So what is going on around here you ask? Time for an update on things you can't see. This is pretty long, but I felt like I needed to write all of this.
Austin is 3 (which he says "free"). He knows his letters, the sounds they make, and can even write a few. He signs his name with an "A" on cards and pictures. He is starting t-ball next week with the YMCA and a bunch of the neighborhood boys. I am super excited because it is as close to dress up as I can get (not having a girl in the house) when I put that adorable uniform on him! It is non competitive, and he really only knows how to hit the ball off the "t" but can't catch one, especially not with the glove. It will be cute to watch the boys. He is trying his hardest to skip naps recently. I wouldn't care if he didn't have a nap anymore if his body could handle it, but he can't. The thing about Austin is that if he is tired, he winds up like a crazy Tasmanian devil. Somehow his ears close and he just runs around crazy. Usually someone ends up hurt (either Austin hurts himself, or Braeden ends up getting hurt from Austin). This starts about five p.m. and goes on until Austin's head hits the pillow where he is out like a light. Therefore, I know he is not ready to give this nap thing up yet! You try bathing and putting p.j.'s on a kid like this. It's a bit like stuffing an octopus into a mesh sack and trying to keep all the tentacles in, harder than heck! So the other day, in an effort to keep him from waking his brother up when he was supposed to also be napping, I let him get up. I told him that if he wasn't going to nap, he had to help me with my chores (since this is when I usually do them). He enjoyed helping me fold the clothes. Well this basically consisted of sorting and stacking his socks and underwear, but then I taught him to fold towels to which he asked me "Momma, why are you making me do this?" My reply was that if he wasn't going to nap, he had to help mommy with her chores. Then he was happy to fold some more. He is just at a really fun age right now.
Braeden is almost two. Let me make that more clear. Braeden is almost T-W-O! Boy can he act like it. He has gotten really good at going boneless in your arms, screaming, and even biting or throwing a few punches when you want him to do something he doesn't want to do (change a diaper, wash his hands, hold your hand while walking in the parking lot, help him brush his teeth, carry him up the stairs instead of waiting the 10 minutes it takes for him to go up on his own). On the other hand, he is starting to talk in two word sentences all the time. One of his favorite phrases is "No Mommy" followed closely by "Me Up!" He has gotten back into the Mommy-is-the-only-one-for-me stage, which I am trying to cherish because I am sure one day he will want nothing to do with me. He can tell you all sorts of animal sounds, but my favorite (and I think his too) is when he makes an elephant sound. It almost sounds like he thinks something is really delicious but at a higher pitch (MMmmmm!) I have been trying to teach him to give kisses. He blows kisses, and when you ask for a kiss, he turns his cheek so you can kiss him. I've had to switch to the word pucker instead of kiss for him to actually kiss me. He loves to do ANYTHING Austin does, and watches his brother like a hawk. He has the longest eyelashes, and knows how to use those eyes when he gets in trouble. He is our jokester. Anytime you try to discipline him, he tries to make you laugh, and he is really good at it. Besides I love you, the second most popular thing I say all day is "on your bottom Braeden!" He climbs up on the couch or any chair and is always standing up on them. Nothing scared me worse than when I caught him the first time standing in his booster seat at the kitchen table (I had only turned to get the milk from the fridge for a second). I think my shock and panic this first incident cracked him up so much that he tries to get me to act it out again all the time by constantly standing on the furniture. Again a jokester I tell you.
These boys (and their Daddy of course) mean the world to me, and I can't imagine my life being any better than it is now. I am just so blessed to have such sweet and charming children, who are now waking up from their naps.....(yes, Austin did nap today!!)
Austin seems to like t-ball, and it is fun to watch. We have our first game on March 7. I don't know how that is going to go since most of them get bored with it after about 30 minutes, and no one understands rules or anything. It will be entertaining to say the least. I can't believe he is this big already!
