My Little Men

Watching kids grow up is such a privilege.  My boys are becoming young men, right before my eyes.

Yesterday we took the boys in for a haircut.  It was a long overdue haircut.  They've been getting the same cut, pretty much for their whole little lives.  I call it the "Little boy" cut.  It's a bit longer on top, and they use the clippers on the backs of their necks and above their ears, with short bangs.  Well, they didn't want that.  They want to grow it out.  It was getting really shaggy and goofy looking, so they did need it cleaned up, but they do have a longer style than we've ever had when we walk out of the barbershop.

They look cool.  They look older.  It's sort of weird.  And they're only just now starting to really pay attention to what they look like, what they wear.  I'm sure this happens earlier in girls, but it's kind of fun to watch.  J is noticing girls.  There's one in his class that he likes--he blushes every time he mentions her.  Not like the girls who have been in his group of friends, this one might actually be a crush.  A doesn't even notice girls yet.  I think that he looks right through them.  It's very funny.

They joke with each other and with us the way teenagers joke.  And they're legitimately funny.  Sometimes you can tell it's a joke they got from a tv show or from their cousins, but they pull it off.

So we're starting to expect more from them.  Freddy is helping with that.  They are doing so well taking him outside, feeding him, playing with him, brushing him.  I know this is a honeymoon stage, and most likely I will be hollering at them to do it at some point, but for now they're doing so well.

In the mornings before school, I have them make their own breakfast.  It's usually nothing more complex than waffles or a bowl of cereal and some juice, but still.  They do it themselves.  We still have to work on cleaning up their breakfast mess.  J can make scrambled eggs on his own, start to finish.

It's amazing to me, really.  Amazing how we figure out how to raise kids, how they grow up no matter what.  The other day we decided to leave them at home for a quick errand.  Hubby and I needed to run to the store, and the kids didn't want to go.  So we figured we'd let them try to stay home.  We have Freddy now, and he's a good barker when people are coming in the house.  It wouldn't be like it was up in Brainerd (when A got locked out), because they didn't need to leave the house, they were both home, and J is very level-headed.  So we left.  I called them every so often and things went perfectly fine.  They felt really good about it, and so did we.  Wow!  They really are growing up.

I can't help but look at them sometimes and feel almost like crying about how proud I am of them both.  They are kind people.  They say "I love you" easily.  They are creative and independent.  I am so incredibly lucky.

Now if I could just get them to CLEAN THEIR ROOMS!!!