the "little boy"

You know how people always tell you to not wish away the times when your kids are young and with you constantly because when they get older you see less of them?  Yet when you have toddlers you think it's not possible that they will ever go away?  Well, I can see it happening with Alexis already.  She still needs plenty of things from me, but I've realized lately that I don't see her as much as I used to.  Between being at school all day, piano, tumbling, activity days, friends, homework, her new favorite computer game, and reading, our interactions have dwindled.  The boys still follow me around like I've got candy falling out of my pockets (Tyler because he's bored and Ryan because he's that age), so it's not that I'm lonely, but I do miss my frequent interactions with Alexis.  That's one reason why family dinner every night is a priority to me, and I've also learned that it's not such a bad thing to sit down with her while she does her homework even if she doesn't need my help.  But more importantly, I've seen that if we are interacting less frequently I better do my best to make as many of those as positive as I can.  So I guess I should also learn to better appreciate every morning that Tyler is still following me around asking, "What can I doooooooooooo?" because those times will soon be gone too.

On another note, see this kid right here?



I happen to think he's the bees knees.

Sometimes when I have a two-year-old I start to worry that I'm playing favorites, but then I remember that the child is not my favorite (I love them all the same...), but the age is most definitely my favorite.  And since they were all two once, they all had their chance at being the favorite!

Anyway, I am enamored with Ryan as a two-year-old.  In my eyes he can do no wrong (except on occasion), and everything he says is captivating and funny.  I'm pretty sure most people feel the same about him, though my vision might be a bit clouded by my bias as his mother. Nearly every night I ask Jeremy, "are you SURE our other kids were this cute when they were two?" He assures me that they were.

Lately Ryan's into telling me things are boring.  Anything he doesn't want to do is boring.  Eating dinner is boring.  Wearing any jammies that aren't his doggy jammies is boring.  Going to bed is boring. Sitting in his car seat is boring. And when he's mad at me (or anyone) he says, "I'm not playing with you mom!" He knows that's the ultimate punishment.

Alexis has trained him to call her "Alexis Mommy".  One time she told him to call me "Lisa Mommy" but I put an end to that real fast.  I didn't give birth to the child just to have equal ranking with his sister.  So during the day he'll ask "When's Alexis Mommy coming home?"  He loves her and misses her a lot while she's gone.  I'm sure he would miss Tyler too if Tyler were gone all day instead of just part of the day.  Because that part when he's home? He makes himself unmissable by torturing Ryan constantly.

Ryan also seems really unwilling to give up his status as the baby, and I don't think it has anything to do with the prospect of a new baby either.  He just likes being a "little boy".  I asked him if he wanted to sleep in a big bed and he declined, saying he liked his crib.  He has never once acted interested in sitting on a toilet seat, and if you ask him to he absolutely refuses.  If you make the mistake of calling him a "big boy" he will correct you and tell you he's a "little boy", except at the times when he wants to do something the big kids are doing, then he's all of a sudden a "big boy".

And his hair?

I don't even know what to do about it.  A HUGE part of me doesn't want to cut it, but another part of me knows that it needs to get cut.  He's starting to look a little girly, and he has such a cute face that is hidden behind all that hair.  But it's so thick and curly on the ends and such a pretty color that I just can't cut it, but...he's not a girl. His nursery teachers have joked about signing a petition saying we can never cut it, but we may have to disappoint them.  What would you do?

And to end it, a picture of two handsome boys in a moment free:of torture.