Ninja baby!

I didn't get a chance to snag very many Christmas photos. So here's a few of the boys playing.

 You can see my WONDERFUL memory foam mattress in the background! LOVE that thing! Ayden is also playing with one of the toys he received from Christmas. The boys have lots of fun new cars to play with on their little track. I'm not exactly sure what Ayden is upset about in this photo, I'm sure he's bothered by something Ethan's done.

I'm not sure if I can adequately say that my boys are getting along better just yet- but they are playing more together. The only thing is, even though they play more together, the violence has also gone up. This happens to be one photo where they were enjoying each others' company. Probably because they're not after the same toy. :) I have a video of the boys just being cute right here. (Click) It was Christmas night and Ethan thought I was taking his pictures and was trying to smile for me.

Our oldest- like any crazy jealous and territorial 2 1/2 year old STILL, after nearly a year, has issues with our new addition to the family. aka "little brother" or "Eeenen!" We should really stop calling him the prior, seeing as when he gets older he's not going to like being called "little brother" At first the violence was non-existent because what can a one, two or three month old really do to get in your way? But as soon as Ethan showed interest in the toys Ayden had staked a claim on. . . game. over. It started with pushing and shoving mixed in with some shouting. Then escalated to kicking, which thank gosh was quickly squelched, especially since Ayden's signature place to kick Ethan was in the face. Now Ayden has morfed his jealousy and territorial rage into a slew of pushing, shoving, hitting and lastly biting. We're teaching him to verbalize his feeling instead of acting his feelings out... aaaaand of course thats not exactly going as quickly as we'd like, but we are working with a 2 1/2 year old here.

Ethan, almost from day 1 has had to be in defense mode when Ayden's come near, BUT just recently he's begun to fight back. His fighting merely consists of screeching like a banshee, which has turned out to be a pretty good tactical move, and then swinging his arms like frenzied baseball bats. Sometimes his methods work, most of the time they don't. Occasionally, when there isn't chaos in the house, Ethan will take it upon himself to provoke the chaos. Which always ensures in him getting chewed on, pushed over or put to bed.

 If you were wondering what type of chaos Ethan likes to provoke... Its right here. Sitting with big bug eyes, just waiting for something to get in its way. The something the chaos particularly likes to wait for, has two little wobbly legs and wild flailing arms.

This year has been the most involved my kids have gotten. They love their toys and still play with them, unlike last year, where Ayden had his toys played for about a week and then was distracted by other things. Yes he still plays with ALL his toys, but this year- maybe because of the competition- they've really enjoyed their new gadgets.

I usually work evenings and do not get the chance to put my kids to bed, so while on vacation I greatly enjoyed cuddling with my boys. I haven't rocked Ethan to sleep in a very long time and it was nice to cuddle with him. I have to admit I was about to fall asleep before him.

proof once again that they do get along some of the time. Even if what brings them together is smashing their feet against my bathroom door.

A few years back when Ayden was about 8 months old, McKay's dad went to Japan on a business trip I believe, he brought back this cute little ninja suit- I'm sure that's NOT what its called- you'll have to forgive my lack of knowledge regarding the garb. Ethan is now big enough to wear it and is quite the stud.

Ayden had to have some attention too. :)

Too bad this last one is slightly fuzzy.