Drums, puddles, and radishes

Even though we were able to spend a lot of time outside all winter because it was so mild, we have really had a lot of fun since it has warmed up so much. We love having our yard and plenty of room to plant new things, and I have been wanting to freshen up our front flower beds for a while now. I finally bought some shrubs and the boys helped me plant them - they are sure good at digging holes, AND filling them back in, sometimes before I'm ready! - and as soon as I emptied a pot, Caedmon grabbed it and added it to his collection of "drums." He had an assortment of sizes, and combined with my dustpan and a stainless steel bowl - his "cymbals," - he had quite an elaborate set-up. He had been busily drumming away when I snapped this picture, and although he was kind enough to pause to look up and smile at my camera, his foot is still keeping the beat!


We were blessed with a nice rain one night, and the boys were not deterred by the very cool morning but were determined to go splashing in the puddles outside. They were a little timid at first, Caedmon was even very careful to keep his pants dry.


But then he started really enjoying himself and the opportunity to be outside...


...and neither one of the boys was worried about getting a little wet.


I let them get thoroughly soaked and have their fun for a few minutes, but since I was perfectly dry and still feeling chilly, I had to put an early end to their fun and take them in to dry them off and warm them up.

After demonstrating much patience over the last few weeks, the boys were finally rewarded with the opportunity to harvest our first little radishes. They were so excited! We've had a couple of additional harvests sneaked in since then, of radishes that were not really ready to be pulled up, but I can't blame them for wanting to see what's at the bottom of those little green leaves under the soil. I still think it's exciting too!


We have had more demonstrations of how the wheels inside Isaac's little head have been turning, too. One Sunday we were having a lunch of tuna salad and crackers and ran out of Ritz crackers, his very favorite. A little perplexed, he looked at me and said, "Mama go Target?" (Target is indeed the store where we typically buy them.) I told him that I wasn't going right at that moment but that he could have bread or something else to eat with his tuna. Not to be deterred, he said, "Be right back?"

A week or so later I was sitting in a chair beside the sandbox while the boys played, thankful for a relaxing afternoon without worrying about making a meal since we were going out to eat that night. Isaac approached me and said, "Mama, up!" I wasn't sure what he had in mind but got up to see what he wanted to do. Pointing to the middle of the yard, he said, "In the grass." I thought perhaps he wanted to play with something in the yard, so I let him lead me by the hand. He then motioned for me to pick him up, pointed to the back door, and said, "In the house." Still a little unsure of his goal, I carried him inside to the kitchen, then asked him what he needed. He pointed at the stove and said, "Mama, cook food!" His little tummy must have told him that suppertime was quickly approaching and I was falling down on the job!

He has rascally little spells too, or perhaps a dry sense of humor that I wouldn't expect from such a young kiddo. For example, we'll be looking at pictures in a book, identifying farm or wild animals, or anything really. He'll play along for a while and give correct answers, then all of a sudden will call every single animal a pig, or a hippo, or something else. If I correct him, he'll insist that it is so, and will avoid calling the correct animal by that name, pointing to everything else on the page instead. He doesn't laugh or even smile when he's doing it, but I know it's intentional...such a surprising thing to me!

And sweet Caedmon continues to bless me with our conversations. This afternoon after lunch, he said, "Thank you, Mama, for the yummy food. You cooked it real good." What a sweetie! Especially considering we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, leftover tuna on crackers, and baby carrots for lunch. I'm glad he thinks I "cooked it real good" and hope that bright attitude continues as he gets older!

Bubbles

What better to do on a warm spring day than to pull out the bubbles left over from last summer? Even though they didn't last long...two full bottles were gone in about 20 minutes after being sloshed, bumped over, and finally dumped...they provided a good deal of amusement for a short time. Isaac determinedly worked on his technique and finally succeeded in producing a stream of bubbles...

...then had even more fun chasing after them.

The boys played side by side for a while, I think Isaac was getting tips from his brother...

...watching his form...

...and sharing a good laugh. I don't recall if they were laughing because Caedmon was successful at producing bubbles, or if one of them licked the bubble wand instead of blowing. Either was entirely possible!

Or...perhaps they were creating a plan of action. We learned this last weekend what Isaac is capable of scheming all on his own this past weekend during our visit to my parents. One evening we were all sitting at the table eating ice cream; he was across from me in my dad's lap, being spoon-fed a chocolate sundae. It seemed to me like his situation couldn't get much better but he looked up and started calling my name, then scooted down onto the floor and started heading my direction. I got up to see what he needed and he led me back in the direction of my dad, but then kept going and directed me to the next room. He pointed to the middle of the room and said, "Mama, over there," trying to get me to keep going, then he turned around and hurried back to my now-empty chair. We were a little confused about what he was doing until he climbed up into my chair and peeked over the edge of the table...his face absolutely fell when he realized I had not left my ice cream behind, as he'd expected. He looked back across the room and saw that I was still holding it in my hand, and quickly demanded that I put it back where it belonged, which was now in front of him. I was so amused and impressed with his little plan that I did share my treat, which he devoured eagerly.

And I quote...

I have been so amused lately by some of the things these boys, especially Caedmon, have said and know if I don't record them they'll get muddied or misplaced somewhere in the back of my mind, and I don't want to let that happen!

Me: "We're going to eat lunch with Dad today! I'm so excited."

C: "Oh, I am excited too!"

Me: "Your dad is so sweet!"

C: "Yeah, he is sweet. Like a sweet potato!"

(Driving down the highway, we were passed by a Smart car.)

Me: "Look at that little car!"

C: "How did God make a car so little? Why?"

(On a day that Isaac didn't nap and was feeling pretty miserable.)
C: "Isaac was screaming at you. You should just give him a spanking."

Me: "You know, today I think what Isaac needs is a little grace."

C: "What is grace?"

(While I explained, Isaac wandered off to the kitchen, looking all around for...)

Isaac: "Grace? Grace? Grace?"

(After church we were all having lunch together.)
C: (looking at Isaac inquisitively) "Isaac, do you know Jesus?"

Isaac: (nonchalantly) "Yes."

I've mentioned recently the "Watch this" phase that both boys have entered. Isaac will say "Mom, wa' dis!" over and over until I verbally acknowledge that he has my attention, even if I am making direct eye contact with our faces 18 inches apart. Yesterday he said it six times back to back until he was finally convinced that I was watching. These boys want to know that their audience is tuned in!

Little Conversations

I am tickled more and more every day by the things coming out of the mouths of our babies, who are rapidly growing into such big boys. Sometimes I am amazed at their observations, sometimes I have to turn away so they can't see me laughing, and sometimes I want to just bottle up all their sweet words to keep forever.

First, a humorous quote...that was really not funny at the time. Isaac continues to put together phrases and more complete expressions, and we're definitely working on both boys being kind and respectful. One evening this week I was trying to get him to taste something on his plate which was apparently revolting to him, so as he turned his head away he said in a very pinched and painful voice, "No thank you. Dump it. In trash!" I know he was doing his very best to be kind in a difficult situation!

Of all the things I hear during the day, right now the words I probably hear the most are, "Hey Mom, watch this!" Caedmon loves to demonstrate his developing athleticism, creative block constructions, and just about anything else that he's doing. So now I also hear, "Hey Mom, wah dis! Wah dis!" from Isaac as he follows right along behind his brother!

And I've been amazed at what they can remember from media in general, but especially Bible stories and Sunday School classes. At my parents' church a while back the boys learned about Naaman in the lesson. I didn't know how much they would really hold onto from that since we haven't read that story over and over at home like so many others, but later that week they both remembered his name and Caedmon knew the main idea of the story. Even Isaac remembered that Naaman had to get in the water.

I am not a hot weather person, and always am sad to see the winter (if we have one in Texas) ending, but my sadness is always eased by how much I also love the first signs of spring. Seeing the daffodils poking through the dirt, followed by daylilies, gives the first glimpse, followed by a burst of yellow from our forsythia, then by the time little buds on our trees explode into green, I am itching to go to the garden store and pick out seed packets. This year, again, I am trying to get the boys involved in planting and caring for vegetables and flowers in our yard, and it humbles me to realize how much their little minds are just like freshly plowed, pure, fertile soil right now. The seeds that fall into it will take root and grow, and oh, how we want them to produce beneficial fruit. We pray for the influences that these precious ones are taking in, and what will take root.

Recently, I've been trying to plant seeds of Scripture and prayers that they can hold onto as they grow. The most successful method I've found is a CD of kids singing songs taken directly from Scripture. We listen to it almost every time we're in the car and for a long time I could not get the guys to repeat a word of it, but all of a sudden they're able to sing along, and even sing on their own. My heart is immensely blessed to hear my precious three year-old singing the words of the Lord's Prayer all by himself, and for his little brother to sing bits and pieces of "Do to others" (as you would have them do to you.)

I have loved hearing all the things these precious boys have had to say recently and have also been so touched by Isaac deciding, all of a sudden, to begin giving out hugs. The first time I saw him do it, Caedmon had bumped his head and was upset, and he gently embraced his brother and leaned his head up against him, saying, "A-men, hug!" He has since then brought me different stuffed animals, and he will ask me to hug them, then he will, or sometimes he'll give me a hug. It blesses my heart!

This week, also, we moved Isaac's mattress onto the floor in his room to begin transitioning him out of the crib. So far he's had five nights in a row of staying in his bed...at least, not intentionally getting up. I've picked him up off the floor a number of times, but he's done so well exercising his self-control and staying put at bedtime! (Although I can't say the same for naptime, we'll get there too!)

These photos are from a really warm day recently, when the boys were enjoying popsicles outside. I am not sure what they were doing, but everything that one did with their treat, the other mimicked. They were having too much fun...and eventually their popsicles had too much sun, and fell apart into the grass.

ALL boy, times two

It does not seem like it's been that long since I've updated our blog, but looking back, we've been so busy and done so much since the end of December! These boys have kept us on our toes, literally and figuratively, and give constant reasons for humbly acknowledging how blessed we are even as they constantly test and cross the boundaries we've defined.

I ran across this photo of Caedmon in our garden a few weeks back. It was finally time to harvest our single stalk of broccoli (I didn't realize that it would get zero sunlight where we planted it, so its growth was minimal!) He was so excited, as in previous weeks he would frequently go pick off tiny bits of the plant to sample. I cut off the top and gave it to him and he devoured about half of it before I reclaimed it. This child likes nutritious foods! I frequently have to remind him in the grocery store to please not chomp into raw broccoli, asparagus, and other vegetables until we have paid for them - seems like a pretty great problem to have with our little guy.

Since we haven't had a lot of cold weather this winter the boys and I have spent a great deal of time outside. So far we've found few activities that are as thrilling to these two as playing on the playgrounds in our neighborhood. Caedmon has conquered every piece of equipment that he's tall enough to reach and nimbly climbs up ladders, staggered steps, and even a rock climbing wall. He is blossoming into quite an adventurous little guy!

He also seems to really enjoy flying through the air, whether on a slide, swing, or ride at the carnival that was in town with the rodeo. So far he has not attempted anything that was overwhelming to him!

Isaac, too, has loved our trips to the playground, and I'm really proud of him for attempting new things by himself, like the slide. It doesn't appear to be quite as exhilarating for him as his brother, at least from his expressions in the photos, but he is definitely getting there!

We are seeing so much independence in these guys. I am continually amazed at the things Caedmon says, does, and figures out for himself. This afternoon he was telling me about his toy farm animals that were "fast asleep" and "sound asleep." Those word pairings probably shouldn't make sense to him but he knows how to use them! And he's beginning to have a strong opinion about what he wants to wear each day - usually jeans - but one day he surprised us with and eclectic get-up consisting of my wool knit hat, his sunglasses, a "digger" shirt, and camo pants tucked into his cowboy boots. He knew he had come up with quite an ensemble!

The cowboy boots have really become a fun thing for him since we went to the rodeo a while back. He loves to talk about cowboys, roping animals, and bustin' broncos. He wanted to wear his boots to bed last night and although I told him no, it was not surprising to me to find him sound asleep with them on when I checked on him later.

And our sweet Isaac has really gone through a growth spurt, physically and mentally. He's using a lot more words now and can repeat just about anything, even phrases. His focus seems to be on the really important things - such as outside, front yard, marsh_mal_low (pronounced slowly and carefully so I'd be sure to not miss his meaning!), and papa-cows. We've even gotten some complete sentences from him. After their recent visit to my parents' and the farm, he walked into the room with me and said, "Mama. Go Papa house, please??" He had really been working to get that one just right!

We've known from very early on that Isaac would be a determined little fellow. He is! Once he's decided something it's difficult to change his mind. For instance, while looking at a book about farm animals with him, I pointed to a horse and asked what it was. He contemplated, decided it was a cow, and could not be convinced otherwise. On the next page I asked him to find the giraffe, just to see what he'd do, and after mulling it over for a bit he picked out a horse, called it a giraffe, and was resolute in his decision. I've heard him arguing with Caedmon, too, while looking at a photo from when Caedmon was about a year old. Each maintained that the child in the photo was himself, with Isaac chiming in "No, I-dee!" (what he currently calls himself) every time his brother identified himself. Such determination can be a powerful tool in the Lord's hands - we are praying that his little heart will use that strong resolve to glorify his Creator!

Leaf Jumping Extravaganza

The last few weeks have been quite a whirlwind with Caedmon's birthday and Christmas, but I'm finally getting around to getting some pre-Christmas photos and stories shared. Building up to our celebrations have been fun with the boys, and Caedmon had a lot of fun activities at school to talk about. The day of their Christmas party, they all decorated little gingerbread houses to bring home, and he was so proud of his! Although it was a struggle to keep him from "looking at" (eating) all the gumdrops before supper, we had fun admiring it, then helping him eat it.

Although we see Isaac quickly learning how to be a big boy like his brother there is so much about him that is still baby, and I cherish this time when I get the chance by taking opportunities to rock him to sleep, snuggling him, and putting sweet little outfits on him that he probably won't tolerate much longer. That why, when I found this little doggie hat, I was so excited and put it on him as soon as we had weather cool enough to justify it! I don't think he was quite as delighted as me but didn't really seem to mind too much!

The weekend before Christmas we knew was the last opportunity for us to get our leaves under control for a while, so we prepared for our "Leaf Jumping Extravaganza." Daniel mowed in all but one section of the yard and left that to make a huge pile for the boys. Caedmon seemed to know what leaf jumping was all about - we did it last year and perhaps he remembered, or maybe it just comes naturally - and Isaac definitely had fun but was more interested in grabbing big armloads and dumping them on the mower. It was a great time!

Jumping from the ground is exciting, but it obviously must be more exciting to get tossed into the leaves from up high! Caedmon pleaded to go higher and higher, and Daniel (bruised ribs and all!) graciously accommodated him!

Isaac thought jumping with Dada's assistance was pretty great, too! What a thrill!

We tried to get a shot of Isaac's expression from his level...unfortunately the camera focused on the background but his expression is still discernible, and we thought pretty precious. After watching his brother's belly flops and leaps, Isaac finally took a break from hauling the leaves around to dive in by himself!

Our brave photographer was about to "get it!"

We've been amused and amazed by the other things our little boys are doing lately. Isaac has stopped saying "yeah" and now says "yes" to answer our questions affirmatively...actually, it sounds more like "yas" but it's pretty cute! Caedmon continues to work on his vocabulary with him and has begun breaking words down into syllables - "Isaac, can you say 'balloon?' Ba-loon." Our favorite is when he gets miffed for the way Isaac pronounces his name, which right now sounds like "A-mee." Caedmon says, "No Isaac, not A-MEE. It's 'Cay-men!'" We are working with Caedmon to learn to say "May I" instead of "I want!" and are just starting to see hints of it catching on.

Amid all the fun, it's a challenging time of growth and increased independence which requires much shepherding and guidance, and we're praying daily - hourly? - for wisdom and grace, yet also are constantly reminded of God's grace with us and the great love He shows in allowing us the privilege of having a front-row seat to the lives unfolding before us. I, especially, am humbled by the opportunity to be home and the constant caregiver for these boys, and too see all the little bits of their personalities, the light in their eyes and the twinkles of mischief, to hear their giggles and sprouting conversations, and to feel their sweet little hands in mine, their hugs and snuggles in my lap. I frequently think of Mary, who with all the miraculous events surrounding Jesus' birth, "treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." Now I have a better understanding of what that means! It is such a precious time, every life a miracle in itself, and as much as we look forward to who these boys will become, we cherish all these little moments and events that God has graciously allowed us to share!

Caedmon is THREE!

How did this happen? How did our little firstborn baby get to be such a grown up little boy? In the weeks preceding his birthday, as we celebrated a number of family birthdays, he regularly reminded me that for his party, he wanted "diggers" on his cake. Sometimes he specifically mentioned a crane or excavator, but he never strayed far from his favorite theme. So...we now have another "construction" themed party under our belts, and he loved it! It took a lot of effort to keep him from nabbing the toys right off the top of the cake before the party, though!

To go along with the construction theme (or perhaps it should be demolition - this is what the boys actually seem to prefer at this point!) Daniel was a good sport and wrapped a bunch of big boxes in butcher paper for me to become large "bricks" for the kids to stack...and of course, knock down!

We paused for a quick family shot before singing and digging into the cake...

Caedmon had a little help blowing out his candle. When it came down to actually eating the cake, he didn't really do a lot of damage, as he had finally claimed the little toys that had been decorating it all morning.

Isaac seemed to enjoy the party, too, and all the little construction toys. He's become quite a fan of the big machines himself, frequently pointing them out and exclaiming "Di!" when we're driving.

We had a good sized gathering of family to celebrate (a week early) and so enjoyed their fellowship and continued gifts of love and care for our boys!