Playing Outside

Luke surprised me with a new camera this week, and I've been having a lot of fun playing with it! Since it's so nice and sunshiny out today, we all headed outside to play for a while this morning. Here are some pictures of the boys!

Luke pulling all three of them in the sled:

Yellow came and played, too!

It's hard work walking through the snow when you're short!

Ethan tried out the snow-block maker.

Benny got a solo sled ride, too.

sparks!

(This guest post is written by Ethan. Some of it he typed himself, and some of it he dictated to Mom.)

Sparks-a-rama was a great success for green (the color line I'm on). We beat another church (red) by one point! It was the last game - the balloon pop - that got us winning. With the balloon battle, I was pretty good and we didn't get one single point! It was a lot of fun, even though there were some games I didn't get to play.

The Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day

Without going into all the details, let me just say that yesterday was a hard day. The ones we all have where everything that can go wrong, does. The ones where our children are naughty, or get into trouble without trying, or both, all day long.

But in the midst of that kind of a day, there was a bright spot that I need to remember for the next time we have one of those days. (Because you know there will be a next time!)

I had taken the three boys grocery shopping. When we got home, I took Benny to lay him down for his nap right away because he'd fallen asleep in the car. I came back into the kitchen in time to hear this conversation between Ethan and Alex.

E: Here Alex, let me help you with your coat. There, I have it unzipped; can you take it off now?
A: Yes! Me big boy.
E: Oh, good job, Alex! Here, let me take it and hang it up. Now why don't I untie your shoes for you. There, can you take them off?
A: (grunting) Dere!
E: Very good, Alex! Go put them in the closet, okay?
A: Otay!

Ethan's cheerful, encouraging helpfulness was definitely a bright spot in my day!

Potty-training ... the saga continues

Okay, that title makes this sound a lot more dramatic than it really is! Alex has been doing really well. He wakes up from naps and in the morning dry more often than not. During the day he rarely has accidents, and when he does have an accident he usually catches himself and finishes on the toilet. He's very proud of himself and frequently tells me, "Me a big boy, Mama!" He loves to flush and watch the water go down, with many oohs and aahs. Apparently that's fascinating, because Benny likes to come watch, too.


We've promised him Thomas the Tank underwear, but Walmart didn't have any in his size when we got groceries. I'm thinking about checking Target tomorrow. Until then, he's okay with wearing his training underwear. I tried to talk him into getting some with characters from the movie "Cars", but he declined. His reasoning?

"Me love Thomas. Thomas is yummy."

According to Alex

It's been fun to listen to what is going on in Alex's mind as he's started talking more and more. Here are a few things that we've learned from him this week:

Mama's hair is spicy
Papa fell off a mountain
Grandma bought us our bathtub
Alex is his own papa
Alex is a very smart man
Benny is naughty
Ethan is a nice boy
His pillow gives him good dreams
The puggle (that's a baby platypus!) on his AWANA shirt had bad dreams last night

We're enjoying finally knowing what's going on inside his little head, but it's slightly disconcerting, as well!

Washing Dishes

Alex and Benny are helping wash dishes today:

I can't get a picture of Benny with his eyes open for some reason. I think it has to do with the way my flash works.

Alex was being silly. He didn't want to smile nicely, so he did a big goofy smile.

And his version of a frown: