Thoughts on these boys and them getting older

A couple weeks ago, Reagan told me they were collecting money for the families affected by the recent tornado. He dumped all the change he could find in his piggy bank into a little zip lock bag and I gave him a dollar to add to it. Off he went to school and my little mom-heart soared for his thoughtfulness. Later that afternoon my phone rang, it was the front office at his school. They let me know that Reagan had taken a detour on his way to the school bus and had decided to peruse the school book fair. He had spent 20 minutes in the library, therefore he missed his bus home. I bundled and loaded the little ones up and headed to the school. I walked in, winded from carrying Shepherd on one hip and Levi in his carseat in the other arm, and saw Reagan sitting alone in the office with his teacher. Everyone apologized to one another for the inconvenience and then Reagan proudly showed me what had caused this whole debacle- an eraser he had purchased at the book fair. But wait. Purchased? With what money? And as I said that out loud, it clicked. He had decided that money was better spent elsewhere. That stinking 6 year old is far too clever and any fleeting feeling of proud parenting (where you think I might not be doing everything wrong) from that morning was most definitely squashed.

I turned around and he's like 12 years old now. He says things like "dude" and "boom baby." He greets his buddies with high fives. I went through his closet and transitioned his shirts to adult hangers because the child-size ones are too small now. I confuse his socks and mine because they're basically the same size.

Reagan quotes:

Yesterday he told Zach, "you're my favorite dad."

"Why is Shepherd the only one in this house who has overalls?"

"Wait, so people with peach skin can have dark-skinned babies?" After walking behind an interracial family, we had the talk about adoption. Then it all got very complicated when we discussed what happens when there is a black daddy and a white mommy. "Oooh, like chocolate milk." And this is were my blog takes a turn for the offensive I guess.
Zach and I were tucking Reagan into bed and I was holding Levi. Reagan prays "Dear God, (insert a million random things he thinks to thank Him for) please help me with school, please help dad with work, please help mom with all her kids. Now Levi finish us off with a fun fact! __________ amen."
Discussing his homework assignment which was to write about your family culture. After much thought, "It is important in our family to not pee on the side of the toilet."
Described the dinner I was making as "sexy." Luckily when I asked him what it meant he said he didn't know, we put the kibosh on that word immediately.

For the Awana pinewood derby he decided to make an ice cream truck. Like a good mom I contributed the idea of the "bugle" ice cream cone atop the truck. 

Shepherd just had his 18 month check up last week. I left the paper with his stats written on it at the office, wah-wah. His body is just solid and he is freakishly strong. Which is funny because he's not very coordinated but he can keep up with Reagan and Zach when they roughhouse. He has always been the smiliest of the boys but occasionally his evil twin comes out to play. He can be cackling with laughter one minute and then screaming defiantly the next. Such personality this kid has. He has the ladies in the church nursery wrapped around his finger and a couple times while out running errands around town people we don't even know will greet him by his name because they volunteer in another room in the nursery. He is trying to repeat most of what we say which I love, his voice is the. cutest. ever. He is really into pretend counting, stacking blocks and looking at books that have animals. We joke around here that he breaks whatever he touches. For instance he pulled the top rack of the dishwasher down on himself causing most of the dishes to break around him and then a little while later he snapped my glasses in half while I was wearing them. But he is such a lover too, Levi is constantly mauled throughout the day and he loves to be hugged and kissed. Also, I literally think I could eat his chubby little fingers right up. 

Please notice how Reagan is sitting to watch some saturday morning Duck Dynasty.

Zach's Grandpa Dave, the 7th son, meets his 7th great-grandson.

2 month stats…
length: 22.75 inches
weight: 13 lbs 3 oz
head: 15.5 inches

Levi is smiling and engaging us now! He also bats at toys that hang above him. He nurses about every 2 hours during the day but sleeps all night… it is amazing and this might put him in the running for my favorite. He is a stomach sleeper therefore he hates the carseat. Screams the entire time we go anywhere but by now, with three kids, I am a master at tuning all noise out. Oh he also has a small umbilical hernia. I didn't even notice it until his pediatrician pointed it out (now I feel bad of course,) but it should heal on its' own over the next few years. Dare I say it's actually kind of cute? It sticks out more when he's mad. I totally know this is one of those "a face only a mother could love" type of things.  

Important things to note:
Zach combined the words Shep and Sit the other day while Shepherd was standing in his high chair, therefore he just yelled shit! across the room.
Zach showed the appropriate level of excitement (which would be a lot) when I walked out of our room wearing jeans post-pregnancy for the first time. And they were buttoned.
A salesman came to the front door the other day and asked if I was the "princess of the house or the queen." Gross.