together

Last week we made a family venture to the park on breezy Spring evening. It was a lovely night for a walk and some playful pictures at the park with our new camera. Scott got us a Canon Rebel T2i (I think) from one of his many colleagues on Craigslist. It was a great purchase and I am loving it. I'm going to have WAY too many pictures now though! I still need to monkey with the settings and figure out what I'm doing- I think a class is in order, but for now, here are some pics from the park recently.

 A rare mommy sighting... I must have had to set the camera down for something...

 Jaxon, trying his best to get those darned rocks out of his shoes. Can't quite figure out how they keep getting in there, even though Spider Man is protecting his feet.

 Kiley, looking all cute in her little bonnet. She did pretty good playing with the sand and not trying to eat it.

 And the two of them, heading down the slide together.

It's been so fun lately watching these two together. I can't believe how much it reminds me of my brother and I. Not that I remember when I was one, but I just remember he and I always being in cahoots together one day and then the next day completely ripping each others' hair out on my grandma's living room floor, with her screaming- 'just you wait until your grandpa gets home!' as if the threat of our 'mean old grandpa' was going to get us to stop wrestling. Sometimes it did. Other times I think we made my grandma crazy and put lots of gray hairs on her head.

I keep wondering what Kiley and Jaxon will be like when they get a little older. Kiley is crawling all over the place now. I remember when she didn't do much and Jaxon didn't much care for her. My how quickly that changes. She's the first person he asks about when he wakes up or comes home from an outing with one of us. He has been giving her hugs and kisses and of course pulling her from places she's not supposed to be. He hasn't quite learned to share his toys with her, though if there are treats involved, he's usually pretty nice. I do believe he would do quite simply anything for her though...maybe will be a few years before he realizes that though.

And Kiley is believe it or not, completely in awe of Jaxon. He dances or spanks his butt and runs around the house naked (a frequent occurrence these days), and she is giggling and shrieking with delight. She sees an empty crib in her room after nap time and immediately says 'guh!' (we think her nickname for Jaxon) and points to his crib. She's also very mobile now and isn't afraid to just throw herself on Jaxon or take what he's playing with. It's almost like she knows what the consequences are going to be (yelling, maybe hitting, pushing for sure), but does it anyway.

I love it. Watching them grow up, each on their own with their own individual personalities is amazing. But watching them interact, play, squabble and fight, learn and teach one another is even more wonderful.

I mean, don't they make a great team?

the aftermath

The aftermath. It's what I call the time period between 8:15 pm and 9:30...

Our evenings start out a little harried, getting in the door around 5:15 or so usually. They generally start with me setting the mail down, getting Kiley out of the carseat, and heading straight for the fridge. Meanwhile, Jaxon is whining... 'I need something for me to wait' (something while he waits the hours and hours until his dinner arrives at his table).

Sometimes I can find something to keep him busy, like tracing his letters (genius right?).

What's for dinner? Hurry up and throw something together while carrying Kiley because she just can't be bothered to sit in her exersaucer anymore. Scott comes home and we all play, eat, play some more, take baths, play, and eat a snack before going to bed. (Kiley just tries to eat all the toys).

Usually by then, the house looks a little something like this.

And that's just the countertop.

It's the aftermath.

I'm sure someday, I'll look back on these days and think, 'boy, I wish I had someone to clean up after. Now that my kids are all grown up and moved away, I have way too much free time to do the things I want to do, and I just wish I could take care of them, make them bottles, clean up their messes, and trip over thier toys one more time in the middle of the night.'

Or I won't.

Time will tell.