Tickets, trains, shopping carts, ice cream

Our lives are so full of joy. I say this and an image of Noah crying and whining comes to my mind, the way he greeted me yesterday unhappily saying he did not like me. The honest truth is that it is really hard to parent that little boy. He is often on the verge of a tantrum, especially as he continues to adjust to life without naps. But, he is sweet, and sensitive, and caring, and loving. Yesterday and this morning, he and his dad built the Ikea desk that I am currently writing on, He was so diligent in offering the tools, screws, and other parts to his dad. Before he falls asleep, his last words are often "I love mama," accompanied by a hug. He tries really hard to do what we expect of him, for the most part, unless he is tired or hungry (both of which are quite common by about 4 pm). So, that is what life with a 4 year old is about -- constant battles of will, exertion of independence, testing of consequences, occasional but enormous tantrums, all accompanied by expansive excitement about new or favorite things (trains, cars, etc.), immense joy in learning, an earnestness in confronting the world and new things, and buckets of sweetness. Our lives are indeed full of joy.

Simon, at age 21 months, is now mostly potty trained (at least at home), knows colors, letters and numbers, counts to 20 (though between 13 and 17 it is all mostly confused), and is running (often away from us, unfortunately). He has a coy smile, and will repeat whatever word it is he is trying to learn until you say it back to him. When he really wants our attention, he walks over to us (especially to Noah), leans forward, and looks up into our faces, and says, "Woah?" (or "mama" or "papa") earnestly, until we answer him.

We recently took a trip to see the "real" Thomas train (the Strasburg railroad brings in a Thomas engine). Both of the boys were fascinated. Simon didn't stop excitedly saying, "Thomas!!" every time he saw a Thomas engine on a shirt, or balloon, or on the actual train, until we left. Noah's favorite part, he said, was sitting on the train itself. Their joy at this visit was so worth it! Afterwards, we tried to get a quick picture at the front of the train. Not surprisingly, the whole thing is cordoned off, and you are forced to sit on a bench in front of a photographer who will snap a picture. I waited in line, put the two little guys on the bench, and stepped back to snap a shot myself. Suddenly, my children were accosted! The man in the orange vest whose job it was to make the kids sit together or smile or something was right next to them, barking at them to sit closer together, to smile, etc. They both started crying. The only picture I got was of a man in an orange vest in front of half of Thomas. I tried sitting with them to calm them down for a formal picture, but that didn't work either. Note to self: make sure Nano gets in the line with us next time!!!