Brothers

Awww.... Matt looks HUGE next to his wee little brother, Will. But, Will is looking pudgier everyday. We like chubby babies around here.

Preschool Politics

Earlier this week was registration for Matt's preschool for the new year beginning in the fall. Maybe I'm naive or maybe just not paying attention, but there is some tight competition for teachers at this school. And I know it's not just this school--there's waiting lists a mile long for several preschools in this city. Anyway, a few weeks ago the school sent a letter home along with the new registration forms explaining that the year before they had parents lined up at the door at 7 a.m. to ensure that their child got in the desired teacher's classroom. And registration didn't start until 9 a.m. C'mon! It's preschool people--how much varied could the environment be from classroom to classroom for a 2 or 3 year old? One class sculpts clay while the other simply uses playdoh? I showed up shortly after 9 a.m. on registration day with both kids in tow and found myself #45 on the list, and Matt ended up in the second most desirable teacher's class. I could care less, and neither could Matt obviously. I just want him to have the social interaction and learn what a structured classroom is all about and learn how to LISTEN. We've really been working on that lately. Anyway...I walked out of there laughing and thankful that Matt had a spot.Our week has been pretty normal I guess. The new normal that is, with a newborn and a testy 3 year old. I took both kids to Target the other day--it was my first time taking them both out with me by myself to such a place. It went rather well, thankfully. It's funny though; I put Matt in the front part of the cart and had Will in his car seat and placed him inside the cart. Matt turned around in a panic and said, "But Mommy where are we going to put our groceries and our things?" Hehehe.Look at this bright-eyed little boy! He loves to lay on the floor and stare out the window and just kick his little legs and work his little arms. And he just coos and coos. It's adorable.
Joyce, you're probably going to freak out at this picture--yes, that's William laying on the dining room table like we're going to eat him for breakfast. Steven put him up there several nights ago and he really likes gazing at the light fixture up above and kicking his legs. Matt found it hilarious.Speaking of Steven, his hours at work have changed and today is his first 12 hour shift. Isn't that crazy? Thankfully he only has one of those a week. We miss him. I think I'll leave you with a nice centerfold photo of the cat.

Our Adolescent

Somehow we have a teenager living in our house lately. I'm not exactly sure how it happened--either he decided the headphones were a good idea because his baby brother was screaming and he couldn't hear his music or he didn't want the music to be too loud for his baby brother. Either way, Matt rocks out to his jambox while holding the earpieces of the headphones up against his ears but not in them. He does this a lot. We're wondering if we should worry about his hearing with the loud volumes that he likes to explore. He doesn't hear us already as it is. Or is that selective Jones hearing??

Sunny Days

We've been having some lovely weather around here lately; some of it unseasonably warm, but for the most part it's been really nice. And that has enabled us to get out of the house and get outside and play! Ava came over to play one morning last week and we ended up at the park. Those two had a great time as usual.That very afternoon after Matt woke from his nap it was freakishly warm outside. So, it was an excuse to put on a swimsuit and bust out the finger paints and play outside. I have to say that Matt didn't fully grasp the idea of finger paints at first; he insisted on using a brush until Steven squished his own hand into the goo. Then he fully embraced the messiness and began body painting. Cleaning up was a cinch with the hose.William roused from his nap briefly to come outside and bask in the warm sun and watch his big brother gather toys for his rubber duckie to play with that was taking a "bath" in his green wagon. It was a nice afternoon.

3 Weeks

Little Will is three weeks old now. He's doing great--eating and growing and sleeping and opening his eyes more and more. He's a strong little guy, too. He lifts his head well and I swear has almost rolled over a couple times. This kid is going to be on the move, I'm sure of it.

Matthew is adjusting well. He shows more affection for his brother now, and I think realizes that he's here to stay. He brings him blankets and pacifiers all the time. We borrowed this swing from a friend and now Matt is always wanting his baby brother to swing in it. He's constantly turning it on and off.This past weekend Steven worked, so I was at home with both boys by myself. It was a long weekend let's just say. A snippet of my day on Sunday: I was surviving on 3 hours of sleep since Will was up with raging gas all night and screaming, Matt really was not into potty training and kept whining for a diaper, Matt then peed on the carpet while I was holding William all wet from his bath wrapped in a towel that he then pooped in, and then later Matt tripped and busted his upper lip open. It was quite a day. William slept a lot better that night so at least I got some sleep! Today I actually got out and went to the grocery store. It's funny that something so mundane and boring as going to the grocery store can be exciting and fun after being cooped up in the house all weekend.
Who needs a nap? I do!

Two Kids

Matthew woke up a little groggy and grumpy from his nap the other day. It's probably because we chose to wake him up--it was almost 5 o'clock. He headed straight for the kitchen like he wanted a snack but then burst into tears because he didn't want a snack after all. Then he wanted to hold me. Right there on the floor. So that's what we did. Steven thought it was funny. I guess it was.Here's a happier side of Matthew at bath time. We've been attempting to potty train Matt the past 2 days with zero success and lots of accidents. I'll give it another day or two, but most likely we'll be shelving that idea for a few more weeks. We told him that if he learns to go potty we'll take him to the toy store and he can pick out a special prize. So now every time he hops off the potty after another failed attempt he asks if he can go to the toy store. He'll get it one of these days, right?
We continue to be pretty sleepless around here. I keep reminding myself that it does get better--eventually. It's just hard to be ready at 7:30 a.m. for a busy 3 year old when I feel like a zombie. However, most days both boys nap at the same time. And so does mommy.

WAFFL Bowl

We enjoyed Super Bowl Sunday over at Tim & Pam's and helped Joy celebrate her sweet victory of being the Whole Austin Fantasy Football League's 2008 champion. Here she is snatching the trophy from last year's champ, Holly. Congratulations on a fine year of football, Dance Pants!Look at these two. There was food galore (Matt was in heaven snacking all evening) which included a delicious spread of homemade waffles and breakfast meats, kids were running everywhere (the entire league was represented: both Joneses, Reners, McAfees, Morans, & Hamptons), and the football game was enjoyed by all on Tim's new TV.At bedtime, some of the kids climbed in bed to watch Monsters, Inc. Matt lasted a few minutes, but the girls were glued.
And then to her total and utter surprise, Sarah was hosed down by her new baby nephew during a diaper change. He got her good. Ah, boys.Matthew got this music player from Steven's parents for Christmas, and Steven figured out how to load music onto it. Now, Matthew can carry around his playlist of Weezer, Beck, Death Cab, etc. wherever he goes. The boy loves our music, it really is hysterical. The other morning he decided to share his tunes with William. I'm sure they sounded familiar to him.