What is Love

 (playing a board game can really be stressful at times)

In honor of Valentines day coming up I wanted to teach Colin what love really means.  I'm hoping to go over 1 Corinthians 13 the next few weeks but today at lunch I asked him what he thought Love was.  I wrote them down on our chalkboard which he thought was fun.  Here are his answers:

Love is:
* Mommy (his first response. I teared up. Whenever I'm having a bad day I hope to always remember this)
* Beautiful
*Surprise presents - what you have been looking at for a long time and you get it and open it
*Legos
*Hugs can make people feel love
*Kisses can make people feel love
*Even Hugs AND kisses at the same time can make people feel love
*Saying you love someone can make them feel love
*Legos in Lego Brick magazine.  You finally get whats inside it
*All the Legos in the world at Christmas

I think my son's love language at this point is gifts since I'm seeing a pattern. haha! It makes sense because he really remembers what person gave him every gift he's gotten.  He was serious the whole time about all of these and really thought.  I think its going to be fun learning about Love with my sweet big boy.

 

(and really fun when you win)

*update to our Love series*
Colin has added to his list after we talked about Love is Patient
* its when someone knocks over your creation (what he call his lego building - his creation since he created it) and they say sorry and you just build it back again and dont get mad. (joel has a tendency to go into colin's room and knock over colin's stuff.)


We also asked him where he thought love came from and he was almost shocked and said "God of course." and seemed a little worried that mommy and daddy didn't know.  haha. Colin is really enjoying this and I am too. He asked me to read his list every day. Today we talk about 'love is kind.' I can't wait to hear his answers to this one. 

boo-boo

Joel was starting to sleep well and then started waking up again at night. Last night after the second time I went to get him he kept repeating "boo-boo" or sometimes "be-boo" depending on how he says it. His two year molars are coming in. Poor little boy. All he knew was he had a be-boo and it needed kissing. But I don't mind the extra snuggles at night with my little boy. Last night he was giggling pretty hard in his sleep while I was holding him.  Which was pretty entertaining for me to watch. I wish I knew what he was dreaming at that moment. Definitely better than the moaning and be-boos. 

no snow

We aren't enjoying all the snow the rest of VA has gotten this week. And I know why. My parents came a few weeks ago and brought us some real sleds. Guaranteeing it wont snow until the boys are in high school. That and a friend gave us some snow pants for Colin that her son had outgrown.  Since it always works that way :)  Kind of like the year Sarah and I went shopping with my grandma to help her pick out some snow boots.  I don't think she ever wore them - they  may have dry rotted in the box or something like that since we didn't get snow enough for her to wear them for the next several years. But we're ready - even if the weather isn't. And I'm still holding out hope for one more snow storm to come our way.

 But for now we're having fun playing inside doing the normal boy stuff like shooting Nerf guns at each other

Poor Joel only has a Lego fire hose in his hands.  I think he's trying to figure out how to make it shoot.  Dont worry - he is pretty good with the Nerf gun.  He can aim and shoot pretty accurately.  He just needs help cocking the gun and then he's off.  Joel even got smart enough to hide all our Nerf guns.  For two weeks we had no clue where they were.  But now I know where he hides stuff - under the couch cushions.  We're still amazed we sat on the couch and had no idea we were sitting on hard plastic for weeks.

Gotta pee

 It seems that the toilet paper is always worth trying when you are going potty.  If its good for you bum - it must be good for your mouth too. At least for Joel.  He still has only peed once but he keeps trying.  I'm still not sure he's really ready but we will keep trying whenever he says "gotta pee."

LOVE those skinny little legs :) 

Animals

Animals - according to my 18 month old.  The best part is the very end.  At least we think so. 

Pictures

We've been finding fun things to do inside when it too cold to go outside and throw balls around or skate on our homemade ice skating pond (sometimes its nice to forget to close the sandbox cover when it rains and then freezes)

Playing with shaving cream makes for a really fun morning. At first we started playing in our "snow" with our matchbox cars but Colin decided to make his own fun.

To the enjoyment of his brother

I've also put the kids in the bathtub and given them cups of shaving cream and paintbrushes and let them paint away on the tiles.

Then one day I got out marshmellows and toothpicks to let them create their own structures.

Colin made a storm trooper thing.  He's starting to really be into star wars.

Joel did really well.  He just put one marshmallow on each stick but it kept him busy for a while. And he kept watching how Colin did it.  And we do dress Joel in other clothes.  He just loves his Christmas shirt.  He likes to pick out his own clothes most mornings.

Then Colin got the idea to bring out the chocolate and dip marshmallows in it.  So our storm trooper vehicle  was happily eaten.

I would like one more snow this year but I'm very ready for spring to get here and the boys and I can spend all day outside. I would love any suggestions for some fun creative indoor activities.

sayings

We're having computer issues so I can't upload any pictures but here are some recent sayings we've been hearing pretty regularly at our house. 

Colin:
"this is the life." - either while eating something or playing something
"I dont like it... I love it."  mostly about food.  "Mommy I dont like dinner... I love it."
"I'm having alone time."   As he slams his door so he can play happily without having a little brother come in.  Colin we are finding needs his alone time.  He is much happier during the day if he can spend time alone creating and playing in his room by himself.  Much to his brothers dismay. The other day he had set up his lego men and I heard him walk in his room and say "hey guys" and then heard him go around the room as each lego man responded with a hi or a hey.  haha
"mommy dont come in the bathroom or let baby Joel in the bathroom while I'm pooping. Its going to be stinkier than daddys" he tells me this every day. And he still needs help wiping. I do admit I like it when he poops when Joel is napping.  Colin will sit on the potty and wait until I go in and wipe. It gives me a few minutes of down time.  The other day he waited about 20 minutes until I went to check on him.  I'm not going to make him wipe himself anytime soon :) 


Joel:
Tada!!!!! - usually when he walks into a room, with his arms up to the sky.   He likes to make an entrance.  He also does it when he finds something he was looking for or when he puts some legos or mega blocks together
Oh bubba.... I have to add "come find us"  because Joel will hide under a blanket and want his brother to come find him
Bubba are you?  = bubba where are you?  He does the "... are you?"  to basically any person or toy and we go around the house looking for it.
"Gotta pee" I think this kid will potty train himself. He will say gotta pee and then run to the bathroom and try to pee.  He's only actually peed once but he tries several times a day with no prompting from me. I guess i really should start potty training one of these days.
"hop porn peas" =  popcorn please. he loves to eat popcorn 

I am sure there are more and they will probably stop saying them as soon as I post this.  Although if Joel keeps calling popcorn hop porn for long people are going to start wondering about our family.

Writing

We need to work with boy #1 on writing his letters.  We're getting there but he would much rather type something than write it.  Already tech savvy I guess.  It wont get him to kindergarten so we've been practicing tracing, mazes, and letter writing to make it fun.

And we need to work with boy #2 on not eating/licking the markers.

George Mason

For the 4th year in a row we have gone to watch ODU and GMU play basketball.  We love this event and can't beat the half price tickets and free food that the GMU alumni get.  Plus the special suite/box seating.  Not sure what you call the seating we get but its great.  We almost didn't make this years game.  Brent waited until the last minute (he is a little big procrastinator sometimes) and the game was sold out.  But then the alumni director sent this mass email to other people who were also requesting tickets and we got in. I think there were double the GMU alumni this year. But all the extra fans couldn't get GMU to win this time.  They have never won for us but it was an exciting game - came down to the last few seconds.  My favorite part of the game was watching Colin stand up and imitating the cheerleaders. He started dancing along with them and shaking his pom-poms too.  Even did the cute little butt shake.  So cute. I wish I had brought the camera into the game.  Colin kept asking why he didn't own a George Mason shirt and Joel refused to wear a yellow shirt.  He wouldn't let me get him dressed unless he could wear his hokie shirt.  (It was a proud moment for me)

Ant Ant came down and we met Brian, Sarah, Mike and Ethan at the game. Thanks guys for coming! Joel did pretty good at the game.  He didn't sit still and liked to roam about and for the last few minutes kept telling me "i do bye bye"  over and over. He was done at that point.  

Then after the game the whole Stevenson family came over and we all hung out the rest of the night. Only one of the kids wanted in the group picture. The rest were too busy playing I think.  A really fun day for us.  And makes us excited for the Hokie game we'll be going to in a few weeks.  Colin is already excited for this one since he has a bunch of hokie shirts to choose from - he said it'll make them win.  haha maybe thats GMU's problem all these years.                                             

Happy Wednesday

18 months

My almost 18 month old is always into things. He definitely keeps us on our toes. And he's fast - very fast.  I am reading a book by James Dobson and in it he tells a story where Dobson's dad told him once about his son that if he let that boy get bored he deserved what he did to him.  And I think that fits Joel. If he is bored or unsupervised for a minute he will find something to get into.

Last week I walked into the kitchen and saw him on the counter. And I don't leave that chair right next to the stove.  He pushed it to the counter.  That cookie jar is where we keep the fruit snacks (or nack-nack as Joel says)

Then later that same afternoon I caught him in the dinning room opening our sack from Japan with all the Japanese Candy. Joel is sneaky and quick. He has recently started running to me and crying "boo boo" when Colin wont let him play legos with him. Just to get attention. He also went through a short stage where he would get mad when I went to the bathroom, run into my closet, grab a shirt and go try to stuff it in the other toilet.  My days are anything but boring around here.

But this little guy is also very loving.  He loves to snuggle, hug and kiss anyone - especially other kids his age.  He will climb up on Colin's bed in the morning and just love on his Bubba.  He says please more than any kid I know.  "peas" as it sounds and is so cute.  Colin has been saying all week " Mommy Joel is the best baby ever" and he is.  Joel has an infectious laugh and always has a twinkle in his eye.  I can't imagine life without my little guy,