Christmas Planning

Playdates and parties have made up a big part of the last few weeks. Pictures to come, of course. Today, though, we got the chance to take a breath and relax.

Jason and Michael immediately jumped into the box.



They stayed there for 20 minutes, at least. It was so nice.

Jason and I were talking the other day about presents for Daddy. I don't think sharing this conversation will reveal too many secrets. I asked Jason what he thought we should buy Daddy.

He thought for a moment, and told me, "Robots." I pressed on. "Anything else?" I asked.

More thinking. Then he said, "Nightlights. Lots of nightlights."

It gets better.

You can tell we do a lot of reasoning (some people might call it bribing), because today, I asked/told him to finish dinner, to which he replied:

"If you make me eat this fishstick, I won't let you come to any of my birthday parties, EVER!"

More Growing Pains

Almost 21 months old, and Michael THINKS he's 4. Just like his big brother. Here, Michael is climbing up the steep rungs leading up to the big slide at the park. I don't think Jason did THAT until he was at least 3.



Michael had no competition this day. Jason was nowhere near the steep rungs.
He was way too busy with Abree, who is moving in a couple of weeks.
I'm sure he doesn't understand what that means, yet. But Sheila and I are happy they're spending plenty of quality time together before they have to separate.





Of course, I don't want you to think it's all fun and games. Michael's motor skills are growing by leaps and bounds. He certainly wants to do EVERYTHING he sees Jason do. But, Michael has started to get pretty clingy and cranky, and worse yet, crybaby-like. So unlike Michael. I hope he grows out of it soon. Otherwise, you'll see more and more pictures like the one below. I asked Jason what he thought of Michael's recent behavior. He said, "I don't like it much, either."



By the way, thank goodness hair grows back. A mishap at the salon leaves Michael with no hair. Growing pains, and now this. Poor baby.

A Michael Milestone

The holiday madness is here, but, we are ahead of the game in at least one respect. Our tree is up, thanks in part to the boys' help. And they make sure it is lit every time we walk into the house.



We're celebrating another Michael milestone, as well.
I know Michael and I had a real-life conversation tonight.
Really.

We were eating peanuts, and I reached over to take one from the can in front of him.
He stopped me, grabbed the peanut out of my hand, and said, "No. Mine."
I said, "What?"
He said, "Look."
He proceeded to pop the peanut in his mouth, said, "MMMM," and smiled.
He is a little man of few words, but he managed to get his point across.

We Call This "The Face"

Thankfully, the boys can't hold those scowls for long.

This is what we're used to.



We hope you don't ever have to come face to face with "the face."

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving celebrations. We had a wonderful visit from Craig, Michelle, and Baby Kaylie. She is getting so big!


Jason, meanwhile, had a separate celebration with his preschool friends. He dressed appropriately for the part, as you can see. It really is too bad he didn't EAT any of the feast. As he tells Miss Michelle, constantly, "I eat at home." So, he just watched the food pass by in front of him. At least he's consistent.





Doug got to enjoy the party with the kids. After lunch, he took all the little ones outside, and had them running around in a frenzied game of tag. They're STILL talking about all that energy concentrated in one place.

Where is the Candy?

Jason is a big fan of parades. Really. But there is one thing he has come to expect from them, ever since attending his first one in 2005 (well, it's the first one he can remember). It was a Memorial Day Parade in Georgia. And, the parade participants were a big hit with the parade-goers. They threw candy, liberally, at the crowds. You can see Jason's mouth is full of candy as he walks back from the center of the street with Daddy.






So, Jason found tonight's Holiday Parade enjoyable, but hardly worth the title of "best parade." And it's all because of the candy! Or lack of it. Oh, well, there's always next year. Maybe they'll impress him then.

We Know What Jason Is Thankful For

Jason is oh so thankful for the last few days.

We have been fortunate to visit with good friends over the last 48 hours or so, and little did we know, that's exactly what Jason wanted.




At preschool, Jason is learning about the meaning of Thanksgiving. On the way home on Friday, Doug asked him what he is thankful for. After a few moments of deep thinking, Jason said, "I'm thankful for my friends coming over, I'm thankful for Uncle Tim, giving me a V-Smile (that's a video game system, by the way), and I'm thankful our car got fixed."








On Thursday, he and his former buddies got together. We were happy to get a shot of Jason and his friends, who sat still for ONE minute so we could snap a picture.

Then, Friday, we celebrated Kathy's birthday, and the kids had more than their share of fun.

Brave Boy

We took Jason to the doctor today for his 4-year old checkup, and just an awful round of shots. We knew the shots were coming, but I didn't forewarn Jason. I rushed the boys into car, and Jason, always inquisitive, asked where we were going. I told him we were going out. He wanted specifics, and wouldn't be stopped. He finally let it go after I told him we were going shopping. Lots of pressure there.

At the doctor's office, though, he showed no fear. Not at all. Not through the doctor's exam, not through the blood pressure test, not through the four shots he received. Not one tear, or moan. He was so brave, and reassured ME that he was not hurt. We were so proud. As for the stats, the doctor says he is growing fine. Almost 35 pounds, 3 feet, a little over 3 inches. We're watching him a bit. He isn't complaining, but his little thighs are hurting where he got the shots. I just watched him limp up the stairs.







The boys played very well together after dinner. That train set is a big hit, and occupies both of them for minutes on end. Doug shared a good story about Jason and the fish tank the other day. We have a little keyboard that sits right in front of it. Jason was playing with that one day, when he stopped. He said, "Daddy, why is the fish staring at me? Please make him stop." Doug told him the fish simply knew Jason was the kind person who provided food. Since then, that fish has not gone one day without nourishment.

Let's not forget Michael. His days are spent singing in his own language. Sometimes we know what he's saying, more often, we do not. But, he is really quite a happy baby. And, once in a while, we realize he's got a lot to say. His funniest outbursts are, of course, with his big brother. We think his favorite food word is meatball. We know this because Jason will start saying it. "Meatball, meatball!" Michael with follow. Only it sounds like this: "Beetbaw, beetbaw!" He always smiles after this, and so do we.

Celebrating Halloween

I don't know what I expected from Jason's Halloween party at preschool. All I know is I had a blast. And, you can see, Jason did, too. It is safe to say neither his classmates, nor his teachers knew who he was dressed up as. Bob the Builder was a familiar guess, and not a bad one, either.







Jason didn't care, he loved his outfit, and he smiled the entire time. The owner of the school is just wonderful, and had every single child stand up with a friend next to that crazy-looking skeleton.

Introducing Handy Manny and his Canine Friend

If Michael only knew he could have gotten out of being a dog for Halloween. He's too young to realize he could have shown interest in any other costume...

Michael was just happy candy was involved.

Jason broke new ground this Halloween. At first, he was adamant he wanted a repeat of last year. A green M & M, and that's it. I offered up choices, like Superman, Spiderman, a firefighter. I said, Handy Manny, and Jason's mind was made up. Handy Manny is a TV character that is so new, we had to cobble together an outfit, but it's not a bad likeness. Handy Manny is a carpenter with cool talking tools.

He had a blast at his Halloween party at preschool! Pictures to come.

Birthday Bash

I figured it out! So here are some pictures of Jason's birthday bash at Chuck E. Cheese's (Thanks, Sheila!) All day long, he was all smiles. Amah, Akong, Uncle Tim, and a host of his closest friends came out to celebrate his special day. As long as Chuck E. was there, though, Jason was pretty happy. Once the food and cake were finished, all the little ones scampered into the maze of loud games, rides, and skee-ball. Jason collected enough tickets to take home a little slingshot thing, a coin dispenser, and a ruler. I told him that was the extent of his presents. He didn't find that funny.



Here he is with his friends, Abree and Matthew. Jason so enjoyed seeing them, although, he was fairly preoccupied with earning tickets!!! Jason truly loves all the toys he was lucky enough to receive this year, from the books, to the cars, to the castles, to the robots. He plays with just about all his new toys everyday, but I guess because I limit his time on the video game (V. Smile) system, that is the one he is constantly begging to play. And he has Michael hooked, too. Today, I allowed him a few minutes of play. While Jason was running around plugging in cords and things, he turns to Michael and says, "Michael, come sit. You will enjoy watching this." Sure enough, Michael crawled on the couch next to Jason, and was content to watch.

Happy Birthday, Jason!

I can't believe Jason is 4 years old. And I can't believe Michael is catching up in size, quickly! Jason had a fabulous birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's on Saturday. A whirlwind day with Jason and a dozen of his friends. He had a blast, and didn't stop all day long. Pictures to come. I have to figure out how to get them from my e-mail to the blog. But, on Sunday, his actual birthday, we relaxed at home and watched Jason open up the present he's been asking for for weeks. Finally, a V.Smile. It's an "educational" video game system that he absolutely loves. I had to give in. That smile just melted my heart.

Hide Your Batteries

A busy week ended with a trip to Home Depot. Why? To find the rest of Jason's Halloween costume. At first, Jason was determined to be a green M & M again. But, another idea formed just a week ago. You'll have to wait till the big day to find out who he'll be! Important as our shopping mission was, that didn't stop the boys from trying to escape!



I guess you could say Jason is really enjoying the aisles of the hardware store. His new "hobby" involves construction, sort of. His handy screwdriver is never far from his side, just in case he needs to open something electronic to take out its batteries! Today, we had no less than 20 lying around, because Jason just had to "see' if his toys had the right number of working batteries. The other day he took apart his bicycle. He needed "teamwork" with Daddy to put it back together again.




We're just hoping Jason doesn't take the screwdriver to the new deck on the back of the house. We love it! The boys do, too. It has opened up our backyard, and made us want to hang out back there.





The two boys are really enjoying playing together. If you could call it playing. Jason continues to try to push Michael down, or take stuff away from him. Michael, though younger by about a year and a half, gives as good as he gets. He's starting to hit Jason, after Jason pushes him first. Brotherly love. And, you'll notice, the boys FINALLY got haircuts. They really needed them.

No Cars Needed

Jason asked me the other day if we could purchase the Dora Castle for him. Then he told me another boy in his class wanted one. What do you say to that? Doug, fortunately, had no qualms about quashing any sort of "ideas." He told him absolutely no. The boys showed us, though. We went to the play area the other day, where both were intent on playing with a dollhouse. There were bounce houses EVERYWHERE, lots of fun to be had, yet the children spent many, many minutes arranging furniture and putting little people in different rooms.





Then, tonight, our ever observant little man asked me, "Why don't the people in books have any teeth?" Actually, it sounds like "teef" coming from his mouth. And, I looked closer. Sure enough, the book we were reading had characters with no "teef." Once again, I had no answer.

Michael is making up for our lack of answers. He's talking away these days, too bad we can't always understand what he's saying. And everything he says seems to sound like, "daddy." But, I just figured out today he's not trying to say "daddy." He's trying to say "Michael," and "Jason," but for some reason it all sounds like "daddy." In any case, Michael sure loves him, and I suppose he just wants Daddy to know it.

Afternoon with Friends

Sorry there's been a big lag in posts. It has been a busy week, with Amah and Akong's visit, as well as a friend's wedding. Before things got so busy, we had the chance to stop by and see Craig, Michelle, and Baby Kaylie. Look at how big she is getting! And look at how big the boys are next to her! They enjoyed playing with Kaylie's toys and Craig's electronics. We'll have to return soon!

"Hi!"

The words are beginning to flow more freely these days. We couldn't be more thrilled. Of course, if you don't listen closely to Michael, you might think he's saying the same phrases over and over and over. His new thing is to share his happiness when greeting new visitors. "Hi!" is what he's trying to say. It sounds more like "Aye!" But it is extremely cute. He asks for "wawa" (water) and then, says "eee" (please). He thinks anyone his size or smaller is a "beebee" (baby). Of course, who can't resist pointing to that beebee's "noe" (nose). But, don't confuse that with his vehement "no," which is usually accompanied by a violent head shake.







I love this picture. Jason is reading one of Michael's favorite books to him. It's about a lonely little firefly, and nothing comforts him more than the pages of this book. Well, a popsicle comes a close second.

Bossy Boy

We all know Jason is pretty bossy. Gee, wonder where he gets that from? I can't get over how that tendency to lecture others plays out in real life.

Jason was out riding his bike with three friends in the neighborhood tonight. One boy was on a scooter, the other three, including Jason, were on bikes. And I've noticed, many times, Jason is the only one wearing a helmet. He's fairly safety conscious, though, and he wouldn't have it any other way. He religiously puts on his helmet before rolling one foot into the street. (He may not look both ways, but, you can be sure he'll have his helmet on! He's the same way with seatbelts).

The boys, all riding in a pack, of course, collided with each other. I heard no tears, and didn't panic. One boy, the one on the scooter, fell down. Again, no tears, no problem.

But then Jason, always helpful, told him, "You really should be wearing a helmet."

The Brothers are Bonding

The boys look so cute in their new pajamas, courtesy of Amah and Akong. Thanks so much! In this picture, Jason is showing Michael the proper way to shake hands and greet someone. I love his school! We are really enjoying watching the boys play together these days. We have to enjoy it while it lasts! Michael is trying to do everything his big brother does. They even have conversations together, though Michael's limited vocabulary doesn't add much. New words like "book," "ball," "light," and "water," are important additions to his list of words, but, right now, Jason is not too impressed.

Little Fish

We decided to skip soccer this fall so the kids could take swimming lessons. And look at them. They are loving them, so far. Next lesson: Saturday.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Jason is thoroughly enjoying school, and I do believe he is learning quite a bit. It's those activities outside of school I have to watch out for. Yesterday, at dinner, Jason spilled some food on the floor. No problem, I tell him. Let's clean it up together, I say. You know his response to me?

"That is not my job."

He said it clearly, at least. And slowly.
I asked him where he heard that phrase. Some Disney Channel show, he tells me. Oh boy.

Of course, now I realize why Jason may be too busy to help clean up.
At Miss Michelle's house, he told one of his little friends there:

"I had a hard day at preschool."

Uh oh. We've got a long 12 years ahead of us.

Don't Look For Them in Pictures!

We had high hopes for Michael's 18-month old doctor check-up today. Jason did, too. He was hoping that Michael would get stuck with a painful shot. And, I know he wanted to dance in front of him, gloating over the fact that he wasn't going to be on the receiving end of one.

Another reason for the anticipation: the doctors had asked if they could take pictures of Michael to be used in one of their brochures. Sure, no problem, we thought. Michael's the happy one. But, today, of all days, the boy is dealing with a nasty diaper rash and some strange sort of icky diarrhea. Not that there is any other kind of diarrhea. Poor Michael. He lost his chance. Good thing Jason was there. The doctor listened to his heartbeat in front of a flashing camera. But, if you'll recall from past posts, Jason and the camera don't always have a good time together. We'll see if the pictures get used! We'll keep you posted.

No wonder this "little" boy sleeps so well. He is growing! Here are the stats: 32 1/2 inches long, 23 pounds 2 ounces.




Swimming lessons start tomorrow, for both boys. More adventures to come!

Friend-ly Visit

We so enjoy having visitors. Grandma and Grandpa just left, and the boys are already telling us they miss them. (Well, Jason is the one doing most of the talking). So, it was real treat to have a brand new person to play with. A dinner date at the house with Miss Tiaira, or Miss Tee-ay-rah, as Jason says, was a big hit. The poor girl even had to read a bedtime story to Michael. He enjoyed it immensely. After all, Miss Tiaira was reading one of his favorites, "That's Not My Teddy!" Talk about an impression. After Jason woke up this morning, Jason asked when she left for home. I told him it was after he went to bed. He looked disappointed and told me he didn't want her to leave. Miss Tiaira might have to start clearing her calendar for us!

Outdoor Adventures

I cannot take credit for these pictures, but I sure can share them (Thanks, Grandpa!!) The boys had a wonderful visit with Grandma and Grandpa, as you can see. They spent one afternoon at the Botanical Gardens, enjoying the sights, and the water. I can't help but smile seeing the joy on these kids' faces. They are growing sooo fast! We'll have to make a point to return soon!