Hobbes, Music, Food and Beds

I seriously cannot believe how fast Hobbes is growing.  He has thinned and stretch out like a string bean.  Besides the fact that he really doesn't like food, and it is a constant struggle to get him to eat real things, he is still the happiest, silliest, sweetest little kid, and I just adore him!

Here are some stories:

I have mentioned that I'm giving Gunner piano lessons.  Well, Hobbes has been taking them right alongside him.  He sits through every lesson and practice we do.  He doesn't always want to participate, but he pays attention.  He listens to the Lesson CD while we drive around in the car, and he knows all of the songs!  He sings them constantly!  (Well, his own jumbled versions of them, anyway.)  I have caught him sitting down to the piano with Gunner's books and "practicing" all on his own.  I am absolutely amazed at how much he is picking up all on his own!
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Besides the piano lesson music, he otherwise sings constantly.  He hums or sings his own special versions of Christmas songs ("Away in a manger, no crying, no please."), themes from the HMS Pinafore, G's piano lessons, primary songs he learns in nursery, and themes from "Planes" and Angry Birds.  Always always always singing.  I love it.
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I let the kids get cookies from the bakery at the grocery store the other day.  After taking a couple bites, Gunner dropped his cookie on the floor.  He was soooo very upset about losing his cookie, and in order to avoid such sadness, I was contemplating going back to the bakery to ask for another one.  Hobbes, saw Gunner's sad face and piped up with, "Here, Gunner.  You can have my cookie."  And he handed over his own cookie.  I still can't believe that he can possibly be that sweet.

I have reminded him of that story, and he says, "Mom, am I the sweetest boo-ey?"
He melts my heart.
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Hobbes really doesn't like food.  He will eat when he wants to, and I think he's getting better about it in general.  But if he doesn't think something looks good, then he can't even have it touching his plate.  We have had some battles about it lately, most of which end in him showing us how much stronger his will is than ours.  He would rather go to bed hungry than eat what we are asking him to eat.

That's exactly what happened the other day.  He wouldn't eat his food and eventually dumped his plate on the floor.  That bought him an immediate bedtime.  I took him downstairs, quickly got him ready for bed, and tucked him into his crib.  I left the room, and we continued to eat dinner and listened to him cry himself to sleep.

An hour later, I got Gunner ready for bed.  As I went into the boys' room to tuck him in, I found Hobbes's crib…empty!!!  That was a shocker, as I wondered where in the world was my kid?!

He had dumped out his pillow and blankies, climbed out…and crawled into Gunner's bed, where we found him fast asleep.

He sure showed us!!!
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We put the kids to bed fairly late the other night.  They were both pretty wired after spending an evening playing with friends.  We tucked them in and went upstairs.  A couple minutes later, I heard footsteps on the stairs and thought, "Ugh, Gunner!!!  Why is he up?!?!"

But Gunner didn't come talk to us.  I didn't hear anything for a couple of minutes and figured that he must have changed his mind and sneaked back to bed.

I heard another noise upstairs and got another shock when I saw Hobbes, quietly playing with some toys on the dining room floor!  Spiff tucked him back into his crib, and afterward reported that Hobbes had strategically dumped his blankets on the floor under his crib, to pad a potential fall.  Smart kid.
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After those two stories, I decided that it was time to convert his crib to a toddler bed.  I took the side off a couple days ago.  I'm always hesitant to do this, and I wait as long as possible to transition my kids so that I can ward off bedtime battles.  But he seemed ready, and he seems to be doing okay so far.
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He runs around the house in his swimming suit so that he can "be the Fastest Racer in Dee World!"
He loves playing with legos, and most recently called the Pilot Lego Guy a "Pilot Manner."
He also played Winter Olympic Lego guys and played with a "Ski Manner."
He prays to "Huvingah Fadder."
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And now a couple of quotes:

After a mealtime battle where he refused to eat his lunch (of yogurt and ramen noodles!), he saw the leftovers sitting on the counter and said, "I already did not eat that yet.

While impatiently asking me for something:
Me: Sit down and hold your horses!
H: I don't have any more horses.