Bananas for the little monkeys

We can't believe these two little guys are old enough to be eating solid foods! They were pretty amused at sitting in a high chair as you can see by the grins below.....

That might be my favorite picture of the boys together so far. They really look like they are laughing hysterically at the crazy woman in the kitchen who was singing "Deep in the Heart of Texas" while dancing around with a camera ; ) That song almost always guarantees a giggle!

We decided to retire the older high chair we inherited due to the disgusting factor with fabric, creases & layers filled with crumbs 4 years old...you get the idea. We did a little bit of looking around & went to Ikea to purchase the Antilop highchair for 20 bucks a pop.  We were down with the price but a little nervous about the wobbliness of it considering the two wild older siblings that crawl under the table & chairs frequently along with the unpredictable dog. So, we came upon these chairs (also at Ikea) that were $60 each.  I think that is a decent deal compared to many of the high chairs sold at baby stores. We definitely wanted a free standing chair versus one that straps on since we are always short on chairs with visitors. We are happy with the sturdiness, ability to tighten those straps to fit our little cowboys & most importantly, the easy to clean factor. They also match our kitchen table & chairs so they just kind of blend in.

It was so fun to get them in their chairs & ready for that monumental first bite of real food! We have started with bananas for all the Valentine kiddos which is strange because there is no food I hate more than bananas ; )

I think I will narrate for a moment....

Owen:  "Hmmmm,what is this? I think Eloise stuck one of these in my mouth a few times the other day. She moved with great force but I just can't quite get it to where it needs to go. "

"Maybe I will just lick it instead.  That seems safe.....and I am a safe kind of guy."

Anson: "Oh I know all about this contraption. Everyone in this family seems so happy when they are using it to shovel Blue Bell Ice cream into their mouths. Mom, I'm a little disappointed this doesn't have ice cream on it."

"Oh gosh, that is definitely not how to do it! Although that is not the first time a spoon hit my tonsils thanks to that loving sister of mine."

Owen: "What is that on there? I'm just not sure I'm ready. Oh that feels funny on my tongue!"

Anson: "Open up big, here it comes! It's what I have been waiting for!"

After Robby & I enjoyed watching those first bites we invited the official feeders in to help. They were elated & very serious about their job. So serious they couldn't even look at the camera. Anson's expression is hilarious here. It is like he is saying "Okay Eloise, I will do whatever you want, just don't shove that spoon in any further." In her defense she was very gentle & Anson actually ate more with her shoveling it in rather than with me. 

Owen doesn't look to excited in the next picture but he did really well with Charlotte feeding him too.

After the first feeding, Anson experienced what each Valentine child that has gone before him has...the clean up by a loving pitbull. Although this time, it was only Bella. Bennett would have enjoyed the height of these new chairs since he could have pretty much eaten things right off the tray ; )

Anson was pretty intrigued by all that licking & ended up with clean hands. I pretty sure I have it made. All I have to do is fix the bowls of food, hand them off to the girls to feed them followed by laying the babies on the ground for clean up! Just joking but as they say....there is a little truth behind every joke!

Anson was sad every time you stopped shoveling food into his mouth. That did not surprise me!

Owen did a great job eating quietly & then he got interested in his finger & decided to relax for a bit.

Now do these two look happy or what? I think they enjoyed their first taste of bananas & are ready to explore this whole new world! Up next are sweet potatoes & avocados!

Owen

Anson

Owen & Anson: "Wow mom, that was hard work...enough to wear a little buckaroo out!