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.