"Mom, is that guy beating his dog?" by Clark while watching a jogger and his dog running. Get it? Beating him in a race? I know, it took me a second to process and respond to his question.
"I'm going to beat you up!" by Clark while racing up the stairs to our apartment. He does say this while racing when we are NOT on the stairs and it cracks me up. Is it wrong if I don't correct him?
"HI FRIENDS!" by Bruce with a big smile to a crowd of strangers in our parking lot. They did respond similarly to his greeting. The enthusiasm of little children is undeniable.
Clark has been giving us a hard time about bedtime in a typical 3 year old way. I need to go potty, I need a drink, climbing into his brother's crib to wake him up, etc... He has been such a good sleeper until the "big boy bed."
It really only took a bribe (ahem), I mean some "positive reinforcement," to help out at bedtimes around here. (Thanks for the idea, Dad.) Besides the excuses, he was doing a pretty good job of keeping himself awake while he was in bed (until 11pm and sometimes later). I don't know how he does it. Put me in a quiet, cool, dark room with a fan and I don't stand a chance.
It wasn't until he decided he wanted to go to bed, with a promise of reward the next day, that we have really had any success. We've been going for 2 nights now without any incidents of bedtime resistance. The power of a lollipop in the eyes of a child. He insisted on an orange one (his favorite color), but settled for a cream soda when I couldn't find orange.
Brucie is enjoying the rewards for good bedtime behavior, too. It's kind of a given since he falls asleep pretty quickly. He ate his lollipop today and about half the stick (well, it was pretty well chewed).
Just in case you were wondering, they still have root beer flavored Dum-dums. For some reason I always remember getting that flavor as a child. Ah, good memories.
It's been in the 90's all week, but we may see 80's again next week. (sigh) I shouldn't be surprised. It's like this every year, but the promise of cooler weather is so anticipated (by me) that I can't help but be disappointed. Well, maybe we'll have another cool snap by Halloween.
Clark has been washing dishes with Daddy lately. The agreement in our house is that I will make dinner every night, and Caleb will wash the dishes. We don't even have a dishwasher, so I really mean wash the dishes. I have to give him props because Caleb is really good about it every night. Well, finally he has a little help... from Clark. Caleb washes and Clark rinses. The enthusiasm from that little guy is really overwhelming. It's the first thing he talks about in the morning and he doesn't let up all day. "I think we should do the dishes, Mommy." He continues asking for the rest of the day. He actually finished helping tonight and suggested that we do them again. Caleb declined the offer. I wonder what would happen if I was as enthusiastic about cleaning. It's really cute, actually. Well, the chances are slim that this excitement about dishes will last until adolescence (and it certainly doesn't happen when we're picking up toys), but we'll enjoy it while it lasts.
Funny Clark quote... I have found that the moment my children see me eating they want some too. Even if they've already eaten. Well, this was after he had eaten breakfast and I was trying to tell Clark that he didn't really want what I was eating because he would think it was yucky. Well, he didn't fall for it. This was the expressive response, asked as if he really wanted me to answer his question. I wish you could have seen his hands waving for emphasis. So funny. I've never heard him use this expression before.
"Are you kidding me? Mommy, are you kidding me? I love that stuff!"
Funny Bruce quote... Brucie, as the youngest, often will get the benefit of the doubt in a conflict (especially when I didn't see it). Well, he didn't in this case because I saw what he was up to. He was trying to commandeer Clark's coloring book (he had his own, but wanted Clark's), and I told him that he should go color in his own book. He turned back to Clark and this was what he said with an accusing finger waving at his brother for every word...
"Clark! You. Are. Driving. Me. CRAZY!"
Whoops. I guess he may have heard this from someone before, but not with quite that much emotion. :)
This is a dish washing video. If you are wondering, yes, I believe that Brucie takes a sip off the spoon. Just to make sure it still functions as it is supposed to, I'm sure.
Well, cooler weather. It's been in the mid-80's and we've been enjoying the outdoors this week since it seems the hottest days of the year are behind us. Not exactly cold, but this morning was a little brisk for our walk. I'm looking forward to some more enjoyable (not sweltering) outside time. I'm sure the boys are too. Welcome fall!
This was an extreme enough case of morning hair (well, after-nap hair) that I thought I would document it for Clark's posterity. Apparently, I take police line-up style pictures of my children. Clark looks like all he needs is a number to hold up in front and the height lines behind.
Bruce also wanted to be in on the action. He had been up a little longer and was much more chipper. He seems tall for almost 2. Generally I try to avoid a messy room scene if I can, and I guess that leads to this style of pictures.
(As a disclaimer, I'll let you know that we went to the library which always ends up with a room littered with books until the excitement of the "new books" wears off after a few days. At least they're excited about reading... It's a trade-off I guess.)
We've been into nature/science books recently. Snakes, lizards, bugs, airplanes, etc. I attribute this newfound interest to Uncle Mike, who spent a lot of his visit hunting/catching lizards and frogs. Clark's made a request for volcanos next time.
Bruce is mostly into board books, due to the aforementioned book ripping. These incidents are fairly regular, but usually reserved for older books which are showing some wear (which are usually the ones that WE own). Personally, I like to read books with a good rhythm and rhyme. Like Dr. Suess and "Bear Wants More".
Most contested book from this library trip: A field guide to amphibians and reptiles.
I found Brucie manhandling Caleb's scriptures the other day. Clark stated several times in the following minutes that it was Brucie who did it (and not him). Brucie spent a while in time-out while I found all the pieces. Repaired pieces are on the left-hand side of the picture.
Reconstruction was touch-and-go, but I think the patient is going to pull through with all pages intact. Caleb has committed to not leave his scriptures on the table after he is done reading them in the morning.
Brucie a few days earlier with my fruit smoothie... What a stinker! I guess you notice a theme here: Items left on the table are not safe from almost-2-year-olds.
Clark looking cheerful after church today. He's posing for Nana who got this outfit for his birthday.
Naptime on Sunday afternoon (Caleb and Clark). The peaceful slumber of a man without any homework... yet.
Well, the exciting last semester is beginning. Caleb is scheduled to graduate in December and we are making important decisions for what happens next. Caleb is preparing to take the GRE exam. He is considering going to grad school for a master's degree in education. If you had asked me what he would be studying a few years ago I would not have seen that coming, but then again when we moved here we thought he would be studying accounting and not english...
I've decided to stop thinking I know what will happen in the more distant future and just choosing to "go-with-the-flow" and try to enjoy things as they come. Not to mean we will not be planning for our future, but you just can't control some things. I guess the Lord just wants us to stop trusting in our own strength and rely on him a little more. I would have to say that every time in my life that I have it all "figured out" is when the biggest surprises come. So, maybe grad school. Maybe not. Hopefully gainful employment... :) The good news is that when Caleb talked to his counselor she said that it looked like he would graduate with honors. Go Caleb!
I grew up in the Sunshine State and married my Caleb, the love of my life. It may sound like a fairy tale ending, but it's anything but over. We share our home, our love, our joys and our sorrows with each other and our two beautiful boys. Sometimes struggling and sometimes succeeding; we're in this together!
