Doesn't he look like such a big boy?
Henri is so silly sometimes and I have been wanting to write down some of the funny things that he does.
This first one reminds me of a Mormonad:
While Charles was on a trip for work I was trying to step in to the father's role and play with Henri using his little soccer ball. Even though I was stationary I thought we were having a good time, but awhile after we started Henri got sidetracked by another toy. I pulled out my phone to make a call and Henri looked up and came over immediately and said (with a very serious, cute face,) "no phone, no phone." He gently picked up my phone and went over and put it away in a desk. So, after hearing in my head, "Isn't it about... Time?" I spent the rest of my night playing whatever game Henri wanted to play.
He has recently started telling me what he wants me to do. "Come on. Up." He also usually wants Charles to stand up if they are playing with any sort of ball and run up and down the front hall with him. Charles got him a new football the other day and Henri likes for Charles to say, "set, hike" (while Charles is holding the ball) and then they both charge into the living room. Henri is funny because he likes things to always go a certain way. In this game, for example, a ball is needed, but Henri never actually even touches it. He only prompts Charles with a, "..set.." and then just runs along beside his day squealing with delight.
One of the things that I find the most joy in is that Henri loves the routine of things. While getting into his carseat (which he now climbs into, thank goodness!) his little shirt will often ride up in the back and because the buckles are still behind him it is uncomfortable. After a, "hot hot" or a "help you?" I will pull his shirt down and bring the buckles in front to buckle him in and he will say, "better." (He also says, "hold you?" which is SO CUTE!)
My friend Drew told me this the other day. She does the music for the nurseries in our ward (I think there are three... Another side note: they just rearranged the nurseries, but before that happened they were just by age group and in Henri's class- 18 month to 2 years- there were 19 kids on the role! Crazy!) Drew has a little boy, Aiden, who is almost 18 months so she takes him around with her while she does music time. This last Sunday Drew handed out some ribbons attached to sticks for the kids to wave while they were singing. Henri noticed that Aiden didn't have one so he went over and gave him his.
Lest you think, as my parents do, that I completely blind to all flaws in my little boy I do want to say that I realize there are flaws. When I ask Henri to, "come here" he thinks that is his cue to give me a grin and turn and run. (That was cute the first two times.) The story with Aiden is particularly sweet since, although sometimes he is okay with sharing he usually isn't okay with sharing with Aiden. When we are playing with friends Henri has no sense of hunger or fatigue... which means when we get home from somewhere he suddenly realizes that he is starving and tired. You know what follows...
On to more cute and fun stories...
Another moment when I felt like I had a huge reward from being a mother:
A few weeks ago Henri and Charles took a walk to a park that is quite close to our house. On the playset there is a ramp that is too steep to be walked up, but has little foot and hand holds for climbing. Henri was going up that the whole time we were there. One time he slipped down to the bottom and said, "try again." It made my mother heart soar when I knew that he had learned that from me.
We have started a little car collection for Henri. He loves having several because he can line them all up and then rearrange them over and over again. One night he started to have a hard time getting ready for bed because he still wanted to play, so I told him that the cars each needed to "fait doe doe" (go to sleep.) Now, each night he lines the cars up just under our footstool in the family room before they go to sleep and says, "night night car" or "bonne nuit car."
On Saturday night I went to the General Relief Society Broadcast (which, of course, I loved) and we had some friends coming over afterwards to play games. Charles stayed home with Henri. I was sitting by my friend and after the broadcast mentioned that Henri would be in bed when we got back. As soon as I said this, I knew that Henri would still be up. I was right. I got back home and Charles told me, "He won't stop letting me play with him." I chuckled and went into the room for a few minutes. While I was in there I heard things like, "Come on" (from Henri) and "Ready, set, hike" from Charles and more running, screaming and laughing. I loved Charles attempt at calming Henri down.
Really, since Henri was born Charles has not been the "calming down" type of dad. At all. Even when he was a tiny baby I would still have to remind Charles to be calm, even if he was carrying him in to bed. This is now manifest at bedtime. After I get Henri bathed, fed, brushed, diapered, etc. I will tell Henri to go tell daddy, "Daddy, priere" Henri will hop up and run as fast as he can to wherever Charles his and shout, "Daaaddddy, priiiieeere." Then, they will have something of a race to the family room rug where we kneel down to say our family prayers.
A few nights ago Henri seemed particularly hyper and Charles said, "just let him play a little longer." but Henri jumped up from the prayer, gave me a hug, then ran as fast as he could to the stairs and started up them. So, Charles did take him up to bed, but I loved his enthusiasm for the routine (because I am sure it wasn't enthusiasm for bedtime.)
Also, Charles helped Henri say his first prayer last night. Henri mostly repeated the last word of each phrase and it went something like this, "...Celeste...cion...bonne journee...beni maman ...bebe ...aide ...avoir ...bonne nuit... bon reves...nom... Christ...amen."
