And just like that…my newest one is older than my oldest (only) one was in the header picture of this blog. So thats how good I am at keeping things current – HA! Consider this the obligatory “apology” for being absent in regular blogging.
Enough of that. I want to remember these days. They will soon be gone, I realize this more and more everyday. I want to remember what it was like having a big 3 year old and a little munchkin who just turned one. How are they so stinking’ cute? Its almost impossible to get cuter, in my opinion.
LEVI – Oh my goodness, the THREEnager is here. For a while, the question was “What?” and now it is the infamous “Why?” The tantrums are real, the attitude is unreal, and the mischief and deception has probably only just begun!
He is SO smart, too smart for his own good sometimes. He is very observant, and has a wild imagination. He is obsessed with “NO” signs (the red circle with the line through it), and always wants to figure out what they are prohibiting. He is also a car brand expert. He can rattle off at least a dozen brands by recognizing the logo or the hubcaps…so hilarious. He can say and recognize all the letters, colors, days, basic objects and commands, and numbers to 10 all in French, as well as a bunch of simple songs.
He is OBSESSED with reading. He can be found with “a pile of books” several times throughout the day. He looks at each one and then stacks it to the side of him or back on the shelf. But woe to you (mostly to Zach) if you accidentally knock over the pile. His memory is incredible. He can tell you the title and most of the story of basically all of the books that he has. After reading a book once or twice, he can start to finish the sentences for you while you read. We have not yet reached a point where he will ask you to stop reading outloud to him. Even upwards of an hour and he will still want more. Every night, we read one regular story, and then one story from “The Greatest Story Ever!” aka the Jesus Storybook Bible. Prayer time has been really sweet with him lately. We are using the five parts of prayer to help him learn to pray for different things. It is sweet to see how HS is teaching him at such a young age. You can tell at the weirdest times that he really does understand concepts. How about the other day when I was literally about to spank his bottom and he said, “Can I have mercy this time, Mommy?” Oh my word! Well what am I supposed to say to that? Of course, I will give you mercy.
Cars are still his favorite toy. Really, they are the only necessary toy. In fact….any toy that isn’t a vehicle will quickly become one if no vehicles are to be found. He loves to vroom, zoom, sort, crash, name, line up, park, etc all manner of matchbox cars. He loves Blaze, and his current favorite is Paw Patrol. He loves to ask what emergencies there are so he and his pups can go and save the day. Don’t worry, you can certainly count on him to provide all necessary sound effects and theme music. He is also a vehicle most of the time. He has all sorts of tools that he can pull out when necessary. These range from water jets (obviously), to hand-holders, to door knockers, to spy goggles. He can help in pretty much any situation you find yourself in.
He loves his brother. Sometimes he does not express this love in the best of ways, or at least in the ways that Zach feels the love, haha. Yelling, “no touch!” taking away things he deems are dangerous, grabbing his face with both hands and planting a giant hard kiss on the head, kicking, pushing, and the ever-popular nonchalant bumping into him while walking are all ways he shows his affection these days. He has been sweet to talk, sing, and make funny noises to keep Zach entertained in the car or at the table. Zach thinks he is so funny, it is cute to see how he looks up to him.
Speaking of ZACHARY. His big blue eyes and snaggletooth smile get EVERYONE. EVERYTIME. He is so precious. He is very well traveled, he has been to 9 different countries on 3 continents in just one little year of life. He still doesn’t have much hair, but we are thinking it looks reddish, or at least strawberry blonde. He took his first steps two weeks ago, and now he is walking like crazy. He is starting to favor walking over crawling because he has gotten pretty fast pretty quickly. He also likes to climb. He will be halfway up the stairs or on top of a chair in a few seconds flat. He’s also just started doing pull-ups on the table and the edge of the room divider wall. Like feet-off-the-ground pull-ups. He loves to play with ball. He says “mama” and “ah-ball” as his only words that correspond to objects. He does make a “Pa” sound whenever he sees animals, so not sure what he si trying to say but its definitely a word to him. He also loves stuffed animals, especially a random stuffed monkey that used to be Levi’s. He can tell you what the monkey says and he can say, “uh-oh!” when he throws something out of his highchair. He starts clapping when he hears music or you say, “good job!”
He loves to take a bath. Which is convenient since one of his favorite activities is digging in the trash as well as playing in the toilet…but that’s not as cute. He seems confident in the water. He stands up and sits down 100 times during each bath. He also likes to lay down and put his face in to blow bubbles. Lately, I’ve just been throwing him in the bath instead of changing poopy diapers. Probably because it actually seems easier than wrestling him to the ground and trying to hold all appendages while also changing the nasty diaper.
He is a pretty flexible baby, especially with naps. I am really enjoying putting him down for naps and bedtime these days. It’s just so sweet. We have a simple routine where I give him his bottle while I check his diaper and change his clothes if necessary, then I turn on the noise maker and close the blinds while he is laying there going to town on the bottle. I pick him up and hold him while he finishes drinking, and then when he is done (usually not the whole bottle), he pushes the bottle away, puts in the paci, closes his eyes, and buries his head in my shoulder. I mean doesn’t that sound ridiculously precious? Because it is. So I hold him close for an undetermined amount of time (cause he’s just so darn cute its hard to put him down), and he snuggles in with his Didi and just goes right to sleep. I don’t want to forget this season. I love the little sqeaking sound his paci makes, and the way he grabs my hair.
He’s bigger than Levi was, but he is still a peanut compared to other kiddos his age (or younger). He is a really good eater, too. It’s so adorable when he says, “more” in sign language. He likes peas, beans, carrots, and broccoli. He loves spaghetti, and also gnawing on hunks of chicken or cheese, and he will only eat fruit if you give it to him whole – like a peach or plum. His favorite food, though, is his pacifier. Levi never really got into a paci so this is a new one for me. He is a super snuggly cuddle-lover, and has recently become obsessed with hair. As soon as you pick him up, his arm shoots to the back of your head, where he either strokes your hair or the back of your neck (in Daddy’s case since he doesn’t have long hair). It’s pretty funny.
This is probably the most challenging and most exhausting season of my life so far, but I wanted to take a few minutes (or few days, really) to write this out so I could remember what it was like. I know it will be gone before I can blink (or honestly…at this rate it will be gone before I post this blog), and I want to remember the details so they don’t fade away.
I love you, little boys. You’re doing great so far. Don’t grow up too fast…but it wont hurt my feelings if you sleep in just a tad later tomorrow, and the next day, and maybe the next. Much love to you both, and please hang in there… I’m trying my best, but this Mommy-ing stuff is hard!
The Winding Rhoades 