Feeding Baby

I'm not sure, but I think that maybe Alex thinks I'm not feeding Benny enough. Here he is, supplementing Benny's bedtime snack.


Mmmm, plastic bread. Tasty.


"Aren't I a helpful big brother?"


And I'm pretty sure that he thinks he's awfully cute. And y'know, I think he's right.

Thoughts on Sisters

The other day Alex was, apparently, bothering Ethan. He came to me and said, "Mom, I really wish I had a sister." I asked him why he wished that.

"Well," he said, "sisters are just quiet, and sensible ..."

I couldn't help it. I laughed right out loud. Then I told him I agreed completely, but he'd have to ask Dad if he thought that was true.

Let's just say that Dad had a slightly different opinion. :)

Rocking

Shades drawn, dim room;
Quiet music, gentle strains;
Flannel blanket, soft and warm;
Tiny, gasping, baby breaths;
Snuggly boy, cuddled close;
Soft hair against my cheek;
Rocking rhythm, slow and steady.
Treasured moments.

Having a two-year-old in the house ...

...makes life interesting!

Just to give you a glimpse of what life with our two-year-old is like, I thought I'd share a few exploits from the last twenty-four hours.

Last night, Luke went in to tell the boys to turn their lamp off, put their books away, and go to sleep. He found Ethan sound asleep. Alex, on the other hand, was not. He had emptied out the basket that holds his picture books, taken his pillow, three blankets, and numerous stuffed animals off the bed put them into the basket, and then climbed in on top of it all. He was laying there quietly, his arms, legs, and head hanging out of this basket that's maybe 12" square. He apparently planned on sleeping there.

Luke had to go into our room and laugh before he could go back and make Alex get into his own bed

Today I was laying him down for his nap, and he had picked out a book with a verse of Old MacDonald for his story. I sang him the little book (it was the verse about Old MacDonald has a cow), and when I finished he wanted to sing it to me. He started at the beginning and sang, "E-I-O-E-E-I-O" as he turned the pages. Except for the cow page; there he sang "moo moo".

And when he was done, he licked the book. Naturally.

He got a hold of a red marker today while Ethan and I were reading during school. He colored his hands red, and dabbed just a bit of color on his cheeks. (I guess he didn't want to be garish.) I was going to take a picture, but we're trying really hard not to encourage that kind of behavior, especially since I had taken the marker away from him once already this morning.

This morning, Ethan was laying on the floor and Alex was stepping on him. (This is something he delights in doing; he loves rough-housing with Ethan, whether Ethan is participating or not.) I told him not to step on his brother.

So he sat on him. I told him not to touch his brother.

So, he stepped over his head, coming as close to Ethan as possible without actually touching him.

He does this obeying-the-letter-of-the-law game quite often, and I know, this is really just being naughty. But the whole time he's doing it, he's laughing this delighted little chortle and watching me to see what I'm going to do. He has such a playful spirit! Luke and I are trying to figure out where the line is between requiring obedience and not squashing his spirit. Obviously hurting his brother during the game makes that line pretty clear, but when he runs away naked to hide after you take him out of the bathtub, it's not so easy.

It's also pretty hard to keep from laughing at his impish grin when he peeks out at you.

I love this stage, though. And I love knowing that as Alex outgrows this charming, make-everything-a-game, make-my-parents-wonder-what-is-going-on-in-my-head stage, we have another one who will be growing into it.

Growing

In a little more than six more weeks, Benny will be one. Some days (or weeks? or months?) it seemed that time was moving so slowly ... but looking back, I can see how quickly it has flown. The changes in the past month show me that my baby is turning into a toddler, a change that is bringing its own set of challenges.

Benny now has four teeth. Yesterday he took his first steps. He recently weaned himself (Mama wasn't so thrilled with that development), and he's sleeping through the night. Well, almost, but his one waking is around 5:30-6:00. That's close enough to count for me! He can climb up on the couch and chairs by himself, and get back down safely (most of the time).


I look at my sweet boy, and I realize that this challenging time has flown by so quickly and taken with it Benny's babyhood. I know soon he'll be running everywhere, talking up a storm, and growing and changing even more. I see that every day in Alex and Ethan. So just like when he was a baby, I'm trying to savor every moment.

Especially the cuddly, rocking-my-boy-who-still-likes-to-snuggle ones! But even the chaotic, messy, noisy, exasperating ones. Even the ones where I tell Luke I just want life to stop so I can get off for a little while.

Time doesn't wait for mamas to catch their breath, so I've just got to enjoy my little - and not-so-little ones now.

What's in a name?

Alex has been talking so much ... he now refers to us all by name. Mama and Papa (or Mom and Dad, depending on his mood), Ethan is "E", and Benny is usually Baby. But if you ask him his name, you'll get a laugh and the response, "Hot Tea". I have no idea why he has decided to call himself Hot Tea, but he does it on a regular basis. He will occasionally try to say Alex if we ask him to, but maybe he finds it too hard to say.

He does occasionally refer to himself by another name. Cookie.


Somehow that one fits better than Hot Tea, don't you think?

The Dangers and Benefits of Climbing

One recent Sunday, I had changed Benny out of his church clothes and put him in the living room to play with the other boys while I got lunch. Shortly thereafter, I heard a loud crash; when I went went running to see what happened, this is what I saw:


Benny figured out how to climb into the toy box. He fell in headfirst (which I suppose is the danger of climbing!) and didn't even whimper. He just righted himself and started laughing with delight at where he found himself.

And this was the day after his first big-boy haircut, too ... doesn't he look handsome?

Sleepy Boys and a Fuzzy Duck

Okay, I know I put a lot of pictures of Luke cuddling with the boys in his recliner, but I just love this one of him holding Alex. And Quackers, the giant duck.

Fishing Trip

Luke took Ethan fishing this summer, and they came back with a nice size ... uh, fish. I have no idea what kind it was! The highlight of catching the fish, though, was what they found when they were cleaning it ...



... a crayfish! Very recently eaten, apparently.

Something we've been enjoying ...

We like books here. We tend to always have at least one read-aloud going, usually for Ethan's bedtime story. It's gotten challenging to work 15-20 minutes of reading into our evening routine, though. Between Benny fussing, Alex bouncing off the wall, baths, snacks, nursing, Alex's bedtime story ... well, I'm sure you all can relate to how crazy bedtime can be. We tried moving the read-aloud time to a different time during the day, but the other natural time - while Alex is napping in the afternoon - wasn't working for a number of reasons.

Then we discovered Librivox. A large number of books (all in the public domain) are read by volunteers. You can download chapters or whole books and listen at your convenience. So we've been setting the laptop up on the table, and each night at supper we are listening to one or two chapters of The Swiss Family Robinson. (Ethan said last night that he was jealous of those people - he wanted to be in the story!)

There's a wide variety of genres, and I thought I'd share our find in case someone else could benefit from it!

Family Fun Night

We try to set aside a Friday night once a month or more to have a fun family activity. It's challenging to come up with something that the little boys will enjoy that won't bore Ethan, or that won't leave the younger ones out. Luke had a brilliant idea one of the last times we did this ... after supper, all the boys got their pj shorts on - but no shirts. Then Luke blew up a queen size air mattress, and they bounced. And bounced. And bounced.

Even Benny was able to play.




Papa played, too.


Benny did just watch part of the time, but he still enjoyed that tremendously!


See how I manage to cut at least part of someone's head off in most of the pictures? That takes real skill, folks.

Ethan was getting pretty exuberant toward the end.


And whatever Ethan tries, Alex tries too.


This has by far been the biggest "family fun night" hit. The boys all loved it, and Ethan and Alex have been asking when we can do it again. If you have any other ideas for us, I'd love it if you'd share them in the comments!

News Bulletin!

We interrupt this resounding silence to bring you an important announcement. Benny finally has cut his first tooth!

As long as I'm posting, here are a few other news bulletins.

Benny is ...
**is into everything these days. His favorite "no-no" thing is the dog food dish. Or maybe I should call it the dog water dish, since the water is his favorite part of it.
**actually up at night more often than when he was four or five months old. What's up with that?
**loving watching his two older brothers be goofy. He can't wait to join them, and you can just see that on his face!

Alex is ...
**talking more and more. His current favorite word? Poop. Yeah, we wanted him to talk. (rolling eyes)
**loving the color blue, trains, and strawberry-flavored milk.
**sleeping in his toddler bed. At least when he's not sleeping on the floor next to my bed because he had a bad dream.

Ethan is ...
**doing well in second grade, even though he's still not crazy about school.
**outgrowing all his clothes. I'm having to start using regular hangers for his shirts instead of the little baby ones. (sniff, sniff)
**loving playing with his Lego train set that his generous Aunt Ginnie gave him!

I have several posts in mind, lots of pictures on my camera's card, and no time to post them. I'll get around to it eventually!

One more thing ... I'm scheduled for surgery October 2oth. I'd appreciate prayers that it won't have to be an overnight stay, that the boys will do okay while I'm gone, and for a speedy recovery.

We now return you to your previously scheduled silence.

Mornings

I freely admit that I wish my children would sleep later; most mornings they're all up by 6:30 or so. "Sleeping in" around here means sleeping until 7:00, and it never happens that they all sleep that late the same morning!

But Luke loves coming home and having his boys be awake. He goes and takes his contacts out, and then cuddles with any of them that are willing to cuddle. Sometimes he gets lucky, and they're all feeling affectionate. And don't you just love Benny's yawn here?

Bedtime snack and story

The boys were having their bedtime snack while Luke read Ethan's bedtime story. Ethan decided to sit on the toybox while he snacked and listened, and wherever Ethan is ... Alex is.



And wherever Alex and Ethan are ... Benny's not far behind.

Benny

A new school year

So I forgot to take pictures on the first day of school. And the second day. This is the third day, and I haven't taken any pictures yet - but the day isn't over! Maybe I'll remember before the boys get their pajamas on tonight!

In the meantime, here are some from last week. Since we're "Galloping the Globe" this year, we need passports for our travelers. A passport needs a photo, of course. Our official traveler, Ethan:




And Alex gets a passport too, since I'm hoping he can come along for the fun interactive things:



He's gotten to smiling a very deliberate smile, as you can tell from this picture. :)

Almost time for school!

Our summer seems to be going by so quickly! We'll be starting school on August 24th, and I'm really excited about this year! (A little apprehensive, too, but that's a whole different post!) I'm not going to link to all of our subjects this year, but I did want to share a couple that we're really excited about.

We're jumping into geography with Galloping the Globe, a unit study that we'll also use for science, art, cooking, and some Bible. Ethan is especially looking forward to the map work that will come with this, and I think that the study of other countries and cultures will be really good for him.

I've finally found a history program that is what I've been wanting! We're using Truthquest this year. It's a book with commentary and then "living book" recommendations. Best of all, the view of history presented is neither secular nor providential. (I'm sorry, but I just can't believe that Columbus sailed with missionary motives.) Rather, it assumes that men's actions are the result of their beliefs about the "two big questions": Who is God? and who, then, is mankind?

We'll be learning American History, ending up with the Revolutionary War. To cap off our history study, we're using Homeschool in the Woods' Time Travelers: The American Revolution. This will add some great hands-on activities to our study!

Now if I could just find something that would get Ethan excited about handwriting ...

Copy Cat

Ethan has been somewhat frustrated lately by Alex's sudden interest in doing every last thing that Ethan does. Like a little shadow, Alex follows him everywhere. He imitates Ethan, right down to the groan of frustration that Ethan gives because Alex is copying him.

As a mother, it's very entertaining. Ethan disagrees.

But he's actually pretty good about tolerating it. Last week, they'd been playing together chasing each other up and down the hallway, shrieking, until they woke Benny up. Then they decided to do something quiet.

Does that seem backward to anyone else? Shouldn't they be doing the quiet things while Benny is sleeping?

Anyway, Ethan sat down to read. Alex climbed up beside him, pulled a book out of the basket near the chair, and pretended he was reading too.


I love it when Ethan is patient with his little brothers. He's a pretty good kid.


And look at this look of concentration on Alex's face. You'd never know that he picked up a teacher's manual for school next year. There aren't even interesting pictures in it!


**Has anyone noticed that Alex is wearing the same clothes in the last three posts? I've been scheduling my posts to space them out because I only get around to sitting down and going through the pictures on my camera once in a while. And apparently I tend to take pictures more some days than others; either that, or all the cute stuff happened on the same day! Regardless, I just want to be clear that I don't put the same clothes on them day after day.

Cold Snap

We had a couple of days last week when the temperature only got into the 60s. Even for Wisconsin, that's cooler than we expect at the end of June. Alex was prepared, though.


He'll probably make a good boy scout someday.

One of the many uses for an umbrella

My children are fascinated with umbrellas. Ethan used to take one out with him while he played in the sprinkler. (He also wore his fireman costume at the same time, but that's another story.) We had a couple of umbrellas that I got as a promotional gift from something, and so I've always let them play with them and not worried about the umbrellas getting wrecked.

I worried about someone's eye getting poked out with one of the ribs that end up being torn loose from the fabric, but thankfully that hasn't happened. Yet.

Alex has discovered a new way to use the play umbrella.


Yes, this is the umbrella library. Or maybe it's raining books? I'm not sure. But he piled a bunch of books on the umbrella, sat down with them, and screeched when Benny tried to touch them. Fortunately, Benny is easily distracted.



Unfortunately, by the time Alex was done playing, the umbrella was completely wrecked. But did you see that rib sticking out? Their eyes thanked me for throwing it away.

Sitting Pretty

Benny is starting to sit up on his own, although he tends to lean forward and brace himself with his hands on the floor. He doesn't practice sitting very well, though, because as soon as he sees something he wants, he tips over and belly-crawls over to it. He actually looks kind of like an inchworm.


But what a cute inchworm!

But I'm not tired!

Benny was tired. His tummy was full. His diaper was clean. But when I laid him down to sleep, he cried. After a few minutes, I got him up again. Maybe he wasn't tired after all. Maybe I misjudged his cues. I put him in the swing, and he was happy. But five minutes later, this is what I saw:



I guess he was tired after all.

Percy for Sale!

The boys got out Ethan's Thomas the Tank Engine stuff a while back, and have been playing with it. Although Ethan is a little big - and Alex is a little too small - to play with it the way it's intended to be used. But hey, what fun is it to play with a toy the way it's supposed to be played with, anyway?

So on this day, Ethan took four pieces of curved track and fastened them around his waist.

(Around his waist. Four pieces of track! Why do all the skinny genes go to the little boys?)




Then he put Percy the train on the track, and proceeded to hawk his wares.

"Percy for Sale!"


Alex didn't want to be left out, of course. That red thing in his hand here? That's James.



So if you're looking for a train, come on over. We can supply all your railway needs!

Summer Fun

A couple of Sundays ago, the boys and I went outside to play for a while before naps. Luke had just filled the pool up that weekend, but it wasn't warm enough to actually swim in yet. What is it about water that draws children? The boys were immediately drawn to it. Do you know what they're doing here?



Throwing things in the water.



What things? Oh, rocks. And later, dirt and sticks. That was Alex though, not Ethan.


And Benny just sat in the shade, chewed on his toy, and watched carefully so he'd know just how to do it next summer.

Happy Birthday, Alex!

Alex is two now! Yesterday we celebrated with a small party. There were presents:



Big brother Ethan was a willing helper in opening the gifts:


Grandma helped him figure out the fishing pole:


The bubble maker was a huge hit!


Ethan bought the swords for Alex (with his own money, he's quick to point out!) and got two so they could play together:


There were puppy dog cupcakes:



That boy has a sweet tooth!


Happy Birthday Alex!