The following quips and quotes are copied directly from my facebook posts over the past several months. The boys have all given me good stuff to share, and Aron is becoming more and more of a quotable fellow. His vocabulary is wonderful and his imagination is always surprising.

February 6, 2010: This morning Aron was excited about getting some cereal and said, "yeah, yeah I want some CRAPtain Crunch!" Mmmm.

February 21, 2010: Last night Aron (2) told us the story of the three little pigs all by himself. It was awesome. Used a falcetto voice to say..."not from the hair of my chinny-chin-chin"

March 25, 2010: Aron (2): "don't wet the bugs bite...if they...take off your shoe and meat 'em till der black and bwue." His version of "Don't let the bed bugs bite...but if they do, take off your shoe and beat 'em till their black and blue."

March 25, 2010: This evening Aron had a Disney book with a compilation of different classic stories open on the living room floor. He yelled to me in the kitchen with an urgent "Hey Mommy!" I looked and he said, "I found your name! I found your name! Your name is Mary Poppins!"

April 3, 2010: Aron (2) has a reverse stutter. He says a word then repeats the last sound of the word about three times. "Orange ge, ge, ge." "Shirt t, t, t" It's not every word he says, it's only once and a while, but it fascinates me.

April 22, 2010: My tired out two year old put himself down for a nap yesterday. I sent him upstairs after lunch and found him 20 minutes later in his bed with his stuffed animals fast asleep. Love it.

April 27, 2010: Had to force some ice onto 2 yr. old Aron's knee last night after a fall. He cried and cried, and then realizing that there may be a way out, he yelled in the happiest voice he could muster through tears: "IT'S BETTER MOM! YOU CAN STOP, IT'S BETTER!"

May 6, 2010: This morning, after Aron (2) and I went back and forth over whether or not he is a bubble, he stopped me short with, "Let's not fight anymore, K?"

May 11, 2010: I often tell Aron (2) that I need him to
"behave." He has started responding lately, "Okay...I'm being have."

May 16, 2010: Aron wanted to take his nap in just a pull-up today so he asked, "Can I sleep in just my legs and belly?"

May 28, 2010: Sitting on the back porch eating their sandwiches together Ivan was making shapes by biting strategically around his sandwich. He announced, "Look, I made a cross." Aron replied, "Oh, that's just like what God fell on." I guess we'll have to review some theology with him.

May 29, 2010: Aron (2.5) "Mom, Leapster and beepster rhymes!"

11/18/09 - Instead of saying, "my other hand" when asking me to take care of something on the opposite hand I'm dealing with, Aron usually says "my 'nother one hand."

Of course the phrase applies to feet as well. "Mommy, I need shoe on my 'nother one foot."

1/26/10 - This morning when leaving the driveway of a friend, Aron pointed out the trees near the driveway. It is cold and the large trees on the property have roots that are more obviously exposed in the cold and grass free areas. He said, "Oh...the tree has bare feets."

1/29/10 - I can hear the boys playing upstairs and Aron started singing, as he often does. "This wittew wight of mine, I'm gonna bwow it up! No!"

2/6/10 - Yesterday I took the boys with me to the BGM office to see uncle Joel who, along with our cousin Tobey Schwartz and a friend Mat Stutzman, were driving a semi truck and trailer into Nashville to pick up supplies and then deliver them to Florida where they would eventually go to Haiti. Yesterday was Tobey's birthday so I made a little chocolate cake and frosting and stuck a candle in it. Aron didn't know exactly what was going on but he knows uncle Joel and he knows a birthday cake when he sees one. After we had greeted each other and had been standing around for a few minutes Aron wanted to get the ball rolling and got his uncles attention. "Hey, Uncle Joel!" Then, pointing to the cake he said, "Here's your party!"

This morning he came down the stairs first and wanted breakfast. He ran to the box where I keep the cereal and said, "yeah, yeah...I want some Craptain Crunch!"

Typically on Wednesday evenings and on Sunday mornings as we drive to church, Aron will point out a billboard that sits at the corner of Old Hickory Blvd. and Myatt Drive. I think it may be for a cowboy boot store but I can't remember for sure. Regardless, there is a picture of a young lady with a cowboy hat on it and without fail, Aron will point to it and announce, "Hey! I see a cowboy girl!"

We are still constantly the audience to his knock knock jokes and his vocabulary is growing daily. He is very quick to learn and his observations are usually pretty accurate. He says "excuse me mommy" when I am speaking to someone else and he wants my attention. He says "thank you" and "you're welcome" and he's become very desirous of the attention of those around him. He will announce to strangers as we pass in the grocery store, "Hey, I'm Aron!" because surely they wanted to know.

Aron peed in the potty for the first time tonight. I'm pumped.

Aron has curly hair. He had a full head of hair at birth, not super thick, but definitely enough to cover his head. He grew and it stayed for the most part and has become curly as it's thickened. I love curls.

Kris and I both had curls as small children. His were white blond curls that covered his head like a halo. Mine were dark blond and complimented my brown eyes nicely. It seemed strange to me that we should have any children with straight hair, yet our first two refused to grow curls. Yes, they each did have some swooping curls, but nothing that didn't have to be encouraged and manipulated in order to look nice.

Aron grew curls and they stayed and they have been so much fun. However, of late (especially since the humidity of summer has become scarce) his curls have been less attractive, less easy to manage, less fun to clean food from, more apt to make him look straggly and unkempt and most distasteful...possibly making him mistakable as a little girl. We just can't have that.

So yesterday...I took him to the barber. He and Ivan each had their hair cut and they are looking rather dapper. Ivan looks a little more like his cousin Clay when his hair is real short and Aron looks a lot like his cousin Christopher who also has dark eyes. Though Christopher's hair is much thicker, more blond and straight...they're faces are very similar and with Aron's hair short I can see the similarity so much more clearly. They are close in age also, Christopher being just under three months older.

Kristy and I used to be mistaken for each other in our younger years, even though there is six years difference in our ages. I think now we look much different but it would stand to reason, given our previous looks, that we would produce little boys who look alike. It's funny to me that they are both our third boys.

But you probably aren't reading this, thinking...how interesting...tell me more about your sister and how much the two of you look alike. You are probably thinking...why haven't you shown me any pictures yet. So I will:

First a before picture:

And now...the new Aron.

I like the short hair. It always amazes me how much it changes a persons looks to change their hair. I expect it will still grow in curly so we'll let things grow for a while again and enjoy whatever God gives the little guy. I'm enjoying this look though. Hello little man...It's nice to see you were in there.

A conversation I overheard between my boys yesterday:

Ivan: Aron Said "Poop"

Owen: Go tell on him

Ivan: No, you go tell on him

Owen: No

Ivan: Aron, go tell on yourself

Owen: No one tells on their self

Aron: I do! (runs to mommy)