- I don't know where he learned it, but somehow Aaron thinks farts are the funniest thing in the world. I think it must be some sort of genetic coding on the y chromosome -- boys just inherently think farts are hilarious. But to his credit, he does try to be considerate. He used to let 'em rip with abandon even when he was sitting on my lap and crack up when I got grossed out. But now, if he's on my lap, he will reach his hand under his butt to catch them and sweetly inform me that "I farted in my hand for you, Mommy!" Um, thanks?
- Aaron currently has two obsessions: legos and Plants v. Zombies (a popular iPad arcade game). We highly encourage the former obsession, and he can pretty much follow the instructions by himself now. Once a lego set is completed, he'll spend hours playing with it before he breaks it down to build it all over again. As for the second obsession, I feel a little uncomfortable with encouraging him to love video games. It just seems like such a brain fryer. But he gets so excited about it and asks endless questions about all the different characters and strategies, it's hard to brush aside something that he feels to passionate about. And I feel like a hypocrite for discouraging him because I happen to be a recovering Plants v. Zombies addict. Also, Chris informs me that boys like video games and I should just get used to it.
- I'm not sure if it's because he's getting older, or because his school put on a play about monsters, but Aaron has suddenly started to feel anxiety about being alone or having the lights turned off. At night he often asks me to sleep in his bed with him, although he doesn't put up a fight when I explain that everyone sleeps better when they are in their own beds. So I'm not sure how deep this anxiety goes, but we're hopeful that it's a short phase and that it doesn't impede his sense of independence for too long.
Jill
- Our little contrarian continues to excel at pushing the boundaries. She loves to do the opposite of whatever you expect or demand. If I tell her we're leaving, she runs and hides in the basement. If I ask her to brush her teeth, she clamps her mouth shut. If I tell her it's time to get dressed, she strips naked and runs around the house. If I tell her no more snacks, she screeches, "Pweeeeeeeese can I have some??! Just one more!!!" Once, in exasperation, I told her, "You're a little contrarian!" "What's a conta-larian?" she asked sweetly. "It's someone who always says 'No!'" I explained. "No matter what I tell you to do, you say, 'Noooo!'" She giggled knowingly. "So," I continued, "do you think you're a contrarian?" She started to answer, "N--" but then she stopped, looked at me with a twinkle in her eye. and shouted: "Yes!"
- I joke a lot about Jill's spunk and her skill at pushing buttons. But above all, she is a sweetheart. The other day, Jill's bestie, Adah, came over to play. When it was time to go home, Adah got upset and was the verge of a tantrum. Jill immediately offered to let Adah borrow the Elsa princess dress that Jill had just gotten for her birthday, including the fancy shoes that go with it. Adah immediately perked up and happily wore the Elsa costume back home. Chris and I were overwhelmed with pride at our daughter's sweet generosity and compassion. It's a pretty big deal for a 3-year-old to lend out a brand new special birthday present. But our girl has a big heart!
- Although Jill is definitely on the tail end of her temper tantrum stage, she still has the occasional breakdown. But we have noticed that whenever she loses it, the cure is usually a hug. She just wants us to "hold her." It's like she just needs a little closeness and reassurance that she is loved in order to "reset" and calm down. Further proof that she is a sensitive soul.
Daniel
- Danny's favorite toy right now is a ball. Any ball. Baseball, football, basketball, beach ball...doesn't matter. He loves to pick them up, throw them, chase them, and repeat. All the time, he squeals "Bah! Bah!" It's as adorable as it sounds.
- He may not be in his terrible twos yet, but this kid sure knows how to throw a tantrum. When he doesn't get his way, he has a variety of ways to show his displeasure. He will put his arms up and go limp so you can't get a grip on him. Or he'll plop down on his butt, give you an angry look, and then roll around on the floor. Or he'll take whatever you're offering him and throw it as hard as he can on the ground and then glare at you. Let's just say he knows how to get his message across.
- His vocabulary is rapidly expanding, and he gets really excited when he says something and we understand it. He also understands most of what we say to him. If I say "milk" he runs to the fridge to grab his sippy cup. If I say "bath" he runs to the tub and tries to climb in. If I say "no" he plops on the floor, glares at me and...well you know the rest.
- I have officially stopped nursing Danny. May 20 was our last day, and it was bittersweet. While I'll miss that connection, it's pretty crazy to think that I have been continuously either pregnant or nursing for the past five years. I guess I've earned a break!
4/29: Oma, Aunt Pam, and Aunt Bobbie stayed with the kids while Chris and I enjoyed an adults-only weekend in Mexico for a friend's wedding
4/29: No kids in this picture, but they were on our minds!
4/30: Oma!
5/2: Danny's not so sure about this whole bike riding thing
5/4: Spaghetti face!
5/5: Bye!
5/6: Why are you making me wear this hat?
5/7: Having fun at his classmate Zaniel's birthday party
5/8: We are definitely conditioning them to be Cubs fans
5/9: Mommy, give me some privacy!
5/13: Little snugglebunny
5/13: This how Aaron burns off energy when we're stuck inside
5/14: D's got his first major injury faceplanting into a bench
5/14: Reaching for butterflies
5/14: Professional weathercasters in the Nature Museum's weather exhibit
5/15: Jill and I ran in a 5K to support Lurie Children's Hospital and, more importantly, my friend Stefanie's son, Luke, in his (winning!) battle against osteopetrosis
5/15: Boo!
5/16: Oh lord, how I love to kiss that fuzzy head
5/16: His faceplant injury led to a pretty impressive black eye
5/17: He's just so cute when he's mad
5/20: "Bah?"
5/20: Bah!
5/20: Having fun at the park
5/20: And then suddenly it wasn't so fun
5/20: Very concerned about how Belle is going to save the Beast from Gaston!
5/21: Smile, dang it!
5/21: My weight lifting routine
5/22: Beautiful children, beautiful skyline
5/25: Goofy guy
5/25: All dressed up and ready for their school play about monsters!
5/25: See that little green monster in front who looks a bit lost and confused? He's pretty cute, huh?
5/27: Coordinated cuteness
5/28: Porch time with Oma
6/2: Master lego builder
6/3: Watermelon in a camping chair -- summer must be here!
6/4: Our favorite sandwich shop is Potbelly, a Chicago institution. Here, the kids are hanging out at the original Potbelly location by the potbelly stove that inspired it all!
6/5: Danny gets pretty excited to see his sibs in the morning
-Jill: "I don't ever want another mommy or daddy. I wanna keep you guys."
-Aaron (to me as I was leaving to meet a friend for dinner): "Are you meeting your friend?"
-Me: "Yep, we're going to talk and catch up. Kind of like a grownup play date."
-Aaron: "A talking play date?"
-Me: "Yeah."
-Aaron: "Do you love me more than your friend?"
-Me: "Of course!"
-Aaron: "Did you tell her that?"
-Aaron: "Farting is my life!"
-Aaron: "Daddy will you please come to the bathroom with me?"
-Chris: "You can go by yourself. Remember what we talked about, you gotta be brave."
-Aaron: "Will you please just come with me?"
-Chris: "You can do it. Be brave. That's how you grow up to be a man."
-Aaron: "I'll be brave when I'm five."
-Aaron: "Mommy, I don't want to have to listen to your rules! I want to do whatever I want to do and not have a mommy!"
-Me: "But if you didn't have a mommy, who would sing to you at night? Who would buy you clothes and give you medicine when you're sick?"
-Jill: "Daddy!"
-Aaron: "It's raining!"
-Chris: "Uh oh. There's supposed to be a Cubs game tonight. What are they going to do?"
-Aaron: "Jesus will stop the rain for them!"
No comments:
Post a Comment