My Not-so-little Boys

 MATTHEW

    Our little Matthew boy is almost 11 months old.  He has a personality, that is for sure.  Someone described him the other day as "a smile waiting to happen."  That is him for sure.  He has a heart melting smile, with two big dimples and his deep blue sparkly eyes.  Not to mention the cute little dimple chin he has too.  His hair is fluffy and Tyson keeps telling me we need to cut it, but I don't know how to go about it.  Josh and Caleb were both bald for at least the first year of their life.  I wouldn't have the slightest idea of how to keep Matthew still, and I'm afraid I would ruin the fluff.  So if the smile, fluffy hair, and chubby appendages don't get you to smile, for sure his floppy ears will.  Seriously, this kid is cute.  But, I guess I am pretty biased. 

    He loves to run after his brothers and he crawls about 1/3 of the time, walks/runs the rest of the time.  He refuses to eat baby food and has for some time now.  He will only eat what his brothers are eating.  He is cutting 4-6 teeth (I can't quite tell) right now, which means his cranky personality is a little (okay, a lot) more evident than usual.  And he is stubborn.  He screams and squawks when he wants something.  SO ANNOYING.  We are really working to break him of that.  And when he is mad, woah, he is mad.  It is just so crazy that a person so little can have so many opinions and so much defined character at so young.  It doesn't help that I have gotten lazier now that I am more exhausted chasing after all three of these kids, so pretty much, Matthew gives me a run for my money.  Tyson has to pick up my slack all the time.  And Matthew really listens to his daddy, for which we are all (including everyone at church that gets sick of his loud noises) appreciate.  I just LOVE this little guy!



 JOSHUA

    My Josh Dude is getting so big (5 years old in November).  He is my big helper, my bud, the tattle tell (including on me, Tyson knows way more secrets about me than he used to, like how much sugar I eat, hehe), the big brother.  He is a little bossy, especially with Caleb.  Sometimes that is a little frustrating, but Josh also has a lot of pressure on him to take care of his siblings, so it makes sense.  He has started washing his own dishes, which I am pretty sure I appreciate.  :)  There are so many chores that he wants to help with, like cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming, helping Daddy cut down the big tree, mowing the lawn, etc.  We came to a deal about when he can start mowing the lawn.  I was wearing a normal t-shirt and Josh asked how tall he would be when he could mow the lawn and so I told him when the top of his head reaches where the bottom of my sleeve hits on my arm (I hope that makes sense), he can start mowing the lawn.  So he reminds me all the time.  He also talks about "the other two babies."  He will say, "we are all here except for the other two babies."  Apparently, we have two more babies in heaven.  They are both girls, but not twins (thankfully).  So, we will see if he is right.

   We have been doing a lot of reading lately with Josh.  He LOVES books (and puzzles and board games).  He has been learning how to read and is doing really well.  Today he read "This is a cat.  The cat can run.  Mud is on the cat."  Never in my life did I think reading three sentences would be so cool.  He is a snuggle kid and loves to have his back scratched or massaged.  He tells me often how pretty I am and how much he loves me and Daddy.  I really like this age.  He is so honest, but still thinks I am pretty perfect.  I know that illusion won't last forever, but I really love it now.  I really am lucky to have such a great, sweet kid.



 CALEB

   Our sweet Caleb boy will be 3 in October.  So weird.  He was so little and underweight for so long, that I guess I didn't think he would ever grow.  He is finally getting taller and I catch myself looking twice at him because it seems like he looks older every time I see him.  He used to be so easy going, and I'm sure he still is, but he has opinions now which is weird.  He wants to eat only certain foods and wear certain clothes.  He hates being unclothed in any way, so potty training has been a serious struggle.  Like he seriously sits there bawling and screaming for hours if I change his diaper and don't put his pants back on.  Kind of funny.  But I am glad he has opinions, it makes life more interesting and it is cute to see what he cares about.

  One thing he cares a lot about are his brothers.  He tells Josh and Matthew all the time that they are his best friends.  It is so sweet.  He hugs poor Matthew non-stop and tries to carry him and feed him and all kinds of really loving things that drive me crazy.  :)  He speaks pretty well for a little boy, I think.  I can understand pretty much everything he says and his favorite phrase is "Mama, I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to ____"  Like if he is talking to Tyson about something and Tyson won't respond, I will say "Oh Caleb, that is cool."  He will say, "No Mama, I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to Daddy."  And look at me with this "how dare you" look on his face.  He still sometimes takes naps, but not often.  He hates sleeping in his bed and usually ends up on our floor or the foot of our bed.  I start to get upset, but he is so cuddly and loving, it is nigh unto impossible to be mad for long.  I am just so lucky to have this little guy in my life.  He loves to kiss me and giggle and I just treasure him.



I am just so thankful I have these three little guys.  I just had to write about them.