Hamilton Turns Four!

My little boy, despite my efforts to dissuade him, is growing up. Today he turned four. Four! Since it was his birthday, Alex and I were a lot less grumbily when he came into our room at 6-something. He announced, "It's my birthday!" I promptly started singing, but he told me "no." He insists that "Happy Birthday" is for blowing out candles. I made him a "4" shirt, which he told me he didn't want last night but this morning liked it and said, "Thank you, Mommy, for making me this cool shirt." As Alex says, never trust a tired kid's opinion.

We decorated the house a little last night and left wrapped presents on the table. I think Hamilton's feeling about them was pretty obvious:

He actually seemed much more into opening birthday presents than Christmas ones. Funny. He even let Beckett open one.

Trying to get his cute face and the shirt in one shot without him moving (take #34):

He selected "donuts" as his birthday breakfast. This would be the first of many blowing out of candles preceded by "Happy Birthday." Thanks to Auntie Karen, the boys had their awesome aprons to protect their clothes. Sprinkle donuts are kinda messy.

Sorry, no shot of me eating a french crueller while in my workout gear. Plausible deniability, baby.

After the gym, we met up with some friends at McDonald's--another Hamilton meal request. The next shots are me trying to get a decent photo of all the kids. Fail, but together, I think I got everyone in a decent, non-drunk photo.

The holiday season revealed Hamilton to be a great lover of egg nog. So, it only made sense that he get egg nog cupcakes for his birthday dessert.

Alex came home crazy early thanks to his hard work over the last couple days and the NYE holiday. This made it possible to got to dinner with the boys at a decent time, letting us discover that they are excellent dinner companions if we're not making them behave in a restaurant after a long wait and during their bedtime.

Once again, I'm trying to get a photo of my handsome boy:

Yes, The Cheesecake Factory. Selected by me, based on our having a gift card. On our way home, Hamilton asked, "Why did we go to a cheese store?" Then, he talked about all the desserts in the case, reflecting that the chocolate cake was even big for Willie the Giant.

When I take a bite or sip of something before giving it to Hamilton, I call it a "Mommy Tax." Here is Hamilton taking a "Hamilton Tax" of Alex's Diet Coke:

Hamilton got a cheese quesadilla, but rejected the side of guacamole. Thank goodness. I made Becks' sliders into guacamole burgers, and he gobbled his up just like his daddy:

Hamilton getting sung to! I get to be the mommy who does this! Love it!

Hamilton purposefully posed like this:

We returned home to sing two more "Happy Birthday's" over the cupcakes. I asked Hamilton what his favorite part of the day was, and he said, "Blowing out candles!"

It was really, truly a wonderful day. Thanks to everyone who was a part of it, either by celebrating with him, a phone call, or sending him such wonderful gifts. He's lucky boy. We're lucky too. :)

Today's Moments with the Boys

I've gotten worse and worse about recording moments with the boys on this blog. I blame Facebook. With the app on my phone, it's easy to write something funny they said or did there. Unfortunately, my Facebook statuses are not eventually making their way into a book, so...not good. I've wandered into the office tonight, worried I'd forget a couple funny things from today.

I spent a total of six selfish hours away from home today (crafting with friends, running with a buddy), so I think I'm even better able to see how cute my boys are today. Here's a few moments...

1. It took me extra long to leave for my run this afternoon because Beckett kept saying, "Bye, Bye, Mama!" and blowing kisses. I extended that parting to about 5 minutes. I could seriously eat that kid up. Don't even get me started on him in jammies.

2. When I came home from my run, I kissed Alex. Beckett, sitting nearby, leaned towards me with an "Mmmmm..." (you know that sound you make when your hugging or kissing your kids? or is it just me?). I laughed and kissed him. Then, he points to Alex and says, "Dada! Dada!" So, I kissed Alex again. Beckett then repeated, "Dada! Dada!" several times, occasionally asking for a kiss for himself. I soon carried Becks upstairs for a diaper change, and all the way up, he was trying to kiss me on the lips. I was laughing like crazy.

3. We got our Christmas tree tonight! While Alex was waiting in line to get the trunk trimmed off and tree bundled, I decided to pick up a few needed items in Home Depot. Hamilton wanted to go, but only if I took Beckett too. Therefore, it appears that mommy + 0 is less than Daddy, but Mommy + Beckett beats Daddy. Cool. Other than Beckett flipping out about being in a cart and Hamilton biting me while I was trying to listen to some Home Depot advice, we had a nice time. :) Seriously. Clearly, my time away gave me the patience of Job.

4. We left the tree bundled while we got it situated in the stand, but there was a netting piece that was making things difficult. Alex and I complained about not having scissors handy (as our hands were both busy holding the tree/screwing in the stand). Hamilton responded by getting one of his swords to cut off the pesky netting. "Here you go, Dad!"

5. We let the boys put some non-breakable ornaments on the tree, then sat back and soaked it all in: the tree, the lights, the Christmas music, the decorations slowly filling the room. Hamilton looked up at the tree and pronounced, "It looks really good." I laughed a little and agreed, then he jumped in my lap for a hug and an "I love you." Oh, Christmas Spirit....welcome to my home! Can you stay ALL year??

My Beckett

At around 9pm, I brought a sad, little Beckett downstairs. Before I'd reached the bottom, Alex pronounced, "He's got you wrapped around his little finger."

I was surprised, "What?! Really?? Do you think that's true? I had to bring him down because he wouldn't let me go---his little hands were hugging my neck tight whenever I tried to put him back in the crib."

Yeah, ok. Maybe Alex has a point. But looking at my cutie pie in his tight "mommy's little monster" jammies, I didn't really care.

Mom's aren't supposed to have favorites. And I don't. Honestly. Moms, rather, have different kids. My brother Travis once described it as having different cars. Sometimes you want to take the SUV out and other times it's a Porche kind of a day. But you love your whole fleet.

I'm not sure how to directly apply that car metaphor to my boys, but they are definitely different. And this leads to a post focusing on my littlest rascal, who does kind of have me wrapped around his finger.

• Beckett still lets me snuggle and squeeze him. Hamilton declared independence before they'd closed me up after the c-section.
• Beckett doesn't say too many words, so it's funny to me the words he does choose to use: hot dog, chocolate (to instruct me to make chocolate milk), pizza, baseball bat, mommy (for hamilton and me), me (usually accompanied by a raise of his hand), mine (important one for a younger brother), daddy, baa (the animal sound as well as the show i let him watch: "Shawn the Sheep" ), and block.
• His stand-up routine at dinner is to put his fork backwards in his mouth...just lets it hang there until I call him a "silly goose" whereupon his laughing mouth can't keep it in any longer.
• I let him sleep in our bed on occasion (like the occasions when he wakes up at an ungodly hour and I'm no mood for "tough love sleep training"). One time he was getting so frustrated with me. He finally grabbed my arm and jabbered something. I promptly let him snuggle in the crook of my arm, and he went right to sleep.
• He copies everything Hamilton does. This is alternately cute and maddening.
• He just learned how to hop. I credit a pumpkin patch bounce house.
• He loves shooting baskets and hitting baseballs. He even hits his bat on the ground before he gets ready for a pitch. That's the "cute" part of copying Hamilton.
• He automatically folds his arms when he sits down to eat. He's usually our reminder to pray.
• He gets knocked down by Hamilton a lot, which probably helps keep up my soft spot for him and thinking of him as "my baby."
• Beckett loves the "animal game." Before we'd even gotten to the game portion of FHE, he was crawling around the floor growling.
• The most common comment about Beckett is "he's such a sweet boy." :) Don't worry...he's got some "naughty" in him too to keep it interesting.
  
• He is really good at playing on his own: blocks, books, cars, train table...
• Beckett likes to dance.
• He is very ticklish. I am always happy to take advantage of this, so I can hear the cutest laugh ever. He doesn't mind much either--sometimes he'll walk up to me, tickling his tummy saying, "tickle! tickle!"

Who wouldn't be wrapped around his finger, right? :)

Beckett??

I'm not sure how or when it started, but Beckett insists on taking his naps in Hamilton's bed. I guess I should be happy, as it should make the crib-to-bed transition that much easier. And actually, to be honest, I think it's adorable and I kind of love being able to lie down next to him and read a story. Judging by his sweet giggles, he doesn't mind it much either.

The downside to this new nap routine is that sometimes he gets out of bed and wanders around the room, playing with toys or reading books. So, I have to check on him every 10 minutes or so to make sure the "sleeping" part of naptime is getting its due.

When I cracked open the door today, I didn't see him on the bed...couldn't see him anywhere actually, but I could hear the tell-tale breathing of a sleeping boy. After a couple scans of the room I found him. Can you?




When I picked him up to put him in the bed, I discovered that he was sleeping on top of the rocking horse "rocker" and using a soft ball as a cuddly pillow.

Funny, funny boy. Love him.

Out and About

Scrolling through iPhoto, I see so many great shots of the boys, so many fun memories. I thought I'd copied over a lot more, but it just did these 5. That'll have to do. It's 11:30, and I'm supposed to be at the track by 6am.

Sunday walk in PV:


These boots were made for...?

I made my Facebook buddies play "New Yorker caption contest" with that pic. Some of my favs:

• "Tex" gets burned by the Indian medicine man.
• ‎"There's a snake between my boots!"
• These boots were NOT made for walkin'!
• I told you, just shrink his head.

Awww, my little sand crab:

Halloween is definitely Hamilton's favorite holiday. He's been prepping for weeks. And, yes, he went to the store in this:

Craft stores are more manageable with hats. :) Seeing this picture, I kind of regret denying H a "good behavior" treat at the end. Yes, he was a little naughty. But seriously, shouldn't "cute" pay off somehow? FYI: The gun is in a holster, which is in his pocket.

Random Notes

I could write a book made up of everything I wish I remembered about these cute boys of mine. *sigh* So, here's some random stories, quotes, etc. before I forget them...

• Hamilton: "Cool shirt, Daddy. Kieran [his buddy], look at my dad's cool shirt!"
• Hamilton (after sampling some multi-vitamin water at Costco): "I think my body's turning into a temple!"
• Beckett is actually starting to say more words. This is very exciting. And sometimes surprising. The other day I asked, "Who wants some chocolate milk?" And he raised his little hand and said, "Me!"
• Beckett has been down to "sleep time only" pacifier use, but the other day I was stuck at home with no pacifier to be found. After a rough naptime, I decided, "Screw it. I'm not doing this again." And Day 1 of pacifier detox was born. It's mostly going ok. He's crying in the next room, but I'm cleverly ignoring it with the help of some Arcade Fire.
• Speaking of music, Hamilton and I are mad about Florence and the Machine.
  
• Beckett and Hamilton are in this amazing phase where they can just play and play in their room. I especially love hearing Hamilton's color commentary and dialogue as he plays with his cars, dinosaurs, and so on. You would think this would mean I'd be getting tons more done, but...alas...
• Hamilton started preschool last week. It's just 2 days a week for a couple hours, but it's going to be pretty perfect for him and me. Yea!
• Update: Beckett is still crying. I find it so sweet that by just standing over his crib, I can stop him. This also makes me tired. Am I bad that I left? I was just soooooo ready to "clock out" today.
  
• I saw myself holding Beckett the other day and was like, "Whoa! That is NOT a baby." Oh, I'm going to miss that snuggly Boo Boo Beckett. He is turning more and more "boy." And a recent weekend spent with Hamilton and his cousins Luke and Miles may have sped up the process.
• The other day at Ikea, I couldn't get Beckett to move along because he was too busy spinning around and dancing. No music, mind you. But there was a cute girl in a stroller. Am I in trouble here?
• Hamilton is maturing a bit as well. It's hard though because some days he's such a little helper, and other days....ARGH!!! I think the bad days are made worse by the fact I know he can be better. I really need to be more patient though. Add that to a long "mommy improvement" list.
• Beckett says "prayers."
• Still crying...
• Hamilton is loving a book from my own childhood, Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things that Go. I remember making up sub-plots about all the different animals, cars, etc. Hearing Hamilton do the same for about 30 minutes on a road trip was pretty awesome.
• Speaking of road trips, we have done a TON of driving in the last month or so. The boys have been so good. It's all music, books, and some toys. No DVDs. Proud of how well they've done.
• For the Primary newsletter, I was supposed to ask Hamilton what he did to keep his body healthy. Here's the conversation that followed:
  

H: Food!
Me: What else?
H: Drinks!
Me: Anything else to keep you healthy and strong?
H: Coffee!!

• Hamilton has loved going to a lot of baseball games this season. He has all the cheers down and has even been willing to wear a ball cap recently.

Oh...there's tons I'm forgetting. Maybe I'll add more after talking to Alex. Beckett's still crying. Do I go in or just move onto my dinner/Project Runway?

Hmmmmmm.....

If I had a videographer following me around today...

you would have seen some of the following scenes:

• Hamilton "diving" in the pool to get a ball over and over. This move kind of looks like he's drowning, so the first 30 minutes I spent a lot of time having mini panic attacks. He also kept trying to float on his back by himself. Proud of him :).
• Beckett making his daily show of "Why Mommy Shouldn't Trust Me with a Go-gurt."
• Me and the boys playing baseball at the park...it was non-contentious for 40 minutes. I'm not kidding!
• Hamilton hitting the ball straight up into the air and then hitting it again on the way down. It even got ooo's and ahhhh's from a couple passersby.
• Beckett pitching to Hamilton, and Hamilton being really sweet about it.
  
• Hamilton hitting a hard line drive straight into Beckett's leg. This then led to a clear example of what kind of parent I am: hug Beckett while simultaneously congratulating Hamilton on a good hit. "Run the bases! You didn't mean to hit him...he's ok!"
• Hamilton running those bases as if in a mirror world...they are apparently behind him. Hope that gets sorted out before t-ball.
• The boys eating a good dinner...hooray!
  
• Me and the little boys waiting for Alex on the porch.
• Beckett copying Alex's "chicken" impersonation.

I really, really wish I had more video of the boys. But two boys, two hands...it's just not always possible, especially when I'm pitching.