Forts

Our boys love to build forts, inside and outside.  It's become a daily activity and it drives me nuts because of the mess it makes and the stress level it creates (namely for Asa, who doesn't understand if a certain couch cushion needs to go anywhere else than he deems fit, and who goes into hysterics if/when cushions inevitably fall off the couch), yet they love this activity and beg to make forts all the time.

Eli is much more patient with the process, and much more diligent than I am to make really cool forts.  I will put all the couch cushions in place and throw a couple blankets on top, but Eli will pull the chair over too and add more blankets and create separate spaces for each boy within the fort and throw in a skylight just for fun.  So, obviously, they particularly love when Daddy is home for lunch or before bedtime to offer his fort-building prowess!

At the very least, these boys love to throw the couch cushions around because, apparently, couch cushions that stay in place are not using their full potential!

So I've resigned myself to the constant fort-building that happens around here, even though it drives me nuts.  It drives me nuts because you can probably imagine who has to pick up every fort and put everything back where it belongs :)  Even Caleb isn't quite able to pick up all the cushions and lift them back into place, and obviously Kai and Asa are of little help.  So it falls to me.  Every time.  And I am practicing patience :)

As opposed to the inside forts, I love it when they build forts outside.  They usually work together and haul branches and sticks and leaves from all over the compound, and they're quite creative.  For a long time they made attempts to build a treehouse like the one on Swiss Family Robinson, but now they mostly build regular forts.  This was their most recent creation, and I was quite proud because they did it completely by themselves and were able to crawl inside:

In truth, I hope the fort-building phase lasts a long time.  It's such an iconic little-kid thing to do.  And they are usually so proud of themselves.  Furthermore, in the midst of building this particular fort, Caleb declared to me, "Mom, look!  We're working together as a team!"  In other words, life skills were happening.  And I was beaming :)

(Kai escaped from the fort before I could snap a photo of him too.)

A Typical Day at the Horn House

The days are long but the years go quickly.  Isn't that what they say?  Well it's certainly true here.  I am utterly exhausted at the end of every day with these three little joys, but I'm also acutely aware of how quickly time is flying and how quickly these boys are growing.  Asa often refuses to sit in his highchair, opting instead to sit on the counter or at the table like the big boys.  Kai has long been able to use the potty and get himself dressed all by himself.  And Caleb can go outside and play without supervision and I never have to worry about him.  How did these boys become capable of all this???  One day at a time, that's how.  One loooooong day at a time :)

Here's what one of those days looks like (specifically, yesterday):

Asa refused to sit in his highchair for breakfast, and also refused to eat anything but goldfish crackers.  I didn't have the strength to fight him, so goldfish crackers it was!

Every morning begins this way: breakfast at the table while watching something, so Mama can attempt to sit by herself for a few minutes in peace.  Awhile ago Caleb invented the word "watchy" to mean he wants to watch something, and he often says in the morning "I'm feeling a little hungry and a little watchy."

Once everyone is dressed and ready for the day, I debate between hunkering down before Asa's morning nap (yes, he still naps twice a day, God bless that boy!) or taking on the task of getting everyone outside.  Yesterday, the beautiful weather won out and we ventured outside.  Asa went straight to the sandbox and instantly was a dirty mess!

Caleb and Kai chose to sit on the stairs with a buddy and read The Gruffalo, a current favorite.  Caleb practically has the book memorized and I was impressed at his rendition of the book despite not being able to actually read it.

Kai absolutely loves to help me in the kitchen, regardless of the task.  Yesterday involved rolling out pizza dough.  He takes the job very seriously and focuses.  He loves to dump flour on the counter and onto the rolling pin, toss the dough around till it's covered in flour, then pat it down and begin to roll it out.  He's actually quite good at it.

After lunch Caleb was eager to get back outside and play.  This loquat tree next to our house is his current favorite climbing tree.  He always asks, "Can you see me, Mom?  Can you see me?"  The answer is supposed to be "No, I can't see you!  You're too camouflaged!"  When he's not wearing a bright red jacket he can actually blend in a little :)

Yes, the days are indeed long, but I am very intentional these days to relish the moments when I can, because I know they are fleeting.  It won't be forever that they'll dig in the sandbox or throw flour everywhere or camouflage themselves in a tree.  These are precious days, even though they're long.