Midnight Bugs

It was 6am and still dark when we stopped for gas before leaving town. It was snowing outside. The tiny snowflakes were no bigger than the head of a pin and seemed extra white against the black sky. Maddie noticed the flurries of tiny snowflakes, but didn’t recognize them for what they were. ”Look, guys!” Maddie gasped. “Look at all the midnight bugs!”

Chicken Smoothies

Rick pulled a ziplock bag of frozen peach slices from the freezer so that we could make yummy peach smoothies. Braden watched as Rick emptied the bag into the blender, but then misinterpreted the contents of the bag.

“Mmmmm,” Braden said enthusiastically. “I love chicken smoothies!”

Fall Leaves

The leaves are all changing with the arrival of autumn. Recently Braden looked out the window and observed, “The trees are changing colors, Mom.”

“You’re right, Buddy. Do you know why they are changing colors?”

“Yes,” Braden replied with certainty. “It’s because the trees are lighting up!”

I thought that was a perfectly appropriate explanation. The trees often do look as though they are lit up and glowing.

Little Brothers

Today Braden asked me where his special little brother was at.

“You mean this little brother?” I asked as I indicated my round, pregnant belly.

“No,” Braden clarified. “I mean my other special little brother… The one we call Asher.”

Later, Braden and Asher were playing peek-a-boo. Braden would ask, “Where’s Asher?” and Asher would lift his head up from behind the chair and grin. After playing for a few minutes, Braden turned to me.

“I am finding Asher,” Braden explained. Then he pointed to my stomach and added, “And I found another little baby brother in there too.” Braden giggled and said, as he very frequently does, “And I think my new little brother really loves me, Mommy!”

Braden is a great big brother and obviously adores both of his special little brothers!

My Cute Little Boy

I was getting socks out of Braden’s drawer as we prepared for our 8:30am Sacrament Meeting. Braden dashed under the open drawer of his dresser and then giggled and instructed, “Mommy, say, Oh my! Where is my cute little boy?” 

“Oh my!” I gasped obediently. “Where is my cute little boy?”

“Here I am!” Braden cried with delight, darting from beneath the drawer and wrapping his arms around my leg.

I made a big happy fuss over finding him and scooped him into my arms for a big hug. Braden really is my cute little boy and it made me happy to hear him call himself that.

A Little Car

I took Braden out alone and decided to take Rick’s car instead of the van. I didn’t need the extra seats, after all. Rick’s car is a small Hyundai Accent. It has four seat belts and is small enough that I can easily pass objects from the drivers seat to a small child buckled into the back seat. The contrast between such a tiny car and my enormous 12-passenger van is quite startling. Braden noticed it right away.

“Wow, it’s cozy in here,” Braden observed as I buckled him into his car seat. “This car is like a baby car! Because it’s so little, it’s like a baby car!”

Braden was delighted by Rick’s tiny car. As we drove, he continued to make comments about how tiny and cozy this little baby car was.

After our visit to the doctor, I buckled Braden back into Rick’s little car. The novelty of such a small car still hadn’t grown old.

“Oh, Mom,” Braden sighed with obvious adoration. “This car is so, so cute! It’s cute ’cause it’s so tiny!”

Braden’s Love

Braden gave me an enormous hug this morning and said, “Oh, Mommy, I love you so much!”

I hugged him back and assured him that I loved him too.

“Do you know why I love you so much?” Braden asked sweetly.

“Why?”

“Because I really want a drink right now,” came his very honest response.

Braden…

Braden likes to eat “peanut butter with bread sandwiches,” as he calls them.

Braden also frequently tells me, “Mommy, it’s ten-oh-forty-two. It’s time for lunch.”

Braden makes me smile all the time.

Stinky

When I went to get the little boys up from their nap, I instantly knew that one of them had a messy diaper. It was quite pungent in there!

“Okay, guys, who’s stinky?” I asked with a grin.

“We both are,” Braden asserted, just as I as I checked Asher’s diaper and found it clean.

“Well, Asher’s diaper is clean,” I told Braden.

My darling Braden looked up at me and shrugged, “Oh. Well, I guess it’s just me then.”

Losing Things

Braden was standing in the bathroom with me while I fixed my hair and happened to find a bracelet that I’d left on the bathroom counter.

“Mom, can I use this bracelet?” he asked eagerly, as he touched it gently with his finger

“No, Braden. That bracelet is special to me and I don’t want it to get lost,” I explained.

Braden looked at me with a “well, duh” sort of expression and sweetly explained, ”But, Mommy, I didn’t say I would get it lost. I said I would just use it.”