How remarkable

Shea, playing dress-up with her big brothers.
Despite the fact that I still refuse to purchase toy guns, the boys INSIST on blasting each other with what they call "laser blasters." Usually, these entail a garlic press or a pasta strainer... and I fear it's a losing battle that I'm just not going to win.
Shea is my favorite part of this picture.... along with the lovely laundry in the background.

For some reason, Dex decided he needed a band-aid under his nose. Naturally, it was easier to allow him to wear it for a whole three minutes before he realized it maybe wasn't the most comfortable place for a band-aid than to try to convince him myself. It was pretty funny while it lasted.
Dex and Shea

I used up left-over heart doilies by having the boys paint over them to make Christmas trees (aren't we crafty?). I think my favorite part of this activity was seeing how Dexter needed to put multiple trunks on his Christmas tree. Why? "Because it's better like this!!!!" Duh.
Once upon a time... two little boys got into their Mommy's eyeshadow and decided to give each other make-overs. It was the sweetest and goofiest thing and completely made my morning! Here's Dex.
Jax
Dex
Jax, working on Dex
Dex, working on Jax.
Love the concentration.

So... I've been reflecting lately on how remarkable it is to watch my children grow. Most children learn how to sit, crawl, walk, babble, etc... but watching my own children learn how to do these things has been the most amazing experience. Given what some of our experiences were like in the boys' second and third year, I now find myself viewing every new milestone as nothing short of a miracle. Is it? I don't know. It's all perspective, right? But I'm thankful for the perspective I have, right now, and am celebrating in the little things.

The boys had a Valentine's Day party at school on Thursday, so Wednesday afternoon, we got out their little valentines and I asked them to start signing them. A short while later, I was looking at two stacks of 18 valentines all with adorably written signatures on them. I don't feel like I ever marked the first time the boys wrote a letter, let alone their name. But watching them sit and sign all of their little valentines was a moment that just hit me. It took patience and dedication, not to mention fine motor skills. And it hit me... they're growing up. It's one of those moments that will most likely stay with me for the rest of my life.

They're not the rambunctious little boys they were at 3... running and climbing and shouting and giggling. Hmm... okay, there's still running and climbing and shouting and giggling... but there are also more and more moments filled with silence, contemplation, conversation. Their play is less energy driven and more plot driven.

They've been sounding out written words for several months, now... but are getting more and more comfortable at diving into this world of reading. I walked in on Jaxon reading one of our board books (I Love You, Good Night) to Shea the other day and my heart just melted. Dexter is still our fact memorizer, diving into this world of Star Wars more than ever with new Star Wars dictionary books from the library. He wants to know every single bit of information and he does a fantastic job at remembering it all. Are these skills unique to the boys? Absolutely not. Most young children are inquisitive and curious, most of us learn how to read, sign our names, draw pictures, run and jump... but there's just something about watching your own children learning, practicing, mastering... It's remarkable.

Shea is marveling me in her own way, too. At 18 months, the boys knew their alphabet in and out, most of their colors and most of their numbers, too. Shea, on the other hand, hasn't the foggiest idea what a letter is, despite my best intentions. She is, however, more verbal than the boys were even after the age of 2. For the past few days, whenever she doesn't get what she wants, her big question is "Why?" I'm not sure if she really knows what she's asking or if she's just mimicking her brothers, but it's absolutely hilarious. She has funny little conversations with her toys and cracks us up with her jokes and imitations. I had barely woken up this morning, when I found her rummaging through library books and DVDs, asking, "Movie please? Mommy? Movie please? Elmo? Backyardigans?" (Okay, she doesn't say "Backyardigans." It's more like "Ack-gan-i-gan." But she's still trying so hard!) Of course there are children far more verbal than she is, but I still marvel at her own learning to talk as if it's the first time any child ever learned how to say anything. The first time one of the boys drew two jedis having a light-saber duel, I wanted to frame it. Surely it was the first time any child anywhere drew anything so brilliant! Obviously, I'm kidding. My point is, I'm thankful and grateful and enjoying all of this... immensely.

Now if I could just slow down the clock!