my boys

So I think the boys must have come downstairs one night, got onto the computer & read my "I hate three year olds" post because the last week with them has been amazing.  They have played cooperatively, been adorable & engaging...  It's been awesome.

I was thinking about different reasons for the change, when it hit me.  We've been here five weeks now.  They say that it take about six weeks to change a habit.  So I think at some point this week, we hit our groove. And that is a beautiful thing.

 Their favorite toys right now are the Cars characters they got from my mom & Aunt Julie for Christmas.  They play off & on for hours with these guys.

 I love listening to the things they make the cars say to each other.  "I can't come over. My mom said I have to do my chores." (I didn't even know they knew the word chores, let alone that your mom is the one who would make you do them!)

 They tend to fight over the one bad guy (the orange Gremlin) that they have. I guess it's just not fun to play without a bad guy!

Luckily, most of the cars they have duplicates, so they each get one.

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 We've also been doing some more creative play.  We've played Play-doh (they are excellent chefs!) as well as done some painting.

 I also recently got out the dominos & we used them to make roads, garages & houses for the boys' cars.

 Jack really got into it, making his own versions.  One of his cars even had a bed!

I just love seeing what they come up with!

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 Another favorite, besides cars & dominos, is dishes.

 They ask me everyday if they can wash dishes.  I try to let them as often as possible, but I will admit their washing skills could use improvement!

 They love pouring the soap on the sponge,

 squeezing the bottle & watching 100 tiny bubbles float out the top,

sudsing up the dishes, rinsing the dishes,

 and finding the perfect spot for them in the drying rack.

And when they are done, I get to wash them all over again! (hehehe) How fun!

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 We have also ventured outside a few times.  

Only when the weather is warm. 

(Warm is relative... if it's above 30 degrees we'll go out.)

 We have had to stay on the railing out front because after the blizzard everything melted & re-froze, making a nice icy sheet across the whole village. (Remember my fall?)  Without cleats, it's just not safe to walk on.

 Last time we went they insisted on wearing their Superman capes over their winter gear.

 Up & down, up & down, they ran like crazy.

 Logan was running so fast in fact that he forgot the railing at each end has stairs... And he promptly fell down each set. First one, then the other.  Luckily he escaped without injury or frost-bite-inducing-tears!

Jack managed to stay upright & had a great time.

Next time they said they would love for our neighbor boy Kayle to come play with them.

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 Tonight as I was tucking Logan in, he asked me to rock him & sing him sunshine.  So I climbed up in his bed with him, pulled his 40 pound body, limbs a mile long, into my lap & sang sunshine into his hair while he stroked the tags of his beloved bubba.  It reminded me of when he was a tiny four pound baby, and in the soft light of my living room Tiffany lamp, I would rock him to sleep, crying & singing sunshine. "Please don't take my sunshine away."  Each night I would pray for him to grow & be strong & healthy.  His tiny size terrified me.

Now you would never know he was born so small.  You would never know his dad's wedding ring fit around his ankle.  You would never know he spent his first night on this planet in the NICU.  He is healthy & funny & perfect.

I love when they ask for a quiet moment with me.  Having the baby makes me realize just how big they are, and how little time we spend now snuggling compared to when they were little.

Jack will often ask to sit in my lap.  He likes to take off his socks, sit in my lap, and cozy up under one of our throw blankets.  I love that.

I also sang to him tonight. Only he wanted me to sing what he calls "Quiet Your Heart", which is actually "Keep You Safe" by JJ Heller.  I adore that song. I love singing it to them.  While I rocked him, he draped his arm around my neck, nestling into my chest, also stroking the tags of his beloved bubba.  It's moments like I had tonight that keep me going through the moments like this morning when they were fighting over a blanket, screaming at each other, and refusing to give in or listen to Josh or I.

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I reckon this parenting gig will continue to be a series of ups & down, ebb & flow, good & bad.  One thing I know for sure is that it doesn't get easier, it just gets different.  So I will enjoy the good times, and hang on tight through the bad, because I know "this too shall pass" and sooner than I want, this will all be a distant memory.