Polly want a cracker?

We used to have a tweety bird named "Sunshine" when we were living in cloudy-Ohio. Yes, I lived in Ohio for a very short stint before I started grade school. I remember us always trying to make the bird talk to us because that is what I thought birds did. It was a sad, cold day the day that the tweety bird flew off to the heavens while my mom and I were cleaning out her cage.

What does that have to do with my life with two children and a bearded-husband, you might ask? Nothing, really, except for I now have my very own tweety bird minus the feathers.

What happens in the brains and bodies of 18 month olds to turn them in to little Mr. Simon Says? Whatever it is - it has taken over the once shy, reserved personality of our newly turned 18 month old.

Today I went to pick him up from his three hours of play school (aka - my time to do all 30 things on my list that never seems to shrink) and his dear teacher, Mrs. Stacey, exclaims that Brooks was "chatty-Cathy" today. "He was just talking up a storm today...having conversations with the stuffed animals, the other kids, and himself in the mirror!" While I love that the little man was providing the best entertainment for his class today - it does make me beg the question? What happened? Seriously, in the last 3 days the little-mister seems to have taken on a whole new personality....making p his own games, chasing us around the house, repeating 95% of what we say and looking at us with his big, proud eyes just waiting for our accolades.

I think it needs to go on record that I have thoroughly enjoyed the boys this week (well, after our horrific Monday morning). For some reason this week I actually feel like their mommy. It is so easy to just feel like a nanny to these two boys each day....making sure they are fed and clean and rested but something feels so good when I actually feel like I do have the ability to shape these little people. As I have watched Brooks grow into a little boy in the blink of an eye this week I have seen just a glimpse of the reaping and sowing principle. It's hard to understand that there every may be any internal reward for all of the selfless hours involved in being a parent but luckily, this week, I have had a few of those "aha" moments where the work of the long days seems to actually have some future benefit. And that is the benefit of feeling so valued and so needed in the life of a child.

Thank you, little boys. (Obviously, you caught me when they are both napping and the Christmas carols are filling the air along with the perfect smell of the Christmas tree. The little guys are stirring now and as you know all of these blissful feelings could change in an instant....)

We've had quite a few new "activities" to explore this week...including a little body painting which then turned into finger painting - though it was supposed to be the other way around and some "pop pop" which involves jumping off the table onto the couch! Oh the non-stop life of a curious little boy....