It happened again. I can't figure out how to stop them or slow them down. They are equal parts heart-breaking and joyous.
Birthdays.
Its the 3rd time we have had to "celebrate" our kids getting another year older...another year closer to adulthood.
I know, its dramatic. But, just look at them. They are little boys now. All the baby chub is gone (well, almost), they are chattering up a storm, they have interests now and they have fully grasped the concept of "free will" (in the earthly sense, that is. I don't think sunday school covers the free will vs. pre-destination debate for another couple years).
They seemed to grasp the birthday concept a little better this year. They were very focused on their moon cake, although once they discovered that gifts were involved, they were all in. My mom and Mia were here on their trek back down to FL and my dad flew in for the weekend. We had so much fun and the boys loved everything they opened...especially the rockets.
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Moon cake, alien invader cupcakes and a cake for the adults |
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Just imagine that Evan is saying "holy smokes!!"
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| I am an extraordinarily poor photographer. But the subject is good. |
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| You know these toys come with batteries that need to be charged overnight before use. Bright and early test runs! |
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| Birthday gift from poppi |
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| 5...4...3...2...1... |
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| This is Evan holding his nose because the rocket launching smelled funny. |
The next weekend, Matt had a soccer game he wanted to go to in Baltimore and I had a wedding shower. We drove up to Annapolis on Friday, I left for the shower on Saturday morning and the boys stayed with Matt's mom and sister. Obviously, they had a blast. They also got to celebrate their birthday for a 2nd time and they are still talking about it. I think Alex still has cake in his hair:) Our families are so awesome!
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| At this point, he is a well-oiled cake eating machine...and he knows it. |
So its officially been 3 years since becoming parents. I try to balance mourning every year that has passed with being so extremely grateful that they even happened.
Alex has become even more independent recently. I can give him pretty detailed instructions which he follows (he loves to be a help). He loves to jump off the side of the pool and swim to me under water. He also loves diving down for things on the bottom of the pool (he still needs a little push). He can hold his breath for a very long time, about 5 seconds longer than I am comfortable with. He is wonderfully affectionate with Lydia. He loves to hold her and squeeze her and pester her. She has yet to get annoyed but just smiles at him and tries to grab him.
Evan's favorite phrase continues to be "help me, mommy". He can do it all on his own but he loves to have company. He is my little collector. It doesn't even matter what it is, if its small, he wants to hold it and will hang on to it forever. If there is ever a person who could end up on an episode of Hoarders, its Evan. He has the sweetest little voice. Once recently, we were in a public bathroom and he was talking non-stop. The lady in the next stall was laughing and when we both came out, she couldn't get over how cute he sounded. Evan loves sliding boards, jumping off the edge of the pool, being thrown in the air by daddy.
Matt and I are having so much fun watching them change. As all parents have experienced, the new challenge is trying not to laugh at their inappropriate-ness. They have learned to make crazy faces when they are being scolded to try and disarm me or matt. They are learning how to joke around and its really cool to see their little sense of humor come out. Our favorite time though is when we are kissing them goodnight and their little voices cry out in the dark "nuggle me mommy!!". Melt my heart. I wish I could bottle up those moments to cherish later.
Its been a busy 3 years. These boys have definitely changed our lives, stretched us in ways we never thought imaginable and given us the most incredible experiences ever. I know this next year will bring a myriad of new changes. How exciting!!
