Oh sweet boys of mine

There is almost *nothing* my heart leaps at these days as the sound of Reuel's footsteps coming up the stairs as I'm singlehandedly and simultaneously trying to get a wound-up toddler and a tired (but yet remarkably easygoing) baby bathed, fed, diapered, wrestled through the attempt to draw everything out, and in bed for the night. I am so very happy to see his face. It's not just that he can help me when he's home in time, although that's no doubt a big part of the joy, it's just that I'm not alone in it anymore. Even if he doesn't do a thing to help, having him in the house with me is a huge boost. Stay-at-home-mommyhood can be rather isolating...which is ironic considering I don't think I've even gone to the bathroom by myself during the day more than a handful of times in the last 2 years. A girl needs to converse with someone whose voice isn't always on the edge of a whine and have just a few moments a day where respect is just given rather than fought for.

There are so many priceless nuggets of Owen conversation from recent weeks. He makes me laugh about something new every day. It definitely makes the days go quickly the 2nd time around when you have a toddler to enjoy as well.

At bathtime-
[Owen in bath, beginning to wail]: I need a diaper!
Me: Do you have to pee pee?
Owen: Mmhmm!! I need a diaper now Mommy!
Me: [Counts the cost] Well, I don't have any diapers here right now. Would you like to go on the potty?
Owen: NOOOOOOO! Diaper!!! [start tantrum]
Me: [Second guessing self, but staying firm] Ok, you can just go in the bath if you don't want to sit on the potty.
Owen: NNNNNOOOOOO! DIAPER!!!!!
Me: I'm so sorry, but I don't have a diaper here. Let's finish your bath and you can go in the bath or on the potty. [Bath is minimal and very fast...crying kid.] C'mon. I'll buy you a little toy tomorrow if you go potty!
Owen: [tantruming, transition to bedroom]
Me: Ok, now I have a diaper. We can put on the diaper, but then we won't be able to read any books tonight. Or, we can read some books if you pee pee on the potty.
Owen: Diaper!
Me: OK, here's the diaper. No books!
Owen: Potty!! Books! [Goes over to potty] No potty! I want diaper!
Me: OK, here's the diaper. No books!
Owen: No!!!!
Me: Owen, if you use the potty we can read books.
Owen: [teary] Read books?
Me: Yep.
Owen: [sniff] And buy a toy?
Me: [feeling suckered] OK.
Owen: And eat 2 marshmallows?
Me: [definitely suckered] Yeah, alright.
Owen: [goes potty and grins ear to ear]

On a walk in the woods-
Aunt Deb: God made so many beautiful things! God made the trees and the rocks and...
Owen: God made everyfing!
Aunt Deb: God made Owen! Who made Asher?
Owen: God made Asher!
Aunt Deb: Who made Daddy?
Owen: God made Daddy!
Aunt Deb: Who made Mommy?
Owen: Daddy!
The gender inequality starts early, eh?

After church program, in the car on the way home, while eating a sandwich-
Me: What did you do today Owen?
Owen: I went to class!
Me: Did you have a story? What was it?
Owen: Moses.
Me: Oh wow! What else did you do?
Owen: I cried a little bit.
Me: Oh, were you sad?
Owen: mmHmm. Lots of kids were crying in there.
Me: Yeah, sometimes kids miss their mommies. It's Ok to cry a little bit.
Owen: I tripped and fell down!
Me: Oh no, did you get hurt?
Owen: mmHmm.
[pause]
Owen: I'm sorry that happened to you. I'm sorry you tripped.
Me: Yes, I'm sorry that happened Owen. You'll be Ok though.
[pause]
Owen: Peanut butter sandwiches make you feel better.

Phrases Owen consistently uses that aren't *quite* right-
1. 'how knows' as in 'Daddy how knows to use the mower!'
2. 'shake milk' as in 'Mommy I want some vanilla shake milk!'
3. 'crackernut' as in 'Mommy, I found that crackernut tool to open peanuts!'

Ever since we made Daddy a birthday card together-
Anytime Owen either paints, uses markers, chalk, stickers, or anything resembling a craft he says, 'Daddy will be so happy you made it!'

At sleep times-
Owen vain? Perish the thought! Sometimes I sing the cheesy song, 'I love you O-O-wen, Oh yes I do-o...' to Owen when we're rocking or sitting together in his room. Well, recently he's decided that he LOVES recapping the day before hitting the crib. One particularly nasty bedtime (they've been rough of late), I got so very creative, and not only recapped the day, but I did it in song to the above tune. The verse I came up with mostly discussed how praiseworthy Owen was for riding his big-boy bike in the driveway. Wow. What a hit that was! Now Owen begs me to sing about him every night :} He says things like, 'Owen made cookies!' or 'Owen washed dishes by himself!', or 'Owen is getting bigger!' and expects me to make up a song about each item. Oh my word. The other night I tried to shift this little activity and I threw out some topics, 'Daddy is so wonderful!', 'We love sharing our toys!', 'Asher is a cute little brother!', but Owen wasn't going for this one bit. Aye aye aye.

While painting with watercolors together while Asher napped-
Owen cannot carry a tune in a bucket! I thought this might be normal for kids his age until I heard Zayn sing beautifully via webcam recently. We sing to Owen all the time, so either he's distinctly musically handicapped, or we are! Well, I've been trying to get him to sing with me just to hear what's going on when he tries to sing. He's pretty self-conscious and won't usually do it for long. This day he was trying quite a bit and enjoying himself more than normal--we sang abc's, itsy bitsy spider, etc. etc. while we painted. Quite a while later while looking down at his painting project he says out of the blue,
Owen: 'You're singing dat song!' (translation: I'm singing that song)
Me: You're singing a song? What song is that?
Owen: That paper song.
Me: Oh, the paper song? I don't know which song you mean. How does it go?
Owen: [grinning, and beginning to warble in a random, anti-melodic pattern] 'You get a liiiitle bit of paper! You get muuuuuch paper. You get a liiiitle bit of paper. You get muuuuuch paper!
[more giggling]
This story is the hardest to translate into prose and catch the humor--you kind of had to hear it--but it had me rolling with laughter.

After I had been out of the room getting Asher down for a nap-
Owen: [beaming] 'Mommy I found those stickers!'
Me: Oh, did you find your puppy dog stickers?
Owen: [pause] No, those stickers.

That's one expensive toddler craft project.

And not to leave out my last but not least sweet boy:

What a delight. Asher can giggle and coo and woo your affection with the best of them. He pulled his trick on the nursery worker today that he's pulled on me more than once. She nestled him in the crook of her arm to get him to settle down to sleep...he closed his eyes for a couple of minutes and started to drift off. Then he lazily opens them, looks up at her and flashes his widest, sweetest smile, closes the eyes again and goes to sleep. She calls him the cherub. I heartily agree!