first best friends

Jack is rough with Lila…rough with her like she’s one of his buddies on the playground. This is equally frustrating and endearing.
We tell him repeatedly that “she’s a girl”, “she’s smaller”, “she’s not as strong as he is”…but it doesn’t resonate with him because he doesn’t see her as smaller, weaker, different…he sees his best friend who he wants to wrestle with because to him, that’s about the most fun thing to do and he wants to do that with her.
Frustrating. Endearing.

I see her run up to him with open arms, begging to be picked up and hugged…Jack obliges, only to release her to fall down into the grass. And before I can yell, she bounces up and continues to chase him around and around. I’ve never met a little girl tougher: she’s had her fair share of bumps and bruises (see: glass stuck in her hand!), and she rarely complains.

I know their relationship will teach Jack to treat girls kindly and equally (like he would his sister, once he realizes that you can’t wrestle with her so hard).

I know their relationship will teach Lila to hold her own with the boys, and to push back and be strong, and to know that she can always call on him and he will be there to protect her.

I know their relationship will remind me that they are one another’s first best friends. That at the end of the day, it’s them against the world. I LOVE that they will have each other to rely on for the rest of their lives. That bond they share is so important to me… Be good to each other, Jack and Lila…

just a few instagrams...

 

Yesterday at preschool, when asked what he was thankful for, Jack said rings…you know, like the ones you wear on your fingers?.?. While cleaning the basement, I had found a Cinderella ring with lip gloss inside…he won’t put it down, even in his sleep. Thank you, Jesus, for my ring. If only I could make Christmas as thriftily exciting as a found treasure like this one! Also, he's been complacent in allowing Lila to play beauty shop while he watches Ni Hao, Kai Lan!

Speaking of Christmas, I’m making this for J&L (found via Pinterest)…I’m so excited for it to come together! I scored some “oops” paint from Home Depot (which is eerily close to the color of Lila’s room), and am collecting bits and pieces as I go along: hinges and a magnetic clasp for the “oven”, an upside down “J” for the faucet, knobs and acrylic paints…somebody stop me.

A few quick notes. Random.

 Lila can sing the itsy bitsy spider…or at least mumble along while doing the hand motions. She also sings/mumbles Rock a Bye Baby, and ABCs, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. She is very familiar with “No!” and manages to project that statement with a sass that makes me proud. She throws little fits if she isn’t getting her way, to which Daddy promptly gives in to her demands. When we went to the Science Center this weekend, all she wanted to do was watch the life-sized t-rex while exclaiming, “Ino! Ino!”: her version of dino. I’m obsessed with her hair. Obsessed. Like I said, I’ve never had a “hairstyle” so the opportunity to play with Lila’s ‘do’s might be taken overboard.

 

On Saturday night we had a Disney dance party in the living room. It was awesome. Jack said he wants to do that every night…he’s quite the dancer, err, karate-kicker. Jack has been singing, “Jingle bells. Batman smells. Robin laid an egg…”. With his Christmas show coming up, it probably wasn’t my smartest move to teach him such a song.  He’s been getting very excited about Christmas and has made many a cutout-picture list to show the jolly old man. When we were at the Science Center this weekend, all Jack wanted to do ask repeatedly, “but WHY did the t-rex kill the other dinosaur?”

These kids are awesome.

technicolor children...

(with Photoshop Express on my iPad)

Cadrinal day...

It's Cardinal day!

Jack went old school with a Jim Edmonds shirt...I told him it was one of Nani's favorites and he got even more excited. I even taught him the, "Duh duh duh duh du-dah! CHARGE!" We're working on it.

Lila also went old school with one of Jack's old get-ups. Too cute...seriously. Too. Cute.

thank you, jack & liley...

Sometimes, I just need to look at pictures of these two to remind me to be happy. Seems strange…it shouldn’t be something that I have to remind myself to feel…but when stresses are overwhelming, and I can’t see clearly, I look at my favorite people and everything else melts away.

Clappy McClapperson

Lila claps now...

and holds her little precious hands together...

And Jack pretends he's eating her face...

Also, Jack is pretty good at wrangling Lila so she doesn't hurdle off the couch! Hold on tight, Buddy-boo!

Lila also waves which is adorbs! I love her. And hims.

a story in pictures (and few words)

"Oh hey, Mommy...I'm just minding my own business, all happy-like...ya know: life is great!"

"Oh hey look, my brother...what's he up to? And WTH are his pants!?"
secrets...

kisses...

face-smooshing...

love...

and love...

The end.

PS: As a family we all talk to Lila as if she can respond. Often, I say, "How are you baby girl?" and Jack chimes in (in a high-pitched voice) and says, "I'm good." and then proceeds to say (in his own voice), "Mommy, who talked?!" He kills me!

Bath time...together

For the past few nights I've let Lila play in the bathtub with Jack…I hold her and she just kicks her feet…she flails and splashes and accidentally kicks Jack in the pee-wee…luckily, her legs aren’t that strong yet!

Jack has so much fun when Lila comes to play with him, and I LOVE that he loves her so much...(even though he "accidentally" squirted her in the face with his water gun..."No Mommy, it was an accident." Luckily, Lila has a pretty easy-going disposition and just kicked him in the pee-wee again...JK.)

I yelled for Jim to run in with the camera, but my memory card was “stored” away (aka: in the bottom of my purse), so these cell phone pictures will have to do as the first ever pics of my little kiddos taking a bath together :)

play.

In this picture, Lila's looking like, "Who? Lil' old me? I didn't do it." and Jack's either in "Dragon Style!"-mode (don't know where that phrase comes from but he says it all the time), OR "RAWR!!! I'm a tiger!" because he makes such a convincing tiger that he scared his little girlfriend at school, so now he can only growl at home!

I could watch them play together all.day.long.