MLC has read a few words! He knows "Thank You" from a song he learned at school, and he read it for the first time one day when he was sitting on the toilet. We reuse plastic bags as garbage bags, and the one in the bathroom that day happened to be one of these:

He spelled out the letters, and then suddenly (and excitedly) realized that he knew what he was looking at, "MOMMY!!! That says THANK YOU!!"

Another time he read "S-T-O-P...does that spell STOP, Mommy?" And then yesterday he read "S-U-N-N-Y..hey, that spells SUNNY!" He's learned the spelling of most of these words from songs at school, so he's not really reading yet, but he's definitely excited about it.

LC is just like MLC and me. He gets very talkative when he's tired! Even though he's only 5 months old, he can't help but babble away when he gets tired. Since it's not my first time at the rodeo, I'm able to show a little more restraint and leave him alone before he gets overtired and is impossible to put down.

We fed LC his first solids yesterday and he loved it!

4.5!

MLC is 4.5 years old now! He still LOVES cranes, and he also loves...his baby brother! Who is 5 months old today.

MLC's has been expressing a lot of interest in the alphabet, reading, and counting lately. He knows most of his letters, but sometimes needs help writing some of them. He's starting to grasp his numbers through 100, thanks to this toy we're making him earn. We found a Lego Crane on sale, and couldn't resist, but we're also aware that he has SO many toys and is not treating them as nicely as he used to. Maybe it's a 4 year old thing? Or maybe he's getting spoiled rotten? Anyway, we decided to set up a point system to encourage him to behave responsibly in order to earn points for his toy. The goal is 100 points, and can earn points by cleaning up after meals, cleaning up toys, or trying new foods. We started this back in May, and at first we were afraid he'd earn them very quickly, but his motivation slowly tapered off, and we were stuck at 34 points for a very long time. Then we decided to print a picture of the crane so he could look at it for a while, and that got us to 50-something points. Then..he accidentally discovered the hiding place for the crane (trunk of our car), and we're at 66. He's already excited to create a list for the toys that he wants to earn points for after he gets his Lego Crane. Hopefully he learns..motivation? delayed gratification? appreciation for his toys? how to clean up? through all of this. Only time will tell.

 Thanks to his dad, MLC has also developed a new interest in space and rockets. His dad took him to see the Space Shuttle Enterprise fly over the Hudson river on an airplane, and I took him to see the shuttle offloaded from a barge on the river to the Intrepid via a giant crane. He loves being an older brother so far, and for that we are very grateful. He imitates our interactions with his brother, and just loves to snuggle and talk to the baby, who we'll call Little C.

 We haven't been to church in a long time, but I think that we need to be honest and teach MLC and Little C about God ourselves. Church is good, but until we're ready to go back, we have to remember to keep teaching him about God ourselves. The other day we were in the car, and there was a sudden downpour. I think MLC was a bit afraid, and he asked us to pray to God to make it stop..which we did. And the rain let up in about 10 minutes, which MLC thanked God for later at dinner. I'm grateful for moments like these, but I want him to know God more. Religious behavior is something I don't care about as much (going to church) as developing good character and an understanding of God's love for us.

 In other news, Little C is an awesome little baby! Well, not so little - he's actually quite the fatty. His thunder thighs are a joy to behold. But he is just so, so happy, and it's so easy to get a smile out of him. He loves to nurse/eat (no solids yet), and it shows. He's not as much of cuddler as MLC, although he does love to be held. But he doesn't snuggle in the way his brother did...or maybe that comes later - I can't quite remember. We are very very lucky/blessed. <-I can't use the word "luck" without thinking that it's somehow "bad" because it's attributing my circumstances to chance instead of God.