The Little Larsons

 

Joseph wanted to take some cars into his bed at nap time, but I explained that he needed to sleep instead of play with cars. He response: "I'm going to magic't it so I can sleep and play at the same time."

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When I checked on Ian around 10 pm he was wedged between his bed and nightstand, standing up, with his head resting on his pillow, sound asleep.

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Ian made this "guy" from items in the pantry

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 The boys set up their small table in a corner of the kitchen and began calling it their "craft table". I love that they always seem to stop and color for a few minutes whenever they walk by it.

 Some garbage trucks and vans, by Ian.

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Ian said some mean words to Joseph and then shoved him too. Joseph waited a moment, then walked up behind Ian and blew his nose on the back of Ian's shirt. Ian was wide-eyed with shock, but when he came to me for sympathy and I was laughing hysterically, he became much more angry!

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The boys recently started to enjoy wrestling each other. It starts with one of them leaning into the other, and then they are both on the floor rolling around. Not surprisingly, they are very evenly matched. Ian calls out the score throughout, and while he awards both of them points, he always makes sure he has one point more than his brother.

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Joseph has started singing along to the primary songs in the car. He'll declare "I just sang all of the words to that song!"

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I recently decided to make a quick speech to my boys about Stranger Danger. I gave them some scenarios including a person in a car inviting them to come get some candy, or a puppy. Ian seemed to get it, but he wanted to do things like climb a tree to get away. Joseph did not seem to believe that the Stranger didn't actually have ice cream. I reexplained it several times and then asked Joseph what he was supposed to do if someone in a car started talking to him. He responded: " I will just say 'Please don't hurt me. Can I have that ice cream?'"

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While I set up nativity scenes Joseph took several people and made his own display. On a step-stool, atop a Frisbee, with a Barrel of Monkeys.

When Helen was trying to fall asleep for a nap her binkie must have fallen out and she wasn't going to sleep. I was making dinner so I asked Ian to go upstairs and put her binkie in for her. I heard him talking and laughing over the baby monitor so after a few minutes I went up myself. Ian hand climbed into Helen's bed, pulled a blanket over himself, and was laying on his side right next to Helen, talking and singing to her.

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After reading a Friend story about a boy deciding not to drink a sip of his neighbors beer, my boys have become intrigued and obsessed with the Word of Wisdom. They pretend to entice each other with tobacco and beer, and always comment on the liquor store when we pass it. The fact that the store has a giant bunny head on the sign seems really wrong to the boys.

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Helen didn't say anything funny this month, but she is adorable and adds to the workout I get from vacuuming.

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Joseph uses the word "none" in place of "any", along with some double-negatives. Unfortunately Ian has begun doing it too. Phrases like "I don't want none green beans" or "I don't like none girls with yellow hair" are often heard at our house.

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The boys made "cake" out of wooden puzzles, ate the pieces, then pooped them out their pant legs. Charming.

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While driving on the freeway Joseph said "This freeway sounds like my white noise machine."

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Joseph calls Helen "Heh-when" and asks to hold her several times a day. Ian also holds her a few times a day, and doesn't walk past her without stopping to use his baby-voice with her and tickle her tummy. Ian likes to call her "Hellie".

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When Helen wakes up the boys race to her room and hop in her crib. They usually toss in some toys and do some bouncing, too. That tie-dyed bundle is their defenseless, swaddled sister.

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Ian was angry with me and said "I am going to put you in prison and then set the timer for ten years!"

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Another time Ian got frustrated with me and built a wall of toys across the hallway to the loft, where I was building a tower with Joseph and Helen. Ian guarded the "prison" himself and put on a white dress shirt and black pants, and a police hat and badge. He would make a hole in the wall and check on us every so often, and once even delivered our meal of bread and water. Once we had learned our lesson, after about 45 minutes, he let us out. I was a little sad though -- it was nice to have nothing to do but play and have food delivered to me.

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Ian continues to be girl-crazy. He exclaimed that he loved blue eyes, and asked dreamily, "Do you know what my favorite kind of blue eyes are? Six-year-old blue eyes."

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I had Joseph and his preschool class doing puzzles, and Helen was in the baby carrier strapped to my front. Several of the boys decided they wanted to do the same firetruck puzzle and began to argue over it. I asked them to finish the puzzles they were already working on and then we would take turns with the firetruck puzzle. But the arguing over the puzzled was escalating. I leaned over to pick it up and Helen released a massive amount of spit-up all over the firetruck puzzle. The boys stared in shock, and then one boy picked up the puzzle, wiped it off, and played with it himself without any competition! What a great little mediator our Helen is!

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While coloring Ian started listing off the girls he was planning to marry. I explained that maybe he didn't even know the girl he would marry -- that there were lots of girls who tried to make good choices and who loved the Book of Mormon. Joseph then declared that he was going to marry his good buddy Andrew Kearns. He was confused when I told him that actually, he needed to pick a girl. He replied "But Andrew makes good choices and knows the Book of Mormon!" Perhaps this is the flaw in an all-boys preschool.

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Scott's high school football jerseys were a huge hit!

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Ian and Joseph love to go out in the backyard and beat the low branches of a tree with a plastic rake. I appreciate that even a tiny bit of aggression is taken out on that tree instead of a sibling.

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Joseph is always making observations about his bowel movements and body. Recently he said "My private part is as big as a little bear!"

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The way Joseph pronounces "except" is really cute. He says "Kep-sep" with the second syllable really drawn out.

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The boys have started threatening to not invite each other to their birthdays. The other always responds, "Well, then I will just sneak there anyway!"

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They are obsessed with opening things that are locked. And their solution is always to "ax it open" or "ax it down". They talk about it more than they do anything about it.

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Ian and Joseph take turns "reading" books and giving "talks" in pretend church meetings. Lately is has been taking place in front of the fire.

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Ian created an "air tank" to wear to the mailbox. I think it was modeled after the firefighters air tank they saw recently. It involved a dog-shaped backpack with a long yellow ribbon running from the zippered compartment all the way to Ian's mouth. He sucked on the "air hose" the entire way to the mailbox and became very concerned when it was accidentally yanked from his mouth.

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Before heading to the bathroom both boys always pull me aside and say exactly this "I'm going to go poop now, so can you wipe me?"

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Ian always draws the letter Y, both upper and lower, with a serif on the bottom instead of the more typical curvy swoop. I finally figured out why: he is copying the BYU Y painted on his bedroom wall.

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Ian is obsessed with BYU and Utah playing each other. When he found out BYU lost in their recent football game, Ian cried. Here he wrote the score of a pretend game, and made sure BYU won.

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The boys still show disdain for anything red. They won't use it because "it has some Ute on it".

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Several months ago Ian's primary was talking about temples and encouraging the children to hang a picture of the temple in their bedrooms. Ian raised his hand and explained "I can't hang a picture of the temple in my room. I have a BYU room."

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Scott and Joseph have a sweet bedtime ritual where Scott cups one of Joseph's hands between two of his own hands. Joseph loves this and has started doing it with Helen. Even though he is usually tweeking her wrist in some uncomfortable way, he has a look of complete tenderness and love when he does it.

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Joseph was peeling the wrapper off a crayon and Ian stopped him, saying "Don't keep doing that Joseph. The crayon will break and be broken forever, and we don't want that to happen, now do we?"

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When the boys want to tell me something in my ear they say "Can you crunch down? I want to whisper something  in your ear."

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I was chopping peppers when Ian came up behind me and hugged around my legs so forcefully that we both toppled to the floor. The following discussion ensued:

Bye bye Mom. I am leaving for college now.

Oh yeah? Which college are you headed to? Don't you need some money?

BYU, and I don't need any money. I have my pajamas and basketball clothes (gestures to drawstring bag on back) and that's all I am going to need. I decided not to play BYU football after all because I am playing basketball.

Oh great! Will you say hi to Jimmer Fredette for me when you get there? 

No, he plays for the Kings team in Sacramento now, Mom. Well, see ya never again Mom! I love you tons and tons and tons! (slams the back door, and strolls toward the back fence.)

Similar conversations happen daily, but this time he said he loved me "tons and tons"! Usually he says he won't even miss me.

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At the dentist today Joseph seemed to enjoy the cleaning. From the moment we entered the office he held his  his mouth wide open, just so he could be ready! The dentist thought it was hilarious and kept inviting Joseph to shut his mouth while he explained the "teeth pictures", tools and fluoride. If only Joseph would do that when I try to brush his teeth! Ian seemed more ill-at-ease there, and during the whole exam his legs were squirming a little, though the tried hard to keep his mouth open and cooperate.

While waiting for Ian's x-rays to be done, we chatted with the dentist. I told Ian that if he kept working hard to learn math and science, he could grow up to be a dentist too. He said, "Well only if I want to."

Here is some of that math he likes doing. If he doesn't have enough fingers to figure it out, he draws dots and then counts them.

These wild kids are so much fun! And so tiring. And embarrassing. And aggravating. And worth it.