at the beach in Iquique, February 2011At one point, it looked like Ian and Alec were going to attend pre-school two mornings a week starting this month. However, things changed and even as I write they are home and making a "joyful noise" in the back yard (with their plastic shovels and plastic plates serving as drum sets!)
This morning they awoke simultaneously and began what is a common routine for them, exchanging silly banter across the distance between their cribs. It is humorous to listen to them because they are actually quite inventive. This morning it sounded like they were pretending that their cribs were cars, as I heard a lot of revving and squealing sounds coming from that direction! Another morning it was cops and robbers, or something of the like, because they were pretending to shoot each other and fall back in defeat on the mattress. (I think we can thank big brother Owen for that game!)
Another amusing note about these two is that lately their two favorite songs can be accredited to their Rubin cousins. "I'm squishing up my baby bumblebee" is heard repeatedly, as is the boastful cheer "We will, we will, beat them, defeat them!" I shake my head thinking that out of all the songs we've sung for the past two years, these are the ones they are stuck on. But even I have to admit it's cute. :)
Both boys are very imaginative and I love it when they come up with playful ideas all on their own. That is, if the "playful" ideas are not over the top - like drawing on the outdoor armoire with sidewalk chalk or painting themselves with lipstick or dumping salt all over the highchair or emerging from the kitchen with sugar granules pasted stickily all over face and chest - of course, these are all theoretical scenarios, ha!
Yesterday they lined up the outdoor chairs and played "choo-choo train." They regularly race one another at breakneck speed from the top of the driveway to the bottom. They love bags and pretending to go somewhere with them. (In fact, yesterday when we went as a family to drop off their older siblings to school, Alec insisted on wearing his new - albeit empty - backpack as well. He thought he was hot stuff!)
Linguistically as I mentioned, they are very talkative. However, lately Alec is far easier to understand than Ian. For instance, this morning Alec needed a diaper change. He said, "Mommy, diaper downstairs." When I repeated his statement as a question, he responded, "Yeah, I t'ink so." Alec probably talks less than Ian, but clearer. Ian does love to talk, though! In fact, he is almost never quiet and on top of that he is l-o-u-d. For a little boy his voice is rather deep and when he raises the volume it is downright bombastic!
The challenge for us as parents to these little guys is balancing the different ages and stages of all of our children. We struggle sometimes as we attempt to help with homework and sorting out "big kid" issues while also having a 2- and 3-year old running full tilt around our feet. Often I feel that we have much less patience than we did when our older three kids were this age. Sometimes I wonder if our patience would be greater if we had been allowed those first two years of bonding with Ian and Alec as infants rather than starting smack-dab in the toddler years. At the same time I feel guilty for not naturally enjoying these moments that really are so cute much of the time.
Actually, that last statement may be why I find myself unexpectedly thankful that our pre-school plans did not work out as intended. With a quieter house during the morning hours now that Eva, Isabel and Owen are off to school, I find myself listening to the little boys' banter and appreciating it so much more. I discover that there are things they've learned over the summer (like silly songs, thank you Rubins!) that I didn't quite notice at the time. And I realize they've grown and learned so much in the past year that I am reminded how quickly time flies and how much I will regret this season being gone when it has passed.
So I will listen to two little voices as they carry on questions without end ("Mom, go outside? Mommy, eat? Go church? Go park? Go blue car? Where Pop-Pop? Where Sissy? Where Daddy? Where Owen? Where Eva?") and I will smile at secrets being shared over toys and trucks and in "houses" under card tables in the driveway. I will tuck away the image of brown-skinned babies dripping wet in the pool with crazy goggles and big smiles and lots of laughter.
And I will rejoice in the privilege of being Mommy to each of these.
This morning they awoke simultaneously and began what is a common routine for them, exchanging silly banter across the distance between their cribs. It is humorous to listen to them because they are actually quite inventive. This morning it sounded like they were pretending that their cribs were cars, as I heard a lot of revving and squealing sounds coming from that direction! Another morning it was cops and robbers, or something of the like, because they were pretending to shoot each other and fall back in defeat on the mattress. (I think we can thank big brother Owen for that game!)
Another amusing note about these two is that lately their two favorite songs can be accredited to their Rubin cousins. "I'm squishing up my baby bumblebee" is heard repeatedly, as is the boastful cheer "We will, we will, beat them, defeat them!" I shake my head thinking that out of all the songs we've sung for the past two years, these are the ones they are stuck on. But even I have to admit it's cute. :)
Both boys are very imaginative and I love it when they come up with playful ideas all on their own. That is, if the "playful" ideas are not over the top - like drawing on the outdoor armoire with sidewalk chalk or painting themselves with lipstick or dumping salt all over the highchair or emerging from the kitchen with sugar granules pasted stickily all over face and chest - of course, these are all theoretical scenarios, ha!
Yesterday they lined up the outdoor chairs and played "choo-choo train." They regularly race one another at breakneck speed from the top of the driveway to the bottom. They love bags and pretending to go somewhere with them. (In fact, yesterday when we went as a family to drop off their older siblings to school, Alec insisted on wearing his new - albeit empty - backpack as well. He thought he was hot stuff!)
Linguistically as I mentioned, they are very talkative. However, lately Alec is far easier to understand than Ian. For instance, this morning Alec needed a diaper change. He said, "Mommy, diaper downstairs." When I repeated his statement as a question, he responded, "Yeah, I t'ink so." Alec probably talks less than Ian, but clearer. Ian does love to talk, though! In fact, he is almost never quiet and on top of that he is l-o-u-d. For a little boy his voice is rather deep and when he raises the volume it is downright bombastic!
The challenge for us as parents to these little guys is balancing the different ages and stages of all of our children. We struggle sometimes as we attempt to help with homework and sorting out "big kid" issues while also having a 2- and 3-year old running full tilt around our feet. Often I feel that we have much less patience than we did when our older three kids were this age. Sometimes I wonder if our patience would be greater if we had been allowed those first two years of bonding with Ian and Alec as infants rather than starting smack-dab in the toddler years. At the same time I feel guilty for not naturally enjoying these moments that really are so cute much of the time.
Actually, that last statement may be why I find myself unexpectedly thankful that our pre-school plans did not work out as intended. With a quieter house during the morning hours now that Eva, Isabel and Owen are off to school, I find myself listening to the little boys' banter and appreciating it so much more. I discover that there are things they've learned over the summer (like silly songs, thank you Rubins!) that I didn't quite notice at the time. And I realize they've grown and learned so much in the past year that I am reminded how quickly time flies and how much I will regret this season being gone when it has passed.
So I will listen to two little voices as they carry on questions without end ("Mom, go outside? Mommy, eat? Go church? Go park? Go blue car? Where Pop-Pop? Where Sissy? Where Daddy? Where Owen? Where Eva?") and I will smile at secrets being shared over toys and trucks and in "houses" under card tables in the driveway. I will tuck away the image of brown-skinned babies dripping wet in the pool with crazy goggles and big smiles and lots of laughter.
And I will rejoice in the privilege of being Mommy to each of these.
1 comment:
Awww, I love singing with my nephews. I miss them!!!
-Aunt Jenn
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