They Grow Up So Fast...

The boys have taken some big leaps on several fronts lately. First of all, Lucas has been SO happy over the last few weeks. He has always been sort of a pensive guy, needing more space and time to adjust to changes and transitions. I respect this about his personality, but it has also been fun to see him emerge as a little more jolly at times as well. He has the hugest smile a little face like his could possibly muster - really, it is just his mouth open as wide as possible. Noah and I imitate it all the time. He has also developed this awesome laugh that I have never heard before - it starts as a series of snorts and shifts to something that sounds like a pheasant's mating call.

One of the reasons he seems so happy lately is that he and Ethan have really developed a great relationship. They tickle each other, play with each other, sing together, and plot the demise of household items together. Lucas thinks his brother is hysterical and is almost as entertained by him as Ethan is by himself. One of Ethan's favorite pastimes is to make emotion faces - he is SUCH a performer. He runs through his happy face, sad face, then turns almost purple with intensity while sharing his angry face. Scared, surprised, excited and embarrassed are other favorites. When not performing for us, he likes to do so for himself in the mirror. The other day after bath, he stood in front of the mirror naked, posing and saying "Cutie!" with every new pose. No self-esteem problems here.

They have taken some intellectual leaps as well lately. It sounds funny to describe anything about them as "intellectual" considering the fact that Ethan calls tornadoes "tomatoes" and speaks of said "tomatoes" with great fear (e.g. "Lukey - never touch a TOMATO!!"). Anyway, about two months ago Ethan taught himself the sound of every letter in the alphabet with the help of our phonics bus. Lucas has now learned them as well, and they love to practice listening to words and telling me what letter they start with. They also love to read the first letters in words and tell me it's sound. I'm so impressed because they just love learning. They also count up to twenty, losing it around 15, when they try to pull an "eleventeen" or "tenteen."

The most fun has been seeing them do "big kid" things. They are now pulled up to the table for meals rather than using their high chair tray. They are both doing a great job cleaning up their messes, working to get undressed for bath, and brushing their teeth before bed. The most awesome thing is that Ethan insists on doing all the dishes after every meal. I'm not kidding. He is totally serious about this responsibility and does a great job. Check it out:







We'll teach him to do the laundry next week.