Weekend: cottage

This past weekend we went up to Dad and Pat's cottage and had a wonderful (and relaxing) time.  Well, at least Ben and I relaxed.  I think the kids played hard.

We caught (and released) chipmunks.

Joshua got cookies from Grandpa while holding EE

Isaac got wheelbarrow rides from Grandpa.

Both boys enjoyed walking on the boat.

Isaac found the special rocks and cleaned them up

while Joshua threw the newly laid sand in the water.

Isaac helped Joshua clean off his hands...several times

...and then went on a paddleboat ride.

The swing was a big hit for both of them.  Joshua just liked to swing and Isaac liked to swing and twist.

More snacks!

A ride around the lake.

A boat ride.

Isaac even got to steer.

We went through some pretty lily pads.

And swung some more!

When we got home, and Isaac had cleaned his room, I found them like this watching TV.

Thursday: copying

Joshua copies Isaac all the time.  Things he says, things he likes, etc.  Some are unexpected but I guess not odd, such as robots, since we have them in the house.  Some things are more unexpected, such as liking the same green monkey that Isaac loved for a while (and calling it EE too, although maybe someone mentioned that was the name.)  The other unexpected thing is getting squirt with pretend water squirters all the time.  Anything can be a water squirter.

However, Isaac copies Joshua too.  He sees something that Joshua is doing and wants to do it.  Sometimes Joshua makes a funny noise and then Isaac copies it.  Today it was putting the suction cups on the the table.

This is Joshua's creation.

And this is Isaac's.

Wednesday: pool

This morning, after some bear hunts, we went to the pool with Betsy and her kids.  (Joshua kept calling Leah 'Ethan', so apparently I need to start saying Ethan and Leah more often.)  We had a lovely time.  Joshua enjoyed the pool, something I wasn't sure was going to happen, and we stayed for quite a while.

This evening Ben was on the couch with Isaac and Joshua was in his chair nearby when Isaac leaned over and said, "Would you like a ride?"  No response.  So Isaac nicely asked again, "Would you like a ride?  Yes or No?"  (That sounds like something I say...)  Joshua said yes, and Isaac proceeded to push him around the area twice.

Tuesday: bike saga continued

We started this morning by watering the flowers promptly; it was supposed to be a hot day and I didn't want to be out when it was actually hot.  The bike seat worked well.  Joshua enjoyed it and I didn't find it too uncomfortable to have him there.  The hardest part was probably that Isaac stopped so many times.  (It also felt like he went rather slowly for some of it, but that might be a matter of perspective.)  But we made it.

We got home and Joshua decided he wanted a snack.  I said he could have some of his left over yogurt, but that was not acceptable.  So we went out, because I was not going to be stuck in a house with a screaming child.  We went to the bank and opened savings accounts for the boys.  They both got piggy banks and pencils, and were rather excited about both.

This afternoon, right before we were about to leave, Joshua wanted his pencil sharpened like Isaac's.  We did that, and then I said they could draw on a box.  That quickly changed to punching holes in the box.  But they were happy and playing together and while I hoped that they didn't punch each other's hands I let them be.

We had family pictures this evening.  It was hot.  The boys did quite well.  Not super awesome, but not terrible either.  However, I was not the person Joshua wanted to be with.  Ben was the best, followed by Allison.

Monday: freezer meal, bike, rain

I was looking at the schedule for the day and not really sure what we were going to do.  So I had Isaac draw something out of the jar: make freezer meals.  It was perfect!  I had actually been thinking that we should make curry again soon, but this made it happen.

I have two boys that both like to help.  It's a bit of challenge keeping both of them occupied, but we managed.  Joshua did things like take potatoes out of the bag (and then put them back in after he took out all the potatoes), put the chopped potatoes in the bowl, and then put the assorted frozen food scraps in the blender to feed to the worms.  He really enjoyed the blender.  Isaac is getting much more independent, and was able to put carrots in the blender, get the spices, put the spices in the pot, stir the pot, put veggies and water in the pot, get the flour in the pan, and mix it with the curry.  I can often give him an instruction or two and then he can do it all, freeing up my hands to do other parts.

This activity also provided several play times while waiting for it to cook.  Here's Isaac, Mom, Mr. Mean, and People.  (People is a single person.  He goes with Grill. (Girl)).  Isaac wrote Isaac and Mom.

Then we went out in the garage to put on the new bike seat for Joshua.  It went pretty well, although my tires were so flat I needed to get out the air compressor...the bike pump caused a few moments of tension.  I've only ridden it in a short circle, but it wasn't in the way too much.  Tomorrow's the big test.

It was raining while I was putting the seat on, and the boys enjoyed it.

Sunday: unexpected

Many unexpected things happened today.

Joshua went poop and pee on the toilet.

Isaac and Joshua were dropped off at Ben's parents' house for a few hours and we got this super cute picture.

We got home close to 9pm, and hour after bedtime.  Isaac was dragging and went right to bed.  Joshua, on the other hand, and singing and talking and having a grand old time.  He kept saying, "Where's Dad?" on the drive home.  When Ben stopped responding he just started singing and making funny noises.

Oh, that reminds me.  Apparently at church Isaac went on a pretend bear hunt during Sunday School.  So on the way home from church he kept growling.  Then Joshua would say, "Bear!"  When we got home Joshua said, "Quiet!  Bear!"  and "Listen!"  Isaac would provide periodic growls to keep the game going.  It lasted much longer than I expected and was so cute.

Friday: on why it takes me an hour to unload the top of the dishwasher

At 5pm today, I had a simple goal: finish unloading the dishwasher.  I only had to do the top; I had done the bottom earlier and Isaac did the silverware.  It went something like this.

I unload one item.
Isaac needs help opening his new game.
I unload one item.
Isaac wants to play his new game.  (It turned out to be more of a one person game, which was perfect.)
Joshua is playing outside on the deck; he gets a quick check.
I unload one item.
Isaac needs help.  I move him to the kitchen and help him.
I realize the high chair really needs to be cleaned before dinner and bring it into the kitchen.
Isaac solves the puzzle and would like help getting the next one set up.
I clean the high chair tray.
I help Issac with the next card.
I glance at Joshua.
I take one item out of the dishwasher.
I help Isaac with the next card.
I hear Joshua yell, only to find that he had released all the water in the water table.
I go down to turn on the hose.
I go up to refill the water table.
I go inside, only to find out I didn't fill it up enough.  I fill it up more.
I go inside and get Isaac started on the next card.
I go downstairs to turn off the hose.
I go upstairs and get three items put away from the dishwasher.
I help Isaac with a card he's stuck on.
Joshua is done, but needs a diaper and clothes change.
I get Isaac started on the next card.
I put away one item.
I check Joshua and decide I should spend some time with him.
I help Isaac with the next card.
I put away the last of the dishes.

It was about 5:50pm.

In other news, all our stuffed animals got put to bed this morning.  Both boys enjoyed this game.

We went to the library after playing at a playground and got the Chico Bon-Bon stories again. (Monkey with a tool belt, Monkey with a tool belt and the loud noise)  I read them both twice, Isaac read them himself at least once, and Ben read them both once.  Oh Chico...I have a love/hate relationship with you.

Thursday: downtown Zeeland

This morning we went to Zeeland bakery with Pat and then walked around downtown Zeeland for a bit.

After the bakery we stopped by the game store and enjoyed one of their demo games along with the train track.  Joshua and Isaac loved holding Pat's hand (especially Joshua).  We stopped by the bike store as we continue to try and figure out the best bike carrier solution and then did one more circle with the boys in strollers.  It was hot, but very nice.

Wednesday: addendum about Isaac

1. In the middle of the afternoon, as I was doing some stuff in the bedroom I hear Isaac say, "I'll catch you if you fall. I'll catch you if you fall." I knew what Joshua was doing and was pretty sure he could handle it, but it was nice to hear that Isaac would help him, probably getting hurt in the process.

2. Ben was in Isaac's room and asked what some new looking rubber bands were for. (They went with one of his new presents.). Isaac responded that they were for shooting at the fan, and when you hit the fan it would fling it somewhere else. Ben asked if it was a mom-approved activity, and Isaac responded, "no, Iapproved this activity during little rest time."

3. Isaac, "is Joshua going to be more fun to play with when he's two? What if I say 'no thank you' and Joshua still doesn't listen to me?"

Wednesday: some of it went well

The day started out fine.

Then Joshua accidentally caused my phone to fall, and the screen shattered.  As I was trying to figure out if it still worked (it did) and give myself two minutes to think about what to do next Isaac would not stop talking to me.  After the third time of telling him to wait because I just needed a few minutes and I'd get back to him shortly, I cry yelled at him.  He laughed.  Yes, I'm sure it was amusing.  However, that was the wrong response.  He went in time out.  That let me have my time out.  (It finished...we hugged, we talked...all the normal stuff.)  But blah.  (I found a place to fix the screen, but it will be a few days before they can get the part.)

Anyway, next we went to get the boys haircuts.  It was Joshua's first professional haircut and he did a great job.  He just sat in my lap, not saying a word.  He moved his head a bit, but not excessively.  The front still isn't as straight as I was hoping, but the rest of it is thinned out.  I don't have a picture since he was sitting in my lap.

Ben and I played racquetball tonight.  I really played quite poorly, but I did have one awesome shot which caused Ben's shoe to come off.

Oh, and Joshua left this for me.  Maybe he's trying to tell me that he would eat some steak?

Tuesday: zoo and a problem

Ben had the day off today, so we went to the zoo.  We had a good time...it was pretty empty when we got there and we were just finishing up when the boys were done.  We went to an Indian restaurant since we were in a city that has Indian food.  (It was ok.  Not great, not bad.)

Joshua loves birds, so I thought he'd enjoy feeding the birds.  Not so much.  They got too close and freaked him out.  I had him leave the cage before the food was gone.

This afternoon we took our weekly stroller/bike ride to water the flowers.  Only to find out there is a serious problem with my plan - the plan was that Isaac would learn to ride his bike and then we'd have a nice stroll to water the flowers.  Well, it turns out that once they figure out how to ride a bike they go rather fast.  Even when Isaac wasn't trying to go fast he went faster than me.  So I was running half the time.  Isaac can now get himself started from a stop, which was the biggest problem he had last week.  I think I'm going to get a bike seat for Joshua so that I can bike with Isaac...because running is not fun.

A few days ago: 54 months

Isaac turned 54 months old a few days ago.

Family: He finally loves Ben infinity much.  He insists on telling me that "I love you more than you love me."  I've tried to stop it since I don't really like it, but it hasn't worked.  He seems to be enjoying Joshua more...he likes making him laugh and helping him say new words.  Isaac happily still holds my hand; something I love.

Eating: Isaac has been extra hungry this month.  Several times he would eat dinner, his treat, a graham cracker, and then start in on the fruits and veggies.  He is a slow, slow eater, but with all of that food it isn't uncommon for it to take 1.5 hours for him to eat.  He has a few foods that he definitely will not eat (scrambled eggs, for example) but isn't too picky over all.

Silliness: Isaac loves to be silly.  (Above is his silly picture.)  He is always a puppy, although he refers to himself in third person and in a funny voice when a puppy.  This month we learned that puppy is still learning how to eat, and so somethings took a few extra tries.  He's been doing more climbing, standing on one leg, hopping, etc things...it makes me wonder if gymnastics influenced it.

Playing: his favorite things are still marbles and legos.  (I often hear the marbles when he's supposed to be getting dressed.)  He got some new fun things for his birthday and he's been playing with those a lot too.  I put the puzzles away since he hasn't gotten them out for months, and then he asked for some during quiet time.  I brought a few up, and am not sure that he did them.

Attitude: Besides a few minor listening incidents, Isaac has been really good lately.  He's really fun and tries really hard to get people to laugh and smile.  He's trying to scare Ben and me; he's gotten Ben once but hasn't really gotten me yet.  Oh, I'm not sure if this fits in this category, but Isaac is amazing at delayed gratification.  We got donuts on Wednesday and he decided that he didn't want to eat his until Thursday because that was his birthday day.  We've noticed this in several other places too.

Work: Isaac has been somewhat willing to do work around the house, but we just set up a chore chart for him.  He gets some money just for being part of the family.  The chores are to say 5 s-blend words (snow, stop, spit, etc.), feed Flurry, put away the clean silverware, water the plants (4x/week), help with laundry (1x/week), and clean his room (1x/beginning of the week).  So far it's worked pretty well.  Most of the chores take him a total of 15 minutes at the most, so it's easy to have him do even if it's at the end of the day.  (Cleaning his room, on the other hand, takes a while.  Especially since he doesn't want to do it.  Our solution is that he doesn't have to, but no ipad (or other fun things), until he has done it.

Conclusion: Isaac is usually a lot of fun to be around and while he prefers "playing" with us he's really quite happy to do anything with us.  He's becoming quite independent while still enjoying having us around.

Sunday: puzzles and fireworks

I had a few extra minutes this evening and so worked on some puzzles with Joshua.  He was a pro.  So I got out the four piece puzzles.  He had the right idea, but execution wasn't great.  But that is good...something to work on.

Isaac got to go see his first fireworks tonight.  He took a nap this afternoon, as part of the deal, and then he and Ben went to Travis' neighborhood for them.  He loved them.  They were rather loud, but he just covered his ears.  Ben said that Isaac was saying "Bang, bang" in between the explosions and bouncing all over the place.  When they lit off a small one he would get a bit disappointed and wonder when the big ones were coming again.

Saturday: assorted pictures

Another one from Cheryl's birthday:

We got our worms yesterday.  Joshua seemed a bit squeamish and even though Isaac didn't flinch away he didn't want to touch them.  We put them in and they wiggled around.  I've checked them several times, and mostly can't tell they're doing anything.  I did find one group that had escaped through some holes in the bottom, so stuck them back inside.  They quickly went down into the dirt again.

Isaac wanted this picture taken of him.  It was a pajama day.  He also did an amazing job with Joshua Friday morning...sharing his new toys and helping him a few times without being asked.

A few days ago: 23 months

Joshua recently turned 23 months!

Family: The biggest news is that in the last month he switched allegiances.  Ben used to be the preferred parent, but now I am.  This has lessened a bit in the last week, but still hasn't changed back to Ben.  He and Isaac have also started interacting a lot more.  I won't say that they're playing together, but they're playing next to each other and laughing at each other.  Joshua keeps pretty close tabs on Isaac.  He's started to recognize extended family and be excited to see them.

Sleeping: We just got him an ok-to-wake alarm clock.  He was waking up a little bit early, and he really needs that last half hour of sleep.  I'm not sure it's helped a ton yet, but he does seem to not be so loud when it is time to wake up.  He's more or less sleeping 8pm-7am with at least a 1.5 hour nap, sometimes up to 2.5 hours.

Playing: he's been enjoying fiddling with stuff...the circuts, legos, duplos, etc.  He loves to read books and enjoys drawing.  He makes sure that he gets his allotted Ipad time every day.  He also really enjoyed this photo shoot, so there were lots of good pictures.  He's also started doing some games that he makes up.  It might take me a while to figure out the rules, but there is a pattern to them.

Eating: ug.  He'll eat carbs and some dairy.  And applesauce.  I haven't been able to get him to touch the veggie pouches or any fruits lately.  (But I keep putting them on his plate!)  Cheese and yogurt work sometimes.

Attitude: I feel like I always write these on days that weren't great.  I'd say overall things are getting a little bit better...and it's not as though they were that bad even at the worst.  There are a few small tantrums here and there.  But he still listens well and that's half the battle.

Speaking: he has many words/phrases.  It's still the odd stage that he can understand pretty much everything you say, even if he can't respond well.  Many of the phrases aren't very understandable, but since I've heard them in context so often I get them.  He knows to repeat the last word of phrases when we're praying and does a good job trying words he doesn't really know.

Overall, he's a very fun kid.