Even when I'm having a hard time, I'm always able to look at my two sugar babies, Bennett and Jasper, and see the light and bright spots of my life. They bring me so much joy and fun, and I am so thankful to be their mommy. This is a post dedicated solely to them - long overdue, if you ask me! :) - just silly little things they do, and things they are up to right now.
1. Bennett calls moths "mops." We have a lot of them here, and they are drawn to our porch lights like...well, like moths to a flame. Each time Bennett watches them he recites facts and descriptions about the "mops" he sees, in his most serious, grown up voice. I adore the mispronounced words of little kids.
2. Jasper's hair is out of control. It is flame red, and curly-wavy. I know if I put product in it, it would curl up gorgeously, like his daddy's did when he was little. But I am L-A-Z-Y when it comes to that kind of stuff (good thing I don't have any little girls - poor things would look bedraggled, tangled, and bow-less). We cut Bennett's the other day because his little face looks so handsome with short hair, but the girls begged us to let Jasper's grow a little longer, so we're trying it. It makes me giggle, and we get comments and stares everywhere we go. My mom told me a hilarious story today about his red hair and just how used he is to getting comments about it. Apparently a lady said, "Well hello! Aren't you the cutest thing!" And Jasper's response was, "Yes. I have hair." HA! Pretty sure he meant, "Yes, everyone tells me I'm cute because of my red hair." Funny boy.
3. Chewing gum is all the rage at our house. We go through packs and packs of the stuff with the teenagers, but even my boys love the stuff. Jasper learned how to chew gum at two years old (no, he never swallowed it - he has always chewed it like you're supposed to). Unfortunately, it recently took me about a week to realize that when Bennett was done with his piece, he was taking it out and sticking it to the seat in front of him in our 15-passenger van. When Jasper sucked all the flavor out of his piece, he was simply opening his mouth and letting it fall onto the floor, where it proceeded to get ground into the carpet (again, in the van). We spent a long while one afternoon picking gum out of the upholstery and firmed up some ground rules for proper gum-chewing etiquette. Like using a trash can. Brilliant.
4. I mentioned a while ago that we got a dog. He's a little Yorkie with the sweetest, most laid-back spirit, and Bennett ADORES him. They are pals and play together all day long. This has been fabulous and has almost made the poop clean up in the backyard worth it, especially since Bennett agitates the dog now instead of his younger brother :). P.S. Still planning on posting pictures of said dog. His name is Jetson.
5. I am SOOOO excited about next year for me and for both of my boys. Bennett is going to kindergarten at the school where Michael teaches. I would take the time to be sad and mourn his absence, but I know he is ready to be in school with friends and learn things at a faster pace, and that helps me be okay with it emotionally. Of course, I'll probably be a hot mess on his first day, eating my easy-breezy words :). Jasper will go to a little pre-school two days a week for the first time ever. This is going to be SO good for him - he's a mama's boy all the way and hasn't had nearly as much socialization as Bennett had at his age. He also doesn't like learning skills and information from me like he does from others. He wants to play with me, not be taught by me, so I think having an actual teacher will benefit him greatly. I confess, I'm also pretty stoked about the extra time this mama will have to get things done and to get the rest I need. That is one thing still sorely lacking.
6. Day before yesterday Bennett and I played the card game "War," then "Candy Land" and then "Twister." I was thinking to myself, How in the world did you grow old enough to play normal games and interact with me like a fifteen-year-old instead of a five-year-old?? He is growing up so fast. The other day I almost cried because he barely fits in my lap at all, and even when I try to hold him close to me, his legs and arms dangle all the way down to the floor and he's SO. HEAVY. Along with this, we've played a game called "Sack-a-Potatoes" on the way to rest time for a couple of years now, where I sling him over my shoulder and kind of throw him around on his way to his bed, half chanting-half singing "Ohhhhh, sack-a-potatoes, sack-a-potatoes, OHHHHHH sack-a-potatoes, sack-a-potatoes!" It makes him burst into giggling fits, and sometimes he laughs so hard, he gets the hiccups, but now he's getting so big, I seriously worry that I'm going to hurt myself trying to pick him up.
7. Jasper is the funniest, quirkiest little boy. He loves to lay down on his side to play with his trains and his cars, and makes them say the funniest things. His favorite game to play with me is where he is one car and I'm the other, and we talk to each other, tell each other what to do, and argue...thinking this comes from his interactions with Bennett :). He also likes to turn his toes in and walk crooked on purpose to make people laugh or until they say, "What's wrong with your feet?!" He smiles really big and exaggerates the crooked walk even more when someone comments on it.
8. When the boys pray, Bennett prays for each of the members of our family around the table, for protection at night against scary dreams, for a baby sister (NOT our doing, all him), and for any prayer request he becomes aware of through listening to others' conversations, such as people who are sick, selling our house (a couple of months ago), etc. Jasper thanks God for most anything he can think of, including our family and the food we eat, but ALWAYS for tractors, dump trucks, trains, and cars.
9. Their favorite games to play are "Dust Bunny," (I make weird noises and walk weird, acting like the Dust Bunny and chase them around, trying to knock them down and tickle them - usually played with Mimi), flashlight hide 'n seek, where we turn all of the lights off in the house after it gets dark and everyone has a flashlight to play with. You hide until you're found. The first one found is "it" for the next round. Bennett especially loves to play this when the sisters all play, too. They also love to play tag and "Monster," where I am also usually the one doing the chasing.
10. Jasper's favorite thing to say to me now is, "I love you!" When I say, "I love you, too, Jasper," he says, "I love you super, cooper, duper, stooper!" And then I say, "I love you to the moon and back." And then he says, "I love you to the moon and back, too!" We go round and round thinking of bigger and better ways that we love each other. It's one of my favorite things of all time with my little red head.
