A boy obsessed

Matt reminded me that awhile back, all I wanted was for Jamison to find a hobby that didn't include whining or following my every move.

Well, my wish has come true, although I think what Jamison has is more akin to an obsession than a hobby. The only thing on this boy's mind these days are lawnmowers. And trimmers. I have never seen anything like it. The girls have had interests for sure, but the fervor Jamison has for lawn care is matchless.

Last week Henny and Molly came to visit. They never ever get to visit. So this is kind of a big, fun deal. Still, sleepy Jamison was all frowns and pouts in the van ... wouldn't even look any of us in the eye. We roll into our neighborhood, he hears a trimmer and you'd think I just offered him a milkshake.

"Trimmer, Mommy! Trim! Trim!" ALL SMILES.


If he is eating his most favorite lunch and he hears a mower, it's all over. He's standing up in his highchair, frantic to find out whose grass is getting cut and how he can observe or assist.

So generally, because the temperatures are so pleasant right now, we rush out and figure out where the action is. Jamison takes his mower or trimmer with him, starts waving down the neighbor or lawn care service person and I'm just shrugging my shoulders, trying to motion through the noise that this is just my two-year old's thing and I hope you don't mind an audience.

And let's not even talk about the drama that ensues when Matt mows and trims. Right now we're somewhat tolerating his desire to follow Matt around for the 90-ish minutes it takes for him to deal with our lawn, but it borders on dangerous. And stressful for me.

The other day he found his way to where Matt keeps the mower under the deck and just stood there looking at it, hidden under tarp, forever.

Today Matt mentioned that Jamison seems to just carry his trimmer around right now, rarely running the motor. Just needs it with him, just in case. Not even wearing out the batteries, which is very courteous, especially since he's too young to translate his hobby into a money-making job and I'm definitely getting behind on housekeeping what with all of these lawn care chases up and down the street. 

Gotta love him. Trim, trim!

Before they grow up too fast ...

and blogs become a thing of the past, I better post a few updates on how these three children are growing and changing!

Jamison

He's just so dear. He really is. I might even say he is cuter than the girls were at this age, but I guess it's too hard to compare boys and girls, so we'll just call it a draw.

Jamison does his fair share of whining, but when he needs assistance with something, he will just walk up to me and say "Hep me. Hep me." I wish I had had the foresight to teach Emery this when she was one.

Jamison is also obsessed with lawnmowers. He could hear one three states away and be out the front door in a hot second just to get a look. "Wawn-mowie!!" He is equally enthused with the vacuum cleaner which has had a great effect on the cleanliness of my floors.

He adores feeding our fish ("a bish! a bish!), is always eager to throw away trash (and dig through the trash can) and he could not be more attached to his blue rubber boots.

Jamison is still pretty attached to me, too, but if Matt is doing any kind of work outside or in the gym I am long forgotten. His sisters rank pretty high on his list as well, especially first thing in the morning.

Jamison almost always sleeps in his crib, but he will still fall asleep in other people's laps and even sometimes in mine. How much do I love this?! He must know he is always going to be my baby. Whew.

Anna Kimball



Poor Anna Kimball really went through the wringer this month. She spent a full week in gastrointestinal agony before we figured out she had appendicitis. That was fun. I have always believed that kids are resilient but after one too many needles and lost hours of sleep I was beginning to have my doubts about Anna Kimball.

Fortunately she proved me wrong and has bounced back just fine. She's back to being her happy-go-lucky self that constantly wants to know what's next on our agenda and what is on today's menu. Oh, and she is OBSESSED with her upcoming birthday. Naturally.

Anna Kimball has always been a great self-starter and very content with entertaining herself. This seems to be waning a bit and I'm not sure why. I think she might be missing Emery more while she's at school; while Jamison is loads of fun, he's not always the perfect playmate for her.

I'm confident she'll find her groove soon, though. Turning four is bound to have a good effect on her!

Emery



Emery is halfway through kindergarten and I couldn't be happier with how well she is doing. She has her fair share of days when she doesn't want to go to school, but overall she seems to enjoy it, is making friends, loves her teacher, etc. etc. etc. All I could ask for!

When she is not at school, Emery is creating, creating, creating! She's our little artist-engineer and it's so fun to watch her imagination at work. I think we will soon need to buy stock in Scotch tape, scissors and ballpoint pens.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing enough for Emery's spiritual formation. But then the other day, when Anna Kimball was begging for someone to be with her in her room, Emery yelled back, "Anna Kimball! Even though you think you are alone, you are NOT! God and Jesus are with you!!!!"

That made me feel better.