The boys love their new running bikes from Auntie Misty.  They're doing pretty good on them too!

Piano Recital

Aiden and Caileigh participated in their end of the year piano recital last night.  They each played two songs.  I stayed home with the littles but Sean and his parents really enjoyed it.   Sean took these videos for me, so here are two songs and I'll upload the others later.......

I shudder to think of what they'll be like as teenagers.

The following was written about the boys, taken from my blog merely a few days ago.......

They both listen quite well and I have been taking them to softball without a stroller or wagon.  If I call them, they will almost always come.  They do, of course, love to run the opposite direction as a game but for the most part, they do fantastic.

I really should have kept my mouth shut!  The last week has been unbelievable.  Their behavior in Safeway was so atrocious that I am certain if Sean wasn't my husband, we would be asked to never return.  They were screaming, biting, fighting, arching their backs, etc.  Every little thing became a huge deal.  It was funny at one point when Sean decides to step in and help me take some of the kids out to the car.  As he is preparing to take a smiling, waving Jordan outside with him, I tried to call to him over the sound of Alex's screams and ask, "Do you think you could take the crying child with you and leave me the happy one?"  Then fast forward to softball and you have two boys running quickly in opposite directions.  You try to pick them up and redirect them and they would scream, arch their backs, kick, etc.  They see another child in sight and would run up and push them and hit them.  It was constant and completely draining.

I took the kids on a field trip to a goat farm.  Although the field trip was amazing, I came home utterly exhausted.  One child is running for the animals, the other is running towards the lake.  Another child is at the lake on the opposite side, naked, preparing to go into the water.  Another child is in a raft preparing to launch themselves into the middle of the lake and they don't know how to swim........rather than mar my memories of the trip, I'll just post pictures and hopefully over time my memory will fade and I will only remember the beauty of the day.

{Notice someone in the background taking off their pants?  Every time I turned around this child was trying to get naked and they were successful several times.  When I said to this child, "You are being disobedient", they replied matter of factly, "I'm not being disobedient, I just want to do what I want to do."

Caileigh is the first Watson child to lose a tooth!  It was wiggly for about 3 days before it finally came out yesterday morning.  She is pretty thrilled.  Aiden was a little disappointed that he isn't first but we consoled him by telling him that he will probably lose 6 teeth at once.  He is thrilled at this possibility.

23 Months

I always seem to say, "I can't believe that the boys are {insert age} already!"  This time, I can believe that the boys are 23 months.  They seem nearly 2 in every way possible.

From their desire to try all activities.......

from their mischievous faces.....

their goofy antics.....

and their constant activity.

The boys are so sweet together,

 but they cry,

and scream,

and fight.  All.  Day.  Long.

Pushing, biting and hitting are all normal daily activities.  I do my best to help them resolve their differences and their ability to move on quickly is astounding.  I do find it difficult when other toddlers join the mix.  One boy will go up to another child and them push them down.  I will say, "We don't push, we need to be gentle." and then the other boy will have to go over and push down the child just so they can hear me say, "We don't push, we need to be gentle" to them.

This, I find exhausting!

We spend as much time as we can outside these days.  I find outside really helps with independent play.  Each child will be happily doing their own thing and then they'll come together for a little play, and then go back to doing their own thing.  The boys love to explore the yard, play with trucks in the sand box and ride bikes.

Eating popsicles are a favorite!  They have figured out the freezer lock and are continually

breaking into the freezer and hiding behind the couch to each popsicles.

{I think they look like old men in this picture}

Both boys are starting to talk quite a bit and they are copy each others words and actions.  

They both say, "nah" for "yeah".  

Some favorite words that they use often are:  bus, drive, bye, book, truck and popsicle.

They both listen quite well and I have been taking them to softball without a stroller or wagon.  If I call them, they will almost always come.  They do, of course, love to run the opposite direction as a game but for the most part, they do fantastic.

They both love Tumble Time and are starting to participate in the songs and activities.  It is cute to watch them "sing" along with actions.

They both adore books and will cuddle up on my lap to read.  Books about trains, cars and construction vehicles are favorites.

Alex tends to be a little more cautious than Jordan but I feel that some of this is from his numerous amounts of injuries. 

 Jordan is sometimes more aggressive and assertive than Alex, but Alex can hold his own when necessary.

It is really hard to tell at this point how different they are as so much of their behavior is copy and repeat.  A lot of how they interact depends on their mood and a particular day.  They are definitely unique individuals but I sometimes struggle to verbalize the specifics.

They are both so loving, gentle and cuddly.  They love to give hugs, kisses and sit on laps for cuddles.   They are extremely affectionate little guys.

They are very loved.

Jordan:

{I got on the ground to take a picture and Jordan copied me}

{When they finally crash, they crash hard}

Alex:

{Taking his cars for a walk}

{Always a collection of items in his hands}

 A few videos taken this evening.......