Spring is here!

Oh, we are just counting down the days were it's warm consistently...more than usual this year...all the boys are just ACHING to jump in the pool. There are days it gets quite warm, but the water is still so cool...I'm keeping my wish for warm weather toned down...it will be quite hot soon enough! The time change has been nice to allow for more playtime outside in the evenings again, so we do love that, though it makes getting into bed harder for all of us!

In the meantime, no doubt we are staying busy! There is true meaning in the phrase "It doesn't get easier...it just changes"...while there isn't 3 hour and middle of the night feedings right now, there are certainly all sorts of challenges on a daily basis. As the mom, I feel like we've struggled more with discipline (simple things like staying close to me in public), saying mean things, handling conflict without destroying things or other's feelings...there are times I feel I've completely missed something somewhere, that I failed to teach them the correct way to handle these situations, that I've been too lax in my expectations or discipline. I should probably pick up a parenting book or two to see where I've gone wrong...they are good boys, but they can run wild at the least opportune times - stores and church are the first to come to mind...I guess this is just my little moment of truth for the month and I decided I would make this one public! :)

Drew started Blastball this month (the pre-cursor to T-ball). He's easily the oldest, and tallest, kid out there. But at this level, the parents are on the field with the kids, and the goal is truly to learn the fundamentals of the game, like which base to run to, how to catch the ball, etc. He's been really excited about it and seems to enjoy it. The weather has stymied some of our enthusiasm for practice, but are anxious to help and participate when the weather cooperates. The fields were we play and practice are in the same complex as a huge park and so Noah is completely pre-occupied there...making it impossible for one of us to see anything going on with Drew. So, we take turns each week on who takes which kid...glad that works for now!

Drew has gone to consistently not taking an afternoon nap this month. He still has quiet times during Noah's nap, and gives Mommy some time to get some things completed (like write the blog, or whatever!) and a bit of a break from parenting. We decided to do this to help with Drew going to sleep quicker at night. In general it has helped overall. But I'm wondering if that's where all of our fiercely emotional moments are stemming from too, just trying to get the body used to a different sleeping cycle. Man, that would be great if that's all it was, but I'm sure it won't be that easy! (I'm sure I'll be responsible for some parenting and guidance here!) Drew has seemed to have more 'emotional' days this month and struggling with times that don't go his way. He is quite expressive in these moments, nothing middle of the road for him (just like Mommy) - he is either full on bawling his eyes out, or screaming insults at everyone, or throwing toys as hard as he can, or all of the above all at once. I'm sure he'll appreciate that I am recording this for everyone, but this is a record for me and for him, and this is something that I don't want to be missed! Does that make me a horrible Mom! Maybe it's out of hope that we can see how he grows and learns to handle these moments better! There, that sounds better!

Some funny moments with Drew this month: one night he discovered his spine. Daddy had just left his room, putting him to bed and Drew calls him back in and asks: "What are the bumps on my back?", M: "Oh, that's your spine.", D: OH! Tell me all about the spine!" with tons of enthusiasm, M: "You better ask Mommy about that another time." D:" Oh, that's right, you don't know anything about the spine...Mommy knows everything!", M: "Well, I know a little bit, but Mommy knows more..."We were cracking up all night - at the irony and at his enthusiasm to learn about the spine at 9 o clock at night! Another was during Spring Break at school, Drew was so excited that week and couldn't believe it... "There was no work today! No learning or worksheets! Just play!" I really didn't think about it making that big of a difference to him at this age, but apparently so!

The boys continue to love ninjas and super heroes, tickle monster and video games. Play-doh is about the only 'craft' type activity that keeps their attention for more than 5 minutes, and they really do love to play with it...it's great to have something like that finally! They really just don't do craft type stuff...though they like to draw and decorate with stickers, paint, etc, but it just doesn't keep their interest as much. I don't know how their teachers get them to do it as much as they do at school - I guess they know they don't have any other options at school! They have also really enjoyed their castle toys and marble set more this month as well. Always interesting to see what catches their interest for awhile before they move on to something else.

We did have two or three evenings this month where the pool water was just warm enough that Daddy thought it would be ok for the boys to play in the tanning deck. I don't know why, but I was surprised how much fun the boys had with just that! They had SUCH a BLAST! Daddy turned the bubblers on and before we knew it, they were splashing and giggling - the sounds of true joy! They both slipped a few times, getting more wet than expected, but they just kept going, despite Noah's chattering teeth! They really enjoyed it and keep asking when they can do it again...soon boys, we promise!

We had a few firsts this month. One was that Mommy took both boys to a movie in the movie theater - this was Noah's first! Much earlier than Drew's, but we thought we'd try it. We went to the LEGO movie...Drew loved it! Noah thought it was scary at a few parts and tried to leave a few times, but I was able to bribe him with candy and reassurance and we were able to make it through the entire movie, just the 3 of us!

That same night, we moved the boys into the same room! What an adventure this has been! We convinced Drew it was ok to keep the paint on the walls the same (he'd been asking for orange and green for about a year) to match a Super Hero room better and he quickly agreed! So super heroes it is, and we may just need some super powers to make it through this transition! There have been some nights that have gone ok, but others where about 5 minutes before getting into bed, they get all riled up again and are just loud and crazy and take forever to get to sleep! Our patience and parental power is being tested for sure, but we are glad we are doing it now, and not a few months before Baby! It's got to get better...it just has to! Talking and laughing are expected, but we've caught them jumping from each other's bed to the other's, jumping off the nightstand, fighting, etc. So we've taken as many distractions away as we can, but this may take awhile. Then the other challenge is getting Drew to leave the room in the morning without waking up Noah, who usually sleeps another 30 minutes or so. So add that to the emotional scale that we've been dealing with this month as well...fun times!

We had a fun visit from family this month...Grandpa, Nana and Uncle Kevin came for 3 days and we had a wonderful time, as always! The big guys got a huge start on the pool shed, with a little help from Drew (at one point he was lounging back in one of the pool chairs and leisurely handing screws to Uncle Kevin one by one - wish I had a picture - hilarious!), some from Noah too. The girls worked more on the boys new joint room and getting things sorted a bit more. We also enjoyed some March Madness, fun times playing outside, some baseball practice from coach Grandpa and Uncle Kevin, lots of books, Legos, chase, tickling, and lots of jokes and laughter! We even went to Daddy's outdoor soccer game on his birthday which was fun to see, though the boys really just ran all over the empty field the whole time.

Noah keeps on learning and taking after Drew in all that he can, but still showing a different personality and temperament. He is certainly quite the entertainer at times, and always willing and wanting to try something new and more daring. We struggle with whether or not he actually is so involved in his play that he doesn't hear us when we call, or if he really doesn't care and will continue to do what he wants...and who's to know at this point!

He is getting the idea of puzzles more and more and we are expanding to more floor puzzles lately. He still loves trains and games (Hungry Hungry Hippo is a favorite, but lots of others too). He loves to play with bouncy balls too - the boys realized the Jack and Jill bathrooms make for a great spot to bounce the balls off the floor and walls - the closed off area that's just the sink and cabinet - they have a great time doing that there! He does love books and can be quite content on his own more than we usually realize and see, but we see it most when the boys are separate...Noah can play by himself with toys (little zoo animals can keep him really busy sometimes!) and/or read books for a very surprisingly long time...hope that works when Baby comes too! :)

Noah got a tummy bug at the beginning of the month, and took several days to recover, and shared it with Mommy in the meantime. He handled it as one would expect any 2 year old to - pretty sad. There were a few days we could tell he really wanted to play, but his poor little body just didn't have the energy. Drew was sure to keep his distance and any time Noah made the slightest cough, Drew ran the other direction just in case! There was one day that Noah was better, but still couldn't go back to school, Mommy was sick and so Drew went to school and Daddy stayed home to help...Noah kept asking for Drew...pretty cute!

Super silly moment with Noah this month: we were having dinner with the Glienke family one night and Noah started to sing the ABC song. After a few repetitions, he started singing very loud and clearly stating every letter, with a pause between, making him get lost several times. Then at the end of the song, he sings "Now I wonder what you are" instead of 'now I know my ABCs'. His delivery was priceless and impossible to describe, but trust us, we were all rolling!

We celebrated Daddy's birthday this month...I love his enthusiasm he shows for the gifts the boys pick out for him...inevitably something they want...almost always some little Lego set - this one was Spiderman...very fun!

These months just fly by...

We are just going to dive in since I'm so late getting this one up...

Drew continues to love playing video games with Daddy, and Daddy continues to be impressed with how quickly Drew is learning how to follow along in the games. Mommy is happy they have something they can share and will continue to try and police how much time gets spent there...it's so easy to get wrapped up in that world and forget that time is passing!

It's been really fun to see how Drew is changing and learning as we do things we've always done, but we can see him figuring things out on a new level, stepping up his game per se. It's wonderful to see his mind grow, expand and learn...I have to remind myself to stop treating him like he's younger, though it's so hard to believe he can handle as much as he can, and even harder to have different sets of rules and ideas on what's ok for him vs. Noah. Drew has become really more helpful around the house, and loves to be asked to do things...it's great! I just have to remember to ask and find things that he can do to help me! :)

Drew has had a lot of complaints of being sick lately, and without being too awful of a Mom here, he's a bit dramatic and emotional, even needy for attention, so I've had a really hard time deciding if he's calling wolf to get attention or not. It's never anything serious, and no real evidence either...like "my throat hurts" or most of the time "my tummy hurts" - not really sure what to do about it. Just a little Mommy dilemma there, just throwing it out there for the record.

Drew had been asking for a sleepover for quite some time and we finally found a night that would work, so he got to watch Monsters University with Daddy and then they were going to sleep in the guest room. (Noah was very upset that he didn't get to play along, but we think it's still too early for him to allow anyone to get any actual sleep...in time Noah) Drew liked the movie and thought it was only kind of scary in some parts, but handled it much better. But at 10:15, Matthew and Drew came into our room and I was so confused and asked what was going on...Drew said he wanted to have a sleepover, but didn't like Daddy's snoring, so he wanted to go sleep in his room instead...HAHA! So that's how that ended. It was still a nice treat for him!

A funny thing Drew said this month was he woke up one morning asking for Daddy to come get him (a very common request that often gets denied since Daddy has to leave for work so early). Without prompting, Drew said "I want Daddy to come get me because I love him more." Thanks buddy, glad Mommy can be here for you!

Both boys got to enjoy gymnastics this month...a spot opened up for Noah's age group, so we were able to include him in the fun. The boys enjoyed it, though it is alot of learning to take turns and following directions for Noah's class, so not sure he loved it as much as Drew, but you can't go wrong with a big trampoline, so he always said he had fun. Noah also learned about stretching, jumping, climbing ladders, balance beams and some flipping over bars. Drew got to learn about different types of somersaults, cart-wheels, flips on rings, some swing throughs on parallel bars, some swinging and flips on the big bar and fun tricks on the trampoline. We'll stop going in March to make room for baseball, but I think it's something we'll keep coming back to...good body awareness and skills that will be helpful for all sorts of athletic pursuits in the future...oh, and the boys think it's fun! :)

We continue to enjoy our 2 days at home together (Mommy, Drew and Noah) and our activities range from just playing at home, to outings with or without friends as you might imagine. It's always curious how some days the boys can just calmy play and have fun all day together playing with super heroes, reading books, playing games, and then other days seem like they need constant interference with doing whatever they can to upset the other. They do love to play with super heroes, and sometimes play really well back and forth together...super cute! They can get a little crazy with it though sometimes as you could imagine, when they become the super heroes and start fighting each other with the play weapons...it can get out of hand quickly sometimes. They like to be ninjas too...I think it comes alot from them like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...though they have no idea what they are really - never seen a show or movie, only a 2 page story in one magazine...and that's apparently all they needed! Our outings this month included the mall playground a few times, but got to ride the train and carousel for the first time, as well as the museum and zoo - several with our friend Ava and her Mom Tara!

We had quite the range of weather this month, so we enjoyed the outside when we could, and huddled up by the fire, sometimes with Smores, when it was cold. We also enjoyed watching the Olympics together. The boys in general only wanted to watch the boys do the sports, but we convinced them the girls were fun to watch sometimes too. They both really loved the snowboarding contests, Noah especially. Drew enjoyed some of the ice skating too and would even dance around a little bit after watching some...pretty funny! Noah didn't like the ice skating...really, no surprise there!

We did get a nice, quick visit from Nana at the end of the month, which always equals fun! It had been such a long time since we'd had a real visit, she just couldn't stay away any longer and the boys loved having her here as always - fun playing chase, cars, books, trains, puzzles, playing outside...whatever they wanted, Nana had energy for it...what's not to love! :)

Noah continues to be our little stinker and rascal...there's really so little that will hold him back or make him hesitate. He's still in the cute 2-year old phase, if you ask Mommy, Daddy may respond to that a little differently, but he's starting to show a bit more stubbornness and requiring a bit more discipline as we get nearer to 3! He has started initiating thanks and requests at prayer during bed time, which we love of course, and it's always funny to hear what he's thinking about. He does ask about our family alot, and that of course is just incredibly sweet and melts my heart! He asks us about our feelings more now, "Mommy, are you ____?!" (fill in with sad, mad, happy, depending on the scenario). He calls Drew "Drew-Drew" alot, kind of a sweet nickname he has for his brother that he loves so much! He continues to love playing with puzzles, and lining up toys, and is doing more sorting now as well. Love seeing a little OCD come out in him too!

Noah had some bad dreams and nightmares this month, which is very rare for him, so we've had more sleep interruptions as well as a more emotional Noah than normal at times. But wondering if his brain is just growing and imagination spiking...always curious what's going on in those little sponge brains!

We got Noah a marble race set for Christmas and he really enjoys playing with that...though always requires constant rebuilding as he enjoys the marble races, but also likes the knock it down! He really does like playing games out of our game closet frequently as well, and I don't think Drew was like that at his age, so I wonder if it has anything to do with an older brother being around, or if he would have been that way regardless...no answer possible, but always a question. He also built his first train track all by himself that actually connected in a complete circle - he was so proud, and we were super excited for him too!

So Noah is a Mommy's boy, and we all know that, but he's not a huge snuggler, but every now and then I get in some good snuggle time with him and it's just the best! He is showing a bit of growing up though, starting to let, and even ask for, Daddy to help him with things that before he would refuse from anyone else but Mommy...good to see that for all of our sake's!

A few funny things from Noah this month: he calls his pant legs 'sleeves' as well and he gets upset if they rise up (sweatpants with elastic at the bottom, or PJ pants that are tighter) and throws a fit - "my sleeves! my sleeves!" and can't do anything else until they are fixed. Another is a favorite bedtime book is "If Animals Kissed Goodnight", when we get to the page where "monkeys smacking their lips in a kissing trapeze", he always smacks the page with his hand and says "monkeys smacking!" - can't get him to accept that sound of smacking lips...he's a goof! There was also one day he and Drew were playing together and I heard Noah ask Drew, "Sweetheart...you ready?!" - so cute! They hear that alot as you might imagine! And one more, Noah started to walk around like a crab one night - he squatted real low, walked sideways and open/closed his fingers like little pinchers...too funny!

A New Year...

We are so blessed, and so glad to be starting the new year with things calming down, for the time being...the pool construction finished up, we aren't traveling anywhere anytime soon, and the house is almost clean again!

Drew is growing more and more into a bigger boy, and for some reason, he just seems to really have grown up while we weren't looking lately. Partly, he's grown about another inch at some point, but also his maturity seems to have stepped up a notch. Don't get me wrong, we still have our fair share of tantrums, attitude, bad choices, etc. But there's just something different about him...it's exciting and sad - he's not a little boy anymore! His imagination is growing just as fast as his height it seems and his comprehension of ideas is really improving. He can be such a great helper and listener, more often than not, or at least alot more than before. He talks ALL the time! There are days it seems he doesn't stop talking from the time he wakes til the time he sleeps! He's picked up the phrase "Aye Aye Captain" and we hear that alot lately...what a goof!

Drew is starting to sound out words and letters more and more now, which we try to encourage as much as we can, without being pushy. He seems to really enjoy it, and loves it when he gets to 'correct' us when we get it wrong! He is learning, and sharing, more songs with us at home - those he learns from church and school...always lights my heart to hear that! He still enjoys books, but he's got to be in the mood. He really likes going through magazines he gets with mazes and games...he seems to really like that kind of thing right now.

A drawing of a robot Drew brought home from school one day

It's fun to realize what activities, etc. Drew can participate in now as he grows and can be a little more responsible/accountable/appropriate...Matthew was excited to try out his remote controlled boat he got for Christmas with both boys this month once the pool finished up...Drew loved being able to try too! And Mommy and Drew went to Mother/Son Bowling with our church for the first time this year and had a blast! It's funny we sometimes have to remind ourselves to let him try things or that he really is at an age where lots of things are beginning to open up and not let our thoughts of him as a little boy hold him or us back!



I mentioned last month how much Drew is loving to play video games now. So he begs all the time to play, so we (Mommy) came up with a bargain to let him play video games on school days (for this year at least) and Saturdays, and to not ask on the other days. It made sense at the time, not sure it will for long, but at least he's not pestering all the time anymore. It also makes him extra excited for school days! HA!

We enrolled Drew in a gymnastics class this month and have really enjoyed that so far. He has always loved Tumblebus at school (one week they did a roly poly and turned into a crab!) and he was real wishy washy about what activity/sport he wanted to do next, but when he mentioned gymnastics, we both loved that idea and found a way to make it work! He gets to work on true gymnastics equipment, including parallel and uneven bars, balance beam, work on tumbling, all sorts of fun things! What a great and fun skill to enhance at this age...all they want to do is jump and climb anyway! So we will enjoy this for a season!

Sleep, or lack thereof, has been interesting once again this month. I feel like Noah has been recovering from something every other week...just so tired sometimes...making for a clingy, cranky, Momma's boy! Between the traveling, weekend away, getting a few random fevers/tummy bug, add in the onset of some bad dreams and being scared of the dark and he's really been having a bit of a rough time. Drew on the other hand is hit or miss with naps these days it seems and is getting a little bit better about falling asleep quicker at night, but he's had some hard nights too...fever and bad dreams being the culprit as well.

The boys still enjoy playing together and really can have fun when they both are in the mood to be with one another. And then there's times they seem to be in the mood to make the other one cry...I can see them looking for ways to make the other one mad...that is incredibly infuriating, as any parent knows I'm sure! But they like to play role playing things back and forth, and it's really funny to hear what they come up with most days. They love to play with all their superhero action figures, cars, trains, Legos, typical boy stuff!

The boys had an extra special weekend this month...Daddy and Mommy went to Granbury for a Marriage Retreat our church hosted and Grandma and Papa kindly offered to take not only our boys, but also Luke and Jacob, so that Katrina and Joel could also go! We had a great time away, and the boys had the time of their life together! We know how noisy that house was all weekend...and it looked like chaos when we came to pick them up...with Grandma and Papa cool as cucumbers! No doubt they were tired from it all, but I think they loved having them all...more to come in the future, but not for awhile! :) There was very little sleep for anyone really, so we can only do that so often. But Drew loved having a sleep over in the big room with Luke. And Noah wanted to also, but turns out he was a bit of a rabble-rouser, making all sorts of trouble, so got to sleep in Grandma's room! :)

They passed out on the couch on Sunday before dinner - they were so tired from all the fun they had!

Noah is growing lots too...he's also had a growth spurt in the last month or two, and he's definitely trying to be more and more independent as the days go by. He will push Mommy out of the bathroom so he can wash his hands by himself...which takes 10 minutes because he just plays and talks to himself in the mirror. He will refuse help on the stairs frequently, and even at time, will frustratingly refuse to go up or down the stairs when needed if we are standing too close to him! UGH! He is also "helping" to dress or undress himself more, but nothing close to being actually helpful yet!

We are also seeing that typical 2 year old behavior really peaking too...he will ask for one thing, we'll give it to him, he'll immediately start screaming, asking for the opposite of what he just asked for/was offered, and this could go back and forth for quite some time, until Mommy or Daddy gets fed up with it really. Those are really fun moments! :/

We don't see this often at home because he usually is mixed up with Drew in some way or another, but Noah can be quite content playing by himself at times...books, games, toys, puzzles...something strikes him and he can really focus in. It's so great to watch him when we catch him in these seemingly rare moments to see how his little brain is learning and working. He still loves to line things up or find some order of things. But it is one of my favorite things, to watch him play and see his mind at work with no outside forces.

He is liking to play games more and more as well. There are days he just asks to play game after game, getting whatever he can out of the game closet. Of course his version of playing games is like no other, but it keeps him happy and it's a start! He does like to role play with his toys, as he learns more and more from Drew...it's funny to hear the 'Drew phrases' coming from Noah...such an influence for him!

He continues to be quite the little climber, loving the opportunity to climb around in the car when given the opportunity, Mommy is apparently a wonderful playground to climb all over, still loves to play in Mommy and Daddy's bed as a substitute trampoline/ball pit essentially, etc. He will start gymnastics at the same place as Drew next month...a spot finally opened up for the class at the same time, so he should really enjoy that! He too loves Tumblebus, so this will be even more fun!

Two cute little stories about Noah...one Saturday morning Noah went to Grandma and Papa's for a short bit by himself. They were taking down Christmas decorations that day and had Noah help them. Well, according to them, he was quite the little helper, earning a dollar bill, and getting quite upset if either of them tried to pick something up that HE was supposed to get! The other is at bedtime, his favorite books lately have been "If Animals Kissed Goodnight" and "I'm NOT Scared!" - he has started to run his finger along the words and jibber jabber as if he's reading the story...so adorable!