Aaron's prayer

In the last couple of weeks I have been praying with the girls at bedtime. Aaron has been noticing. Usually we help him say prayers by encouraging him to tell God thanks for his "trucks and trains", which he happily does.

Tonight he offered one of his first prayers without help while laying in his bed:

"Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for dirt in the water. Thank you for gushy. Thanks you for this guy (while holding up his tractor he was cuddling with). Thank you for trains that can go backwards. Vrrrm Vrrrm Rrrrr. (long pause) Mom, can I have a drink of water?"

What I loved was that is the way his brain works coming out in sentences to God. I know I didn't talk to him about mud, gushy, or trains that go backwards today.

What I love too is when I am talking to the girls about something (like what they learned in class, or about a plan we are making), Aaron gets insistent that he have a turn to say his idea. And his idea is usually always "There was a big strong rocket. And it was orange and big and strong and goes up in the sky- pshhhhhhhhh!" I think our trip to NASA over Christmas really had an impression. Everything cool/good enough is 'big and strong'. Like how much mashed potatoes he wanted tonight at dinner for his second scoop was a big and strong scoop.

Potty training is going well which to me means few accidents and few tears. I have him sit and pee on the potty once or twice a day and each time he goes. He has pooped too sometimes. I just am the initiator. He doesn't even need marshmallow treats anymore but does like it when I read to him. Wearing big boy train undies is still really cool and worth running over to dad to show him his 'undie buns' each time. I love that I am teaching all the routine parts of toilet training before actually pulling the trigger on undies all day. So far he can: pull down his own pants, take off his diaper, climb up on the stool backwards to sit down, scoot back to get in position, hold onto the toilet so he's not wobbly, shake before getting off, flush, close the lid, to wash because we have germs on our hands, with soap, and scrub, enough to make a bubbly lather, rinse, dry and that something needs to go on your bottom afterwards. Each one is a major success! Next step in procedure is turning off lights. I know his wife will thank me someday.

I am also starting to have him take his drink to the fridge after each meal and help with the velcro on his shoes. Cleaning up messes is really hard for him right now. But it's responsibility time dude.

He favorite toy is Thomas (the train). He thinks trainese. Brushing his teeth and riding his bike are both more fun when we are pretending we are trains. He asked Bryan tonight what he favorite train was and he wasn't satisfied with Victor or Percy, but Hero was good enough (you have to seen Thomas shows to know these names). He is a picky man.