The Kiddos

My kids are at such a fun (and exhausting!!) stage right now! They are constantly making me laugh, and I am grateful for that!

Leila is almost 2, and still not talking much, but that doesn't stop her from having a huge personality! In the Joyner family, we know that Adalena is the original Diva, but Leila has become a close second. She can give looks that kill one minute, throw a tantrum worthy of a youtube video, and then snuggle in and hug you around your neck so tightly you never want to put her down. One of my favorite things she does right now is spin in circles, or pretend to go off balance and stick her arms out saying, "Whoa, whoa, whoooooaaaaa" and laugh. She is constantly pushing limits and reminding me that she is her own person. I never really understood how a parent could have a power struggle with their kids...I get it now. I constantly feel like she is fighting to be the alpha!

I caught her mid-spin

Daddy's girl

A cutie in pigtails

Swimming and grapes, what could be better?

It is chocolate, I promise!

Christian is a completely different kid. At four years old, he is definitely coming into his own. He can be loud and funny, or shy and sensitive. He constantly keeps me on my toes. In so many ways he reminds me of Jared; physically and especially his demeanor. Mostly though, he has Jared's knack for getting around rules without actually disobeying. One day, a few weeks ago, I took the kids to eat at the Mongolian BBQ place by our house. It was after the lunch rush but there were several people still sitting at tables eating. We had finished and I was waiting for Jared's to-go order to be finished and the kids were kind of running amuck. Christian was running up and down the aisle of tables with his arms out like an airplane and making funny noises. I called him over to me and said, "Christian! There are people eating and you are running by their tables and putting your arms in their faces. Stop it!".

So what did he do? He ran down the aisles with his arms out like an airplane, but ONLY if there was no one sitting at the table he was running by. If he ran by a table with someone eating, he would quickly put his hands by his sides until he was clear of them and then immediately restore his arms back to airplane position. I laughed because I was so impressed that he found a loophole!

Christian is also starting to get the hang of humor. Jared was watching Fast and Furious (6, I think), and toward the end of the movie there are two girls fighting in an airplane and one of them shoots the other girl with a harpoon gun and she goes flying out the back of the airplane. Well Christian comes in right as she is being shot out of the airplane and he says, "Whoa Dad. Did you see that?" and with arms outstretched he says, "She was like, 'I Believe I Can Fly'"! lol It was amazing.

Learning to fly a kite

Miniature Golfing

Drawing Ninja Turtles

When I was in Vegas, I saw these two and knew I needed to take a picture with them for Christian!

His grumpy morning face with customary cereal in his bowl with a straw...which is a must!