Nashville Wife

Hello, blog readers! It has been a few months since my last post. Life has been busy, and it has been hard for me to find time to sit down and blog, but I want to give you all an update on our family.

Little Buddy is six years old and has matured in leaps and bounds over the past several months. He is eager (most of the time) to help me around the house, and he even enjoys doing things for his younger siblings (often without me asking him). He is full of energy and always has been, but he has just recently gotten to the point of being able to sit down with a chapter book and read independently for a short period of time. He and Littlest Buddy are great friends and spend a lot of time playing together. Sometimes things get rough, as is expected with young boys, but for the most part they are kind to each other. I love watching them become best friends.

Littlest Buddy is three years old. He is very perceptive and takes everything in. While we are driving, he will frequently point out places we have been, even if it was a few months ago. And he sometimes even tells me the correct direction to turn when we are going familiar places. His “baby voice” is slowly disappearing, and he has recently figured out how to pronounce more difficult sounds like “th.” He still uses a few of his “baby” words, such as “mook” for milk, and it makes me smile every time because I know it won’t last long. When mook becomes milk, I think both Mr. Handsome and I will cry.

Little Lady is one, and she is enjoying her newfound freedom that comes with being able to walk. Her greatest desires are to get into the bathroom and climb the stairs, so much so that if she is across the room and she sees that the bathroom door or the gate blocking the stairs is open, she bolts over. When we close it, she lets out a scream. She can say a few words, like “mama,” “dada,” “moe” for more, and “nun” for done.” The other day, she was running around holding two of her brother’s Beanie Babies, and she put them in her dollhouse. I said, “Can I please have Brother’s monkeys,” and she grabbed them and handed them to me. We have enjoyed watching her interact with her brothers.

How have all of you been doing?

From Mr. Handsome:

Last weekend, I had an epiphany during breakfast with the family, as I was enjoying my Corn Chex (the only cereal that Ellie buys) with a little bit of Trader Joe’s granola. “You know Ellie,” I said. “I think that as a father, it is very important for me to spend quality time with our children. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“I think that is very important,” replied Ellie.

“Well, I have some free time this afternoon, and I could plan an outing,” I stated. “What do you think?”

“That’s a great idea,” responded Ellie.

“What if I take the kids to Five Daughters Bakery for donuts?” I suggested.

Ellie looked up sharply from her no-sugar-added oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins (what she eats every single morning). “So what you are saying is that Daddy wants donuts,” she stated.

“No, no, no” I replied in total shock. “The donuts are just extra. The focus is family time.” I could tell that Ellie didn’t believe me.

After breakfast, I hosted a men’s Bible study. Throughout the entire study, I could almost taste the creamy deliciousness of Five Daughters 100-layer donuts. And of course, I couldn’t wait to spend quality time with my children.

I excitedly told Little Buddy that we would be going out for donuts after Littlest Buddy’s nap. I was expecting my five-year-old to jump for joy, so you can imagine how shocked I was when he looked back at me and said, in a very mature tone, “That’s okay, Daddy. I don’t need a donut.”

“”Wait, what did you say?” I was confused. I have never known a child to turn down a donut. “”Wait, what did you say?” I was confused. I have never known a child to turn down a donut. One of our friends had brought mini cinnamon rolls to Bible study, and Little Buddy explained that he had eaten a few and that he therefore didn’t need any other treats for the rest of the day.

“But don’t you want a sugary chocolate donut with sprinkles on top?” I asked my son. “And don’t you want to spend quality time with Daddy?”

“Well I would actually rather stay home and wrestle with you, Daddy,” said Little Buddy. “And could you give us horsey back rides, too?” How could I say no to that?

At that moment, Ellie, who had overheard the conversation, came rushing into the room with a huge smile on her face. “I’m so proud of you, Little Buddy!” she exclaimed. “Deciding that you don’t need a treat shows that you are very mature.” Ellie works hard from the time the kids are six months old to give them vegetables at every meal and limit their sugar intake to one small treat on most days. She is the only person I know who genuinely likes the taste of vegetables, and our kids are following in her footsteps.

Ellie turned to me and said, “Mr. Handsome aren’t you proud of Little Buddy and his wise decision to stay away from sugar? Since you’re a mature adult, I’m sure you won’t mind skipping the donuts, right?”

I felt a small tear welling up in my eye as I said, “Yes, Little Buddy, I am very proud of you.”