A million and one things

I'm not sure the last time I actually did updates on the boys. I was so much better at keeping updates going when Luke was a baby...poor Will is already getting the second child complex! =)

They boys are growing up WAY to fast! Luke, for instance, will be 3 in June...yeah, 2 months from now I'll have a 3 year old! My how time flies. I hear it just goes quicker the older they get too. I just want to shout, "Hey, Time, yeah you - wait! I haven't had time to enjoy each little stage my children are passing through yet...and Chris, well he's missed out on so much already. Can't you slow down just a little bit so I can have my little boys be little for just awhile longer?" Alas, Time just keeps speeding by and my little chillens are getting bigger and bigger each day. Though I'd like to be able to savor their littlehood a while longer, it is fun to watch them grow, develop and become their own persons. They both have such unique and very distinct personalities. They are total opposites of each other...makes me wonder what our third one will be like (no, we are not expecting a wee little Baby 3C at this time.) =)

Luke and Will don't look a bit alike. Short of a few angles here and there where I can catch a tiny glimpse of Luke in Will - their physical features are completely different. Luke is a thinker and a processor whereas Will is a jump-in-no-questions-asked type personality. Luke learns by watching and Will learns by doing. Luke is generally gentle and Will is always a bulldozer. They couldn't be more different - and yet they love each other so much. I don't think either of them would know what to do without the other. I absolutely LOVE to watch their brother bond. I know they will fight like coyotes when they're older, but I also have a feeling they'll be the best of friends and always have each other's back.

So, here are individual updates:

Luke:
Luke is growing, growing ,growing! I think he's going to be tall just like his daddy. He loves cars, trucks, trains, dinosaurs, sports, playing outside, running, animals, books, fruit snacks, strawberry milk, bugs, and helping mommy.

He has started playing with imaginary friends. The two funniest by far are his burp...yes, his burp - and a little spider in the backyard. The burp friend came about when he was watching Aunt Jamie burp little Julianne. Luke wanted me to burp him too. So I patted his back. He then told me that the burp came out...and then it just seemed to stick around I guess...because he was playing with his burp, the burp was sitting next to him, the burp was in the bathtub with him...he drew the burp on a birthday card for a friend...so the burp has kind of become a "friend" of Luke's. The little spider friend came about when Luke saw a tiny little spider scurrying across the backyard. After that, Luke sat down where he thought the spider was and made a whole imaginary house around them. He was "playing" at the spider's house, in the spider's bedroom and with the spider's toys. I did go over and make sure he wasn't actually playing with a real spider...my luck he'd befriend a black widow or brown recluse! It's really cool to see his imagination blossom!

Something else we've been doing is working on flashcards (paper and online.) Luke LOVES doing this and I LOVE watching him learn. I've been impressed with his ability to pronounce words (he's going to be super smart just like his daddy) and his incredibly memory. This little boy is going to be teaching me stuff one day soon! =)

One of the challenges we've been dealing with is defiance. This week has gone much better than last week - thankfully. Luke's defiance can be difficult to deal with - he'll either pretend he doesn't hear me...even if I'm standing right in front of him or he'll test me and see how far he can push an issue, or he'll throw a full out tantrum. I've just had to start laying down a fairly strict law...and remain consistent...and that's way easier said than done! Though we both still have a long way to go and a lot to learn (me in how to handle this challenge the best way(s) - and him being less defiant) this week has shown a much much happier Luke...and a happier Luke means a happier mommy...(too bad Will has been a royal grouch this week which has kind of tempered the happy mommy thing!)

Potty training...uh....soooo scared to do this! Short of a few times here and there where Luke wants to sit on his Pooh(Winnie, that is) Potty, he has shown no interest whatsoever in potty training. I really wanted to wait until he started showing the signs...but it doesn't look like he's going to show them anytime soon...so I guess I'm going to have to push him a little in that direction. I've decided to wait until the weather is a little warmer...and then just have a go at it. I have NO idea what I'm doing...I've never taught a little boy (or anyone else for that matter) to go potty before. This is when I wish Chris was home! (Ok, I wish Chris was home every second of every day - but I really REALLY wish he was home for projects like this one!) =) I'd really like to see us making progress by his 3rd birthday, so within the next few weeks, we'll be attempting this huge feat. I'm sure there will be some very interesting posts about this as we go...or don't go...

A new little activity Luke has really enjoyed doing is looking at the live webcams at the National Zoo. Ok, maybe it's not an activity because he's not really "active" when he's looking at my computer screen, but you get the drift. =) Anyway, Luke really loves animals, so every day, we peruse the live cams for a few minutes so he can try to find the animals. Sometimes we see a lot of animals, sometimes we don't see any, but he loves it nonetheless. I hope to take the boys there this summer sometime so he can see it in real life.

Luke is still enjoying Caravan (he LOVES his teachers) and I love hearing him retell the Bible stories he's learned in class. He enjoys making crafts there as well as at home. Does anyone else use the foam stickers? Luke loves making crafts with these! He can't get enough playtime with playdoh, and he likes to color and paint as well.

Luke continues to take after Chris in just about everything - looks, smarts and personality. We often refer to him as the "little Chris." =) I just think it's really cool that our firstborn son takes after his father in so many ways. He does enjoy rescuing bugs (which comes from me...but I think that's a taught characteristic at this point.) =)

Will:
Will starting officially walking a week or so before Chris came home for his R&R (end of Jan.) He's been unstoppable since then! He is in to EVERYTHING! Which is actually nothing new...but now he can get to it much quicker. In fact - he tries hard to run everywhere he goes. I literally (no exaggeration...and believe me I wish I were exaggerating) chase him ALL.DAY.LONG. He is go-go-go all the time. Thankfully he still takes his afternoon nap - this is the only chance I get to catch my breath all day long!

He is talking a lot in his own way - it's still mostly chatter that you can only understand if you're with him all day long...like Luke and myself. =) He can say Da-da and Ma-ma with ease. He can say Gu-ka if he tries really hard. He also said Dah-ra (Dora) and Tsss (Boots) the other day. He'll say Daa-Dah (good job), uke (Luke), a-ewww (Thank You) and he attempts all sorts of words like nose, toes, bu-bye...but none of those really sound like the actual words. It's fun to hear him try to mimic you though! Just today he was trying very hard to say "mouth" (I was pointing out all the features on his face while I changed his diaper) but what came out was something more on the lines of Maahpphffffffff - yeah....doesn't sound like mouth yet. =) One word that is clear as day is "uh-oh!" That one he has no problem with!

He has definitely got to the age where you can tell he knows what you're saying - and he'll act on it! If I say it's time to brush his teeth or wash his hands, he'll head right to the bathroom and climb up on his step-stool at the sink. If I tell him to get or put up his shoes, he'll go get his shoes and bring them to me or throw them in the closet. He'll even help clean up...but he doesn't quite understand that once something's back in its place...it needs to stay there. He'll put it up - look at it - then get it back down.

Something that I'm so excited about is his ability to recognize his daddy. For most this isn't a problem at all - but since Will was only 2 months when Chris left for Iraq - and then only saw him for 18 days between then and now - seeing that he recognizes who daddy is in pictures or on the webcam is a pretty cool experience. He'll point at a picture and say, "da-da!" Or if you ask him where dada is, he'll head for the computer (since this is where he sees him on the webcam.)

He is trying to eat with a fork - but still uses his hands a lot. He really likes juice boxes - and could be entertained forever by putting that straw in and out of the top. He is so excited when he does it - it's so cute!

His favorite place to raid - the snack cabinet. Short of the last week, his appetite has been good. He is slimming down though...I suppose it's his non-stop motion. He still wants to nurse, and though I've tried really hard to start the weaning process, something always comes up to sidetrack us (i.e. sickness.)

Will is still not sleeping through the night. At this point it seems like it'll take years to get this child to sleep all night. Sigh.

He loves the outdoors, gets super excited about baths, tries to do everything his big brother does, is a daredevil, is scared of nothing, loves to climb, loves so scare the living snot out of me by trying stunt after stunt, is super cuddly, gives great hugs and kisses, is fascinated by everything, loves the dogs, has uber contagious giggles, does not like to be contained in a high chair, crib or pack'n'play, is super lovable, can be a porcupine at times, can throw the loudest temper tantrum on the face of this earth, is a sweetheart, a grumpy gus, a cutie pie, an explorer, a firecracker - my little baby boy who's growing up way to fast!

Even though this is super long, I know I have left a million things out...but this will have to do for now. On to a few pictures!

The boys love playing with their sidewalk chalk:

Happy Will!

The boys sitting in their new Mickey Mouse chairs...

Uncle Randy, Aunt Jamie and cutie pie Julianne!

Luke loves Julianne and tries to take care of her. He's always trying to find her paci and likes to sing to her.

Will is still trying to figure out what it means to have another little baby around.

They boys are greatly anticipating the summer and swimming. Luke was so excited about the prospect of swimming, he wanted to wear his swim trunks around the house...and of course, Will had to be just like his brother!

The boys and I put together a little Easter basket for Daddy. At first Luke was attempting to help stuff the eggs, but Will's continued desire for the chocolate distracted them both in the end...I guess I shouldn't have put the bag of candy on Will's tray...

They each got a piece of chocolate in the end as mommy stuffed the Easter eggs!

The boys LOVE their sandbox!

Here is Luke's "treasure" we found washed up on the sand from the river. A pair of old rusty keys and a fishing weight.

Smelling the flowers!

This is a sight I see often...usually I'm right behind them chasing them down...

Luke loves to run!

Will does too...here he's saying, "Come get me mommy!!!"

Will let's nothing stand in his way...is the wagon to high? Naw!

Here Luke is making Will a turtle...I guess the orange paper is his shell...

Luke put a bucket under his shirt and said it was the "new Will." He pointed to Will and said he was the "old Will."

Here is the tree branch that almost smashed the front end of the van...yikes!

The boys playing in the sandbox together.

My thinker...

Riley!

Very focused on the task at hand...shoveling sand...

Will's fork eating abilities are coming along!

Last but not least, Luke is in to making silly faces! Here is one to leave you on!