Connor is struggling with some violent and aggressive outbursts at times, but that's to be expected with the arrival of a new baby, competition from his twin sister, and his age. For the most part, he's a sweet, caring, loving, funny joy to us and our family! He is helpful with chores around the house, and loves to kiss, hug, and hold his baby sister. He has a very special bond with Mason too...I assume it's a "guy code thing." ;) He randomly says, "I love you so much" to me or Frank, and it melts my heart every single time. He is learning so much about the world around him, and a lot of things I don't even know where he picks them up from, because I never taught them to him, he just comes out with it! The other day, we were having our nightly "special play time" before bed where me and him go in his room and play together for a few minutes. He plays with whatever he chooses, and I am simply there to give him positive one on one attention. He was playing with one of his toy motorcycles and he started pointing to each piece of it and telling me what they were. He pointed to "where the gas goes," the motor, the brake, the seat, and the very back of the motorcycle, "where you put stuff." I was amazed that he knew all of that! I had never sat there and told him any of that about motorcycles or vehicles at all, and neither had Frank, so he learned it himself from watching or somewhere, but either way, it was amazing to see and hear that from him. He is a very deep thinker and learns a LOT about the world around him simply from watching the people and things he sees generally every day. He is very much like his daddy in this! :)
Also like his daddy, he loves to play around with his toys and "invent" new contraptions and different ways to play with things. He has a very active and creative mind and spirit! He loves tractors, trucks, bull dozers, bucket loaders, ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars. He gets SO excited when he sees tractors or constructions vehicles when we drive down the road, or if he hears the sirens of am ambulance, fire truck, or police vehicle. He recently went on his first fishing trip with daddy and loved every second! He went once last summer, but as soon as Frank and him got to the river, he cried for mommy and Frank brought him home with me while he took Merasia fishing instead, and he never went again last year because he just never wanted to! Frank decided to try again this year of course, complete with a Spider Man fishing pole, and he LOVED it! He even caught two fish and reeled them in all on his very own! He asks to go alllll the time now, which I'm sure makes Frank happy. ;)
He is very, very friendly and will strike up a conversation with anybody he sees out in public...I guess this is good and bad... ;) I don't mind him saying hi to people when we are out and about, or asking their name or what they are doing, especially since we are usually with him so we know nothing is going to happen to him by talking to someone he may not know. I love his outgoing and friendly nature!
He's also very helpful! He loves helping daddy with different "guy" things like working on our vehicles or fixing other things. Frank was helping our neighbor work on his truck one evening while the kids played outside, and Connor and Mason just had to help too!
Both Connor and Merasia love to help inside the house too, but what they can help with there is a little limited sometimes. The housework is up to me and Frank, but mostly me just because I take over and have certain ways of doing the main important housework that nobody else really knows. They like to help me bake but I don't have much time for that so that doesn't happen often. They like to help us cook, but that is limited too because they can't help around hot stuff, and no touching raw meat because of all of the nasty germs and diseases little ones can get from touching raw meats...I'm not up for that! They do help some though, if possible.
I have loved seeing Connor grow into the little man he is today, and look forward to seeing the young man he continues to grow into through the next few years!
Merasia has also grown so much and it amazes me all the time! She has quite the sassy attitude these days, but just as Connor's violent and aggressive behavior is due to the adjustment of the new baby, Merasia's sassy attitude is for the same reason, I'm sure. That, and she's a 4 year old. Enough said! ;) She loves to play "mommy" and help with everything she sees me doing, but doesn't quite realize yet that she can't do every single thing mommy does. It's sweet of her to help though!
She is absolutely smitten with her baby sister, and loves trying to help feed her or keep her happy if she gets fussy when she knows mommy is trying to do something or I am busy.
She's a sweetheart, and always worried about everyone around her. At the same time, she doesn't take any crap from anyone either! She doesn't hesitate to get sassy with anyone and everyone, or react physically. Of course we discipline her for unacceptable things, but there are times that we believe it's okay and acceptable for her to react to and defend herself, and we tell all of the kids that, so they understand when we discipline them and when we don't. She is a very spirited child, and loves to express herself in a variety of ways. She's an active girl and isn't afraid to try new things and get out in the world to see everything she can!
She loves, loves, LOVES dancing and gymnastics! She took gymnastics for the first time earlier this year and loved every second and never stops practicing her flips and everything she learned there at home! She is a little show off!
She also loves to sing, dress up, and do everything girly! She loves getting her hair done, picking out her clothes each day (usually a dress!), having her nails painted, and wearing makeup if I let her!
Merasia has a very motherly spirit. And though she is girly all the way to her core, she also isn't afraid to be one of the boys and get nice and messy! I think she is every father's dream of the perfect child...she's a perfect girly girl and a perfect tom-boy buddy too!
Merasia loves to read, color, and draw pictures. She has several favorite books, and will sit in her room or on the couch and read out loud to herself or to her brothers, or even friends at daycare and preschool. She is so creative when she draws and writes and has been working so hard on writing letters and names. She can write C's, A's, M's, W's, and K's right now. (She may be able to write more but I can't remember off the top of my head right now!) She also likes drawing elephants, dogs, smiley faces, and houses. Those are her favorites right now and she really does a great job!
As much as Merasia really gives us a run for our money sometimes, and challenges us as parents and as a couple, we wouldn't trade her or her personality for anything else in the world. She is who she is, and she's an individual, and product of us and our own personalities, and we have nothing but to be proud of that and the little person she is becoming and will become in the near and far future.
Mason........Mason, Mason, Mason. I'm not sure where to begin on Mason! He is a complete free spirit! He definitely adds a whole new level of excitement and adventure to our home and our family, but we wouldn't change it one bit!
He loves playing with his older brother and sister, but don't let the "little brother" role fool you...he can hold his own! He is a sweetheart most of the time, but when someone tries to pull a fast one on him, he will turn right around to the opposite in no time, and doesn't let anyone walk all over him! I love this trait about our children! I love that none of them are afraid to stand up for what they want or what they believe in, no matter what or who might try to get or stand in their way!
I was folding laundry the other day and noticed yet another shirt of Mason's that had a dirt stain that didn't come clean. It was then I thought back and realized that that NEVER happened with Connor when he was that age, and not with Merasia either, but I was mostly comparing the boys in my mind at that time. Mason plays HARD! He doesn't mess around! I thought Connor was a typical boy in liking cars and trucks and such, but now I see how much of a boy Mason really is! Connor is still a typical boy in those aspects above, but Mason is a typical textbook boy in getting down and dirty outside, no matter what. He loves running and jumping in mud and puddles and will get dirt and other grub and gunk in places I never thought possible!
Mason has plenty of clumsy tendencies still, but is getting better with being a little more steady on those feet of his! He loves going to the playground or being outside, period. It doesn't really matter what he does, as long as he is outside, running free and having fun!
He loves his sleep! He takes a glorious afternoon nap every day and goes to be perfectly at night sleeping 12+ hours even after a 2-3 hour nap during the days! Often times, he passes out at lunch time, either in his lunch or at the kitchen table...
He still sleeps in his crib, and we are fine with that as well. We did put his toddler bed together, but held off on putting the tent that came with over top of it, until we saw how he did with the bed itself. That first night, he went right to sleep in it and was so excited, but after several hours, he kept waking up and once even came out of his room and made it halfway up the stairs to our room! We put him back in his crib for the rest of that night and decided to try the toddler bed at nap time the next day. It started off good again, but after a half hour, he woke up and wouldn't go back to sleep without being in his crib. He actually asked to be put in his crib, and has been happy and in that ever since. So, we will go back to our original plan of waiting until he keeps getting out of his crib regularly, and then it will be time to have him in his bed full time instead.
He still has his paci too, and we are fine with that. He is still adjusting to having a baby sister, and his paci has been a huge comfort to him his whole life this far, so he needs that comfort more than ever during this adjustment period. We will start weaning him from that soon though, but not quite yet. He's not ready, and neither are we.
Mason LOVES anything to do with water! He loves the beach, loves playing in puddles or in the rain, loves bath time, loves washing his hands or playing in water in the sink....and much to our dismay, even loves playing in the toilet when we aren't looking!
He likes to try and help out with things he sees us doing around the house, or with things he sees his brother and sister doing. Sometimes he is successful, sometimes not, but he tries and that's all that really matters!
Mason is working on potty training too! He tells us when he has to go pee or when he wants to try, and goes into the bathroom all by himself. One of us goes with him when he tells us or when we know he is in there, and check his diaper to make sure he didn't poop, then help him take his diaper off. He puts the toilet seat on top of the toilet by himself and even gets up there to sit all by himself too. He then points to the door and tells us to "go!" He likes his privacy, I guess! He either tells us when he is done, or just hops off the toilet, takes care of the toilet seat, shuts off the light, and closes the door behind him as he comes out to get a diaper back on and wash his hands.
I hope this means he is fully potty trained a little sooner than the twins were, but who knows! We shall see what happens over the next few months and just let him keep going at his own pace!
I have had so many people tell us how much of a great personality Mason has, and we have to agree with them! He does have an amazing, hilarious personality and brings tons of joy to everyone he comes into contact with, whether you know him well or not at all! I can't express enough how much of a free spirit he is, but I love, love, love that about him and we wouldn't have it any other way!
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