The Best Kind of Love

One of the greatest things about kids is their honesty.  Their emotions are always real and worn on the outside, easy for others to see.  Some of those emotions wear me thin but it melts my heart to see the true love shared between siblings. 

I wasn't sure how Whopper would react to a new baby in the house.  He demands a lot of attention at times and I thought he would probably be jealous and maybe take it out on the Lil' Bird.  I never expected him to be so enthralled by her!  My tough, skinned knee, dirt eating, rough guy turns into a gentle and sweet big brother every time he is close to her.  It's amazing!

Wise Guy is equally in love with Lil' Bird.  A few days ago she and I woke up first and I laid her down on a blanket on the living room floor.  First, Wise Guy woke up and laid next to her a few minutes to say hello and give her a snuggle before turning on cartoons.  A few minutes later, Whopper woke up and went straight to Lil' Bird to say "good morning" and snuggle.  Like I said, my heart melts!  

I've been taking snapshots of Whopper and Lil' Bird over the past week because they are so stinking cute.  Whopper tells me he wants to "see her."  I'm not exactly sure what he means, but he isn't satisfied until they are so close their noses are touching.  He holds her hand in the stroller and even stays close by when he plays with his tractors.  Yesterday, he sat on his knees and held her while she was swinging for 15 minutes.  

The addition of Lil Bird to our family has brought forth new aspects of my sons' personalities.  I have seen them express their love to her in many different ways, from nurturing to playing to protecting.  Not only does it make me love them more but it reminds me how simple it can be to show someone you care. 

Everlasting Mud Puddles

I'm all for playing in the rain and jumping in mud puddles.  There have been occasions when I've taken Wise Guy and Whopper outside solely for the purpose of puddle jumping.  However, I'm not a fan of the everlasting puddle outside my house.  In our driveway there is a drain that is not functioning properly which leads to a GIANT mud puddle every time it rains.  After most puddles have dried in the Virginia heat, this special puddle remains full of stagnant water collecting bugs of all sorts.

Whopper is two and is destined to be a locksmith or an escape artist.  The child can get himself out of any type of locked door or "childproof" gate.  Now that I have Lil' Bird, who is 1 month old, I have given up on the constant battle in our house between me trying to keep him indoors and him breaking out.  He was already winning the battle.

Needless to say, if there is water in the puddle, Whopper heads straight for it.  I can count on him to wade into the puddle up to his knees regardless of whether he's barefoot, wearing church clothes or in his new shoes.  On occasion, he has been known to swim in the puddle, submersing his entire body and leaning his head back to wet his hair.  It is also great fun to play with toys and shovels in the puddle.   Wise Guy is not keen on getting dirty so he stays out of the puddle for the most part.  However, the dirtier Whopper gets, the more hysterically Wise Guy laughs.  Then he runs inside to inform me of his brother's misbehavior.

Lately, we have a storm almost every evening and the puddle is growing.  Whopper is getting used to having his clothes stripped outdoors and receiving a spray down via the garden hose.  The bath tub is so dirty it's embarrassing and laundry is impossible.