We are continually amazed at the blessings the Lord has put in our lives. These boys have certainly been keeping us on our toes but we're grateful to be able to participate in the adventure of raising them.
Luke is changing so fast. We feel like he even looks different from one day to the next, we're afraid to blink! He's also starting to be more vocal and we're hearing Dadada and Mamama and lots of other interesting things, though he doesn't connect them with us yet. He is scooting all around and exploring everything he can, and seems to enjoy being on the hardwood or tile because it's so much easier to move. He will get up on all fours and rock enthusiastically, basking in our praise and encouragement to crawl, then happily flop onto his belly and take off.
Luke eats three times a day with us; sometimes he's an eager eater and sometimes he'd much rather play with his bib or see how quickly he can clear his tray of spoons, towels, and his sippy cup. His big brothers love to help feed him, too.
It's getting more challenging to get a monthly milestone photo with Luke's little bear...he doesn't sit in one place for long! When I was trying to take these shots, he was much more interested in coming my direction!
Caedmon and Isaac are always creative with their play, often amusing us with their scenarios and ideas. Setting up drum sets is one activity that never seems to grow old for them, though they have certainly become more complicated. This one was particularly impressive to me!
Drum set, in action...he wasn't even looking while keeping the beat on the tambourine cymbal!
Both Caedmon and Isaac were big enough this year to understand that Halloween = candy and they were super enthusiastic about that, especially since we rarely have sweets. They did pause long enough to pose for a quick cowboy, lion, lion photo before venturing around to our neighbor's houses to model their costumes and get some yummy treats.
Halloween in our neighborhood gets pretty crazy, so we decided to take the boys out early and stay in the rest of the evening. Handing out candy is best done from a chair in the front yard, as the stream of kids is too steady to justify opening and closing a front door. Even though our porch light was turned off, we still had kids come knock and ring the bell while we were having dinner, and Caedmon was very much bothered by that. He felt that if there were kids coming to our door, we should share some candy with them! We told him that I didn't buy any to hand out, but that if he wanted to share his candy with them he could do that. He grabbed the treat bowl, which was full of both his and Isaac's candy from trick-or-treating and school, and ran outside.
Daniel went out with the bigger boys and I stayed in with Luke while they greeted the trick-or-treaters. I wondered how Caedmon, who was so very excited about getting candy, was really going to handle sharing it, especially with strangers. He began by selecting the ones that were not the "favorites" and from Daniel's report, gave them out very easily. When the bowl was about half gone, he decided it was time to close up shop, but Daniel realized the opportunity for stretching and learning, and pointed out how many kids were still waiting. Caedmon continued to pass out treats, more slowly and with greater difficulty, until about six pieces remained...his favorites, the Smarties. He again asked to please be done, but Daniel reminded him about the kids who were still waiting, and told him that when his candy was gone, there would be a different treat. So our baby-turned-big-boy stayed out and gave away his (and his brother's) beloved candy, down to the very last piece. Our heartstrings ached, especially as we considered who some of the candy went to...certainly mostly to little kids, but also some to adults... but none of them knowing the sacrifice he was making. I could have cried.
So, as soon as he came inside and the reality hit - that the candy was all gone - we cheered and commended his generosity, and loaded up in the car to go get ice cream together to celebrate.
And as I recalled the situation, so quickly judging those who in my mind were certainly not deserving of my son's prized treats, I was humbled to remember our God's great love for us, to send His Son to pour out his blood for all. For those who are grateful, and those who aren't. For the kids, and the grown-ups, and the grown-ups acting like kids. Without differentiating.
Mixed in with the hard lessons and stretching has been a great deal of free play out in the gorgeous fall weather. Luke loves to be outdoors with his brothers, and will kick his legs and protest loudly if I bring him back inside before he is ready to come in. He has become quite the connoisseur of everything "yard," enthusiastically grabbing leaves, grass, sticks, and anything else he can reach to chew on or, sometimes, accidentally eat. For example, when I sat him in the grass to take his picture, he immediately grabbed a magnolia leaf from the grass in front of him and had it to his mouth before I could finish snapping some photos.
While Luke keeps everything in check close to the ground, his big brothers are becoming avid tree climbers. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, from my Mama's perspective!) we don't have huge trees for them to climb. In fact, the only trees that they can get up into right now are fairly small, but if they're out in the backyard chances are good that at least one of them is in a tree.
Caedmon has ventured farther up the limbs than Isaac, but I don't imagine it will take long for them to both be higher than I'd prefer. As they grow, I must grow too - reminding myself that my children are boys, and they're going to do "boy things," and that these adventures are normal and good for them and that we'll all be better off if I let them flex their muscles and conquer new challenges. They love it!
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