Help around the house

No, I haven't gotten a maid or nanny.  Just talking about these adorable boys of mine.  I like to include them in my housework sometimes.  It's good to teach them, and they seem to enjoy it.  They'd do everything if I let them...and fight about who gets to do it!  But that's probably because it's a novelty and not a chore.  They love sorting silverware and putting things away out of the dishwasher.  They'll help bring some bags in after grocery shopping.  They love washing the car.  They like to match socks for me.  They'll put their toys away...most of the time.  They'd probably love to vacuum if they were able.  When I'm vacuuming, they like to grab the attachments and pretend to clean too.  And they like to help with the laundry.  Of course, what little boy doesn't love to push buttons?  When I asked them to put the clothes from the washer to the dryer, I heard lots of giggles, and found them doing this:

Looks fun, huh?  I guess I just have to not worry about the clean clothes being dropped on the floor.  :)

Just Like The Old Days

This is David.  It's a rare occasion that I contribute, but I'm sitting and experiencing the joy again of a toy section at a department store.  I figured it would be fun to share.

When I was young, it was common that I would accompany my mom when she went shopping.  I'm 5 years younger than my nearest sibling, so there were many days where it was just me and mom.  Shopping with her was kind of a drag.  You get pulled away from whatever Lego project you were working on or make-believe adventure to a store with ladies clothes and bras.  Not fun at all.  Sometimes I would find a hanger or one of those plastic clips that holds sleeves together.  I would collect those clips and I called them "keys".  If I was lucky, I would find the dressing room with all the mirrors.  Nothing like making funny faces or ninja moves and getting to see them in all angles.

Then.... then I found there was a toy section.  A whole section void of the drab ladies beige pants and shoes?  Chock full of toys I didn't have?  Amazing!

Fast forward almost 30 years and today, right this moment, I get to share the joy again!  My oldest two are deep into the toy section and it's as if they've dipped their tongues in the finest hallucinogen.  They haven't made one complaint or whimper.  Just overwhemed with amazement.

Should I view this as evidence they need more toys?  Nah.  Just evidence that once in a while, we should come to the store and let them gorge themselves on the toy section. 

I love these boys.  I'm thankful to God for little men and thankful to Lisa for helping raise them to be strong and rambunctious. 

Matt Facts - a little up update

Poor Matthew hasn't gotten much love here on the blog, but he's getting lots of love everyday with us at home!  We all love this little guy and can't imagine life without him.

Here are some Matthew updates:

Now that he's out of the newborn stage, his little personality is starting to come out.  It's fun to see what makes him laugh and what interests him.  I can't wait to see who he becomes.

He started getting up on all 4s and rocking around 6 months.  Now he's slowing "worming" his way across the floor.

He started sitting pretty sturdy at 6 1/2 months.

He's getting the hang of eating - bananas and butternut squash so far.

He's a great sleeper.  He's been sleeping through the night for awhile.  But he gets up around 5:45.  He takes 3 naps a day.  He's a great napper too, but they're still unpredictable.  I never know when the long ones and short ones are going to be.

He does great at the church nursery.

He loves the pool.  We just put him in his floaty thing, and he's so content and relaxed.

He loves his brothers.  He adores Caleb.  Caleb is so sweet and gentle, he watches him if I need to leave the room, he gets him toys, he coos to make him smile.  Nathan loves him too in his own way.  He smothers gives him big hugs, pulls his legs, pokes his face, drops things on his head...you get the idea.  He's been calling him "my baby" lately.  They both love Matthew so much.

Being outside gets him through fussy times.  He likes stroller walks and being in the swing in the backyard.  But since it's hard to get the big boys to stop their play just because I want to go outside with Matthew, I rely on the baby carrier and wear him around the house a lot.  I'm going to be cashing in on some massages soon!

6 months has flown by!  I can't believe that Nathan wasn't even a year old when we moved into this house.  And now Matthew isn't far off from that!

Ok, I better hit publish now, since I've already lost this and had to try to retype it 3 times.  And here are some pics!