Funny Boys

The little boys are finally at the age where Tyler thinks it is fun to play with them, and it's such a hoot to watch them together!  Derek and Tyler especially hit it off since they're both such rowdy things!  They do the best when it's two upstairs and two downstairs.  Tyler and one of his brothers plays better than all four of them together.  That part is challenging.  They don't really want to be separated, but when they are together, they fight like crazy!  They just learned our last name, so when they get mad at their brother, they yell their whole name:  like "Micah Anema!  No No!!"

They all just continue to amaze me with what they know and how well they are talking.  Micah told me the other day that "T Rex's eat meat."  Also, when I got home from work one day he said, "Micah was looking everywhere for mommy!  Micah needed mommy SO BAD!"  Cutest thing ever!  Tyler just said in passing the other day that "sloths and tree frogs are nocturnal, mommy."  I'm going to have to study up on my animals to keep up with these guys!   

All day every day they want to be a "scary animal" or they want me or Evan to be one. It's usually "mommy be a scary lion" or "Derek is a T Rex" or Tyler wants to know what other things besides polar bears are really scary so we can be that.  Dragons, rhinos, and hyenas are some of our favorites.  Seriously, why does NOBODY ever want their fingernails painted instead of playing dragons??!  :)

 Another funny thing lately is when I ask the little guys what is stored in a camel's hump.  They usually say, "water and milk" and someone usually throws in "and ice."  Yes.  Makes sense to me!  It is getting HILARIOUS at our house a lot of the time.  Someone, if not everyone, is talking all of the time.  We are learning lots about manners, interrupting, and being nice to brothers lately.  

Tyler and Derek....buddies...

 Tyler and Micah...

 Tyler, Derek, Micah.  How lucky are they to get each other their whole life?

 We made Valentines Day cookies with pink frosting and pink sprinkles (It's the only pink we have in this house!  I have to do it when I have a reason!).  We were all on a sugar high the rest of the day.  :) This is how the boys love to stand....we do a lot of baking around this bar, and they "help" make supper almost every day, too.  I love it!  T, D, M, A

Andrew got a little carried away with his pink sprinkles.  I told him it was the most beautiful cookie I have ever seen!  

 I was trying to get a quick shot of all the boys sitting by me.  I'm putting these on here just to show you how this usually goes.  Attempt #1.  Nope.  (Andrew, Micah, Derek)

 Attempt #2.  Not working.

 Attempt #3 -16.  Not going well.  Micah decided this was hopeless!  I agree.

 Tyler is really in to art and coloring right now.  He will sit for a long time and color, tape, glue, cut, etc.  It's the sweetest thing!  He's learning to write his name, and just seems like such a big boy lately.

 Cutie pie...

 All of us doing art...T, A, M,D

 Eating bananas in a crate.  It just doesn't get better than that, people!

One thing I keep forgetting to update on is Micah's eyes.  I took all the boys in to a new pediatric specialist to check their eyes (not because I was that concerned, even, just because our insurance coverage changed a bit).  He was so great, and had really good news for the boys -- everyone's vision is right where it should be.  Even Micah's!  You maybe remember but over a year ago I went to another optometrist who checked a lot of babies' eyes and he told me there was a good chance that Micah would need glasses someday.  He said he was extremely farsighted, and we should start thinking about options.  He had us come in with Micah every 6 months to see if it was improving, and it did keep improving.  We hadn't been in for a  year or so, and now his eyes are right where they should be.  We're excited about that!  Glasses would not be the end of the world, by any means.  More so I can just imagine how much the other boys would pull them off of him, etc.  Just one more thing to deal with.

And here is our little precious Micah with a tinker toy up his nose.  He continues to be the wild man...he bumps his head or falls down constantly b/c he's always running and he has something up his nose often.

 The boys are doing pretty good with potty training!  We're not doing it hard core yet, but we ask them to go a few times a day and they usually do.  They ask to go themselves quite often, too.  Either that, or suddenly one or two of them will be stripped totally down running for the potty.  They're definitely getting it, which I'm thrilled about!  I'm not so thrilled about the number of times I've been peed on or stepped in a puddle of pee so far.  Motto at the Anema's is "Aim Down."  Don't forget it boys!

Here is my team of make up artists helping me get ready in the morning.  I get between about 3 and 10 minutes in the bathroom before chaos breaks out, depending on the day.  They're so helpful!  One is usually walking around in the shower saying, "be careful!  Don't fall down" (to themselves, I think?!).  Someone else usually has our electric toothbrush put together and is brushing their teeth (or nose, or cheeks, or brothers hair, etc) with it.  And the other one typically is digging in my make up drawer pulling out contacts or make up compacts.  They're such a pain in there, but I seriously do cherish those times.  They are just so cute, sweet, and funny, and I love that they want to be by me all the time!

 Our new art and snack station downstairs that we use all the time!

 And the bathtub pictures....How cute are they?!  A, M, D

 

 We have a cabin fever like crazy, so we've had to get a little creative with things to do in the house.  Tonight we set up all the kitchen chairs in a line so there was a tunnel underneath, and an obstacle course on the top.  This was fun for over an hour!

And the craziness continues...