A Few of My Favorite Things

I have been trying to keep track in my mind lately of all the sweet things that Matthew says or does. Same with Andrew. The list is getting too long to keep memorized so I decided it was time to share with the world, or just log for my own memories. Hope you enjoy these moments as much as I did.
Andrew:
Andrew squeals at the top of his little baby lungs with happy squeals all the time. He is also playing in his bouncer these days and loves to discover all the toys on it. I love watching him learn. He is getting so good at grabbing things. He will reach out and grab anything that comes close to him. It is funny watching Matthew as Andrew reaches out and grabs him as he gets close. Matthew has to be more careful these days! He's not used to someone poking him back. It is also so sweet when Andrew reaches for my face when I'm talking to him. The giggles he gets when I bury my face in his belly and tickle him are priceless. Of course I have to be careful though because his new found grabbing skill does not exclude individual pieces of hair!
Another thing that I can't get enough of is when Andrew watches my shadow on the wall while I change his diaper. It is fun seeing him recognize things that I often ignore or are unaware of.
Matthew:
There are so many wonderful things Matthew does these days. The 2's are hard but so much fun as well!
Every once in a while Matthew will talk about being scared when I go in to get him up from his nap. He always talks about a bad guy. I have always assured him that Jesus will keep him safe and that the bad guy is nothing to worry about. He never seems scared and always seems to respond well to what I say. One time when I went into his room after nap he told me, "Mommy. Bad guy. Jesus take care me." It was so sweet to see him make the connection on his own.
When Matthew tells Andrew jokes I can't help but giggle. Andrew somehow gets a kick out of them even though they are nonsense. No one can make Andrew giggle more than Matthew. An example of Matthew's jokes is, "One day George (Curious George) climb tree. SLKJERIOGHAHLEKDIURHKDHGAIOWEJ. (some sort of nonsense sound) And then the pause so that Andrew knows the joke is done and he can laugh. And it works every time!
When it is time for Matthew to go to sleep I am always a little nervous about if he is going to want to walk upstairs without a problem, or if it will be a struggle. Thankfully he loves to play a game on the way up. He will sit on the stairs and look up at me and say, "Mommy. Get my biskys." One of my favorite things to do is chase Matthew around pretending to pinch his little buns (or biskys :)). So as he dashes up the stairs I pinch his little biskys. He usually can't make it all the way up the stairs without collapsing in laughter. Those days make going to nap time a joy!
We enjoy listening to music and dancing around the house. Recently Matthew has been singing the songs himself. So sweet to hear his little voice while he plays in the living room alone. "Come. Go. To my Father's house." I'm grateful for the sponge he is, and always reminded to be mindful of the things I put before him to soak up.
Not all days of the 2's are wonderful. After an episode of discipline Matthew was upset. He had been crying and was calmed down but still had tears in his eyes. He was standing in the kitchen talking to me and all of a sudden he said, "Mommy. Tear fall down." And pointed to a single tear rolling down his cheek. It was such a sweet sad moment for me. Disciplining is the hardest thing I've ever done. It is exhausting, frustrating, difficult, and constant. It is also a part of the job I signed up for and I know that all of the hard work I put in will hopefully result in Matthew's (and someday Andrew's) good.
Matthew is learning how to go to the bathroom on the big potty. Honestly I'm too distracted and busy to really potty train him, but Adam got it in his head that he was going to get Matthew go to on the toilet and it worked! Matthew will pee on the toilet multiple times a day. Not 100% of the time, but awesome non the less! I'm thankful Adam took this on and was successful. (His next job is get him to do the rest of his business on the toilet!!) Sometimes I don't realize the things I say apparently. One day I was going to the bathroom and Matthew walks in (you are not allowed to go by yourself when  you are a Mom I don't think) and cocks his head to the side and says, "Mommy, potty?" And I say, "Yes Matthew. I'm going pee pee." His face lights up and he says, "OH! Mommy go potty! GREAT JOB! MS? (how he says M&M)" I just had to laugh. I said, "Thanks Matthew! I don't need an M&M but thank you." So apparently I use a higher pitch voice and say GREAT JOB when Matthew goes to the bathroom. The encouragement was much appreciated though. Not often you get encouragement for daily happenings, haha.
As of now I believe Matthew will make a wonderful husband. Why would I say that at when he is still at such a young age? Well, because he is very complimentary of me. He takes time at totally random moments to say, "Oh mommy! PRETTY!" They are such sweet little words to my ears. My favorite is when he tells me that when I'm in my pj's and have bed head.
The other day we were up at church eating lunch with Adam. After lunch Adam and Matthew went into the sanctuary area and were "teaching Bible" on stage. Matthew wanted me to come and sit down to hear him teach. I sat front and center of course. This is how the sermon he preached started. I'm gonna be honest. I'm not sure how it ended because I was laughing too hard. "One day Jesus have it poopies." I mean, I guess it's true. Good reminder from the mouth of a child that Jesus was not only fully God but also fully MAN! Haha.
Matthew has started 2 yr. VPK two mornings a week. It is sad for me. I miss him when he is gone, and when he gets home it is a lot of work for me because of how worn out he is. I think he enjoys his time at school though. It has made it clear to me that at least at this time, my little boy is an introvert. He has always loved just playing with his toys by himself, and being at home. I'm now seeing how much all of that interaction away from home with strangers is exhausting to him. I know part of that is his age, but I believe it is also part of his personality. MAN! This job of parenting is hard- always learning new things. Pretty sure it's the best job in the world though, I guess that's why it's so much work; because the rewards are so great.
And my last moment of this post about Matthew. Today at lunch I was talking close to his face so he could hear me in the restaurant we were at. As I was saying whatever it was to him I noticed myself in his BIG CLEAR BROWN eyes. Those eyes melt me and they were so big and clear that I got distracted from what I was saying because I could see my reflection in them. Just as I realized that I realized that Matthew seemed a little distracted from what I was saying too. But his eyes were still fixed on mine. He got this big smile on his face and kind of moved his head around. I asked him if he could see himself in my eyes. He responded with an enthusiastic YES! It was such a sweet moment. He kept trying to talk to me close so that he could see himself again.
I'm so thankful for my two boys and all of the sweet moments they bless me with each day. The hard moments are always so worth it because of abundance of wonderful ones. Thank you Jesus for these gifts.