Caden and Blake are two and a half this month and they have grown up by leaps and bounds since Gavin was born. They ask each other to play specific games like throwing pillows off the couch and shooting hoops in the back yard. "Caden, play pillows?" They want to get along for the most part and I am so grateful for that little shift in behavior.
They also value time with me more than before so I love to spoil them with afternoon play. We played pirates a few days ago. After fighting sharks (large zuchinis), swimming to the deserted island, following a treasure map to the X and digging up a baggie of cookies they were saying "Ahrrr matey!" for the rest of the day. Seriously... how fun is my life? Gavin wouldn't be left out of the fun so I carried him around in his sling.
We don't always go to such lengths to have fun but I love playing pretend. It takes some effort and preparation but it's usually worth it. Most of the time they get me in the backyard to play basketball or watch them mow the lawn. They get so happy when I play with them I feel like the guest of honor. They make sure I have my own basketball and they both chase after it and retrieve it every time I take a shot. They say, "Good job Mamma, you made it!" or "Almost Mamma, try again!"
Blake is such a smart little kid. He has the art of manipulation down pat already. For example, their cousin Sammy was sitting in a toy car. Both boys wanted to play with it so Caden opens up the door and tries to pull him out by the arm. Of course, that gets an immediate response from me and we try to distract Caden with something else. Then it's Blake's turn. He opens the door to the car and slowly moves his face towards Sam until he's mere inches away, forcing Sam (who is a full year younger) to push him away. Blake fake falls back onto the grass and starts whining. Amanda gets up and scolds Sammy for pushing and lets Blake into the car with a look of triumph on his face. Luckily I know all the tricks so I didn't let him get away with it. But Blake does surprise me lately by how calculated he is. He thinks several steps ahead and plans his next move very carefully.
Underneath all the planning Blake loves to feel like a big boy and reminds us that he is all the time. He is also our little dancer. I'm afraid I taught him to be pretty nerdy because his dancing is one or two fingers in the air with a little head bop. Either that or both hands on his back kicking his feet around.
Caden, on the other hand, is the epitome of living in the moment. Every emotion and decision is a full force expression of NOW. It makes his joy unbridled and his sorrow tug at my heart strings but it also makes him very impatient. When I'm feeding Gavin and he wants me to play he gives me a stern look and says, "Mamma, put Gavin down now! Play baskaball."
Caden was the reason I found an outdoor basketball hoop on KSL. He loved the one at Grandma Rosemary's so much he played with it for over an hour. He is so persistent and focused on whatever he is doing. He also loves music. We were in the car the other day and I was singing along with the lyrics "tonight's going to be a good good night" and there was Caden in the back seat singing, "good night, good night!" He is also copying the words from the songs on Super Why. That is the new favorite show lately.
Oh man... they are in a classic argument right now about whether or not to leave the door open. It is such a power struggle. They both want to be in charge of their brother and fight over the dumbest things trying to show who is the boss. These fights usually end up with Caden pushing, tackling or throwing something causing an enraged Blake to retaliate and ends with two crying boys.
But I will take much of the blame for that one. On days that I try to be super productive around the house they spend a little too much time together alone. If I provide a good day of activities and attention they really have good intentions towards each other and me.
Then there is my sweet buddy Gavin. I love when I as I burp him he looks up at me with his big eyes. He is my little doll and he's all ready for BYU football season! (I just wish it was going to be a better season...) Look at that face! How can you not be in love with him?
I wouldn't be up to the task without Nate. He is SUCH a good boy daddy, I blame him for us having all boys. He is an incredible mix of tough love and energetic play. He has really taken his responsibility for our first yard seriously this summer. The volleyball pit is going to be a pain to keep weed free over the years but he's gotten the hang of sprinklers and fertilizing etc. He even laid down a beautiful layer of bark in the front yard. His work is going well also. He finally got some time to put towards creating a data visualization library for the company and has really made a name for himself. DV is his baby and everyone wants it. He has also become the appointed diplomat to deal with disagreements with a company in Swizterland. Adobe bought them out as well. The cultural differences bolstered by the ever present programmer pride has caused more than a few skirmishes between the teams. Luckily Nate has a way of saying things in a way that it sounds like he's agreeing with you when actually he's disagreeing. (Perhaps that's a skill he's had to master being married to me???)
Anyway, our life is not a fairytale, I just write about it that way. We have our challenges too, just nothing worth remembering.
