At our house, there is a rule that on the occasion that there's a dessert or treat, you have to eat all of your food -especially your vegetables if you want a treat. So tonight there was a treat. Darren did a great job of eating his food, including his salad (which he hates), so he got a treat. Joseph did not finish his dinner, so no treat for him. When Darren was given his treat (Darren LOVES sugar and usually devours any treat quickly), he broke it in half, gave half to Joseph and said, "Here Joseph, I'll share with you." Technically, that's still against the rules, but how do you discourage your child from being so thoughtful and selfless? Daddy let it slide. Joseph had not asked Darren to share. It was completely voluntary on Darren's part.
The name Darren means "Great." That's a large part of the reason we picked that name. We knew before he was born that he was going to be a great kid. He is living up to his name, and we are proud of him!
In the last week, I have received two totally separate reports about Joseph being the sweetest kid in nursery (at church). If there is ever a sad kid in there (realized Mom left, bonked head, whatever), apparently Joseph will go over to them, give them a hug, sometimes a kiss, and say "Is that better?" or "Oh, I'm sorry that happened. Are you okay?" And then he'll stay right there until the other kid is happy again. He is 27 months, and such a loving, affectionate kid. At home, he frequently crawls up into my lap just because he wants to snuggle. I call him my little snuggle bug - for good reason! I love my little guy.
This last weekend, we started a new tradition. At least once a Christmas season, the whole family will sleep under the Christmas tree. This last Friday night was that night. It was the perfect Christmasy evening. After dinner we went to a Bethlehem walk put on by the church that does Darren's preschool. They had Roman soldiers guarding the entrance to "the city," a place to sign the census, an open market, basket weaving, wood working, pottery, live animals - the kids got to pet a lamb and a donkey, the inn, and of course the stable with Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. It was pretty good. When we were done, none of us felt like going home yet, so we drove around looking for Christmas lights. We found several streets that were pretty well lit up, and we all had a good time enjoying them. Joseph fell asleep in the car, and Darren almost did, so it made getting them to bed really easy (hence the perfect night to sleep under the tree). ;) Okay, Matt and I slept on the couch, so we weren't exactly next to the tree, but we were all in the same room as the tree and enjoyed the soft, beautiful light from it all night long. Here are some pics.......
Joseph moves around a lot in his sleep...
Peaceful and content...
These boys love to sleep next to each other, because they just love to be together. Sometimes I wonder why they each have their own bed. Hmmm! When Darren is at school, Joseph frequently asks where he is, and gets excited when I tell him it's time to go get him. Every time Darren goes somewhere, he always asks if Joseph gets to come too, and gets excited when the answer is "yes," which is most of the time. When they say their prayers, they almost always pray for each other. I love that these two boys are such great friends. They do have their little squabbles and moments of sibling rivalry, just like everybody else, but they both get over it and forget about it quickly. My boys (Matt too!) are my world, and I LOVE them so much!
