Sweet Things From Our Oldest

We're definitely stuck right in the middle of those "Terrible 2s/3s" at the moment. I have to remind myself daily that this stage is temporary, and it will get better. (It has to, right?!) I think what amazes me the most is how Brody can completely break down in hysterics one minute, and in the next he is doing something absolutely charming that melts my heart.

Here's a short list of some total sweetness lately. (*And I'm doing this for my own sanity...I'll come back and read it when I really need a reminder. :)

1) Just being a super-sweet, loving, and patient big brother. He makes them smile, he makes them laugh. He shows them love. He shows them silly. He interacts with them in a way that makes me drop whatever it is I'm doing...and just watch. Like when he climbs up in my chair and grabs the spoon from the bowl of sweet potatoes and chicken that's perched on the edge of one of the highchairs. My mind is screaming, "NOOOO!! Get down before you make a mess!!!" But my heart knows better. And so I watch. I watch my oldest child scoop up a glob of orange messiness and ever so lovingly place it in my babies' mouths. First Jaxson...then Emersyn. The tongue sticking out of his mouth tells me that he is oh-so-focused and determined to feed these babies. So much so that he doesn't even notice how much the twins are loving this. This is clearly the highlight of their day. Why don't they get this excited when I'm feeding them?! :) Moments like this make me so proud of Brody and how far he's come since the day we brought our babies home. Eleven months ago, they were intruders--changing everything he knew about his world and stealing the attention of the two people he loved the most. Now, they are his family. His brother and sister. And I know he loves them like crazy.
 

2) Whippin' up sweet treats in the kitchen! We made pretzel "sparklers" around the 4th. He's so fun when he wants to help.

Don't you love how blondes look even blonder in the summer months??

3) Major cuddles when he's not feeling well...

For about a week he was battling a cough, runny nose, and off-and-on, low-grade fever. Finally, we brought him to see Dr. Carol (the same day Jax got tubes). Diagnosis: double ear infection. Oops. Must've picked that up from his Thursday class. I hate that he wasn't feeling well, but I sure loved the extra cuddles. (As did Kris!)

4) Is there anything cuter than a little boy in underoos??

I promise they're just baggy. Nothin' in there. :) He's doing excellent wearing big boy underwear, by the way.

5) Sweet kisses. Oh, the kisses!! Well, there's the "double kiss," as in two kisses--one on each cheek. You know, like we're in Paris. :) Then there's blowing and catching kisses at each other, and I laugh so hard when he opens his little hand to smoosh my kiss all over his cheek. He has recently developed a spin-off of this, which we've dubbed the "blow-and-chomp" kiss. Instead of catching the kiss with his hand he opens his mouth and snatches it right out of midair with one giant chomp. Pretty hilarious. Pretty sweet, too. The sound of his kisses is one of my favorite things in the world right now. Love, love, love.

6) Bedtime. I don't know if I should feel bad about this or not, but somedays it seems like this is the only quality, one-on-one time I get with Brody all day long. And I find myself stretching it out waaaaay longer than I should some nights. Kris is working, the babies are already fast asleep, and it's just me and my Brodster. No hungry babies, no crying, no noise. Just him and I, some good books, and lots of sweet giggles and love. He has me wrapped around his finger, and I think he's well aware. So I oblige his request for another potty break. A drink of water. One more story. "Cuddles, Mommy." Tucking in...again and again. More kisses, more hugs. And finally, a good-night. Actually...he makes it a great night.

How can he be turning THREE in just a couple months??