lounging and monkeying around with buds

He really enjoys having company at our house.

Can you tell how much Liam loves his buddies?

(Note to self: Must learn how to remove the red eyes! Ugh!)

Monkeying around with another buddy!

The energy of these two kiddos is truly astonishing.

 After so much running around after Church (despite my best efforts to refrain him from doing so), he and his running buddy just decided to take a break on the floor in the cultural hall.

Speaking of lounging around...
I have noticed for a while now, that little Liam is okay with playing by himself sometimes. I used to have spend every waking moment with him, mostly sprawled out on the living room floor playing cars, legos, superheros, dinosaurs, puzzles, coloring, painting, reading, etc. Now that he has become a little more independent, I can do a little more around the house, that is, until I notice the silence. You know the feeling; when you suddenly stop what you are doing to try to hear what he may be doing. You start to get uneasy when it's a little too quiet and start to panic.

Well, one day I tiptoed out into the living room and caught Liam lounging on the sofa "reading" a magazine (a catalog of toys). He loves that tattered magazine. He was so into it that he didn't even notice when I took this pic. Now, normally I look around to find the evidence of his mischief (like him opening the mail or daddy's packages because he says that he never gets any, scribbling in the books or on the wall, or climbing the bookshelves), but there was nothing this time. No mischief. No "dennis-the-menace" antics. He really just felt like flipping through his magazine. Whew! Deep sigh of relief!

Oh, my almost five-year old darling little boy! I love your energy levels, your inquisitive little mind, and love how you love your buddies!

Where is that boy?

We got to Church one Sunday and as soon as he was rid of his coat and winter gear, he took off running as usual, but this time with his little friend. I was juggling coats, hats, scarves, gloves and over-stuffed diaper bag (that pretty much weighs like another small child) and I saw the general direction he was running to, but when I looked up again they had disappeared. I walked halfway around the Church building and realized they weren't there, so I peeked into the Cultural Hall. Sure enough, there they were, still holding hands, looking at the Christmas tree. I went in quietly just as he was saying, "Oh! It's SO beautiful!" I thought, poor kid. He would have been blown away had he seen the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. Sadly, we didn't get the chance to go this year because he was sick with a recurring cold.

Next year, baby boy, just you wait and see.

I think this picture speaks volumes. Don't you?