A Post Just for the Kids

It's been a while since I've last posted pics of the kids, so I thought I would devote a whole post to provide a brief update.

Josiah
Josiah will be TWO in just 1.5 short weeks. I can't believe it. He's grown so much this past year. And he's talking up a storm. Here is just a short list of the things we hear:

• "Please" follows just about anything he asks for, "Juice, please", "Bath, please", "Outside, please"
• When someone sneezes, he says "Bless you". But when the sneezer says "thank you", Josiah responds with "You're welcome".
• If you ask him if he needs his diaper changed, he says, "I'm fine, just wet". One time I asked him if he had poo-poo because I thought I had smelled something funny and Josiah responded by saying, "No, working on it".
• He got a spanking once for not listening. A few minutes later, he repeatedly said, "Sorry, Daddy". Randy asked why he was sorry and Josiah shook his head and said, "I no listen".
• EVERY morning and each time Josiah gets up from nap he says, "Good morning"....it's so cute.
• Whenever Randy leaves for work, Josiah says, "Daddy, doctor. Check on patients".
• Whenever we call for Josiah, he responds with "what?"
• The other day in the car, Alayna was crying (a pretty normal occurence) and Josiah said, "Almost there, Laney".
• If he hears Alayna get fussy in her bed, Josiah responds, "I go get her".
• And then there is anything he hears me say....so I definitely have to watch what I say, especially in the car in response to dumb drivers. I said, "oh my gosh" once and 2 seconds later Josiah was saying it, too.

Oh, and he counted to 7 ALL BY HIMSELF yesterday. Randy's and my jaw dropped to the floor. Now, we have been counting for a long time to HIM but this was the first time that he counted to US. Josiah is also very good at catching....and throwing. In fact, he's so good at throwing, that I won't play with him if he's going to throw a hard ball because you never know where it's going to hit you (and it hits hard). Randy says it's funny to watch me play catch with Josiah because I usually turn my back (to protect myself) when Josiah's getting ready to throw.

Josiah also loves listening to his Kids Praise CD. He picks up his Wiggles guitar and pretends to play while singing and dancing. And we have seen him raise his hand once or twice like Daddy does in church...it's precious to watch him give the Lord praise.

Moving to Harlingen, where the sun is always shining, has resulted me in becoming jealous of my son. Why? you ask....The kid just tans and tans while his hair gets lighter and lighter.--just give him a surf board already. Also, he's learning Spanish--a little bit at a time. A couple of days after we moved, he came inside and said "Hola, Mama". He also knows the Spanish words for hair, nose, ear, eye, and feet...and if you ask him where they are, he'll point.

While we are still working diligently on getting Josiah to use a spoon or fork at every meal that requires it, he is quickly becoming an expert "big boy" cup drinker. That's right, folks, the sippy cup for the Little Man Martinez may just be a thing of the past in another couple of months....and then it will be Laney's turn. *sigh*

Alayna

Alayna (aka Laney) is 3 months now. Sometimes it seems like it was just yesterday when we heard her cry for the first time, and then there are other times when it feels like it's been an eternity already. Laney has really started to mellow out and enjoys watching her big brother sing and dance....she finds him pretty funny. Here are a couple of little "facts" about her:

• As long as her tummy is full and her bottom is dry/clean, she is a happy camper and will smile, smile, and smile.
• She doesn't really enjoy "tummy time" too much (neither did Josiah).
• If she's really tired, she will fall asleep on her own if I lay her in her bed, along with a paci and a blankie.
• She's not a lover of the paci, she would rather suck on her two middle fingers.
• Her tongue is always out, licking whatever she can (shoulders, fingers, blankets, etc).
• She's been in 3-6 month clothes for about a month now and is quickly on her way to 6-9 month sizes. She weighed in at 13.5 pounds last month, and I have no doubt that she'll be around 17 pounds next month at her 4 month well-baby appointment (and 20 pounds before her 6 month birthday).
• Alayna's eyes have not yet turned, what I call, "Mexican brown", they are very similar those of her Pappo's--Hazel (brown with a little bit of blue).
• Laney is what we call a babosa (the dictionary Spanish translation = drooler)....she has been an expert at soaking whatever she's wearing since she was just a couple of weeks old.
• She is pretty much sleeping through the night, from 10PM-6AM & 6:30AM-10/11AM. This sleeping pattern has me seriously considering moving her crib into Josiah's room, to begin the sharing process.

That's about all to report on for now. Randy and I are very blessed to have TWO such wonderful little people fill our lives.

Enjoy the pics!