j and b update

The boys are growing so quickly, I feel like that is a bit of a cliche but it is true. Jaden has a busy week with school, swim lessons and of course a hopping social life with lots of playdates. He is such a smart boy and I am amazed at how grown-up he seems some days. Jaden has had quite a few questions about God recently. I answer what I can, but some of his questions are difficult! I really need to find a good children's Bible that we can read together and/or find a church to go to as a family--but I've been saying that for a few years!

He is a wonderful big brother most days (but who can be all the time;) helping Bryson or scheming with him in some game that they are playing. J is extremely competitive and has a really hard time losing. We are having him work on being a good sport even when he doesn't win. He'll do it but you can tell that it isn't his favorite thing! We had to talk to him about letting his brother win occasionally. Even in make-believe games I would constantly hear him saying, "I won, you lost!" and "I'm the winner, you're the loser" and "You lost again!" Now when Jaden asks which guy Bryson wants to pretend to be, Bryson says, "The best guy!" or "The guy who's gonna win." Jaden agreed that Bryson needed to win every once in awhile so he's getting a little better at that.

Bryson is at the challenging age-THREE! I always feel that the saying, Terrible Two's is so wrong as I think age three is often more difficult, although I wouldn't call it "terrible". He is a stubborn little guy and is mostly but still not completely potty-trained (only a couple accidents a week) . . . he stays dry if I remind him at least once and hour to go pee. Poop training is on and off, he'll go for a week with no accidents and then go in his pull-up during a "nap". We are using the wii as an incentive to go poop in the potty, so now sometimes he'll squeeze a few out several times a day just so he can play Mario Cart, LOL!

Mornings are hard for him and he often doesn't want to go to school:( It is hard for him to get dressed, hard for him to leave the house, etc. It definitely doesn't help when I am running late and in a hurry. He also often uses the excuse, "I'm tired of walking" to get out of many things including but not limited to: going potty, washing his hands, going upstairs for bedtime, getting dressed, going to the car, picking up toys, finding his shoes, etc.

At school he is really into cutting with scissors (ie. snipping), he brings home lots of paper snips and crowns that he lovingly cuts out. His teacher was concerned that he needed to be seen for hearing problems. I took him to his pediatrician and he had a double ear infection, I had no idea! We are still going to take him to a hearing clinic, but his ped. recommended waiting a month or so to make sure that his ear infection completely healed before going.

Bryson still can't say the sp/sm blends, for instance he says "feedy" instead of speedy, "foke" instead of smoke or spoke, and of course his favorite candy, Smarties, he calls "farties". He can finally reach the button to roll down the windows in my car and he absolutely loves to do this. I often have to lock it. I told him that he cannot ever roll the window down when it is raining so he often will ask when we are driving, "Mom, is it raining?" It usually is obviously not raining yet I never expect why he asks this (I'm slow like that) and have often said, "No it isn't Bryson". Within a second he's rolling his window down, even when it's 30 degrees out and we are on the freeway!

Now for a few pictures, all of which I have taken on my phone.
The boys and I went to the Museum of Flight on MLK Day.

Bryson in a bounce house at Brody and Jackson's 3rd birthday party.
Snipping away in his classroom.
He was concentrating so hard that he didn't even notice me for awhile.
Super B at Jack Block park. Jaden and Bryson had a blast running up and down this grassy knoll.

B (in yellow trunks) about to jump off the diving platforms in swim class.
One afternoon I had to take Todd to a PT downtown for some major dizziness that he was experiencing. I wasn't sure what the boys and I were going to do and then Bryson fell asleep in the car. I saw a place that sold frozen yogurt and Jaden and I went inside to share a special treat (Bryson is in my car right outside the window). It was a fun mommy and JJ moment:)
Chinese New Year celebration at the school. The Kindergartners get to be in the dragon, so this year Jaden got to help. He was pretty excited but afterwards told me it was really hard and squishy in there!
He's in there somewhere!
I just have to share this picture from over the holidays when Rachelle was in town. A group of us went to the Spaghetti Factory, Seth ordered a meat lovers dish and this is how it was presented. I could not stop laughing!!!