Sweet little words

It's amazing how the sweet little words we hear coming from the mouths of our sons can touch our hearts in different ways. Isaac just started saying "night-night" (or, more accurately, "nie-nie.") It is hard to believe he's already forming these words and understanding when to use them! He also, much to my amusement, has begun making the sputtering sound of a car when he sees them outside as well as when he pushes little toy cars around the house. How does he know? I caught a photo of our little big boy in good spirits after eating a bunch of hummus - all by himself, of course.

One day last week I asked Caedmon what he wanted for a snack after he woke up from his nap, just like I always do. He looked at me, said, "Cookies?" then turned, shaking his head and walking away. He said, "No, no more cookies for Caedmon and Dada at his house. All gone. Cookies at GrammaJanet and GrampaDude's house." Now, it has been a while since we've had cookies, and he did have them most recently at his grandparents house - but while I was certainly amused at his comment, I was also a little bit ashamed at depriving my child of such a simple treat! He picked out some cookies on our grocery shopping trip the next day. (Here he is, first thing in the morning - he spied the camera and wanted to "see" himself. I'm glad he did, this photo makes me smile, too!)

He's also become quite the "helper" for the rest of us. He's started selecting my "play clothes" for me in the morning, knowing just where to go for my summer outfits, and will bring Daniel and me our shoes..."Here, Mama, here's your shoes" and then try to help us put them on. Or, if I'm making food in the kitchen, he'll say, "Be careful, Mama, with that sharp knife" or "Be careful, Mama, that stove is hot." What a precious little one!

The Lawn Crew

This spring, Caedmon has been intrigued by lawn-mowing. At first he was content to just watch his Dada but since he received a cute little Fisher-Price mower for Christmas, he's definitely wanted to join in the action. Now he asks on a regular basis to "mow with Dada?"

His lawn mower is not the only necessary "equipment" for yard work. We have never said anything to him about it but last time he helped mow, he went to his room and put on his little gloves, all by himself. He noticed that his Dada wears work gloves when doing yard chores, so wanted some too! And, every time they tackle the yard together, Caedmon also brings a very intense and serious attitude. His face is solemn as he watches his dad's every move closely, mimicking as precisely as possible and sometimes even adding in some extra steps, such as pausing to pull the starter again here and there!

Isaac will miss no opportunity to be outdoors either, and although he isn't as serious about mowing as his brother, he's already getting in on the action with his little push-walker. He happily scoots around the yard behind his walker, looking very much like the other men in the family!

Although all moving targets, I finally got a shot of all three of them at once - what a team! I love my lawn crew!

Some of Caedmon's current most-used phrases are "Want it loud!" (when we're listening to his Psalty songs in the car) and "Caedmon by his self!" (pretty much every time we do anything all day long, from putting toothpaste on his brush to pushing the stroller on walks. He wants to exercise his independence, big-time!) Today, for the first time, I was asked, "Are you comin'? Are you comin', Mama?" which was pretty cute. We've noticed that lot of his comments and responses to us are actually phrased as questions, I guess since we ask him questions all day long.

Isaac has picked up some other new skills as well. He's not quite walking on his own but will try venturing a few steps here and there, especially when he doesn't think I'm looking. It's funny, he's so much more willing to try by himself when his dad helps him - for me, he either wants to hang on to my hands or will just buckle at the knees and start crawling. He can definitely get anywhere he wants to go on all fours, though, and I've noticed that when he really puts it in high-gear, he'll stop looking around and put his head straight down while he crawls.

He loves to point and make exclamations, much like Caedmon did at this age, and is picking up some little words here and there. He knows "dat!" (that!) and "Mama," and "hot" (said with big, round eyes). He will say "neh neh neh" when we tell him "no," and tries to say "cat" as well, always excited to see Andre. He is trying to say and sign "more" and will still say "bye bye" and "hi" if he's in the right mood, and has just started making some animal sounds - an a-a-a-a sound for a sheep, and little roaring sound for a lion. He's experimenting with feeding himself with a spoon or fork, but still needs a lot of practice, and has also started showing a little bit of a red-headed temperament by taking an item from us (cracker, drink, toy, etc.) when he's crying, then flinging it dramatically aside if it's not what he wants.

He also learned, somehow, to make a little fish-face. I think his little cheeks can be sucked in even more drastically because he doesn't have teeth yet. He makes this expression when prompted, but also sometimes just because!