homebodies

{this post was started in april.  i can always tell when our weather improves; laundry piles up, dishes don't get loaded, blogs left unfinished.  s'ok though!  on a rainy day & night, i finish all said tasks.  smiley face.}

as much as we're on the move, we also like our down time at home.  the kids will now sit and watch a movie together, which i must say is incredible.  to have 60 maaaybe 90 minutes to myself during the day is invaluable.  jack no longer naps so, yeah...  

jackie didn't have any interest in television (or rather, he didn't have any interest in sitting still) until he was close to 3.  dylan has just now shown a desire to relax and watch a vid.  although, she has her limits.  she'll watch any muppet feature but prefers the wizard of oz version, loves pooh & friends, despicable me, but her favorite of all:  RIO.  i wish you could hear her sing along to the opening song.  

they can fight like an old married couple (that is, if an old married couple steals things from another while the other screams in objection!) but then they can snuggle up, share pillows and blankies, even sneaking smooches here and there.  oh, i'm really gonna hear about this in a few short years...

here is proof that they can be sweet and love on each other.  some nights, i have to look for pictures like these after i've put them to bed.  it's a nice reminder that tomorrow's a new day.

love the one with dylan letting jb suck her thumb!

we stumble upon crafts quite often.  usually the best time for all of us is before dinner.  it's a nice way to distract those hungry bellies and both kids find something to entertain themselves.  i used to keep all our craft supplies in the cupboard above the fridge, but now that jack is big enough to grab what he needs (and what dylan requests), i moved the supplies to a cupboard within his reach.  i still don't understand everything she says, but jack does.  although, it might just be that he says you want this, duey? and she just responds with an excited es!  ben seems to think she still doesn't have a clue, but she'd tell you otherwise.  

she loves to place stickers and does very well getting them off the sticker sheet.  she's even mastered rearranging them all over her paper, without tearing them!  but, crayons?  eats them.  markers?  see below.  paints?  on the face or in the mouth.  this was during one of our pre-dinner craft times.  if only i'd remembered that a watched pot never boils - that way, i would have had an eye on this little one!

still not great with markers.

another fun project was a paintable wooden train set.  don't you just love melissa & doug toys?!  we have most of the food sets, several of the puzzles, dylan even received the super-cute red lace-up shoe for her birthday, so this addition was a great one.  i just wish it would have taken a little longer.  maybe the train could have been larger?  jb loved painting and placing the stickers.  he wanted to do it again! right after it was completed.  dada even got in on the action (paint touch-ups here and there... he couldn't help himself.)  

we break out the little people {and all their glory} once a week.  too much fun, those little people.  and just so you know, jackie is not talking to me here...  

they wanna eat together, play together, and yep, bathe together.  if one's in the bath, the other is sure to be stripping down behind me.  i can't think of a time they've bathed apart since we implemented dueling baths.  it's just easier.  except when it's not.  jack gets too rough or won't stop pouring water over dyl's head.  dylan won't stop splashing or scratching naked jack.  usually, one numbskull is plucked from the 2 inches of water, well before their liking.  but, cleaning up monsoons are not the way i like to spend my evening.  plus, i loathe having more towels than children to dry off; 5 towels for 2 kids?!

soon, the sibling bath time will come to an end; i'm sure much sooner than i'd like.  you want them to stay so wittle, but it is nice how "easy" things are getting.  wait.  what did i just say?  no, i don't mean easy.  i would NEVER describe parenting as easy.  no way.  but, jb's at a great age for helping and being somewhat useful around our house.  it's so great to see the switch of him wanting to do everything himself.  (even though dylan has been doing everything herself for months and months...)

the time really flies by.  it's the one comment you hear by parents said to soon-to-be/new parents.  i heard it until i was like, ya ya, heard it a thousand times.  but, it really is the truth.  i cannot believe jb is going to be 5 this autumn.  i can't believe we already celebrated dyl's second.  

i love these two apart, the time you get with just one, is never enough and is always a joy.  but, when they're together, when they're playing well and really getting along, it's a dream come true.  they're so different, but they're siblings.  they both are very silly.  they both can be naughty, but when they're sweet and snuggling, i can barely contain my emotions.  it's incredible how much your heart can love. 

potatoes by miebs

we breed snugglers.