differences I relish

Two boys. One hamster.

Very different personalities with little white furry things.

There's this guy.

And then there is this guy.

This guy. 

And then this guy.

Charley had a gentle kind touch that started out shaky but his confidence grew. 

And Henry...well, he just couldn't stand the excitement.  

His grin was there for the entire little pre-bedtime hamster playdate.  

And it is the mix of these two personalities and the fact that this hamster sleeps ALL. DAY. LONG and wakes about 25 minutes before bedtime that has me pondering this addition to our family.  

However, the excitement that this little guy has over that little creature is something I also have to ponder.  Can we handle it?

Only time will tell.  This week we will enjoy him for one more day.  And then say "Good-bye Coconut! Come again anytime."

Neighborhood gang...

One evening around dusk, I was inside cozy, working on dinner. Ed had come home early to mow or rake...or something. I peeked out the window to check on the boys and this is what I saw...

 these are my boys and the grandson's of our neighbors.  They visit often and it cracks me up how they assemble in our cul-de-sac with their vehicles and ropes and do their thing.  We live on a quiet street and I love that there are a few kids that appear, often at just the right moment, for a shot of little boy entertainment during the bewitching hour...or a mama beverage after a crazy day.  
Blessed.

Boys spending money...

So Charley received some birthday money this year...or rather two gift cards.  The birthday money I think we are still going to stash in his savings account.  But before his birthday arrived Ed and I had decided that it was time to let him have a little chance shop with his own money.  We have never let him do this.  He has always put it in the bank - and announces this proudly when he receives money.  But we are really excited to see how he thinks about his money, how fast he spends it, what he spends it on, and whether he gets how much things are.

He has big plans...for the last week he has been telling me what he plans to do.  Each day it is different. 

Today when we ran into an office supply store for our board for the Halloween candy project there was a shelf of kids art stuff.  There was some crazy boxes of things...but there was also some Crayola Art Boxes.  The boxes were on sale for $5.49...normally they were 15.49!  So it was a good deal.  They came with full boxes of markers, crayons, colored pencils, water colors, scissors...oh, and glue.  So I think it is actually a really good deal. 

I remembered that Great Grandma had sent them each $5 of Halloween treat money so that solved the problem of having Charley walk out with some cool thing with sad little Henry following behind.  So they both picked a blue one and off we went.  When they got home they assembled their art boxes and have been puttering with them ALL afternoon.  I am impressed. 

The bank is still where my gut says to put all money they receive.  But I am also struggling with the concept of money with Charley.  He doesn't get that furniture, our house, or our bodies, cost a lot to care for.  His Leapster game lays around without thought...he cut a slit in the handle thingy in our car...so I think one step towards teaching him the value of the dollar is to give him some dollars to spend.  Then he can see that a candy bar costs this much and a Lego set costs this much. 

We'll see what he does with his gift cards in the next week or two.  But for today, I am one happy mama, because we had a busy weekend and I have been able to tidy up and breathe easy for a few hours this afternoon, thanks to these fine little briefcases that are so thrilling to my boys.

How do you teach the concept of the dollar...or respecting the things that your hard earned money pays for in your kids' lives? 
 

Brotherly Banter

My boys are buddies.  Good buddies.  They just had a wonderful week together up north at the cottage.  They get along fantastically...most of the time.  But lately, I can tell Henry, age 2 1/2, is picking up on language from his bigger brother.  I can't help but smile at the things that I am hearing come from his mouth - yet it also bothers me a lot!

Top 5 things I heard Henry say today, with the right attitude to boot!

1.  I VERY mad at you.
2.  I tell on you.
3.  I don't want to play with you.
4.  I don't like you.
5.  Bad baby!

These are things that he MUST be hearing from Charley because Ed and I DO NOT walk around saying them.  Charley reacts with fake and exaggerated pain when Henry says these things.  

The brotherly banter has begun.  It will drive me insane but also makes me smile, just a little bit. 

Each Morning I Pray it Bubbles Forth

Lately, as I roll out of bed I give myself a pep talk ...something like...

"Today is going to be a great day.  The boys are going to be happy.  They are going to get along.  They are going to be entertained in safe and content play.  Patience is going to bubble abundently from my pores.  It is going to be a great summer day."

And within 20 minutes of all of us downstairs I am saying,
"Don't hit your brother.  Go up to your room if you are going to respond like that (Charley tends to fall apart if Henry picks the wrong spoon to eat his breakfast with).  Stop jumping on the couch.  Find something to play with.  Put on some pants.  Stay in your seat while you are eating."  And the one liners that burst my bubbles of patience errupt and don't stop ALL. DAY. LONG.

I appreciate that I am home spending my days with these two little gems.  And it weighs heavy when my patience doesn't flow from me like this...

But children have minds and moods of their own.  And they don't always all flow with each other or myself.  Every morning I hope to surround them in an environment of patience.

I know they are learning, exploring, and trying to manage the hundreds of emotions that come with hanging out everyday together.  But in reality, I am a normal mom, who has moments where my patience bubbles forth in small golf ball sized amounts ...and other times when it flows out like basketball sized abundance.  All I can say...is I appreciate when the size of my patience matches the need at the moment.

When in doubt, even on the most humid day...for example this day when I snapped these pictures, grab yourself a sparkling lemonade and your lawn chair.  Grab the dollar bin bubble blowers from Target and GET. SOME. FRESH. HUMID. AIR.  Because it is true what they say...15 minutes of fresh air can change the moods of all.

One Evening....2 different boys in green

Standing on the Edge of Summer!

Standing on the edge of summer

2 little boys

BROTHERS.

A mother realizing that these are the best days.

They are going way to fast.

And to sit in a beach chair and take in their joy is splendid.

There is nothing like it.

Sunscreen applied.

Heads topped with summer hats.

2 hours of sun at the beach with friends.

Nourished with PB & J sandwiches, grapes, and Cheetoes.  

Nothing tastes better.

Playing Sand Monster!

Pouring buckets of water in the sand just to see what happens.

Ball tag in water chest deep.

Realizing that your boys are playing in the lake without fear of what is below.

Proud mama!

Our first trip to the beach was a success.  

And I love that I can take my two boys without stress or worry. 

I relaxed, sighed, and enjoyed my time with them. 

And I could even imagine next summer...with another little joy sitting at my feet...trying to eat the sand.  EEEEK!  Can't wait!

Little jeans.

Little boy.

Little bum.

Little jeans.

Little shoes.

Little cutie.

If only I could find myself a pair of jeans that made my bum look so adorable.

A Little of This and a Little of That

I was calm today because of this post that I read just before falling asleep last night.  I did get snappy when cleaning up tonight because Charley tends to think he is helping clean up but really continues to play.  Ed has been working long hours...going in early and working later.  It makes for long days for me.  And the boys miss him.  When he does arrive home he is swept into play immediately.  But with the long day...I was calm...and I was patient.  Thank you McKMama.

We started Henry's new ECFE class today.  There were several more people in the class making it a lot more overwhelming for my shy guy.  In these environments he CLINGS like nobodies business.  I find it frustrating at times but am realizing that this is his little personality right now and I will just embrace it.

Charley continues to spew Star Wars trivia ALL. DAY. LONG.  I have no idea how he even knows stuff because he has only seen episode 4 a handful of times and episode 5 once.  After Henry woke from nap they got busy with the tinker toys.  Suddenly they appeared in their winter jackets - hoods on.  They were being "Darth Mar"?  I have no idea if that is how you spell it...I have no idea who that is...but they played for a good 45 minutes in their winter jackets, with hoods, and their tinker toy sabers.  During snack they sat side by side and plotted...I am amazed at how this five year old big brother can play so nicely with his two year old little brother.  Henry will say, "Chewy."  And Charley will respond, "Yes, that is Chewy's ship.  It is flying to blah blah blah." Henry replies, "Yep." And off Henry goes flying to blah blah blah. 

The other night at kindergarten orientation when it was time for Charley to go with the teachers to investigate the kindergarten area he hesitated.  I was so overwhelmed with the whole event that I immediately started to panic and insist that he had to go.  Ed put a hand on my leg and turned to Charley and said, "Would you like me to go with you?"  Off they went...leaving me with tears in my eyes...because it is moments like this, when my partner in life amazes me with his level headed rational calm response.  He is such a good daddy.  And I am so glad we compliment each other's personalities at the important moments.  

Tomorrow is Friday and Charley and Henry will know that when Daddy gets home Friday night it is the weekend.  Mama knows it too.  A cozy simple weekend is what we have in store. 

Happy Friday!

Sarah

Big Brother has it all under control

Charley just firmly said to Henry,  "Henry Roberts we do not do that!"

What is funny about this....

Charley's middle name is Robert.  Henry's is not!

------------------------------------------------

The other day Henry was into filling a backpack with goodies and having it zipped up.  I was in the middle of making dinner so I asked Henry to bring it to Charley to zip up.  So Henry hurried over with the backpack (that had a single small toy in it).  He said, "Zip please."

Charley responded, "Go get a few more things and then I will zip it."

Hilarious to me...Charley is already learning to keep his brother busy.

Brothers in the Snow!

 

 

 

Sprinkle time!

Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?

Who me?

Tonight the boys decorated the cut outs we made yesterday. 

This was Henry's first attempt.  I could tell that Charley's many years of experience are starting to pay off.

  He attempted eyes, a shirt, and pants.

Henry handled his sprinkles well!  He only whipped them about twice...not to bad for a one year old.

When all was said and done I would have to call tonight's experience a success. 

This is why you have two....

I am totally reaping the benefits of having two children these days. All morning they have been conversing and enjoying each other's company. They even had a disagreement and worked it out. It sounded like this:

Charley: Mama, can I watch Backyardigans? Henry do you want to watch Backyardigans?
Henry: NO! (yelled)
Charley: Please, I want to watch Backyardigans.
Henry: NO! DORA! Yelled louder.
Charley: Please Henry.
Henry: NO! D-D-D-Dora!
Charley: That's kind of funny Henry. (laughing) Dora has a girl in the show.
Henry: Boots!
Charley: Yes, you are right. Boots is a boy.
Henry: (pointing down at his feet) Shoes?
Charley: No Boots doesn't wear shoes. He wears BOOTS

This morning Charley hung out with us instead of going to school because for 4 hours last night he had a temperature. Not today though! He is all himself...but who knows...we'll see what the rest of the day brings. It is now up in the air how the weekend will turn out. Ed says I jinxed it.

So this morning the boys played for an hour at the kitchen table with play dough. Charley talked to Henry the whole time and even worked with him on sharing and saying Please! Henry gave Charley the burger making thing for his birthday. It is a little dippy but Charley has played with it for hours already!

This would be why two is worth it. This is why three isn't as overwhelming to think about.

"No running with Sticks!"

Four boys on their "ship" ( A dock that has been taken out of the lake).

This morning we went on an outing to a county park. We met some friends (Charley's friend from preschool last year and Henry's friend from our ECFE class this year - mom's destined to be friends). We have had a few playdates and the boys get along great...and even more fun is the chit chatting that us moms get when we see each other. I LOVE chatting with her and because we really don't know much about each other it is such fun learning who she is. She is a mother of four and so patient loving. I feel inspired after hanging out with her.

So today her little boy was going to come over for the afternoon but we thought it might be fun to get the little ones together too. So we met at the park and went for a "real" hike. All four boys hiked the whole hour and forty five minutes. The leaves were all down and how relaxing to shuffle through. Charley and his buddy found dead trees to climb on...tried to build a bridge across a creek, and of course found sticks that turned into guns. From afar I found myself repeatedly shouting, "No running with STICKS!" Henry was a little cranky but smiled at different times. It made me think of my childhood growing up in a wooded neighborhood where lots of time was spent just puttering in the woods. It was an hour when I was so glad I had bundled us up and taken the time because watching them play with nothing but sticks was PURE JOY! I am a mom of boys and I hung out with another mom with her two boys - we watched them be boys - while getting in some girl talk! A PERFECT morning.

You know you are a mom of boys...

When sticks become guns!

My Fall Boys