Zach Attack

Zachary is such a funny little boy. He still doesn't say much but he understands everything we say and often does things on his own. One day he came to me sniffling his nose. I was in the middle of helping Ryan, so I told him to go find a tissue to wipe it. He walks straight to the bathroom, gets some toilet paper, wipes his nose, and puts it in the garbage can. I have to admit I was pretty surprised.

Zach has been a momma's boy lately. Kevin usually puts him to bed, but the past few days he has been pretty upset about it. One night after family prayer Zach disappeared and reemerged carrying my black fleece jacket. I usually wear it in the mornings when the house is a little chilly. I guess he knows that's what I wear when he's still a little sleepy. I put the jacket on and he headed toward his bedroom and gave me a look like, "Aren't you coming mom? It's time for bed." He definitely knows what he wants.

His newest trick is pulling a chair over to the counter and climbing up on it to see and get what he wants. He can climb up on the toilet, reach the faucet of the bathroom sink, and turn it on. I have found him a couple of times with a the water running trying to wash his hands (usually after dipping them in the toilet.) Zach loves to see himself in the mirror, so he will get a comb wet in the sink and try to brush his own hair. And I literally have to get him undressed in lightning speed if it's bath time or he would end up in the tub with wet clothes. Zachary is also pretty good at dumping cereal on the floor but is also very helpful in cleaning it up.

Things he is saying: mama, dada (which he yells when Kevin comes home. So cute) ba (ball) baba (baa baa) neighneigh (horse) ishish (shoe) woo woo (dog) boo (peekaboo) bre (breakfast) wah (waffle )nigh nigh (night night) dah (dog) ish (fish) buh buh (bye bye) cuh (car or cup) and a few others I can't think of right now. Like I said before, he understands a lot and can do a lot by himself. We are just waiting for all the words in his brain to transfer to his mouth.

He loves animals, balls, bikes, being outside and going for rides in the car (so much so that he will bring me his shoes and jacket at random times during the day), wrestling with his brothers, and being chased by his daddy. He is also interested in coloring and has an innate sense of when someone is sneaking a treat and not sharing. He loves books and legos, much to the dismay of his older brothers. He even has to have his cute little hands on a spare controller when the boys are playing Lego Star Wars. Zachary just loves being in the middle of it all!

I can't believe this little boy is 18 months old already!

Bedtime Rules

Tonight as we were getting ready for bed, Matthew delivered this note containing his new bedtime.Translation: "Bedtime is this time 7:60 Matthew" The shear brilliance behind this note, intended or not, left us laughing and in awe. What kid figures out that 7:60 will never happen.
(Matthew, Ryan, Zach, and Mom reading stories before bedtime)

The Adventures of Matt-Man and Ryan - Episode 2

Episode 2: Kitchen Caper

Mom: Okay boys. I'm going to get ready for the day. I'll be done before your show is finished.

Matthew and Ryan: Okay mom.

*Poof* The boys turn into Matt-man and his mischievous side-kick Ryan

Matt-man: Hey Ryan, I need a snack.

Ryan: Me too.

M: Let's go see what there is.

R: Okay.

On the way to the cupboard....

M: Look, there's mom's spice rack on the counter. I wonder what would happen if we opened some of the containers.

R: I don't know. Let's try. Wow, look at all of this stuff all over the counter. It sure is green.

M: Yeah, and it smells funny too.

Mommy, just back from getting ready (which was only a few minutes, might I remind you)

What are you boys up to?

Boys: AAAAHHHHH, it's Mom!

Later that day...

Matthew: Mom, I really like painting.

Mom: I'm glad you do.

Ryan: Me too.

Mom: Good. I need to go switch the laundry. I'll be right back.

Mom heads to the laundry room. The door sometimes closes behind her, but that has not been a problem in the past. A perfect for opportunity for *DUN DUN DUN* Matt-man and Ryan!

Ryan: Hey Matthew, I can paint on my arm, look!

Matt-man: That's cool. Let me try.

Ryan: Look at all of these colors.

Matt-man: Yeah, skin makes a great canvas.

Mom hasn't heard much because the door is closed and the dryer had started as another load was being put into the washer. She opens the door to find...

Mom: Boys! Why is there paint on your bodies?

Boys: AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!

Clean-up Time





p.s. Things mommy has learned in the past couple of days:
1. No more telling the boys where I am going. It's got to be done in stealth or else they know they have a chance to morph into their devious selves.
2. Keep laundry door open at all times.
3. Boys must be separated while having a snack or doing an art project.
4. Never wonder where they come up with their antics. It makes my head hurt.
5. Not a lesson learned but just a reaffirmation - I love my boys!

The Adventures of Matt-man and Ryan - Episode 1

Episode 1: Shower Shenanigans

Mom: Okay boys. I need to go upstairs to cook dinner. Are you going to stay down here and play with Legos?

Matthew and Ryan: Yes mom.

Mom: Okay. Have fun. I'll come and check on you in few minutes.

*Poof* The boys change into Matt-man and Ryan, doers of mischief and co-conspirators of diabolical plots.

M: Hey Ryan. Don't you think it would be fun to play in the shower?

R: Yeah! Let's go! And let's bring our toy lawnmower inside. That would be fun.

M: Okay!

R: How do we turn this thing on?

M: I think we need to turn the knob. There we go.

R: The lawnmower is getting really wet.

M: Yeah. So are our clothes. We should probably take them off.

Meanwhile upstairs, the mommy radar goes off in full force. She rushes downstairs to find it empty and hears two giggling little boys in the bathroom. She runs to open the door....

M & R: AAAAAHHHHH!!!! IT'S MOM!!

Mom: What are you doing? Why is the lawnmower in the shower? Why are your clothes wet? And where are your pants?

Will Matt-man and Ryan escape Mom's wrath and live to play another day? Stay tuned for our next episode.

Ryan, Ryan, Ryan

Our little Ryan has said some funny things lately. Here are just a few of his recent and best:

When asked to say the prayer for dinner, he said he didn't want to. Mom asked him again to please say the blessing. "I can't," he said. "Why not?" asked mom. "Because," he said. "Well, why don't you try and mommy can help you if you need it." Ryan folded his arms, closed his eyes, and sat for a second. Then he looked up and said matter-of-factly, "I can't. See. I lost all the words."

One day he was playing downstairs on the kiddie slide we borrowed from Julie and Joe (thanks guys!). He came upstairs while I was washing dishes. He waited there until I looked over and with hands on his hips said, "Mom, I just fell off the slide." "I'm sorry," I said. "Are you okay?" "Yes, but next time I need a helmet."

On Monday night for Family Home Evening we were talking about things we could do to build and strengthen our testimonies. We were drawing things on paper like read the scriptures, help someone in need, be kind, etc. I was helping Ryan decide what he wanted to draw. He decided he needed a Helpful Robot for be kind. And it had to have the following: head, neck, body. long arms, long legs, back, front, middle, hands, fingers, eyes, ears, mouth, feet, footprints, and a grab-nabber. "A grab-nabber?" I asked. He looked at me like, of course mom, don't you know what that is?

Just before bed, he started singing his own version of The Muffin Man. "Do you know the butt-butt man, the butt-butt man...." I told him I would prefer that he doesn't say that word, hoping to stop the song altogether. I should have known better because he smiled and started singing, "Do you know the bum-bum man, the bum-bum man, the bum-bum man." Can you just hear my big SIGH by now?
Other funny things about Ryan:

-He likes to fill up the bathroom sink when he is "washing" his hands. He then sticks his head in to get his hair all wet and combs it over with his hands and smiles in the mirror.

-He is a child of habit. Every night we sing in the exact order Pioneer Children, Oxcart, and I Hope They Call Me on a Mission. And every night he asks the same questions and every night we have the same answers: What does kept mean? (The pioneers kept the sabbath day. They did what Jesus wanted them to do.) What does creak mean? (The wheel on the oxcart was squeaky. It needed oil.) What does -ary mean? (It goes with missionary. They tell people about Jesus.)

-While making his bed, both he and Matthew like to lift their sheets and create a bubble of air. They like to jump on it which they refer to as Air-Pops.

On a different note, Zachary wasn't feeling well yesterday so Kevin gave him a blessing. Later that night, it was Ryan's turn for family prayer and Kevin told him to remember a special blessing for Zach. Ryan immediately walked over to Zachary and put both hands on his head. We had to teach Ryan that he couldn't give blessings until he was older, but it was really sweet that he wanted to help his brother.