Oh so special

The boys' preschool has this great tradition of giving each child a "special week." Among a mixture of treats, such as unveiling the workstations for the day and getting to bring home a plush Curious George toy fort the, the child also gets to bring a few of his favorite things from home and do a sort of show-and-tell. It was such a treat for me to see the boys glowing in their 10 minutes of preschool fame. Interestingly enough, they each chose to wear the same shirt for their big day (though their special days were a week apart). Above is Jaxon, sharing stories about Dexter's blue lightsaber (a shared favorite toy) and his blue woobie.


Shea, sitting like a big girl at one of the preschool tables.
Dexter and Mommy, during his special time. He brought the same blue light saber to share, as well as one of his lego creations. Another great part of this experience for me was listening to the questions that the other kids asked each boy during the Q & A portion. If one child asked what Dexter's favorite food was, three other kids would all raise their hands and ask what his favorite food was. Four year olds are so funny! The boys especially enjoyed hearing stories about themselves when they were babies. I showed photos of them under the bili lights at the hospital (wearing their super hero protective eyes glasses) and one of Jaxon showing off their Harlequin Color Change superpowers.

I think what I enjoyed most about this experience, however, was getting to focus on each of the boys individually. Despite the fact that I'm intentional about treating them as individuals, I so often fall into the trap of thinking of them as a pair (I mean, they ARE a pair!). But, in preparation for each one's special week, I had to put together a bulletin board of each of their lives. It was moving for me to walk through memories of Dexter's last 4 1/2 years... just as Dex. Then, to do the same exercise with Jaxon was equally touching. It's nice to have an excuse to just sit and reflect on the things that make each one of them special... and I think they liked getting highlighted as individuals, as well.


And just because mornings are one of our silliest times at home, when the kids are cuddly and goofy and generally all happy... here are a few silly breakfast photos. Top- Jax, Shea, bottom- Dex.