August 25, 2008

A funny thing happened in the bathroom this morning. As all mom's of small children know, it is pretty much impossible to go to the bathroom without company during these days of toddlerhood. So today I went to the bathroom and, just after I sat down, Ben came in, pulled up a small stool and said, with a big grin, "Let's talk." That was a first and I couldn't help but laugh. I said "OK, what would you like to talk about?" and he said, with another big grin, "Porcupine."

This is such a cute age:). The boys are so much fun. I love to watch them play together. They are really enjoying each other these days, when they are not aggravating each other:). Three times now I have heard one of them (usually Nick) ask the other one (usually Ben), "Can I play/sit/read with you?" and the response was "Yes, please." I just heard it again this morning when Ben was getting up in a chair to play with this Leapfrog alphabet toy and Nick asked if he could play too. I love hearing them be nice and sweet to each other.

Favorite things to play these days are:

bus - lining up the tall chairs for the island, bringing along some stuff animals or the boy dolls that Aunt Kathy gave them, one of them (usually Ben) with the little steering wheel toy that makes noises like a big truck. If Nick gets the steering wheel first, Ben just can't stand it. Eventually Nick usually gives in and gives it to Ben and then everything is once again peaceful. This happened just today and, once Nick gave the toy to Ben, Ben said "I so happy now!".

shopping - they take their shopping carts and drive them around the house, pretending to shop for groceries or other things. They also like for me to write out a grocery list for each of them sometimes.

driving - they frequently pretend they are driving their trikes, 'bike' or big truck to the grocery store, Home Depot, Sam's Club, daddy's office or to Aunt Kathy and Mama's house. This can keep them busy for quite some time. They will also take other toys or animals along with them sometimes. They are getting better at pedaling now and they practice this while they are driving to where ever they happen to be going. They always tell me, multiple times, "goodbye" or "see you later".

trucks - they enjoy getting all of their matchbox-size cars and trucks and playing with them on the couch. They make mountains and valleys from the cushions and pillows and they have a ball.

trains - they enjoy playing with their train table and have started putting together long lines of trains and moving them around the tracks.

dress up - they dress up in the dad's old ties, any hats that happen to be laying around and their policeman, fireman and cowboy dress up clothes and they pretend to ride horses or motorcycles.

cooking - they love pretending they are cooking up all kinds of foods and then bringing them for me or anyone else who happens to be here to taste.

other - they also enjoy coloring, cutting, pasting, painting and putting together puzzles.

outside - they love being outside, although we have not been out quite as much lately. Now that it has cooled down a bit, we will start getting out every day again. They love playing in the water (pool, hose, sprinkler, spray bottles, etc.), in their sand box, on their swing set/slide, with their wagon, and with all of the other little push and ride on toys. They enjoy digging in the dirt and playing mud pies, coloring with chalk on the sidewalks and blowing bubbles. I have been wanting to get them this for quite a while now. The dad just agreed yesterday that we could go ahead and get it but now I can't find the deal I had found before so I don't know what I am going to do now. I'm thinking about it but I think it might be a good thing to have, since we will be homeschooling and they can't really ride bikes around here safely. We really need to have some things they can do to get some good exercise. I'll have to think about it some more though.

In other news, Ben has had a few accidents lately. I think it is confusing for him because we use pull ups when we go to church and some other places where bathrooms may not be easily available. We are back to square one with Nick. He is now wearing diapers again and he is very happy about it. He wants to lay down for his diaper change and will say "I baby". Not sure what this is all about but he has clearly regressed and is enjoying it. I thought he might refuse to wear the diaper and want to start going to the bathroom like a big boy but NOT. I guess he is just not ready yet. I have no doubt that he can do it if he wants to. He just gets busy playing and does not want to stop to go to the bathroom. Ben will say "I big boy" and I praise him for going to the potty. But today, after he had had an accident, he said he wanted to wear a diaper. I did not let him and I told him he is a big boy and knows how to use the potty and he seemed OK with it. It is a difficult situation, since they are so close in age but I am not ready to go back to square one with both of them. He is normally pretty good about it though. I think I will retrain Nick after he turns three and the holidays are over, unless he shows interest again before then.

Our friends from Kansas City are coming to visit for Labor Day weekend. I am so looking forward to seeing them. The kids will have a ball together and it will be nice to catch up with my friend. We are also planning a short vacation sometime in September, although the details are still a bit fuzzy. It will be nice to get away though. It's been a long time.

Naps these days are getting shorter and shorter. I am lucky if I get an hour to an hour and a half for a break. I miss my breaks, although I am thankful the boys are playing together more these days. They are also very funny and fun to hang out with but I am not getting done all that I need to get done. They are napping now but not for long.

I must get busy now. Sorry I am not updating as much these days. With the shorter naps, too many things to do on my list and all of the election news to keep up with, I don't have much time left for updating now days. I have more pictures to post but will have to do it later. See ya!