Home Is Where You're Happy...: The Big Brothers

I'll post about Catherine's 2nd month soon. But, I thought I'd do a little update on the boys since they turned 2.5 and 4.5 this month. Seriously? I've been a mom that long? Incredible! Anyway, here's what the boys are up to these days:

Andrew at four-and-a-half years old:

When Andrew wakes in the morning, we are never quite sure which Andrew we will get. Half the time, we get Curmudgeon Andrew. This Andrew cries for a good 20 minutes when we tell him to get dressed before coming down for breakfast. This Andrew doesn't like what is on the table for breakfast when he arrives. This Andrew has a dresser full of clothes that are "not perfect."

The other half of the time, we get Agreeable Andrew. This Andrew says, "No problem" when asked to get dressed in the morning, followed by "This is the best breakfast ever, Mom. Thank you." Needless to say, Andrew can be quite a joy and quite a challenge. We've tried to figure out how to get Agreeable Andrew to make an appearance more frequently. We've tried adjusting naps, bedtimes, meals, attention, etc. Nothing seems to make a difference. We simply have an emotional little 4-year-old who either feels GREAT or HORRIBLE in the morning. Being 4 must just be that tough.

Other than the morning surprise, Andrew's been a lot of fun this year. He's doing great with no discipline issues at school. He is practicing writing his name and other words (wrote EDEMA and CARDIAC with Dad a few mornings ago) all the time. He is still obsessed with tools and building. He loves his new little sister and likes to talk to her about colors and shapes while she's doing some floor time. He has hot and cold days with Matthew. Some days, he tells me that Matthew is the best assistant ever. Others, it's impossible for them to work together and Andrew lets me know he needs to put himself in time-out for hitting Matthew again. Andrew's current favorite shows are Scooby Doo (because Dad watched it when he was little), Octonauts, This Old House, and Myth Busters.

Matthew at two-and-a-half years old:

Matthew's our wild-card these days. The kid is smarter than he lets on and gets away with more than he should! He's not a huge talker--babbling all the time, but pretty difficult for others to understand. However, he knows his colors, ABC's, tools (that's a basic skill, right?), and shapes. Strangely, he doesn't understand what COME HERE, DON'T TOUCH THAT, or STOP mean. Isn't that convenient for him? He thinks COME HERE means RUN AWAY AS FAST AS YOU CAN!! He thinks DON'T TOUCH THAT means GET ONE LAST TOUCH OF THAT BEFORE YOU ARE STOPPED. And, he thinks STOP means HURRY!! Haha--it's a good things he's so damn cute or we'd really be in trouble. My favorite thing is when I angrily yell at him about something and he says, "Why Mama? Why?" in this adorable and innocent voice. Ugh--he's a sneaky one! Anyway, he's definitely keeping me on my toes and motivates me to change Catherine's diaper as fast as I can so I can catch him before he does anything too destructive.

At two-and-a-half, Matthew is completely obsessed with trains. He loves putting together his tracks and can often be heard chug chug chugging or choo choo-ing when he is supposed to be napping. Also, his scraps of bread at meal time often become engines on the table. He's quite a copycat to Andrew and likes to be Andrew's little echo. So far, Andrew is amused. Matthew is starting to want to do things for himself. He is trying to click himself into his carseat and gets quite frustrated when I help him. He likes to fill his own cup with water from the fridge and LOVES washing his own hands before and after meals. We are having a lot of conversations about the potty and he has earned one chocolate treat for a success the other day, but he doesn't seem too interested in the idea yet. And, with a newborn in the house, I'm definitely in no hurry.

Ok--and now for the pictures of the big brothers: