Playin' in the Playhouse

I love how spring brings out the active side of the kids. This clubhouse has already led to hours of fun for the boys. They love opening and closing the windows & door, ringing the working door bell (yes, it has a working door bell!), watering their plants (for the record, the house came with window boxes, LOL). They've pulled their chairs in the house, and sat and had snacks in there. Ben's come up with pretending their pirates in the house. Hunter's used his mower to mow the lawn there, and yesterday he brought out his blessed vacuum to clean up inside his house.
Here are some pictures from the first morning the boys had the playhouse:

The clubhouse has brought a bond in the boys. They are getting along better than ever. I think Hunter's growing vocabulary is the primary reason for the intensifying bond. It could also be that Hunter is becoming more independant, so he can play with Ben or alone without as much help as he once needed. Little things, like Hunter's ability to open a lid by himself, make a huge difference.

The fence is undoubtedly the other reason the boys are getting along better. Time spent outside is play time, not drive mom nuts time. They are forced to focus, and it's working like a charm. I could not be happier about this fence!

Perhaps one of the best things the boys do together is bounce on bouncy balls. Ben got his Thomas bouncy ball for his 3rd birthday (I think). We've had it around the house all winter, and Hunter has tried repeatedly to mount it and bounce with no real success. He's just too small, and the ball to big. When I found the Barney bouncy ball I didn't realize it was smaller, but it turns out it's perfect for Hunter. He can now mount the ball all by himself; he uses a chair to hold onto, and wraps his little chubby legs around the ball. Adorable. The boys came up with race idea all on their own. They had an incredible time bouncing all around the yard pretending to race.

An intentional crash.

Yesterday's mid-morning snack was snacked at the clubhouse table. So cute how they run out there with such purpose, as though they can't snack anywhere else.

Here's a random shot of my little 2-year old.

Hunter's been hilarious lately. I'm not as organized as I one was, but here are some random things about him lately:

He asks to go on the swing outside by saying, "Mama, Wee, Um? Wee, Um? Wee, Um?" He repeats it so many times, its hilarious.

He can go on the swing, high as I can push him, forever; whenever I take him off, no matter the reason, he throws a temper tantrum, tossing himself on the grass and crying hysterically, "Wee, Um... Wee, Um! No Mama, No Mama!" He's been on the swing for a half hour or more without any desire to get off.

He repeats everything we say with a lot more accuracy. We are so surprised with his accuracy that we make him repeat things over and over... the other day I said, out of habit, "Say 'Thank You Mama.'" He repeateded me with alarming accuracy.

He copycats Ben a lot. He watches for a moment, soaks it in, and performs. When Ben notices, it drives Ben crazy. When Ben gets mad, Hunter tells him, "No Broder!"

He tells us when he has Poo-Poo by pointing at his diaper and saying, "Poo-Poo" with an urgent and this-is-not-comfortable face.

He kisses me or Barney when the 'I love you" Barney song says, "A kiss from me to you."

He copies TV, like dances from Barney, sounds on Little Einsteins, hand motions, etc.

He asks for what he wants. If he wants "Nack" (fruit snacks), he emphatically ask for "Nack!" and scream if I give him anything else, "No, Mama! Nack!" He can name most foods, but here are some examples, "Buder," (Peanut Butter), "Apple," "Bar," (Granola or Nutri-Grain Bar), "Oh," for Cheetoes or Cheerios, "Toe," (Toast), "Cake," "Eye," (Ice Cream), "Cracker," formerly "Crack-eye," (Cracker).

Right now Ben and Hunter are contently playing with Play-Doh. H is driving B mad asking him to make "Sneak, sneak!" (Snakes) with the playdoh pushing device. LOL.

He knows places we pass in the car. Like Walmart ("Ahl-Mert" and Chuck E. Cheese "EeeZ" or "Weee" for McDonald's playland and the slide (he climbs all the way up the tubes and goes down the big boy slide like it's nothing!), and "Booh" (Book) at the library.

He loves chocolate milkshakes, and drinks from the big boy cup at restaurants without spilling.

He gets car sick very easily, even just on a trip here in town.

He wakes up in the middle of the night and asks for "Dada" usually. He loves to get a free trip to mom and dad's bed, where he sleeps like a rock along side us and the cat and dog (we have a full sized bed). He shares my pillow usually, and will wake up periodically to rub my face, hold my hand, or play with my hair. He's still quite the snuggle bug.

He loves Little People stuff right now. He'll load up the people in the firetruck, school bus, or zoo train. If he can't find the right persons, he asks me to "Find."

He asks where something or somebody is by sticking his hands out, elbows bent, palms up, tilting his head and saying the name of the thing he's looking for.

Enough for now, I must go and spend some actual time with them today...

Have a great day everyone!