The Petites.... Lysander and Isaac

This picture was taken in October of 2010, so it's a little outdated, but it is one of my favorite pictures of the boys. On this particular day I was at a Colts game with my best friend and the boys were at home with Grover watching the game. I believe that shortly after this was taken Isaac became overwhelmed by all the excitement and pop corn and had to take a nap!
Obviously, as I am a stay at home mom, most of what I have to talk about are the boys, or as I refer to them often, the petites. Petite 1 is Lysander, he is three years old and a very active, very loving, very stubborn little kid. His speech has been fairly delayed and we go to speech therapy once a week. However, if he feels strongly about something, he definitely still gets his point across! Petite 2 is Isaac, he is two years old (they are 15 1/2 months apart), and he always wants to be the center of attention. If he does not some day win an Oscar I will have failed as a mother. He can be very dramatic, but he is also so loving, and definitely knows how to use his cuteness to his advantage.
It is amazing how fast the second child develops by watching their older sibling. Isaac is very far along compared to where Lysander was at his age. I do think that they have ended up feeding off of each other with their growth and development. If Lysander is doing something Isaac is right behind him wanting to do the same thing and vice verse. The blessing I have found in having them so close together is that at this age they always have someone to play with, and they want to play with each other. They may not always feel that way, I'm sure they'll go through phases later on in life where they want to gain independence from each other. But for now it is really helpful for me that when I need to be doing other things they automatically focus in on playing with each other and do not always need me to be right there with them. Of course sometimes when I want to play and they want nothing to do with me, it kind of bums me out!
When Grover left for basic training and AIT, he was gone for 6 months, and at the time it was the longest we had ever been seperated. I was devastated at the beginning(partially due to hormones as I was three months pregnant); I felt so lonely. Of course I had my friends and my family, but there is no one who can take the place of your spouse. Still, no one can take his place, but every time he's left since then I've had Lysander and then of course Isaac, and I know how much of a difference they make to me. I know that I am here to raise them, care for them, and try to make up for daddy's absence... but with out even knowing they are doing it, they make it easier to get through the seperation. The petites are an adventure every day, and one I am eternally grateful for. :)