 months Houston is 20Lbs 4oz.

 

We have had to reevaluate our way of living again, Houston is on the loose, and FAST!

If he sees something across the room that he wants, by golly he rolls over there quick as a flash and gets it. 

That rattle is by far his favorite toy these days.  It was Heath's favorite at this age too. It has a little bell inside and is so light weight it's perfect for a little hand to cary around.

Heath was so proud of his outfit, and the fact that he figured out how to take off the couch cushions.

 Houston is now mobile. He figured out how to roll from his back to his tummy a few days ago and has spent the last  couple days rolling and rolling.

 Heath and Houston love bath time. Its pretty nice now that Houston is a bit older he can kick around in one half of the tub while Heath plays in the other.

 When I was switching out clothes for Houston, Heath found his old pair of cowboy boots that he was never able to wear because his feet were too fat. He was super insistent on Houston wearing them. I was excited when his feet went in, but he would just kick them off as soon as we got them on. They don't quite fit yet but it looks promising.

 

 Heath is very good at making messes these days. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother cleaning them up.

 We walked over to our neighbors house the other day because they got some bottle calves. When we got home Heath was so exhausted he fell asleep on the couch. If you know Heath you know that never happens.

 The weather has been super nice the last few days so we have been enjoying ourselves outside.  For Houston it has really been the first time he's been out longer than the time it takes to walk to the car. He seemed to like all the stimulation.

 The neighborhood cat even came to play.  We had some sour, cream (not sourcream) I had been meaning to make butter with but hadn't gotten to it yet, so the kitty enjoyed.  Heath then spent a long time chasing after the kitty trying to get it to lick up every last drop. It was pretty entertaining. Maybe now he will understand a bit better how frustrating it is to get him to eat when he's not willing.

“Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.” - John Lennon

 "Mommy, bear bear boots, habe (have) it."

We went to Johnny's basketball game. It was a very rainy cold day, don't mind the crazy hair. Uncle Luke watched Heath for us. It was pretty nice to get out and have some fun.

 Houston LOVES his rice cereal. When it's all gone he grabs the cup with his iron grip and won't let go.

 Heath has graduated to "Uners" while we're at home! He insists that bear bear wears them also. I think it's pretty cute. He's going to be a pretty good daddy someday if he treats his kids as well as bear bear.

 I made sushi for lunch and when I sat down to cut the "log" Heath started freaking out that I gave it an owie. He wouldn't touch it. So I just ended up giving him the insides.  I think it's funny, he has had sushi in the past and didn't mind, but actually seeing me cut it made it wrong in his mind.

 Houston is getting very interested in his surroundings. He will now maneuver himself around to get to something he wants that is out of reach.

 Everything he comes in contact with goes in his mouth. Even Heath. During this picture Heath is saying, "No Hu-ten, no bite piddy hat." (his Arkansas piggy hat)

 He is constantly growling. It was pretty entertaining during church this past week.

Heath has been helping me fold the laundry lately. We talk about the different clothes while we do it. (Daddy's big red shirt, Heath's blue pants, etc.) I have started having him sort his own clothes and put them into his 3 drawers. They may not be wrinkle free but it gives him some responsibility and he actually does a pretty good job. Today we had all the laundry sorted and folded, ready to put away and I went to the bathroom...

 he'll get the hang of it eventually  : )