Love Languages...

Well...if you haven't heard of the book The Five Love Languages, it's really great, and I highly recommend it. For the sake of not making this post too long...I'm not going to explain it since just about everyone I know is at least a little familiar with it. I read it all the way back in college, and it has stuck with me all this time. They have a book out about the love languages for children as well, but I haven't read it yet. Anyway...all this to say, within the past few months or so, it has become very clear to Eriik and I what love languages our kids speak.

Alec is very much a "Gifts" kiddo...no this does not just mean he likes to get gifts! He LOVES to give though! He shows his love to everyone by giving special things to them. Ever since Ava was born he has run to get her one of his stuffed animals if she cried, and now he gives her his cars. He gives cars and toys to his friends all the time...sometimes he even gives them a FAVORITE toy. He will randomly say "Mommy...I want to give Carson this car...I think he would like it a lot." He loves to color pictures, make books, and draw pictures for people. He found a book that a friend had given him for Christmas and when he remembered who it was from said "That was really nice of Blake...I want to make him a book"....and he did. When he draws a picture or colors for his daddy he always wants to make it extra special by hiding it somewhere in the house and leaving clues to find it. This is really amazing to me since "gifts" is very low on my love language list, and on Eriiks as well. Maybe he will teach us a thing or two about being a giver!

As for Ava...we are thinking her love language is "words of affirmation". She is always complimenting people....although they are mostly superficial compliments...but hey she's only 2. I've even heard her talking to her doll saying "Oh...I love your dress, princess ...so pretty". When Kelsey comes over sometimes she says "I like your hair Kelsey...or "I like your shirt...it's nice". It's almost always a conversation starter for her. She comes up to me out of the blue all the time and tells me "I love you Mommy!" Just the other day, after Awanas she told me "Allison is nice!" ..that's her Sunday school teacher, and Awanas teacher. Anyway...as for now it looks like she's a "words" girl....hmmm, wonder where she get's that from??? :)

I realize all this is subject to change, but it's kind of fun to observe. I think it's helpful to know what is most important to them, so that we can show them love more effectively. Anyway...this was just on my mind and thought I would share.

Soccer in the pouring rain!

Well, today was Alec's first Soccer game. The forecast said 100% chance of rain for pretty much the whole day...so I wasn't sure we would have a game. But apparently our little "Longhorns" are tough enough to play through a downpour! We all had a lot of fun...well...Ava was a little miserable off and on...but I think she was just too wet and cold. Anyway, I don't think there is anything cuter than a bunch of little four year old soccer players. You could hear all the parent yelling "Wrong way!! Kick it the other way!" Our Longhorns played against the Dragons and we won 5-0!!! I was surprised at how well they did after only a few practices! We celebrated with a little Sonic after the game. Alec said he had a good time, but "the game was a lot longer than practice...and a lot wetter!" We are proud of our little Longhorn, and thrilled that he had a good time! I have a little video clip at the bottom....he is #3. (you can hear Ava being miserable in the background)

The soccer mom and the little sis.

He fell a couple of times...thus the wet grass all over his face and body!

First Day...

Well, today was the first day of preschool for Alec and Ava and the first day of MOPS! Ava ran into her room without so much as a glance back and started playing with the toys as the teacher shut the bottom half of the door. I gave a quick "bye lady bug" and she barely looked up as she waved. So...needless to say she was good to go! Then I dropped off Alec and he walked in the room with a slight hesitation until he saw his bud Tommy and then all was well. So, then I sped off to our church for MOPS where I am a discussion group leader. On the way there the silence hit me and I was suddenly glad that I was getting to go hang out with some friends instead of back to my quiet house. Now...don't get me wrong...I am really going to love having free time a couple days a week, it's just a little bit of a shock to my system. MOPS was fun as usual, and I am really excited about getting to know the girls at my table better.

When I picked up the kids today after school Ava was crying because Owen tried to take her blankie (oh the drama). Alec on the other hand was so excited and said in a super excited voice "Mommy, I got a penny because I was really really good and I sat really still and listened and if I get five pennies, I get to buy something from the treasure box!!!" He then proceeded to tell me about a couple boys who were not as fortunate. Ava didn't have as much to report (she just told me "I played with girls"), but the teachers told me she had fun. So...anyway, here are some pics from open house with their teachers last week.

My little singer...

The other night Ava was singing in the bath tub, and I thought I would capture it on video after getting her out. Every night I sing to her before bed, and she sings along...it's all I can do to not crack up because she is always trying to "out sing me" by singing louder than me. Anyway...I didn't want to sing along with her the whole time because I wanted her voice to be heard, so she has just a little trouble remembering how to wrap it up :)

Random cute things....

Well, I wanted to take a minute to write down a few cute things that my kids do or say before I forget them completely! These might be things that only the grandparents and myself find adorable...but I had to write them down for memory sake.

I love how Ava calls anything sparkly or shiny "sprinkles". For instance, this sunday I was wearing a necklace and Ava climbed up in my lap and touched the necklace saying "Oooh mommy, I love your sprinkles!". Then this morning I had on a tank top with rhinestones and she said "I like those sprinkles!"

I love how Alec improvises to get things done, instead of just saying "I can't do it". Sometimes I'm singing to Ava in the rocking chair and I ask Alec to turn out the lights and he will run to his room and grab his stick horse and flip the switch with the mouth...or he will grab a hanger, or a piece of a car track to reach the switch.

Ava likes to add on words to the end of her sentences that don't quite fit sometimes. For instance she likes to tag on the words "a minute" saying " I want my sippy a minute" I think she gets this from me since I am always saying "I'll get it in a minute". Another thing she tags on is "So". She'll say "I don't like that diaper...so..." I think she got that from me too...there are so many times I don't finish a sentence and just let it trail off like that. She just now came in and said "Mommy, I have a boo boo.... something" That just reminded me that she tags on "something" all the time too!

Cute things Alec said:
"When I lived in French.....I mean France....the French people taught me how to make really good noodles." (Don't ask me where he got that from! I didn't even know he knew there was a France!)

He was playing in the toy kitchen one day and said "Mommy this is a special "coffee faucet" just for you! You just turn on the faucet and coffee comes right out!!! "(He knows me too well!!!...I told him he will have to invent one of those when he grows up! He said..."but I did, it's right here Mommy!")

We were outside playing with "sidewalk paint" and he said "Mommy, you are just like Special Agent Osso because you always let me try new things and he always tries new things too!" Special Agent Osso is a cartoon character on the disney channel for those that don't know.

Ok...enough of my rambles! Also keep in mind that all of these things are a million times cuter when said in the sweet little voice of a 2 and 4 year old!

This is a picture of Alec attempting to carry Ava in the Baby Bjorn that he found. She ended up pulling him all around the house with it!

Ava's Prayer...

Every night before bed Eriik asks Ava what she wants to pray for and every night she answers:
"Girls, Jesus, and.....I go potty in the potty" She says girls because she wants to pray for her girlfriends, Jesus, because that is who she is praying to, and potty in the potty because she has heard Eriik and I on many occasion pray that Ava will learn to use the potty! You see we have been pretty lax on the whole potty training thing up until now, and she has just gone to the potty when she was in the mood, and would go in her pull up the rest of the time. We just recently started getting a little more serious about it, and she has been bucking against it. So...I had to bring out the big guns....meet "The Princess of the Potty"!!!!

OK...I realize that it is just a miniature Sleeping Beauty doll, but humor me OK...Ava thinks she's cool. She resides in the medicine cabinet above the potty (we call it her Castle), and "talks" to Ava while she is sitting on the potty. She gives her little "potty pep talks", which Ava gets a big kick out of. Ava will get to free the Princess of the Potty from her castle (and keep her) if she stays dry for a whole day. In the mean time she gets to put a stamp on her potty chart and a couple mini marshmallows everytime she uses the potty. This "princess of the potty" thing better work...cuz I'm running out of ideas!

You know...10 years ago, I NEVER would have pictured myself dreaming up these kinds of schemes to get a 2 year old to use the toilet!!! What has happened to me?!?!? Oh well....I'm a mom...that's just the way we roll I guess :)

Random fun at home

Well...the kids are done with their summer program (Discovery Days) that they were going to twice a week, and so we have been finding ways to stay busy...at home and out and about. We went to Kids Station with Alec's Karate buddies, Dairy Queen to play with our MOPS friends, the public pool with the Webbs which is always a good time, and Alec went mini golfing with his bud Carson, but I didn't get pics of any of that. So, here are some pics of the kids hanging out at home this week. A couple of the pics are of Alec and Ava with their tent that I helped them build. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of building tents around the house with my brother Shawn. I think kids just like having a secluded little place to hide and call their own. The only problem with the tent was that Ava kept wrecking it, but at least Alec learned how to fix it in the process. The last few pics were taken this evening after dinner...they were still in their church clothes, and I thought they looked cute so I had to break out the camera!

Ava eating a Popsicle...or as she calls it "popskull".

Inside their "tent"

Taking a break from splashing in the water...sitting up in their play gym.