my funny little lovies

We have such darling, funny boys. I have noticed a lot of growth in both Jed and Hank lately. 

Jed is now five and a half and is incredibly determined to see the world his own way. He mostly lives as either a turtle or a robot these days. Each character has his own name, and the rest of us have corresponding names depending on who Jed is. He gets quite insulted if you don't call him the correct name. Each character also eats special foods (or doesn't eat at all, if he's being a robot) and sometimes requires special clothing. I have learned to just roll with Jed's "fantasies" (for lack of a better word) and can even make them work to my advantage. For example, I have been informed that turtles only eat seaweed and shrimp, so I have been able to convince Jed to eat some zucchini pancakes by telling him they're seaweed pancakes.

Jed can always brighten my day by asking me to read to him or to listen to him tell me a story. He is beginning to be a big helper, as well. He is willing to pour himself and Hank milk or juice, and he loves to help me make popsicles. He has started telling me I look "pretty and very beautiful," especially when I am dressed for church, or, oddly enough, in my swimsuit. He makes his bed and puts the silverware away for me daily. He has become a bit better about keeping track of his possessions, which is a HUGE help!

Hank will be two the middle of August. I can't believe how quickly this last year has flown by! He is talking up a storm and shocks me with his memory. He can recall things from several days before in great detail. And he knows the letter S. I am not sure how that happened, but I am quite impressed. Hank knows stores by what we do inside--for example, the grocery store in town is called "popcorn" because that's what we always get when we go in (they have a popcorn machine that is always well-stocked with free popcorn). And WalMart is "fish" because we always have to go visit the fish when we first go inside. 

 Hank loves buckles and is constantly buckling any that he can find. He can't unbuckle them, though, so he brings helmets and belts to me, saying "stuck! Buckle stuck!" after he has them buckled. Hank also loves to be read to and will empty the bookshelf looking for his favorite stories. Last Thursday I was making strawberry freezer jam all. day. long. and he brought me numerous books to read. I would occasionally pause and sit down with him on the kitchen floor for a little storytime. I ended up with a huge pile of books in the kitchen--not great, since it was an enormously sticky mess by the end of the day. When I couldn't pause to read, Hank would throw himself on the kitchen floor and shriek and cry. 

Here are some funny things the boys have been up to lately:

 As I mentioned a while ago, a rabbit has been wreaking havoc in our garden. We have solved the problem by covering it with netting, but I think Dave and I both want a little more revenge than that. I was getting ready for church two sundays ago and looked out the bathroom window to see the boys hunting a "wascally wabbit." I love how Jed took his Ninja sword along for justice-serving purposes. 

 Hank has followed Jed's tradition of putting toys in funny places. I found Hank putting the Ninja turtles in the blender a couple days ago.

 The weather has mostly allowed the boys to swim in the pool. Jed likes to have someone watch him when he swims, so I have been lounging pool-side and reading my book while the boys play. I love our little pool routines--Hank goes down for a nap around 1:30 and Jed and I put on our swimsuits and head outside. I get to read and relax while Jed swims and then when Hank wakes up around 3:30 or 4, he joins us in the backyard. I am getting a pretty good tan with this little method.

 Jed earned this 3rd Ninja Turtle (Donatello) a week ago, so Hank has inherited Raphael. They have so much fun splashing around with the turtles in the pool.

 We made 4th of July t-shirts with some friends a couple weeks ago. The boys looked so cute as we headed out to the parade on Friday! I think next year I will invest in some ear plugs for both boys--that should make parades a lot more fun for all of us. This year Jed spent the entire time with his hands covering his ears, and Hank leaned on my chest while I covered his ear with my hand and drooled a sucker all over my shirt. 

 As I mentioned, Hank loves buckles. He likes to find Jed's bike helmet in the closet and put it on and wear it around the house. Every time I see him I just about die laughing--he is so wobbly and funny with that huge helmet!

These funny, sweet boys certainly keep me on my toes! I love them both dearly.