Hudson has become quite the handful lately! Our quiet, sensitive little boy has turned into a tornado of energy, strong will, and assertiveness since he turned three. Just when I thought we escaped the "terrible two's" unscathed, we entered the terrible three's! I think God is definitely trying to teach me patience since all of these changes occurred right after I got pregnant with #3. Obviously God knew that if this had happened before another pregnancy, I would have rethought the whole idea of whether I could handle another child! I think God must have a sense of humor, but I know that He promises not to give us more than we can handle! Hudson and Owen now share a room, and they moved into bunkbeds together around Halloween. That has had both pro and cons. It's fun to see them playing well together and hearing them giggle and talk together once the lights are out at bedtime. It reminds me of "The Waltons" and their dialogue of, "Good night, John Boy" and "Good Night, Mary Ellen." However, Owen definitely needs his "space," so we often find him locking Hudson out in the hallway with Hudson crying and banging on the bedroom door to get in. All Hudson wants is to be with his big brother, and he has no concept or need for "alone time"! I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time resolving fights over who has whose sword, convincing Owen to let Hudson into the bedroom, or explaining to them why we don't dive off the top bunk and try to land on the beanbag chair!
Recently, Hudson has taken to climbing on the kitchen counters to get things that he needs or wants. We have been disciplining him for these acts and telling him that it's dangerous, against the rules, etc. The other morning, I noticed that Hudson had a package of Smarties candy in his fist, tightly hidden from me. These treats have been used as recent bribes for staying dry overnight in his underwear. I questioned him about where he got the candy (I knew the package of Smarties was in an upper kitchen cabinet and off limits to the kids). He looked at me very seriously and said that he got them from the kitchen cabinet. When I asked how he managed to reach them since he wasn't supposed to climb on the counters, he replied, "I have very long arms." I couldn't help but laugh!
