Fight or Flight

Sometimes Jacob likes to pretend he's asleep and then scare us when we come to check on him just before we go to bed. He's a night owl and often won't fall asleep until we do.

Late last night I was taking our babysitter home when Aaron had a great idea to get him back. Jacob had gone downstairs to use the bathroom so Aaron quietly slipped into his bed and waited in the dark for him to return (with the intent to scare him). When Jacob came back to his room he closed the door (making it pitch black) then proceeded to climb into his bed. At that moment Aaron jumped out from under the covers and growled a fearsome "Raarr!!!" Jacob gasped then immediately started yelling and punching him as hard as he could. After a few moments he realized it was Aaron and sunk into his arms crying. ):

So I know it's really bad but I when Aaron was retelling the story to me later that night we both had a heck of a laugh. Aside from scaring him to death we also learned some important lessons about Jacob.

Lesson 1- Find other ways (during the daytime) to scare him because we probably scarred him for life. (I don't think he'll ever climb into his bed again without first checking to see if anyone is in it).

Lesson 2- If there really is such a thing as the "fight or flight" instinct, I know which one Jacob has. It kind of makes me proud that he didn't scream and run off. He makes me so proud to be his mother- my little man in the making.

Taco Time

When the kids are cold I like roll them up in a warm blanket them carry them over to the couch to get cozy.

I frequently hear them say......"Mama, can your roll me up like a taco?"

Things Lauren does that make me smile...

-Pose like this when I let her know I'm going to take her picture. (I was trying out our new camera and wanted to test the lighting in this shot). She was happy to oblige.

-How she pronounces "remember." It sounds like 'B-Member.'

"Mama, B-member when I was a little girl...when I was 4?" (Something she started saying only days after turning 5.)

-The little songs she makes up when she is playing or doing things around the house, then how she gets embarrassed, (then mad) when you tell her you like her song.

-The way she hops up and down with delight every time she gets excited. She does this for a lot of things but I especially love it when she does this after seeing me put on something pretty (especially if it's a new outfit).... It's how I know that I look really nice.

-That she comes into our bed in the middle of the night at least 3 to 4 nights a week and always come over to her Daddy's side of the bed. One morning I asked her why she never came over to my side and she replied, "Because Daddy is always so nice and warm."

-The sassy way that she talks back to her brothers and refuses to be bossed around.

-The way she "decorates" her room with bouquets of artificial flowers purchased from the dollar store.

-How quickly she can trash her room but at the same time how well she plays with her toys independently.

-The grumpy face she makes when she doesn't like something someone has said or done.

Teamates

The best part of Saturdays soccer game was not the goals Jacob scored... It was when he actually passed the ball to his younger brother, and then Joseph passed it back.

Oh, and when Joseph roughed up that dirty player on the other team (who was twice his size)...that was pretty cool too. He's feisty like his mama. (:

Wrestler Ben

I've always thought Ben would be a great wrestler and this year we got the chance to find out. Ben's soccer league changed the rules for his age group so we decided to try a different sport this season.

The first time I saw Ben wrestle I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. The combination of his stocky build and fiery spirit make him perfect for this sport. He fearlessly tears into his opponent muscling them to the floor with absolutely no technique. When he comes across a more seasoned wrestler (who actually knows how to use proper moves) if he can't muscle them down he'll give them a heck of a fight. (I knew that stubbornness would come in handy).

I can't wait for him to get good and actually learn some technique and wrestling moves. I have so much confidence in his potential, I think it could be the beginning of "his thing."