Dearest Boys

My dear little boys,

Right this very minute, before I get busy with something (like picking up the mess left in your stormy tornado wake, or tending to the mountain of dishes in our kitchen), I wanted to stop what I am doing to tell you how very very amazing I think each of you are!

C, you amaze me on a regular basis, usually by saying or doing something particularly clever or surprising. But yesterday was really quite something. We went to cut down a Christmas tree in the area near Woods Canyon Lake. You were beside yourself with excitement at seeing snow on the ground and about getting the perfect tree. We played in the snow and then got serious about hiking in it far back enough for the trees to stop being so scrawny and start filling out. By that time, we were in deep snow (up to your knees, I think). We climbed down off a hill and stepped into a drift. You called out for me, and I called your dad to backtrack for you. We thought you needed help, but you shrugged us off, and were just excited about being in such deep snow. We hiked back a ways more until we found our tree, which Dada quickly felled. Dada carried the tree, I carried your brother in the carrier, the chainsaw in one hand and the traditional tree stump section in the other. It was quite the load. We hiked back up that big hill and out of the woods and I was so impressed and amazed that you didn't get tired, didn't complain about the work it was to walk through the snow (you loved that it was "hard work"!), that you had a great time from start to finish, and never complained about being cold (even though your feet were soaked).  You are one pretty awesome little kid!

A, you are quickly cementing your place as the family jokester.  You love to make us laugh by walking silly, doing silly dances, or making silly faces.  And when you're not doing that, you love to give hugs and kisses to anyone willing to receive them.  When we were out in the woods yesterday, you surprised us with a new word: "teeeee!".  It was as if the only "real" trees are the ones in the woods and you remembered them from our camping trips this past summer.  And then today, you surprised me even more!  We were almost all the way through a (somewhat raucous and restless) sacrament meeting, when I started wondering how we were going to contain your tired energy through the rest of the meetings and it suddenly dawned on me that we didn't have to!  You turned 18 months old on the 24th!  Officially nursery age!  So, I took C to his class, then Dada and I took you to nursery for the First Time Ever.  We were both a little worried about separation anxiety, which peaked last month, but has since decreased a little.  We sat you at a table with a puzzle, made sure you were OK with that, then left quickly and watched for about 10 minutes outside the door.  Mostly you just chewed on puzzle pieces.  When it was clear you realized we were no longer there, but you didn't cry, we went to our class.  I kept turning to see if someone was going to bring you to me, but you never came.  After Sunday school, we checked on you again.  You were at a different table having a snack of apples and water (which you dumped all over yourself, just like a newbie 18 month old should!) and you looked So Very Cute, with your little self sitting at that table with your hippie hair hanging in your eyes and your bright, new shoes kicking underneath you!  I was very amazed that you did so well!  Hooray for you, my curious, funny baby boy!

We have so many small, wonderful moments, and I wanted to capture a few of those moments before they pass (all to quickly) by us, as they so often do. 

I love you each so much.  Thank you for being so amazing in your own ways!
~Mom