These are a few of my favorite things…

This morning has been one of the few times in the past year that the kids have woken up in a great mood.  I know I’ve said it before, but “terrible twos” my ass.  The age of three has been, to say the least, the most challenging year of my life with the kids.

Growing up, one of the favorite movies in my house was The Sound of Music.  Now I know that may sound a little strange to some people that know me best, but I don’t care.  It is still one of my all-time favorite movies.  It is truly one of my guilty pleasures:)  Because of how this morning has gone, though, I will tell you my favorite things about each of the kids.

Pius-My favorite thing about Pius is his ornery attitude.  I love that he is always getting into something or up to something.  He is a curious little boy who loves candy, stickers, makeup, nail polish or anything that we tell him he can’t have or we give him in rations.  It has become a habit at nap time and bed time that we check Pius’s bed for any contraband that he may have hidden away for down time, especially after he foiled Grammy one time with a butter knife.  He is a sweet boy and LOVES to cuddle against mommy’s chest…..although I think that might be more related to his fascination with boobies.

What a cheeseball:)

Forrest-My favorite thing about Forrest is his imagination.  He loves to make things up about dinosaurs or anything else that has held his attention for a little while.  He is so smart and he listens to everything we say and he remembers it.  Forrest can name more trees and flowers than I can and he loves to learn about everything.  He will watch and listen and remember everything and then turn what he has learned into games and stories.

Forrest with the Monarch butterfly.  “DON’T CALL IT A MONARCH, FORREST.  CALL IT A BUTTERFLY!” –Uncle Ryno (Mommy defended her little genius by telling Ryno not to be hateful because a 3 yr old knows more than him)

Danna-My favorite thing about Danna is her determination.  This not only goes for getting things she wants but also for getting things done.  I am so tired of drawing doggies for her on her magna-doodle and because I don’t do that for her nearly as often anymore, she has learned to draw doggies.  I can guarantee that she is better at drawing them than I am.  To watch her sit and draw is amazing.  The look that she gets on her face and the care she puts into it is truly a joy for me to see.

She does smile!

The Beaner’s depiction of a doggie….pretty impressive for a 3 yr old, if you ask me!

Laine-My favorite thing about Laine is his maturity.  At 3 years old, Laine thinks he is 30.  He knows right from wrong and honestly thinks he is the boss of his brothers and sister, and will attempt to dole out timeouts and punishments for his siblings appropriately.  He is a little tattle-tale and one of the easiest ways to get him to snap out of a bad attitude is to tell him, “If you want me to treat you like a grown up, you need to act like a grown up.”  He does a good job of telling the truth when he misbehaves.

Don’t let that grin fool you.

As for how school is going, they really seem to be enjoying it.  Their teachers, Mrs Meier and Miss Glenda, are awesome and the kids love going to school each Tuesday and Thursday morning.  When I drop them off, they always tell me, “Daddy, you need to get out of here.”  But to see their faces light up when I pick them up is priceless.  Forrest and Miss Danna have each received two notes from home in 9 days of classes and Pius and Laine have each stolen a toy.  I’m pretty sure it is going to be an interesting 15 years when it comes to school.

      

At Old Navy picking out book bags.  Amazingly, the boys all picked the same one.  The looking was over for Danna after she saw the Sparky the doggy.