Five Reasons I Am Loving My Boys and My Life This Week
1. They make me smile . . . . . and they make each other smile!
The first year of Evan's life Bryce would not even acknowledge Evan's existence. Bryce was never mean to him. He just COMPLETELY ignored him as if he was not even there. I was a bit concerned. Slowly but surely, once Evan started walking and talking, a sweet brotherhood started to emerge. I find so much joy in watching them grow together and learn from one another. The brotherhood they have is truly something special. They love each other so! (and just to keep it real . . . as I type this they are whacking each other with foam swords, not play whacking but really whacking, and I must go intervene before it gets ugly . . . brotherly love in action, right?)
2. My school goal for the boys this summer is for them to be able to write their names. Of coarse, they could not be less interested in a writing utensil and a piece of paper. So, I am getting creative and relying on my teacher and EI days to "trick" them into writing. We tried out some shaving cream fun! Check out Bryce's "B"! It looks perfect to me! He will not write it on paper yet, but as long as I know he can do it, I am good to go! They threw me for a loop and both had completely opposite reactions to the sensory play than what I was expecting. Evan (usually a mess from head to toe) touched it several times after much encouragement and then screamed and insisted his hands be washed. Bryce (timid and neat) dove right in all smiles and had a ball and did some great pre writing practice as well! Yay!
3. It has been a monumental week! Evan found a sword in a picture that he really wanted. I told him he could have it if he sent his ba ba (aka passy) to the babies. I completely expected him to drop it after I said that, but he said OK! So, I jumped on the opportunity and quickly looked all over the Internet and finally found it and ordered it. A few days later it arrived and we put our plan into action! We wrapped up his passies in a box and put them in the mailbox for the mailman to take to the babies at the hospital and Evan proudly danced around the yard with his new sword! He has done amazingly well considering how addicted he was to those things. We have had a few bumps along the the week, but he is ba ba free! Unbelievable!
this is the face he makes when i ask him to smile, o well.
4. And . . . . we have passports! Edward Jones rewards hard work with amazing trips. This has created the reality that our 3 and 4 year old kids need passports to travel. John and I find this amazing. We will get to take our kids places we never imagined thanks to Edward Jones and John's hard work! They are so excited about their passports, their first plane ride, and our upcoming trip to Atlantis in the Bahamas!
5. I stepped back into the classroom this summer for several weeks to teach a preschool autism class. Thank you to Mema, Missy, Natalie, Papa, and Papa Ted for your babysitting services, so I could do this and know the boys are happy, safe. and spoiled rotten! It has been a great experience! I had forgotten how much I enjoy the classroom and working with such special little people. It also made me more grateful than ever for the gift I have had to stay home with my boys. I love teaching, but being a mama is my most favorite job of all!!
Have a Happy and Safe 4th of July! ~j
