Seth and Sam: Six and a half years

My current project this past week has been going through old digital photos and pairing them down (we don't need 20 pictures of the same sunset or 10 different angles of the cupcakes I made for the boys of their second birthday.) So far I have tackled years 2010-2012; it has been a blast! They are the years when the boys were about 6 months to 2.5 years old...it's been especially fun to compare them to how Joshy looks at the similar age.

Here are some things that have stuck out while looking through these old photos of Seth and Sam:

-They are super joyful kids. Seriously joyful. So much laughter and smiles.

-They are always up to something pretend or creative. This started at a very young age. For example using Easter baskets as dust masks for a construction project or hat strings as football mouth guards.

-They love dressing up.

-They love basketball and football.

-They are always talking.

-They love playing outside.

Another detail that was really impressed upon me while looking through these photos was the amount of love and support they have been given from friends and family. We have some seriously amazing people who have been consistently in Seth and Sam's life and for that I'm so thankful. Both sets of Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, a whole slew of cousins, and some great friends have invested in these two boys' lives. It has shaped who they are and who they will be. I'm so deeply grateful! 

Seth, Sam

Anyways, on to the update about Seth and Sam. I've been thinking about what to write in this post for months now. In fact, ever since Ben took each big boy individually to a Blazers game back in December and January. This has been the third year in a row we've been able to do this (I guess it's a tradition now, huh!) and it's so special and important. We really don't split the twins up much. Truthfully, they don't ever want to be apart. But, we do understand that it is important for them to form their own identities. This lack of individuality became very apparent to us when Sam was the first to have his game with Ben. The game happened to be on a "snow day" so Ben went in late to work (around 1:30) and simply brought Sam with him, so I wouldn't have to drive in a few hours later. That meant Seth had a LONG day at home with just Josh and I. Josh went down for a nap, and I figured Seth would be soaking up the one-on-one time with me, but he was just kind of listless. Unable to decide which game to play, which movie to watch...it was like his sounding board (Sam) wasn't there, so he was just so indecisive. The odd thing is that when they are together, Seth is full of opinions, but when he was alone, he couldn't make a single decision. As I said before, it was a LONG afternoon. Seth tends to be much more controlling with Josh and unable to "go with the flow" so those two kind of bickered and struggled to play together. I had to come up with lots of ideas of things for them to do (which I never have to do when the twins are together). Meanwhile, Ben was at work, then dinner, then the game with Sam. He said Sam talked endlessly and was full of opinions about what to do and where to go. 

Saying goodbye before parting for the Blazer game (Sam, Seth)

Seth reading with Josh in a fort

A few weeks later, it was time for Seth to have his special Blazer game with Ben. His choices of where to eat and what to do mimicked Sam's, because he had already heard all about what Sam did and wanted to test it out for himself. Sammy, at home with Josh and I, was quick to make decisions and had already planned out the whole evening without my prompting him. He did not choose to do the same things as Seth. He and Josh had a jolly loud time, as Sam doesn't try to make Josh play in a way that he wants. Ben said that he and Seth had a great time, but things were measurably quieter...Sam is sure a chatterbox! 

Playing water games (Josh, Sam)

Overall, these little one-on-one times sure did paint a picture of the twins' individual personalities! Seth tends to be a bit more "type A" and likes to control situations and especially his little brother. He is quieter and doesn't feel the need to fill quietness with chatter. He is currently quicker at math then Sam, but much sloppier and less precise in handwriting. He doesn't finish books well. He loves Rosey and petting and cuddling with her. He's very competitive (always keeping score), loves basketball, and loves to dunk. He jumps well and runs fast. He's got great shooting form and picked that up quickly. His sniffing tick has settled down, now he just has his hands constantly by his mouth and nose. He has some of the same struggles falling asleep as I did as a child and we have to cover the clock so he doesn't stress when he hasn't fallen asleep quickly.

This is the kinex ferris wheel Seth made...it turns and everything

Seth lost his top two front teeth within a week of each other...it makes it hard to talk!

Sam is a talker! He's endlessly full of questions and opinions. He likes to be silly and dorky. He includes Josh a bit better by playing down to his toddler level. He is a ferocious reader who devours chapter books with delight. His handwriting has gotten quite good lately and takes pride in forming good letters. He also loves sports: basketball and football especially. He doesn't dunk or shoot quite as good as Seth, but he's much tougher about injuries.

I can't write an update about the twins without telling about the "Sneaky Club." I really cringe each time they say the name of their super special secret club (real subtle name, right?) but have purposed to not be critical of the name to them, because it is truly their innocence that allows them to call it the "Sneaky Club," and not understand the negative connotation of the work "sneaky." Anyways, the club started with their Plato cousins, then spread to the boys' down the street, and now Seth and Sam have told all their friends about the Sneaky Club. I'm not real sure what the Sneaky Club exactly does: I hear a lot about weapons, forts, boats and wars. Truly fighting for good I suppose. 

And I can't write about the Sneaky Club without talking about the quarter tree. A couple months ago we met a neighbor five houses down the street who has a dog that Rosey likes to play with. We try to go on a daily walk with Rosey, and I started to notice that neighbor Chris was watching for us to walk by, and then would come out with his dog. Chris and I started to visit, then I met his wife Jackie, the boys started to get comfortable and talk with them, and then they started to notice these amazing trees on the property. Trees call all little boys to climb, so Seth and Sam started climbing. Now these walks have became our daily afternoon routine. Chris and Jackie don't have any grandchildren and are just thrilled with having the boys in their life. It is very special. They walk me around their property showing me plants (they have an amazing garden) and ask the boys about their day. Another dog from next door, Bailey, comes over as well and Josh throws her sticks. So somehow Chris got this idea of hiding quarters in the tree for the boys to discover. And talk about innocence: the twins seriously think that there's a fairy that puts them there. It is all very sweet and exciting and memorable. It's been such an amazing thing what a little daily trip to some neighbors can do for relationship. I truly feel called to love up on these neighbors and am so thankful to stay at home and have time to do it!

Seth, Sam

Monopoly is a new favorite game

Let's see, beyond the sneaky club and climbing trees at Chris', the boys still love to play pretend all day long. They still call each other "Hanger and George" and dress up in crazy clothes and go on big adventures. They love to race bikes, shoot baskets and play in mud outside. Their favorite food is pizza and sweet and sour chickens. Their favorite movie is Robin Hood. They love to play pretend money and have "accounts" set up for many different make believe families; I finally had to set up a bank (chart on the wall) for all the different people because I kept finding random piles of money around the house. They love talking about farming and gardening and have been making their own garden plan for this year, complete with buying seeds for their own garden plot. They love watching and playing sports with their daddy. They are almost 48 inches tall (tall enough for the big rides at Disneyland!) and weight about 52 pounds.

Overall, they are a pair of delightful six year olds. I love being their mom and am so blessed to still have them at home with me each day. They love Jesus and have kind hearts. They are quick learners and endlessly creative. They are growing up way too fast. They recently told me about a girl that they noticed at Great Wolf Lodge because she "looked so happy and smiled lots" and I couldn't believe that they are old enough for that! I'm thankful for the joy and laughter they bring into the house! 

Update: Josh 2 years 3 months (and 2 years 5 months)

I wrote the majority of this post back in November. I'm not sure why I didn't publish...I think perhaps we went into Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then the Kitchen Show--and bam, Josh is now almost two and a half years, and has already changed since I wrote the beginning of this. 

One of my favorite things about having a blog is using it as a journal to remember the kids' development at each particular phase. Although these posts are the most difficult and time consuming to write, I have a feeling that we will cherish them many years down the road. So, without further ado, here's what Joshua has been up to recently (twins' post to come later):

He really is a kick in the pants, making us all laugh multiple times a day. His language has exploded and he mostly talks in full sentences. He says things like, "That's perfect," he told me first thing this morning, "Maybe I should eat," and describes any want as, "I want_____ SO bad!" He loves to say "Melk," to anything stinky or any food that meets his disapproval. He bosses his brothers around all day and never wants to be left behind. I spend my days hearing Josh demanding, "Seth, Sam, play Hanger George," "Seth, Sam play dogs," etc. With the twins he loves racing, playing "Doo-Doo," (which means dancing around in circles in his room--and only his room!), playing stuffed animals, participating in school (coloring next to them), and in general anything that they are doing. While he is often a nuisance in their games, they all really have been getting along fairly well.

Josh loves riding his balance bike and scooter. He's pretty adventurous and doesn't hesitate to go fast. He learned to jump this past month. He's pretty good at catching his football. Josh loves driving his cozy coupe car and pretending to go to work like his daddy. He has me "wave goodbye at the window", goes for a quick drive around the house, and comes back to the room announcing, "I home!" He has really started loving being read to; his favorite books are Busy Town Cars and Trucks, Very Hungry Catepillar, Little Blue Truck, Go, Dog, Go, The Little Engine That Could, and Red Fish, Blue Fish.

He has started learning some basic numbers (counted to 5 today!) and shapes, animal names and their sounds, and a bit of the alphabet song. But, colors seem to be his downfall. The thing we can't seem to figure out, however, is if it's just a lack of caring , not paying attention, or maybe even just to be funny. Sometimes, he'll be spot on with somethings' color, and other times I could show him blue pants and a red shirt and he'll call them both orange. This kid can improvise and make things up way beyond his age. If he doesn't know an animal's sound (a giraffe for example), he'll make some silly funny sound. (Update: Josh does indeed know his colors and is not color blind. He was just being a rascal. He know knows his colors and can count to ten...with a few missing numbers.)

I was singing the ABC's with him the other night, with him copying me after a set of four or so letters. One section he sang so funny that I burst out laughing. After recuperating, I sang the next letters and instead of copying, Josh looked at me with a very serious face and said, "I not singing more." Ha! He showed me for laughing at him!

He's gotten attached to a stuffed kitty that my mom gave him last month. He carries it around all day and sleeps with it at night. He also loves his blue blankets and pillow. He continues to be excellent at sleeping through the night. However, he does not require as much sleep as I think he should (ha! Don't we parents always think that?). If he takes a long nap, then he's up until 10:30 or 11:00--not crying, just rolling around making kitty noises.

His daddy is his favorite! He wants to be with him all the time and is sad when he wakes up and Ben is at work. When Ben gets home, Josh absolutely dotes on him. He smothers him in snuggles, hugs and kisses. He often gushes, "I love you, daddy!" 

Trying to be like the big boys playing football

 He fell down our front step and scratched his face on the cement. It was a good excuse to get some close ups of the cute boy!

 Such big blue eyes

 Seth and Sam gave Josh the broom and made him the street sweeper. He thought it was pretty cool!

 He's been bringing me clothes throughout the day so he can play dress up. The shorts are the only item of clothing he can put on himself, so we've been seeing those a lot.

 Snuggling with his daddy is his favorite.

Reading in a fort with Seth

 Cowboy Joshy with new horse Thunder from Grandma Titi

 He's been really into painting

 This is Josh with our neighbor Matthew. Josh loves Matthew!

  Joshy and his kitty

 My baby is sure growing up!  

Mt. Hood House

Part two of our kitchen renovation vacation was SNOW. We rented this really cool house about 15 minutes from Government Camp on Mt. Hood. It was a wonderful ski lodge, full of beautiful rustic decor, books and games for the kids, a warm fire, a hot tub, and fire pit. It was the perfect place to unwind and regroup for the big "reveal" of the kitchen.

Here's the boys in front of the house:

Seth and Sam are making mountains. We're all geared up ready to sled!

Thanks to it being Wednesday, there were very few people at the sledding hill. We had a blast! It was so warm and sunny that we all ended up taking off our coats and Josh needed sunglasses!

Sammy and I: picture taken after Sam took a jump on a sled and re-injured his back. After a little break, he was thankfully able to sled again (only laying on his stomach, though!)

Ben, Josh and Seth. Josh loved sledding and went down all the hills with Ben or I. Seth had a pretty good wipe-out on a run and ended the day a little cold and grumpy.

Josh and I ready for a run...

I took this picture from the loft of our ski lodge. The big boys' highlight of the house was learning how to play "Risk" with Ben.

Sam's sporting his ears from Great Wolf Lodge.

Josh fell in love with a teddy bear that was a decoration at the house. He named it "JJ," toted it all around the house, and even fell asleep with it right on his tummy. He still talks about JJ. 

The house was a short walk to the Sandy River. We spent some time throwing rocks in the water, and then Ben took the big boys across the river stepping on rocks (which is such a great example of why God gave boys Daddy's: I would have NEVER let them go across!)

Poor Josh, he didn't get to go across. He had a blast throwing rocks, though.

One of my favorite memories at this house was when we all sat down for dinner, and Josh looked around at us and said, "Well, how about that swimming. That was fun, huh." It was so sweet. Other great memories were also made around the fire pit after dinner where we roasted some s'mores.

And the night ended with some hot tubbing. The kids got a kick out of the light in the hot tub that changed color. 

The next morning we watched funniest home videos and then hopped in the hot tub again. As we were sitting in there, I looked at Ben and told him that I just realized that I hadn't even considered what time check-out was for the house! I grabbed a towel, and headed in to look: 11:00 check-out; it was 10:40. So we scrambled to rinse off and pack up; this was a great example of some the things that slipped through my mental cracks as we were preparing for all the kitchen stuff! There was a lot on our minds! (I also forgot to grab Josh's blanket and Ben's toiletries in all the rush of leaving the house that was full of a camera crew.)

So the rest of the week, we are going to blog, but we have to save the posting for when the show airs (hopefully early summer). It was one of the most unique, crazy, special, memorable weeks of our lives. We are loving our new kitchen and are continually amazed of the privilege of being chosen for such a blessing! When in doubt: always make a video to send into contests!