Cuties and Antiques

Bobby is something else.  He was such a shy infant that I have been surprised at how outgoing and social he has become.  Don't get me wrong he still needs to be close to Mom, check in a bunch of times if he gets out of my sight line, and constantly declare with gusto how much he loves me!  However, he talks nonstop and hates to be left out of the big kid's stuff.  He really is quite the ham and adores anyone who will be silly with him.  He's loud (we're majorly working on inside voices), super chatty, and a huge Mama's boy.

Yes, yes, I know!  I let my kids eat on the stove if I'm cutting veggies or making sandwiches because they love it and we get some one on one time while I get something accomplished.

I mentioned that he tells me he loves me, on average, 50 times a day, or he declares it randomly to a room full of people, the whole grocery store, or just me.  When he announces it, it is loud and every female "aah"s because it is totally, melt-your-heart sweet.  He will sometimes tell me 10 times virtually in a row while playing in the same room as me.  I have a notion that partly it is a type of checking in without coming over to touch me which he also does often.  He has another habit that traces all the way back to when he was nursing.  He loves to touch my neck or cheeks.  He'll even just walk up to me and ask me to bend down so he can "touch my neck."  It's a little strange and a little precious all at the same time.  Not sure what has made him so attached to me, other than not being dethroned by a new baby brother/sister at a young age like the rest of them were.

Judah and Bobby are playing together a lot more lately, but also fighting a lot more as well.  It's funny because if they do fight and hit each other, they will apologize and be hugging each other to death right afterwards.  All is forgiven and they just go right back to playing.  They are both so forgiving and physically affectionate that the hug destroys any lingering animosity which isn't the case with Drew or Hannah because they are not physical touch people.

Those were the cuties, now for the antiques.  Technically, only one of the following things is an antique.  We purchased an antique Brittany style buffet to go with our Brittany style table.  It holds all my tea cups, Polish pottery, Souflenheim pottery, and even some of Brian's overflow beer glasses.  It is a gigantic, substantial piece of furniture.  It's hard to see in the photo, but on either side, you have carved people just like in our table legs and there are scenes carved into the doors.  I LOVE it!

Then we bought a brand new grandfather clock very recently.  In fact, when they delivered it, they didn't even put the weights and pendulum on because the movers were coming just a couple of days later.

At the store, with the pendulum and weights in it.  There's a notable amount of glass in it and so I am hoping and praying it arrives stateside undamaged.

The last item is new as well.  For a good bye gift, Brian's co-workers and employees bought him this Nativity scene candelabra.  I have always wanted one of these, but never actually purchased one, so I was so touched at this personal gift and by the beautiful words that were said about my man at his barbecue.