Accomplishments

( I wrote this in Puerto Rico but forgot to post it)
It is coming up on 3 months since we left our little town of Galena. When we left, my boys were in my mind still little boys. But now that I look back on the summer that we have had in Puerto Rico, I get a small tear in my eye because my little boys are growing up into BIG boys. They are soaking up the knowledge as fast as they are soaking up the Puerto Rican sun.

My five year old Kaden has grown taller to the point the clothes that we evacuated in are in the donation I am sending to a church, and the clothes that we got in donations are fitting. He gives you a great big smile when he tells you he has mastered the Monkey bars at the play ground. He just can seem to get enough of swinging like a monkey.... he MUST get that from his Dad! (hahaha yeah right!) Not only does he climb the monkey bars with ease, He has developed a LOVE of climbing trees or anything else that gets him higher. He has not had much experience before this because the trees in Galena are all spruce trees and not fun to climb at all. He constantly asks if we can return to the park that we went to last week that had Almond trees that were awesome to climb.

 Another thing he has accomplished has been to swim without any help from a floatation device. He is super excited and can't wait for Uncle Jason Harris to have another group of swim lessons to show him how well he is doing. He is still working on it and I think it scares his mommy a little more then it does him, when he dives into the pool. I seem to hold my breath for him till his little head pops up out of the water. 

He is learning Spanish and I am very proud of how well he communicates with his cousins and his neighbor friend. When we first got here the language barrier seemed to intimidate him, but he as found out the way to learn is to keep trying. He even greets strangers in Spanish.  I am very proud of him.

 Not to be out done by his big brother, Isaiah my very independent 2 year old, has his own list of accomplishments. His little gallop has turned into a full run and can almost keep up with his brother. He is getting taller and taller, I think he is in a growth spurt because this child NEVER stops eating! But he seems to run his engine till exhausted. His speech has developed and he can very clearly tell you what he wants, or DOESN'T!  He has a comedian side coming out in him, which has us all laughing at times.

 One of the first things we accomplished was out growing his pacifier. It "mysteriously" disappeared one night and with just a few tears and mommy telling him we would have to buy a new one at Walmart, he went to sleep and hasn't asked for one since. I did see him eyeing his cousins paci when she was over but he seemed to get over that one pretty easy.

He has also developed his climbing skills, although unlike his brother this boy was born with Spider-man abilities. He has always been my climber but he is quickly developing those skills. He will follow his brother up a tree, but due to his shorter legs he is not quite able to reach the higher heights, much to his Abuela's relief. We went to the play ground last night and he firmly told me that he was a BIG BOY and could climb the dinosaur neck ladder. I stood close till he reached the top to make sure he could do it and was surprised. He got to the top and turned with a smile and said "I do it! I a BIG boy!" Yes he is! With a small sigh and tear I have to let him grow up too!

We have been working on potty training and doing pretty well with it, but Isaiah seems to have inherited my stubbornness and is taking his own sweet time. But Lollipops and gummy worms are amazing motivators! Of course like every other little kid that is potty training, he always has to go when there is no bathroom anywhere close to you.

I have a few small accomplishments of my own. I have not bitten my nails in the 3 months that I have been here! After 25+ years of biting them, It feels good to actually want to paint my nails. As long as I don't watch any scary movies I should be OK. I have been able to go to the gym a few times a week when my kids and our schedule permits. It feels great to work out and I hope to continue running when we return to Galena. I am NOT a runner. Never have liked running and honestly I probably never will but I do enjoy exercising and running is what we have in Galena.

It amazes me how much two little boys can grow in 3 months. I don't like that my babies are getting big but I guess they have to grow and learn and I just have to keep up with them. Kaden talks about "when he goes to college" I hope that time doesn't fly that fast. It has been a wonderful time in Puerto Rico and my boys have grown up a lot!