Bottling up sweet moments

One sunny Sunday afternoon, I laid down in the grass near the swing where the boys were playing hoping to catch some sun and maybe some sleep. The ground was covered in little daisies and soon the boys decided to turn my hair into a flower project.

I pulled out my phone and snapped one too many pictures. Then I heard William genuinely comment: "Mom is taking pictures because she thinks she’s pretty", and Josh scold him very severely "William, that is not something to say, you should say Mom IS pretty!"

William’s bluntness was no surprise but Josh’s sensitivity came from nowhere. I don’t know where he learned to be so cautious with women’s feelings. (Words of affirmation is usually NOT his love language).

Man, I really love these boys.

The same day they put on a show on the swing for me.

Then they asked if they could dig some holes in the garden, and Josh asked me for a "chapelle" (Chapel). It took me a minute to realize he was really asking for a shovel (sho-"pelle") - pelle is the word for shovel in french.

William was really excited to find a potato on the plot.

A few days later, Josh was invited to a friend’s house after school and William asked to invite his own friends home. I walked home from school with 3 crazy 4 year-olds.

More flower picking and mischiveousness.

Then came Easter and we ended up being on our own with my parents. None of my sisters could come. But I had bought chocolate for 6 kids and so had my Mom. Evidently the boys were not bothered at all by the extra amount of chocolate.

Then came carnaval. The morning before the party (held on a Saturday), William tried on 3 different costumes and even paraded to our neighbors to show off his dragon attire. Then when it was time to pick one costume to wear for the party, he refused to wear any. Just typical.
Josh went as a ninja (and stripped it off after 5min because he was too hot).

We ate bugnes and crepes and paraded around the mairie and the old church.

 

William and Alwen, a girl from school who likes to play mommy with him.

Josh (grey shirt in the center of the pic) watching Mr. Carnaval burn to ashes. It is a tradition to burn a giant paper maché statue made by the children every year at the end of carnaval, it represents winter and burning it is supposed to bring summer.

Watching the statue burn from a safe distance.

Another spring Sunday, Josh and William put on another show for me and came up with this cool trick on the swing.

 They like to ask me to put on some music and impress me with new tricks, like this back flip, William accidently came up with...

 

and Josh quickly mastered too.