A Meal of Firsts

We are currently en route to the beach. On our way, we stopped by Wendy's to eat. We don't frequent Wendy's just a whole lot (or pretty much ever). Not because Brian and I don't like it but because they just don't have a lot to offer a kid that doesn't like hamburgers or fries and will only eat Chick fil a chicken nuggets. But in Tallulah, LA there was not just a huge selection. After standing at the counter for, no lie, about ten minutes asking Noah what he wanted, he finally said he wanted a 'hangabur' with cheese on it. We, very hesitantly, ordered a cheeseburger knowing it would be a waste of money. He loved it! He got to the middle and noticed the ketchup.
Noah: Mommy, what is this?
Me: It's ketchup
Noah: Hey Esther! This is ketchup! It's not jelly! I like ketchup!
Noah ate his first cheeseburger, his first order of fries and his first Frosty. Thomas also ate his first Frosty. Esther did not eat anything. Instead, she pretended to be a puppy in a cage while the rest of us ate. No one was screaming. The toilets were not too loud and they all went to the bathroom without a fight. All in all, it was a successful stop. :)

A couple months back, I had a doctor's appointment and we took all the kids (not ideal). They were climbing all over Brian and the furniture and making lots of noise in the otherwise quiet waiting room. We were getting lots of stares and judgmental looks. All of a sudden, Noah shouts out, loud enough for everyone to hear, "Daddy, when are you going to get married???" Everyone in the room was either horrified or laughing hysterically. We decided it would be a while before they all came back for a visit.

Two

Admittedly, I am writing this in June, four months after she turned two, but better late than never I suppose.  Esther, Esther, Esther...She is definitely one of a kind.  We always thought Noah was a pretty strong willed kid (which he is), but Esther takes being strong willed to a whole new level.  This is an Esther world and we are all just living in it :)  Here is what she is up to:
-  When she first turned two, she really was still not saying much at all.  We weren't really that worried about her because she understood everything we said and would comunicate, just not with words.  She could say words, but would stubbornly refuse.  We would say, 'Esther can you say dog?' knowing that she could.  She would look at us and say 'No!' and shake her head.  Now, four months later, she is talking all the time, has a pretty amazing vocabulary and uses complete sentences.
-  She loves playing with her babies.  She feeds them, rocks them, strolls them, puts them to sleep, and frequently puts them in time out.  It is so interesting to watch her.  Noah definitely never really cared for babies and isn't nearly as nurturing as she is.
- She is potty trained as I have mentioned in other posts. A feat she accomplished pretty much on her own.
- She takes one nap a day and sleeps fairly well at night. When she first turned two, she still had her pacis when she slept, but those have since been taken away, Something Brian and I were really dreading because of her severe addiction, but the blow was softened thanks to the 'paci fairy' bringing her a cash register in their place.
-She is not nearly as picky an eater as Noah, but does not eat very much. She will eat one big meal in a day and sort of pick at stuff the rest of the time.

She is definitely a unique child. She can frustrate me to no end, and then turn around and say something so adorable or do something so hilarious. She definitely makes our lives more interesting, but we wouldn't have it any other way. We love you so much Esther and can't wait to see how you use all your uniqueness in the future.

Four

I did actually start this on his birthday despite the publish date of June 15.
That's how old Noah turned today. I can't believe it's been four years. Time is flying by so fast. My mom would always tell me, "When you were four, I told you to stop growing, but you didn't listen to me." I used to think she was being so corny and would probably roll my eyes at her, but not anymore. I know exactly what she means. I find myself saying the same thing to Noah. I look at him and think, "when did he get so big?" Here's what he is up to:
- He is becoming so much easier to reason with and the fits are becoming less. He still has them every so often, but they have definitely dwindled (which is a huge blessing since his sister is gearing up). :)
- He is still a good sleeper. He doesn't nap every day, and when he does he is ususally up until 10 or 11 at night, but he is good about resting, looking at books, doing puzzles, or playing something quietly.
- He is still a picky eater, but has become much more open to trying new things.  I'm thinking that mac and cheese and spaghetti will forever be his favorite though.
- He loves to ride his bike.  He got one for Christmas and refused to ride it for a while.  It was cold and it was something new.  He migrated more toward the familiat tricycle.  Since it has warmed up a bit (Yes I am actually wrtiting this a littel late. Surprise, surprise), he is all bike now.  Not too long ago, he was riding and Brian was chasing him.  Brian barely grabbed the end of his shirt.  Noah trying to get away, jerked his handle bars hard the other way and fell.  It was a pretty nasty fall.  Both legs were skinned up and bleeding.  We were so proud of him because after all the bandaging, he got right back on and rode some more.  Shortly after all this happened, another family pulled into the parking lot where we were riding to ride their bikes.  Noah rode over to them and promptly told them about how his Daddy had pushed him off his bike and made him have a bad wreck.  Thankfully Brian knew them and we were not reported. :) Other toys that he likes include cars, trucks, and dinosaurs.  He still loves animals of all kinds and reading/learning about them.  He also loves to play soccer and baseball.
-  He remembers EVERYTHING.  No saying you are going to do something and then not do it around here.  Noah ensures that whatever fun thing was promised is done.
-  He knows all his letters and numbers.  He can count to 100 (minus the number fifteen which always gets left out for some reason).  He is pretty good at letter sounds and is working on putting letters together and is starting to read a little.
-  He and Esther are the best of friends.  They play together so well and it makes us so happy.  They do fight, a lot, but overall I would say they like each other more than not.  He tries to boss her around, which if you know Esther, you know that doesn't really fly, and they usually end up doing what she wants to do.
- He still loves Baby Doggy more than anything.  Last night, we were going to play a game of Candyland before bed.  There are four gingerbread pieces in the game, red, yellow, green and blue.  Noah was assigning all the colors, "Daddy is going to be green, I'll be yellow, and Esther can be blue." Brian responded with, "And Mommy is red?"  Noah looked at him like he was crazy and said no.  Brian, confused, said "Noah, there are four pieces.  For you, me, Esther, and Mommy." Noah again looking at Brian as if he were crazy and getting a little exasperated said, "No Daddy! You are green, I am yellow, Esther is blue and Baby Dog is red!" And that's how it went down. Brian, Noah, Esther, and Baby Dog played Candyland while I watched/wrangled Thomas.  I like to think that if there had been five pieces that surely I would have made the cut. :)
- He is so impressionable right now.  We will see him do things or hear him say things that clearly he learned somewhere else. My knee jerk reaction is to pull him in and shelter him, but I know that's not what he needs and that's not going to help him in the long run.  He needs to be able to explore and experience life (within the constraints of what a four year old should be experiencing) and to be taught to discern what is okay and what is not okay, what is right and what is wrong.  This whole parenting thing is not easy and we have only just begun. I pray that God will give us the ability to teach and guide him and the wisdom to know when to hold on and when to let go.

We love you so much Noah and are so blessed to be on the journey of life with you!!!  You definitely make it more entertaining!

Esther, the potty training wonder

Right after her birthday, (in February despite the June publishing date), Esther told me she wanted to go potty. She went and pulled the little potty into the bathroom all by herself. I pulled her diaper off and set her down. She didn't do anything, got up, and we moved on. Right after that Thomas woke up from a nap. I got him, made a bottle, and sat down on the couch to feed him. It was then that I noticed that I had forgotten to put her diaper back on...as she was sitting on the couch right next to me bare bottomed. I tried to coax her off so as not to destroy our couch any more than it already is, but she would not budge. Then all of a sudden, mid feed, she shouts out "poopoo!," climbs down and starts racing for the potty. I quickly removed the bottle, placed Thomas on the floor (ever so gently) and ran after her. She sat down and pooped on the potty. After that, she had a few accidents when we were out, but for the most part, she was potty trained. It was truly amazing. As with everything else in her life, when she decides she is ready to do something, she does it. Just don't try to get her to do something before she decides it's time. :)