Three bears

As I sit to post these pictures of barely-clad children enjoying our backyard, I find myself looking out the window at a very gray day and thinking about the fact that the apartment's radiators were warm this morning. Not unrelated is the fact that I just switched over the boys' winter clothes for their summer ones. Doing so it simply an invitation for the cold weather to return, I'm pretty sure. Maybe it I pull out their winter clothes, the warm weather will return? If there's no improvement in a couple days, I may have to try it.

Jonah said about the first picture, "Iohan looks angry." Really? I would've gone with "silly." Or even "exasperated," especially since it looks like Middle Bear is trying to bite him on the head. It may have been a kiss, now that I think about it.

Hmmm, my eldest piled atop my youngest? Some parent is slacking on the job. Poor Iohan. If his babyhood doesn't kill him, it will certainly make him stronger. (Strong enough to pop his brothers pretty good, I'm thinkin'.)

Here's Iohan's disgusted face. He's tired of Jonah intruding on his personal space. Really, Jonah better look out. It may take a couple decades, but Iohan will have his revenge.

We call Manny "Angel Baby" for his looks, not his personality. Personality-wise, we just go with "Crazy."

Awwwwww.

Not a fan of the burrito wrap, eh, Io-Io? Let me take a few photos, then I can help ya.

Good day, dear friends

Me, me, me

My eldest child is still young enough that I find his self-centeredness adorable and endearing. It is, I suppose, because he is self-centered in an entirely childlike way. It's not selfishness that I love -- the refusal to share a toy train or a bite of a treat with his brother. This tendency I am often quick to correct (save those times when I've just had it, and those two can figure it out for themselves!). No, the self-centeredness that I love is revealed in Jonah's proclamation to his grandma: "Someone must have left it there just for me!" while he shows her the new coloring book that we bought from the supermarket. It's revealed in the coloring of cards for a variety of adult friends and the expectation that thet will be overjoyed upon receipt. In the introduction of his younger brother to his teacher at a Parks District class with overwhelming enthusiasm, clearly indicating that Mr Tom should be excited to meet Manny. With Jonah's selfish tendencies, I've started to bring to his attention how the other person feels: "Manny doesn't like it when you take his food, Jonah, and you wouldn't like it if he took yours." These self-centered tendencies, though, I just let go. Soon enough, Jonah will learn that a coloring book is just one of hundreds churned out by a publisher looking to make a buck; that many adults look at a 3 year old's coloring and just see a mess of scribbles; that not everyone is interested in him, let alone his brother. (Though this doesn't apply to Mr Tom; Mr Tom is actually very kind.) Soon enough, Jonah will learn not just that the world doesn't revolve around him, but the extent to which it really doesn't revolve around him. Some day Jonah will be crushed by the disappointment of learning that he's not as important to somebody as that somebody is to him -- the last thing that I want to do is hasten that day. Though self-centeredness is not a virtue, there is something pure in the self-centeredness of a child: He can hardly imagine that the world might let him down and he's going to enjoy every second of the world living up to his highest expectations. There is so much in this embrace of life and of the world that I lack, and that most adults lack. We're disappointed and jaded and our defenses are up. We expect the worst -- or at least something bad -- and that is what comes to pass. That's life, I guess, in a fallen world, and I know that my precious children will have to face it and live with it in the course of their lives. While I can, though, I will keep them safe in the bubble of their own innocence: For the first several years of life, at least, the world should be rose-colored.

2/5ths of the family takes a vacation

In mid-April, my husband sent me off to visit the boys' godparents and godsiblings (? I think of them as "cousins") in State College, Pennsylvania. Gabriel stayed home for five days (yup, you read that right -- FIVE DAYS) of fun (read, "unending work") with the elder boys, while Iohan and I were pampered in Happy Valley. I'm even more pampered because Corene was nice enough to blog about the event on her site, saving me uploading and photo-moving troubles. Check out the pictures of Iohan with his godfamily by clicking right here.

Jo-Io

Really, I just don't think that there's any such thing as too many images of my eldest loving on my youngest. As much as Manny may love Iohan, I think that his toddler-love pales in comparison with Jonah's big brother love. "Let me just see that cute little chubby guy," Jonah pleads when Iohan emerges from his nest in the morning. "Who's got you, little guy? Is that your daddy?" Jonah asks in sweet, high-pitched tones imitative of the "mother-ese" that I use when lovin' on my baby. Jonah tells me, though, that he doesn't want another sibling. I imagine that he thinks that Iohan will always be so small, face breaking with a huge smile, chubby hands and surprisingly sharp-nailed fingers reaching out to grab our faces to mouth them. With my eldest baby about to turn four, and my youngest far too close to crawling, away from me, I sometimes wish that I could freeze time. Jonah's future self, at, let's say, six years old is still a mystery to me and as such is exciting: He'll be reading! Playing sports! Buried in Legos! But experiencing the transition from babyhood to big babyhood and knowing what comes next for the third time now, and knowing what to expect, I find myself mourning the passing of tinyness more that I've done before. I almost wish that, like Jonah, I had no idea about what would come next, but the knowledge throws these baby days into beautiful relief, and all I've left to do is soak it in while I can.

And the Oscar goes to...

...This guy.

Only human

Like the rest of us, Manny puts his pants on one leg at a time.

Unlike the rest of us, Manny puts his pants on foot-end-of-the-pants first (though still one leg at a time).

Wha...?!?!?

Hate to say it, kid, but that's really not your best face.