bonne année

As we celebrate the coming of a new year, I can't help but marvel at what a transformative year 2012 has been.

Above all, we welcomed another person into the family and I am reminded daily how lucky we are. Tonight, the boys excitedly witnessed their first bonfire. Still firsts to be had! As Peter drifted off to sleep tonight he asked, "Mommy, if you wake up to feed Matty tonight will you tell him that I love him? And give him a hug and kiss from me, okay?"

Those are the moments I live for.

Wishing you full hearts and lots of tender moments in the coming year.

For us too. God help us all when Matthew starts reaching for the Legos.

these magic moments

P: That's the last time I ever spin a plant vase!

Ya think?!?




Our shepherd at the preschool pageant




I walked in to find Davis transferring dog food from my boot to the scoop. And then back again. My reaction was ambiguous at best. I couldn't stop laughing, but now I smell like dog food when I wear those boots.




After stripping pjs and a potty break, Davis fled from me. I finally found him, naked as the day he was born, on the playground.

Belushi.

And then there's this little guy.



Santa Baby.

Here's to a happy (read: manageably chaotic) 2013!

merry christmas

 ...from two very excited little boys,

 

 a very fashionable mama,

 

a direction-following daddy,

and our little scrooge.

(Not really, but the expression was too funny not to share.)

 A bridge!  A tunnel!  Another tunnel!  Llllllook at dis!

Stationed at the Lego table since 6:30 this morning.  

currently on break for lunch.

P: No pictures. Let me figure out how to use this.

D: CHEEEEESE!

M:  What's happening right now, Mommy? 

We are blessed to have spent this holiday together at home with my mom and the Bryants.  We are of course thinking of those celebrating afar; wishing you love, peace and childlike wonder today and all days.  

Uncle Geoff and his elves picking out a Christmas tree

merry "christmas adam"

I realize my 2012 blog book is going to be relatively slim this year, as my posts have gotten to be fewer and farther between.  I'll just assume that means the ones I do write are of a super high quality. 

As a crazy week/month/year comes to a close, I like the idea of offering a snippet to commemorate our boys at this point in their lives. 

Peter
five years old; enjoys being the big brother (read: bossypants); dinosaur fever gave way to becoming a Lego aficionado; helper extraordinaire when he's in the mood; favorite books are the children's bible and Encyclopedia Brown mysteries; adores his baby brother;  antagonizes his middle brother; curious, dramatic, and affectionate as always; favorite television show is Wild Kratts (an animal discovery show); watched ET for the first time and we are still fielding questions (not the good kind); homebody; prefers no clothes; almost as tall as his mommy; eager for kindergarten next year; a mama's boy

Davis
almost three years old, going on ten; one tough cookie; daredevil and thrill seeker who will try anything once (often more); consequently always injured but never complains about it; loves all things train-related and can spot railroads from the car with his eyes half-closed; chatterbox and copycat; always injured but never complains about it; prefers no pants; finally started speaking and uses a hilarious mix of robotic yet complete sentences; favorite television show remains Mickey Mouse Clubhouse; enjoys being a big boy and sharing a room with Peter; stays up late "reading" while Peter snoozes across the room; prefers the outdoors to indoors and showers to baths; a daddy's boy

Matthew
six months old and growing like a very round weed; roly-poly; enjoys eating and sleeping like his mama and squeals with delight when he sees his daddy; relaxed and easily soothed with a smile and a squeeze; mesmerized by his big brothers and entertained endlessly by their antics; prefers no diaper; finally rides in the car without fussing; often has his eyebrows furrowed; shows off the brightest eyes and smile; a brothers' boy

As I log off to go feed Baby Boy, I'll leave you with this:

Something tells me that if my name is ever up on a marquis, it likely won't be at a Christian bookstore.  Sorry, Granny.

thanksgiving

So.  It's been a while,  I'm told.  We've been up to a whole lot... and nothing at all, if that makes any sense.  The usual school routine and such; sprinkled with Peter's first chapter book, his progress with catching the ball, Davis pronouncing his "th" and "l" correctly, Davis calling a PB&J by its real name instead of "peanut and butter and jelly," Matthew learning to roll over and a few nights of completely uninterrupted sleep.  Those are the little celebrations we cherish these days.  Don't get me wrong - there's nothing small about them in this house.  They are just not likely to be causes for a neighborhood block party. 

This is what I get for doing laundry -- marker across the carpet.

One of his favorite spots

See how he adores Peter?!

I kid you not.

The month of November is a complete blur to me, frankly.  Didn't we just do Halloween?  Didn't I just pick up the Halloween decorations?  Why are my Christmas bins down from the attic, calling out to me to deck the halls already? The truth is, I am super excited for Christmas this year because I suspect this will be the magic year for Davis.  Peter is there, of course - lest we forget the great Benadryl experiment of Christmas 2011?  Peter has been sharing stories and Santa mythology with Davis so now they both have stars in their eyes when it comes to Christmas talk.  Impressively, he always reminds Davis that it's Jesus's birthday celebration.  But then comes the talk about presents.  He even remembered what Santa brought Davis last year.  Neither Santa nor Davis remembers what Davis got last year.  Santa needs to keep a list of his own...

I've gotten ahead of myself.  At the preschool Thanksgiving service, the kindergarten chaplain explained how Thanksgiving is often a forgotten holiday.  Stores convert to miniature North Poles on November 1 and Santa takes precedence in dinnertime conversations.  We must slow down to appreciate what we have before we start asking for more, right?  :) 

Running toward the rocketship at the Alabama state line

We spent a wonderfully relaxing, quiet, low-key Thanksgiving at the lakehouse.  The weather was mostly beautiful, so the boys were able to spend a lot of time on the beach learning to skip rocks.  Or, well, just plunking them in the lake. 

reindeer alert

And then there was the time that a big brother plunked a middle brother into the lake.  Fun times.

Caught red-handed

The apology

Brother Hug

While the girls were cooking and laundering and entertaining Matthew at the house, the boys all wore themselves flat out on the water.  Even the Energizer Bunny needed a break sometimes.

That was one tired soldier, and Peter was pretty exhausted too.

One of his favorite spots

See how he just adores Peter?!

Happy Fall!

Now we are back in the real world, anticipating the annual arrival of Flapperjinks and Sam (our elves).  There's no telling what state my house will be in for the next month.  We have enough mischief without the elves turning my house into their personal playground.  But there is no substitute for the look on those little faces as they scramble around each morning looking for those elves.  I suppose I can find the patience to clean up after two more mischief makers... just for December!

parent fail

No pictures from trick or treating.

I know. How could someone who loves taking pictures NOT take advantage of this annual photo op? Suffice it to say that these hands were full. There was no time to fiddle with camera settings or check texts from eager and curious admirers for fear of losing our train engineer escape artist in the crowd.

I have been fortunate with Peter because of all the costumes out there, he has always chosen one that we have in the dress-up stash: fireman, astronaut, pirate, etc. This year he went to school as an astronaut (for the 2nd consecutive year), changed to a fireman for the afternoon and settled on a policeman for trick or treating. I didn't lift a finger.

Davis chose to be a train engineer weeks ago. I know, I should give you a minute to recuperate from the shock of it. Overalls, a bandana and the cap from the dress-up stash. He also added a race medal/dog tag to the ensemble. I just went with it.

So how is it that with so little necessary preparation, it still took me 1/48 of the day to get the car loaded?

Couldn't tell you. Well, aside from the tantrums. And the poor listening. And the oh-my-goodness-they-need-gloves-where-did-I-put-them-last-winter?!?

We spent the evening with our friends who have a daughter Davis's age and a two week old baby girl. The dads took the big kids out while the mommies stayed behind, handed out candy, and enjoyed our babies. I suspect I had as much fun as the boys!



I did catch a shot of the Itsy Bitsy Spider in a reprisal today. He enjoyed chewing on the six extra legs. He doesn't know what he's missing in the candy department.

On another note, it must be said that things are wacky when I'm considered the silly one and Hayes is finding gray hair.

four months

I had a few minutes with Matthew and staged a quick photo shoot. He struck a few poses...

a family weekend

I love autumn. Until I moved to Nashville twelve (!) years ago, I had never seen fall foliage. The cooler weather has lately been accompanied by overcast skies, but every so often we get one of those perfect cool, crisp days. The kind that makes you want to stay outside all day long. Such a day was Sunday.
But we were kinda busy.

Matthew was joined by his most favorite folks for his Baptism this weekend. For a change it was neither the first snow of the season, nor was it the 1000 year flood. It was a perfect fall day. He slept through most of the ceremony - until the water interrupted his nap. It must have been a holy nap too, because he hardly slept again for hours but didn't even fuss about it.

'Uncle' Lee and my cousin Marie with our very special boy. Matthew is lucky to be loved so well by such good folks. We are lucky to be loved by such good folks.

The weekend was an opportunity to share some fall fun with our families. We spent Saturday morning at yet another pumpkin farm. If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought that Disney had opened a third park in Tennessee - Disney Farm. (Get it? Not Disney World or -land, but Disney Farm? Forgive me for stooping to preschool humor.) Pony rides, hay rides, train rides, go-karts, petting zoo, playgrounds, super slides and sensory activities galore... we could go there instead of the children's museum.

The kids weren't the only ones having fun, though.

I cannot believe it's late October. In just three months, Thanksgiving and Christmas will be over and Davis will be turning three. Wow.
Let me offer a small glimpse into our home:
Peter is in school every day, loving his teachers and greeting me each day with a smile and stories about what he learned or did at school. His teachers seem to really appreciate him for his talents and are committed to helping him strengthen skills in other areas. We've finished our first bedtime chapter book and it's not unusual to catch him reading ahead in the mornings before breakfast. Legos are still king, though he has taken a liking to looking up Lego instructions online and strategizing new creations using those. This of course requires Hayes to share the iPad, so we're all learning about sharing lately. He is adapting to sharing space and toys and interests with Davis, though it has taken some time. Their relationship is changing, which has been fun to watch. Terrifying at times, but mostly fun.
Davis, Davis, Davis. Picture the heart of Dumbo, the fearlessness of Evil Knievel, Hayes's impulsiveness and my analytical nature. All wrapped up in a smirk that gets me every. single. time. He doesn't listen well but he's a quick study. He doesn't get upset by Peter's big brother torture unless a train is involved. He loves to run, especially outside. He loves to snack, talk, tell one knock-knock joke (boo who?), and watch TV. He asks daily if we can go to "Phiwip's [Philip's] Toy Mart" to watch the model trains. He adores his brothers, emulating Peter's every move and often every word. He greets Matthew with a big grin and lots of kisses throughout every day. He gives hugs and kisses freely, says "God bless you!" when someone sneezes, asks Hayes how his day was and beams with pride when we call him a big boy. He has come a long way with potty training and accidents are growing fewer and rarer. He speaks with a specific cadence that goes from robot to sing-songy with no warning. "Mo-mmy-how-was-your-niiiiiigghhtttt?!" So adorable. So canaille (Cajun French description for mischievous). So like his father.
Matthew is my God-wink. From the time I learned I was pregnant, I just knew that this child would be someone special meant just for us. I had a really hard time after Davis was born and I suspected that this baby would be God's way of telling me, "I got this. You got this." Matty is all that and more. He's cooing and babbling and batting at overhead toys. He's rolling from his belly to his back but not the other way around. He is currently cutting three teeth, though I wouldn't know if I had not accidentally found them last weekend. He continues to eat and sleep well, especially after watching his brothers for a little while. He loves his Bumbo seat and exersaucer. Perhaps this newfound appreciation for activity will help him tone his chunky self. (I secretly hope not.) For looking so tiny when he was born, he has puffed right on up. Cheeks for days, rolls all over... giggles that give you a warm and fuzzy feeling. Happy, happy baby.
Happy, lucky mommy.