The boys just get more fun by the second these days. They are best buddies and you rarely see one without the other in tow.
What one does, the other is sure to try.
What one says, the other is certain to copy.
They love whispering secrets in each other's ears.
When Javen wakes up, the first thing out of his mouth is "Where's Malachi?"
When Malachi awakes, his first thought (after asking for food, of course) is "What's Javen doing?"
They have their moments and their little fights, but they are so quick to forgive and are back to playing together and are back to being best friends again in seconds.
When separated for some one-on-one with Mommy or Daddy, they are sure to ask about the other and to share their wish that their brother were along. They love being together.
They make each other laugh, teach each other things, and can't wait to share every piece of their world with the other.
Watching their brotherly bond grow and flourish over this past year has been a sweet blessing.
Malachi continues to amaze us with how far he has come in a year - both in physical growth and in his emotional growth and healing from all the loss and emotional and physical trauma he endured in his first couple years of life.
We still see evidences of his fear of abandonment or insecurities about food or other signs of his painful past here and there (usually accompanied by impressively HUGE fits), but they seem to be fading and we see less and less of them every week.
Watching the restoration of his little body and heart has been nothing short of incredible, and to get to watch such a miracle take place in your living room is truly life changing. He has blessed us far more than we have blessed him, and we are grateful for the opportunity to be this precious child's Mommy and Daddy. He is a gift.
When he is happy, Malachi's belly laugh starts at the tip of his toes and makes his entire body shake. You can't hear Malachi laugh and not smile.
He is our adventurer - he will try anything! This comes in handy for Javen, whose response to anything potentially dangerous or scary is, "Let's let Malachi try it first to see if it's safe."
He has a protective instinct. If a child at the playground pushes Javen, Malachi will barge in and yell "No!" and stand between that child and his "big" brother.
If Malachi thinks Daddy or Javen are too rough to Mommy during family sports, he will rush to my rescue and "save" Mommy.
He is talking more and more and we often hear him talking away to himself in his deep, raspy voice that doesn't sound like it could possibly be coming from a two-year-old.
He loves to makes jokes or funny sounds to make us laugh.
He loves to sing, and never fails to break out in song in his car seat and sings his way around town whenever we run errands.
Malachi loves to play hide and seek and is the best hider of any toddler I've ever seen - he will sit still and quiet without a peep for 10-15 minutes straight while we search for him.
He has a joyful spirit about him that makes everyone around him smile.
If you ask him what he wants to be when he grows up, he will (usually) tell you a pirate.
Javen has a sweet spirit about him that makes him a wonderful big brother.
He is always looking out for Malachi - if Javen gets something, he will be sure Malachi got one, too.
If he thinks Malachi is thirsty, Javen will come find me and tell me that Malachi would like water.
If he thinks Malachi is scared or upset, Javen will ask me to snuggle Malachi.
I can even remember a year ago being in a Ugandan orphange, and every time a child cried and he would see no one going to help, Javen would tell me I needed to go hold that baby. He always wants everyone around him to feel loved and happy.
After getting a call from the foster placement agency a couple weeks ago, I told Javen that the lady on the phone was telling me about some kids who didn't have a mommy or a daddy or a home right now. Without my saying another word, he immediatley said, "They can come here and I can share my room and family!" And he joyfully did so.
When feeding goats at the zoo this morning, Javen noticed that a small goat was being pushed aside and wasn't getting any food, and he made it his mission to seek out and feed "the goat that is feeling left out and hungry."
It has been sweet to see his sweet little heart is growing for loving the least of these.
Javen is also my Mama's boy. He loves to snuggle and is happiest when he is close to me.
He calls me his "Mommy-girl."
He knows a friend sent me flower on the anniversary of my sister's birthday, and now we can't walk past a flower (or sometimes a weed) without him stopping to pick it and and say, "I picked you a flower for Aunt Mallory so you will be happy."
Javen loves tools and working with his Daddy (there's plenty of that to be done around here!). I think he can identify more tools than most grown men I know and can be heard saying things like, "I've lost one of my drill bits, I need a new socket adapter."
If you ask Javen what he wants to be, he will tell you he wants to be "A Daddy and the leader of my family."
We are blessed and totally in love with these two little men.
