New Year, New Updates

Lainey:

• She's finally realizing good/bad choices and repeating them to me…like what was a good choice/what was a bad choice. :) Not perfect by ANY means, but she did tell me that two girls were teasing each other in dance and she didn’t join in. Good girl. :) She didn’t even want to repeat what they had said (to tell me the story) in front of Walker in case he was going to repeat it.
• She has an interesting way of counting.  She'll say, "I have 36 100 socks." or "20 100 seconds."
• Can snap her fingers. And tries whistling every single day (she's very close to getting that one).
• She's trying to read prices at the store. However, the cents sign and the dollar sign are still confusing to her. :)
• The girl is still terrified of toilets with automatic flushing capability.
• She will still have an accident if she's too busy to go potty. That's just her. And I've just accepted it! :)
• Likes putting her own ponytail in her hair (as well as putting ponytails in her dolls' hair and Barbies' hair). And she's pretty good at it, too! :)
• Will say "Really!?" whenever someone does something unbelievable (to her). As in...Walker destroyed her card game and she said, "Really!? Really, Walker?" She was so frustrated.
• She'll start sentences with "We always never..." or "We always all the time..." or "All the time we..." (She's big into what we "always" do and what we "always" don't do.)
• When I've tried to have serious conversations with her, she seems to "get it" and then move on. For example, I'm telling her about how Grandmother died, and she sees something sparkly, so she's sad one minute then commenting on the sparkles the next and then she goes back to being sad. A second example was when I was when I was telling her about how her great-grandfather wrote stories about Native Americans. We had somehow landed on the topic of tee-pees and I thought it was the perfect segue into discussing her great-grandfather and his work. Well, that didn't sink in because the next thing she told me was that she and "Gage went in the tee-pee at JumpStreet and it was SO stinky!" So there. My serious topics are lost on her at this point. :)
• She once happily reported to me that she “did Lion King with Reagan and she liked it.” (As in, she held Reagan up like Mufasa does with baby Simba in the movie. I'm pretty sure Reagan didn't like it!)
• Says "wacks" for the word "wax."
• She still hates getting her hair brushed. UGH. 
• She calls her wrist her "ankle arm" and her footies (those little slip-on socks you wear when you don't want to wear a full sock) her "foot unsweaters" because they help your feet not get sweaty. :)
• Almost always puts her shoes on the wrong feet and couldn't care less. She really will go the whole day with them like that. 
• Lainey gets mad because apparently I'm "always asking [her] to do things." She also doesn't like me sometimes because I "always tell [her] no." :) She is really good at groaning, too, and stomping her foot when she's asked to do something that she doesn't want to do.
• Still loves dollies, dancing, gymnastics, art, and playing games.
• She is a really good sport and a good loser. She cheers for the other person when they win. That's good, in my opinion!!
• She is a messy eater. Cannot be trusted with a snack in the back seat. She's also clumsy and is more likely to fall, run into something, or slip than her brother.
• She is a collector of all things tiny. You should see her "collection" around her car seat. It's terrible and makes me crazy but I let her keep it anyway...she has more rocks and random "treasures" that she's picked up off the ground than she knows what to do with. I certainly know what I'd like to do with them! :)  
• She often says that things "look interesting" or "smell interesting." I think it's her way of trying to be polite. I think I do the same thing.
• @4.5yrs....she's started really trying to read. She can identify words like no, cat, dog, mom, dad, on, go, the, a, I, not, to, and off, and she'll find them on billboards, signs, in books...wherever. She's asking how to spell everything and can write all her letters and numbers. She's particularly proud of her "s" and truly spent time practicing it until she got it right. She likes to sound out words, but of course "sounding out" words is harder than it looks when dealing with the English language. She can do simple math problems, and can (sometimes) read a digital clock.
• Loves bath time with her brother. They make up all sorts of games.
• She's learned how to say the Lord's Prayer and likes to ask me what each part means. I've waited awhile to teach this prayer her, and it seems to have worked out well because now she is better able to understand the meaning behind the words.
• At age 4-1/2, she's awfully concerned with the socks and shoes she wears to school. She never wants to wear white socks because "everyone else has crazy socks and [she's] the only one with white socks." Um, okay. So, often, she'll wear her Halloween socks because those are definitely crazy. And some days she wants to wear her boots because she just knows her friends will be wearing them. Same goes for dresses. She still doesn't wear pants...she'll wear leggings, but no pants. Definitely not jeans!! 
• She loves her Twinkle Toes shoes. They light up. They are fabulous. And one of her most favorite possessions.
• Lainey's a very creative, imaginative girl. She has lots of ideas and is a pretty good problem solver. She is forever making up songs and games and she's pretty good at playing by herself. Whenever she involves Walker, however, he gets SO excited and happily goes along with whatever she wants him to do.
• In general, she's a sweet, positive, optimistic girl. Not a lot gets her down, and she continually sees the bright side of things. I love that about her. I hope it never changes!!

Walker:

• My favorite words/phrases of Walker's: “tchugga tchugga tchoo tchoo” (chugga chugga choo choo); “choo-choo cains” (choo-choo trains); “ke-cause” (because); “I sarin’ with you.” (I am sharing with you.); “I sare with him.” (Meaning, I want to take his toy and “share” with him); “Mommy! I need you!”; “ketend” (pretend); “cah-light” (flashlight); “mus-ang car” (mustang car); “bal-ega” (banana); "meh pants" (my pants); "meh head" (my head); “my tone" or "my cone" (my turn); "biper" (diaper); “I fuhsty.” (I am thirsty.); “I fawwy.” (I am sorry.; "binky and lanky" (binky and blankie); "dere" (there); "sficy" (spicy); "Nightning McKeem" (Lightning McQueen, from the movie Cars)
• Loves counting, pumpkins, and playing "I spy with my little eye" (especially in the car). 
• When playing by himself, he just mumbles – I’m sure he knows what he’s saying.
• Seems to be fascinated with "sfooky" (spooky) things. He thinks upstairs is "sfooky" and he won't go up there by himself. He doesn't like dark spaces because they are all "sfooky" or "scary." He likes spooky books, and he really loved the Halloween season.
• Calls his friend Brayden "Buh-den." Although, if you ask him if he wants to go play with "Buh-den" (his sister does this) he very clearly tells us that it's not "Buh-den" but "BUH-DEN." (He obviously thinks he's saying Brayden!)
• At mealtimes, if I ask him where all his food went, he'll reply by saying, "It in my tummy. Yummy in my tummy!"
• Says "I tired of walkin'" when he wants me to carry him.
• He still calls helicopters "hah-cuh-lows"but he no longer refers to himself as "Yacko." Now he's "Wal-kuh."
• Refers to the store as the "grossey store" (grocery store) but I don't know where he got that. I don't think I call it the grocery store. I think I just call it the "store." Maybe he picked it up at school or something! :)
• Says his own prayer at night - "Now I lay me down to sleep...." - and he insists on saying it himself. He'll sometimes say it super fast so all you can really catch is the "Amen." (This prayer is a special thing between Walker and his dad.)
• Says "poo poo" at the end of any sentence if he wants to make his sister laugh. :) And then they both just dissolve in giggles.
• Absolutely hates having sticky hands. I have to wipe them all the time!
• Likes to kiss his toys bye-bye if he won't be seeing them for awhile...like if we have to leave them in the car when we go into the gym.
• He usually brings a train or two (or a couple of cars) with him to school every day. Thankfully, his teachers are great sports about this.
• Loves pushing his own "teeny tiny cart" in the grocery store. Mom does not love this, however. :) I'm always grateful when he chooses to ride in the cart with the car in front instead of pushing his own teeny tiny cart. :)
• Frequently takes off the -g of words ending in -ing. Examples: workin', cryin', walkin', runnin', helpin', comin', doin', goin'... :)
• He has learned to pee on his sister. And that is funny for both of them. :)
• He requests a "pillow" when he lays down on a hard surface for me to change his diaper.
• Walker tries to be a "big boy" by standing on his tippy toes. He wants to be "like Gage."
• Anyone seen the movie Animal House? When the guy at the club says to the fraternity guys "Do you mind if we dance with yo (your) dates?" Well Walker always asks, "Mommy, can I have a bite of yo (your) apple?" It always makes me think of that line in Animal House. Totally inappropriate connection to an almost three year old boy, I know.
• He definitely prefers blue and green to pink and purple. He is aware of "boy" colors and "girl" colors and "boy" stuff and "girl" stuff.
• Gets his "befores" and "afters" confused. Usually he says "after" when he means "before." 
• Loves to ask me to do things for just "one minute" or "two minutes." He has no idea how long these periods of time actually are (as evidenced by his crying when one and/or two minutes is actually up). He just hears us say it and then repeats. But we hear his negotiating skills daily...he often asks to "play choo choo trains one minute after we leave." (He's asking if we can play trains for a minute before we leave.)
• He hates hangnails. I have to clip every one that he sees.
• The boy doesn’t like getting his hair brushed/fixed/etc.
• He doesn’t want to be anywhere near Lainey’s dollies. If it’s on the seat near his car seat, he pushes it farther and farther away.
• Walker will say “I sit closer you.” (Meaning, he'd like to sit closer to me at the table...particularly in an unfamiliar house. He would like our chairs to be touching, if possible.)
• “It not workin’. It broken. It need new bah-rries." (It's not working. It's broken. It needs new batteries.)
• He's very bossy about how I'm supposed to sit on “Sit like this. Do like this.” (Either sit the right way on the ground, or lay on my tummy next to the trains, or lay on my belly with my chin in my hands to play with the trains/cars/etc.)
• He loves "samiches" and PB&J is his favorite.
• Understands (mostly) the phrase “Look with your eyes. No touching.”
• Walker's best friends at school are Grace, Kasen, and Brayden. I think he and Grace play together a LOT. Their teachers, Ms. Linda and Ms. Suzanne, call them "an old married couple." They love and fight. And Walker gets mad if Grace doesn't sit a certain way or do something he wants her to. ;)
• He wants to communicate with us by grunting when he has his binky in his mouth. It's kinda funny but totally in appropriate for someone his age. I laugh anyway, because he truly thinks I can understand his grunts (which I can't). 
• Speaking of teachers, around Halloween, our neighbors and friends the Loredos put up their friendly inflatable witch "Glenda." Well, Walker kept confusing Glenda with his teacher Ms. Linda (because they sound the same). Whenever we talked about Ms. Linda, Walker would inevitably say "Ms. Linda Witch." I think he meant "Glenda is a witch." But I had to warn Ms. Linda all the same. ;)
• Walker is very competitive. He wants to beat his sister in EVERYTHING. How fast they finish their lollipop. How quickly they get their seat belts buckled (and I'm the one helping Walker with that one). Being the first to open the door. Being the first one to reach the door at the gym. Being the first one to open the door to the house (if we're in the garage). He will sit and give us an all-out fit if he doesn't win...he gives up easily. Thankfully, his sister is understanding and many times, she'll take his hand and they will "both win" by running together. :) Thanks to Lainey for being so stinking sweet (sometimes) and saving her mom some trouble. :)
• He's a clean eater, and he can be trusted with a snack in back seat. He doesn't like messes or messy hands. He always wants me to wash his hands after eating.
• Walker's obsessed with "mus-ang cars" (Mustang cars) wants us to catch all the “mus-ang cars” he sees on the road. He doesn't understand that I can't catch every single one! 
• He's kinda sorta pedaling. He loves his tricycle and his bike.
• For some reason, he likes to make quesadillas in the bathtub. He uses a cup and soap and water and uses a paintbrush to mix it all together!
• If he's in a grumpy mood, he will say, "“I no like __________.” (Even if he really does...like cars, for instance.)
• Still loves trains, cars, his binky, his blankies, riding his wiggle car, sleeping (the boy sleeps till 9:00 a.m. every day), his crib, watching Wow Wow Wubbzy and playing with his mom and dad. 
• Makes me laugh when he says, “Ooh! That big bless-you!” (Meaning, someone just did a big sneeze!). Along with that - if someone sneezes, he'll say, "Excuse me, Daddy." Once he sneezed when he was playing a game on my phone and exclaimed, "I bless-you'd on my phone!"
• “A hair.” (He hates hairs in his mouth. Or really anywhere. Who doesn't?)
• Whenever he hears a loud sound, he puts his hand up to his ear (he covers it) and says, "I hear somepin'. What that sound?"
• He's an excellent bumper of fists. He does large ones (and you have to make the sound) and small ones (with fingertips and you have to make that sound, too). 
• Walker is a sweet, sensitive little guy. He's calm, cautious, he loves to read books, and he has zero interest in climbing out of his crib. 

I'm excited to see what 2013 brings to our family. I know for sure that we will have a move, our first cruise, and an election. And that's all before June! Whew. :) It'll be exciting, that's for sure!!