Semi-Annual.

At my sweet sister-in-law's insistence (hi, Lori!), I'm dusting off this blog to document life with these "and a half" year old boys.

I don't really know how I managed to write as often as I did when it was just Ben I was chasing around all day, and now it seems nearly impossible.  Couple that with the fact that things don't really seem to change much day-to-day, and this blog has been a bit neglected.  But, as I turn this "draft" into an official post, I see that things really are changing and we really are growing (not just the boys- all of us!) and there is lots going on that is worth remembering.

George is one and-a-half.  He is using his sweet little voice more and more ("Gu-guks!" - trucks) and finally put two words together "Bye, cars!"  He says "night night" to daddy and Ben before I take him in to rock, and he asks about all his people, listing them one at a time. Then he requests specific bedtime songs- usually "The Wheels on the Bus" or "Cee=bee-cee-bees" (ABCs).  He belly laughs when we blow out "This Little Light of Mine." 

Much like his big brother, he specializes in sound effects and delights in pointing his fist and "lasering" (very calmly and quietly) anyone who crosses him, a la Buzz Lightyear. ("Ksht! Ksht!")

George is passion.  High highs... low (low) lows. "Fop! Fop! Fooop!" (Stop) is usually only the beginning, followed by throwing whatever he is holding (a fork, a pacifier, a toy- doesn't matter), followed by throwing himself on the floor and his head back.  Whew!  This is uncharted parenting territory for us, so I keep reminding myself that this passion is a gift, and praying that we will help George harness and channel it in the right directions.  Did I say, "Whew?" Whew.

The flip-side of those low lows are the sweet, impassioned highs!  George is so good in his classes at Sunday School and BSF.  He randomly distributes soft kisses- on my leg, a stuffed animal, and sometimes the little girls in his classes.  We giggle about the way he swings his left arm (only the left one) when he walks.  He is generous with his hugs and he usually puts his head on my shoulder and pats my back or rubs my arm and I am putty in his hands.

His curls.  I just... I'll just move on.

After 18 months of nursing- at home, at parks, in cars, at church, at family gatherings, all day, all night... George is weaned!  Weaning is always bittersweet, but I feel like we had a really good run. Breastfeeding is pretty invaluable, so I decided to ride it out as long as George was interested.  He was nursing pretty sporadically and primarily for comfort, so I knew we were about done... And then I left and went to Mexico for a week.  Ha!  But really, it happened very gradually and naturally and wasn't traumatic for either of us.  I'm really thankful we did it as long as we did.

Ben.  Ben is such a delightful, precocious three and-a-half year old. He is obedient and sweet, but also quite sharp and he loves to negotiate over meals, movies, and bedtime.

Ben loves riding his scooter or his bike over to Gramma and Grampa's house.

We are working through normal, three-year-old fears, like "who will protect me?" (every night) and "will you come back?" (every time we drop him off at church).

Our first day back to Bible Study Fellowship this fall!

Ben's favorite movies are "The Fox and the Hound," "Robin Hood," "Tarzan," and "Tigger."  He wakes up fairly early every morning, and I let him watch part of a movie to keep him quiet while I finish my Bible study and George sleeps a bit longer.  Then I try to limit tv time the rest of the day.  Ehem.

We bought a piano.  They like it.

Bedtime with Ben is a production.  There is singing and snuggles and prayers and stories and kisses and lots of assurances that all is well.  Once Tim is finished with his portion of the routine, I go in and Ben asks me to scratch his back and sing "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing."  It tickles me that he always requests it, but I think he is mostly intrigued by line about "rescued me from danger" and "precious blood," as he always asks me to "sing that part again."

Ben and George are still mastering the art of playing together nicely.  I spend a lot of time refereeing, but when they do play well, my heart is so happy to see the camaraderie between them.  One of their favorite things to do is "hide" together behind the rocking chair in the corner of George's nursery.  Ben will say, "Come on, Georgie!" and they whisper and giggle.

Our mornings are generally full and pleasant- seeing friends, going to the library, grocery store, Bible study, etc.  After lunch and naps, the afternoons... oh, the afternoons... I can't explain it.  Every evening I marvel at the fact that we all survived 3-5pm.  My mom usually stops in to say hello on her way home from work, and that is a huge help, especially when I'm prepping dinner and trying to clear a path through the toys on the living room floor before Tim gets home.

Real life.

Tim has a rough commute to and from work, but we wait for him in the driveway whenever the weather allows, and they love to see Daddy drive down the street.

At the end of the day, we are all tired.  I'm a kind of tired I've never felt before, and it may just be this "season..." or it may just be turning (gasp!) 30, or it may just be motherhood! Try as we might to limit our activities/busyness and be intentional about how we spend our time and energy, each week there are eight unavoidable loads of laundry and 21 meals and 14 snacks and lots of dishes and wiping and folding and life happening in-between.

The challenge is to see these things through eyes of gratitude, and some days I'm better at that than others.
Rather than focus on the sand in our bathtub, we pause and thank God for the two sweet reasons it's there.