Happy Holidays

Liam has been learning about December holidays in class lately. They studied Kwanzaa first, and Liam made a kinara in art class. He explained the order of lighting the candles, and told me it was different from a menorah, because it had 7 candles instead of 9. He couldn't tell me anything more, but was able to tell Matt one more thing he remembered. On the third day of Kwanzaa, according to Liam, you clean. And paint the fence. Matt tried to protest that he was sure you didn't actually paint a fence, and Liam got upset, and insisted the fence needed to be painted before you went on to the fourth day. Matt argued that we didn't have a fence that needed painting, and Liam got a little ticked off. Matt was pretty excited to have the day of cleaning, and that also ticked Liam off.

Today Liam brought the menorah he had made home. He also brought a picture of a man, colored, cut out, and glued to a popsicle stick. It was labeled, "Judah the Maccabee." Liam was excited to tell me about the menorah, and when I asked him about Judah, he said happily, "he fought the Christians!". He then explained how Judah tried to protect the temple from the Christians, who wanted to tear it down, but it got torn down anyway. But then God rebuilt it, and they hid inside with only enough oil to last for one day, but a mirable happened and it lasted for 8.

Good thing we chose a secular school for him. I can't wait to hear about Christmas.

Swimming like Pops

When Liam was little, he loved the pool. He would jump in anywhere and assume someone would catch him. His first swimming lesson at age three changed all of that, and he became very, very fearful of the water. Swim lessons this summer made a very little improvement.

Since starting swim classes at school, however, with what I assume to be adequate peer pressure, Liam has improved quite a bit. He wanted us to go to the pool the other weekend so he could show us how he swam underwater.

The biggest excitement of all, though, was when he managed to imitate Pops. Apparently, he had been trying unsuccessfully to sit on the bottom of the pool the way his grandfather does. When he eventually asked Matt about it, he was told he had to blow the air out of his lungs so he would sink to the bottom.

Now, not only is he really excited to go "swimming" at every opportunity, but he can sit on the bottom of the pool, just like his Pops.

Politico

A couple of weeks ago, we were notified by Liam's school that some of the political discussions going on at afterschool were getting a bit heated. We were asked to remind our children to use appropriate language and be respectful of other people's opinions. I figured this was just something going on in the upper grades, but it still made me laugh that instead of getting notices of vandalism or truancy, we were notified of heated polical debate.

Nonetheless, Liam did show interest in the election. He was amazed that someone voted for McCain, and very excited to cast his vote in the library on Tuesday. Now today, he informed me on the way to school that McCain chose a bad vice president (this did not come from Matt or me!).

On the way home he told me that McCain said, "I have been tested; he has not!". He also informed me that Obama said, "To those who want to destroy us, we will defeat you!" Then Liam and Finn broke out into delighted choruses of "We will defeat you! We will defeat you!" He also insisted that McCain didn't like Obama. There was really no arguing with him about their both being good men who have different opinions.

I asked him if they were talking about Obama and McCain in school and he said no. Then where did he hear them speak? He said he heard it on the radio, in the car. I guess we've been listening to NPR a lot. It must be a good way to create a 5-year-old political junkie. When I asked Liam if he wanted to be president someday, he told me it was really hard to get to be president. Too true.

second breakfast?

We all had a really nice trip to a "cabin" at Fall Creek Falls last weekend. Thanks to Lolita's organizing, we had a great place to stay (complete with large screen tv for the red sox game) and lots of great meals. Liam and Finn enjoyed the playgrounds and hiking quite a bit, too.

On Saturday morning, Lo planned a pontoon boat ride for us before a hike, so we asked the boys if they were hungry before we left. Second breakfast ensued, and Liam put away a hot dog quite neatly. He ended up hiking almost three miles, so that hot dog "snack" was put to good use.

On Sunday, second breakfast was particularly exciting. The boys had been promised s'mores at some point during the weekend, and with time running out, and a fear of s'mores-induced sugar highs before the car ride home, we all enjoyed a very special brunch together. Having both a grill outside, a fireplace inside, and a "S'mores maker" from secret santa of years past, we mutually decided that roasting marshmallows over the electric stove worked best. Hopefully, either Mike or Lo will email me pictures to post.

Finn had a one-smore second breakfast, and Liam managed his way through 3 before being turned down for a 4th. This will now fall under the category of "only on vacation".

It's beginning to feel a lot like . . .

We are two weeks away from Halloween, not even close to Thanksgiving, and Liam has already decided to start planning for Christmas.

He announced the other day that, for Christmas, he was going to ask for a computer. And an ipod. And some very pricey Legos. Shocked, I told him that those were all very expensive items, and we couldn't really afford to have that sort of Christmas. His response?

"No, Mom, they are for Christmas. From Santa. So it's all free, see?" Oh dear.

I explained that Santa would think him quite greedy and put him on the naughty list. Santa, I'm pretty sure, brings just one nice present, and you might ask for some smaller things from Mama and Dada.

He thought this reasonable, and settled, a bit sadly, on an ipod. He thought he'd write his letter to Santa right then and there, but I thought he might want to wait a bit, since a letter to Santa is irrevocable and he mght change his mind.

Since he has been asking for an ipod since his birthday, I am beginning to warm to the idea. For my 5-year-old. I must be crazy. So I ask him, again, what music he would want on his ipod.

He replies, "The Rolling Stones, The Clash, Queen, Johnny Cash, and Pay me my Money Down (his favorite Dan Zanes song). And some jazz."

Okay, fine, how can I argue with that?

Now back to Halloween!

From Lolita

This is from Lolita, who came in to Nashville to save the day and help Matt out in my absence:

" I have to share this Finn story. At breakfast Sat. Finn asked for more milk but didn’t say “please.” We had just discussed the need to use special words so I said. “I didn’t hear you say something.” To this he yells his request even louder, still not saying “please”. Liam chimes in and says, “You’re supposed to say please.” Finn then yells please. I say, “You need to use a complete sentence and not yell.” He looks at me blankly. I then give a verbal prompt and exaggerate the word “may” with a rising intonation, “May…..” He looks at me straight in the eyes and says, “June” and then smiles widely. I totally dissolved into laughter as did Liam. Pretty funny, huh? I think we can deduce he is learning the months of the year."

I hope he finally asked correctly!!!

Star Wars

Last Saturday, Matt gave the boys light sabers. Liam has a green one, and is calling himself Luke Skywalker, and Finn's is blue. He will tell you he is Obi-Wan Kenobi . On Sunday, Matt let them watch Episode 4 for the first time. On skype that night, Liam told me about the movie, and how he wasn't even scared. It was a pretty big deal for him. Finn had apparently been silently entrances thoughout. Liam then he went back to playing light sabers with Finn. Finn was too busy to talk.

Eventually, Liam came back to the computer to reiterate that he was Luke and Finn was Obi-Wan. And Daddy was Darth Vader. Apparently, Daddy wanted to play, too, and got himself a red light saber.

Does this mean I am once again relegated to Princess Leia? I guess it is better than being the blue power ranger.

Home for the weekend

I am so excited to go home for this weekend, as I have been missing my family so much. Liam and Finn refused to talk to me on the phone two nights ago because they were too busy playing Star Wars, their lastest obsession. Naturally, I was glad they would talk to me yesterday. Liam was pretty chatty, telling me about playing at school and baseball. Finn, even, seemed eager to talk. Lately he seems content to let Liam do the talking for him. It makes me miss Finn more since I don't really hear from him.

I leave tonight, and will spend the day with Finn tomorrow while Liam is at school. I'm pretty excited about this, as I rarely get to spend one-on-one time with Finn. I told him excitedly, "On Friday, we get to spend the day together, just you and me! We can go to the Discovery center!" He answered, "And Liam."
Me: "Well, no, just us. "
Finn: "I want Liam to come. And Daddy!"
Me: "Well, we'll have Liam on Saturday, and Daddy on Sunday."
Finn: (audibly upset now) "I want Liam to come!!!! "
I realized at this point that I cannot win, so I wish him good night and tell him how excited I am to see him on Friday. Sigh.

New Clothes

Finn was so thrilled with his new spiderman pyjamas from his Aunt Sarah that even after wetting the bed, he didn't want to take them off, for fear we would wash them. It was quite a battle. So when he opened his birthday present from Aunt Carolyn, Uncle Chris, Erik and Emma and saw a new set of clothes, I wondered if once again, we'd have to fight him to wash them.

Of course we did. Carolyn, always thoughtful, sent clothes that would fit Finn perfectly in the fall. He started to strip immediately, and didn't even give us the chance to take off the tags. The problem arose at bathtime, when he had to take his new clothes off. Finn can really throw a mean temper tantrum, and he showed off that ability. Wow. It was actually hard to talk to him through his sobs.

In the end, we compromised. He would take off the new clothes if I promised to wash them and let him wear them to school tomorrow. It will probably be 90 degrees, and he'll have his long sleeves and pants on. I guess we'll send a change of clothes in case he changes his mind.

He does look pretty cute in them. And way too grown up.

Return of Tuna

I wish I could remember what prompted me to remind Liam of this, but somehow I brought up the fact that when he was little, Liam had an imaginary dog named "Tuna". It was a dalmation, and watching him walk it and talk to it was pretty darned cute.

Liam didn't remember this at first, but then it seemed to ring a bell, and the next thing I know, Liam declared that he again had an imaginary dog name Tuna. He then instructed Finn that he needed one, too. And suggested that Finn also have a dalmation. I suggested that Finn think for himself, but to now avail. Shockingly, Finn also decided to name his dalmation dog Tuna. Sigh.

For the remainder of the car trip, and then out at dinner, they spoke to, called, and scolded their dogs. It provided them with an excuse to speak nonstop to no one about nothing. At the same time. In the evening, Liam declared his Tuna could talk, and had its own potty in the bathroom. Tuna is pretty amazing. I kind of hoped Tuna would run away overnight.

As the boys got up this morning, I heard Liam calling, "Tuna! Tuna!" Alas.

First day of kindergarten

Liam had his first day of kindergarten last week, and it went pretty well! The night before, both boys were in tears, however. Finn started to wail that he didn't want to go to school without his brother, and then Liam started in sobbing, and saying, "I'm not ready [sob] I'm not ready [sob] I'm not ready to go to school without my brother!!!" They both settled down eventually, and were ready to go the next morning.

I met Liam and Matt for lunch after Liam's first half-day of school and asked how it went. He happily proclaimed that he had played Power Rangers (the bane of our existence!) on the playground with EmiJah (the friend we had met in a playdate the week before). So basically, nothing had changed in his life. After lots of prompts, like "did you read a book? did you color? etc" he finally told me how excited he was to have chocolate milk with lunch. So I guess school made a big impression on him.

Yogis

About every month or so, one of the moms at the boys' school who teaches yoga comes with mats in hand to do yoga with the kids. They just love it. The other night they happily demonstrated their tree pose and downward dog. They also do cat/cow, wherein they alternate a downward dog-type stance with their backs arched (the cat) with the cow pose with their head out and back down. This is accompanied by hissing and mooing, as appropriate. Equally cute are the butterfly and turtle.

Finn also wanted to show me how he could do a handstand of sorts, with his feet on the seat of a chair. He seemed pretty certain that this, too, pertained to yoga. Apparently, they didn't realize that doing yoga warranted a parental audience, and were quite excited. There was lots of "watch my turtle!" and "look at this yoga!". For a finale, after all of these cute animal poses, Liam declared that he had one more pose, and that "it's not real yoga, but I made it up. This is ROCKET!" It was a little more dynamic of a pose, to say the least.

It's educational, right?

Matt and the boys have a new Monday ritual of going to the library together. Liam has quite a long list of suggested books to read before kindergarten, and it has been a really great guide to new books.

One of the things the boys like best is picking out a video. At first, they discovered the DK Eyewitness series, and blew through dinosaurs, the solar system, sharks, and volcanos quite obsessively. Liam announced one day that "nightmares can transform into dreams", apparently something he learned from the volcano video. He also is quite fascinated by the concept of lava.

Now they have moved on to the "The Way Things Work" series. They have watched levers, pulleys, and pressure in previous weeks, and this week Liam picked out "Belts and Gears" and Finn picked out "Friction". Matt says he tried to steer them toward someting else, but they wanted to learn about the way things work. I guess you never know what will peak their interest. Perhaps they make educational videos about how to clean up your toys?

Um . .. .

Today, Matt tells me, while walking through Target, Finn asked him for a mask. Matt was a little confused, saying, "You want a what?" Finn pointed and said, "I want a mask. Like those."

He was pointing at the bras.

Transformer party!

I am pleased to say that Liam's 5th birthday was a big success. I had been nervous about it: a large group of kids at the house, perhaps running out of games too soon--yikes. I was also worried because it was the first time Liam had really been looking forward to his birthday, and I didn't want him to be disappointed or let down. He had Matt make him a calendar, and he dutifully crossed off the days for weeks.


The morning of his birthday, he woke up and had a special birthday breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes. Nana was staying over, and he got to open the present from her and Pops first thing in the morning. He proceeded to play with this exciting playmobil amphibious vehicle and dinosaur for the rest of the day. Later, while Matt had the garage open to get the lawn mower, he discovered his present from us: a new bike. Finn subsequently discovered that he had inherited Liam's old bike, and all was well with the world.


As Liam opened presents that evening after the big Transformers party, Finn asked him if he'd share, and Liam was happy to oblige. After all, how much fun are new transformer walkie-talkies if there is no brother on the other end? It also didn't hurt to remind him that Finn's birthday was next month, and he might want to teach Finn about sharing. Fortunately, their roles are well-defined, with Liam always being Optimus Prime, and Finn always being Bumblebee.

The end result of all of the bounty of toys he received for his birthday, including a "huge" etch-a-sketch, is that the boys want to stay home all of the time and play. It's kind of sweet.

Now, if I could just get Matt to let the boys play with the legos, too . . ..

Future Gold Medal Winner?

The boys and I were watching the Olympic trials the other night, and they were quite fascinated. Finn watched the men swim, and declared, "I can swim faster than that." Liam felt he had to protest, saying, "No you can't." Which ensured a volley of "Yes I can!" "No you can't!" Finally, Liam quit protesting and Finn smiled happily.

Then the track trials came and Finn declared, "I can run faster than that." Liam was quite beside himself, "No! You! Can't!!!" The volley ensued, and once again, Finn ended up smiling quietly to himself.

I wonder where the Olympics will be held in 2024.

So big

We had an extra long day at church on Sunday since it was our first time as greeters. After the service ended, I went to the nursery to pick up Finn and get the snacks we had left there (Liam was already with me). I tell the boys, "Let's have our snack now, because we have to stay a little while longer" and one of the teachers in the nursery tells me that Finn already ate his. Then she says, "I'm glad he knows what he is allergic too, because I didn't know!" Yikes.

As it turns out, Matt had packed two granola bars: one for each boy. Liam's bar had almonds in it, and Finn's was allergen-free. Apparently, she had tried to give Finn the bar with almonds, and Finn told her he was allergic, and wouldn't eat it. Wow. Not that I would trust this on a regular basis, but oh-my-goodness has he gotten big. It was vaguely reassuring.

Do I win now?

So, tonight was exciting because I made it home by only a little after 7pm. I only worked 12 hours and got to see the kids in the morning and the evening. Matt went off to "Man-Night" and I got to read stories, brush teeth and put the kids to bed. We spent some time looking at a world map and talking about where their babysitter was vacationing. I felt pretty good about it all. They even went to bed well.

Then, I started to got through their school papers and found a picture Liam had drawn. It had three people in it. Yes, I turned on the hall light and went into their bedroom to ask, "Liam, who is in this picture?" He smiled, pleased I was paying attention to his art, and happily pointed out, "Daddy, me, and Finn!" When he saw my face drop, he said, "Oh, I forgot you. Well, I can add you in tomorrow." He was pleased with his solution and went back to bed. I returned to the kitchen to feel sorry for myself.

So, do I win the bad mommy award now that I'm not even included in the family picture?

Bad Mommy Award

I know Sarah was trying to claim the bad mommy award, but I feel I am a contender as well. Finn saw that I had put on scrub pants to water the yard in, and started crying, "I don't want you to go to work, Mama! I don't want you to go to work every day!"

Perhaps not coincidentally, Finn has now been having behavior problems at school. He also crawled into my lap and snuggled during a volcano video the other day, something he has not done for a while, and refused to let go of me during our goodnight hug, saying he needed me. Granted, it is nice to be needed, but it has me feeling a bit guilty.

I tried role-playing his behavior problems at school the other night and discovered that not only would he not obey his teachers at school, he also will not obey me-pretending-to-be-the-teacher at home. Role play was unsucessful, although Liam really got into it.

I did have one really sucessful mommy moment, however. We discovered last night, much to our horror, that today is "cookie day" for Finn, and we needed to provide allergen-free cookies. I did not relish the thought of making cookies at 10pm, but given my mommy-guilt, was fully prepared to do so. In a moment of great brilliance, I discovered I had purchased special allergen-free cookies at the closeout sale of Wild Oats and hid them away for just such a moment. After high-fives, hugs, and cheers (all between Matt and myself, naturally), we were able to go to bed in the knowledge that our child would not be deprived on cookie day.

Tears and longing

The boys are now back from Knoxville, and they had a fantastic time. Not only did they absolutely love zoo camp, but they got lots of time with their grandparents, aunt and uncle. Apparently, lots of baseball was played in the yard.

Yesterday, I put on the video Leo made of his family's trip to Vermont. The boys were captivated. Naturally, their favorite part is when they themselves are onscreen. The music confused Liam a bit, as he was sure there was no music playing outside that day. Finn was quite intrigued by the visit to the Lewerenzes. By which I mean a visit to Erik. Erik retains his god-like status with Finn.

Stupid me, I tell him, maybe we can drive up North and visit the Lewerenzs sometime. Next thing I know he is full-out sobbing and wailing that he wants to go to Vermont and visit Erik and Emma NOW!!! He was quite inconsolable. I guess I need to start planning a trip for next summer . . .

On their way

The boys are off to Knoxville today, so I thought I'd put down a few conversations from this morning.

I told the boys how much I was going to miss them, and Liam said, "Mama, I always have you in my head." Finn agreed, saying, "I always have you on my head, too, Mama. And on my nose. And on my ears. And on my mouth."

As they played together, Finn told Liam, "I love you, Liam. You're my friend." Liam replied, "I'm always your friend, Finn." So sweet!

And finally, as they took a final bathroom break, Liam cheerfully tells me, "Mama! We peed together! And we made an 'X' with our pee!" Sure enough, when I look in the bathroom, they are standing together, pants down, over the same bowl. Such togetherness.

They are now off to Knoxville with their Lolo. They have no idea how lucky they are to have so many wonderful grandparents and relatives!

A big weekend

Matt and I celebrated our 6th anniversary this weekend, and, despite getting called in to work a few times, it was a pretty good weekend. Liam's team, whom I think of as a sort of Bad News Bears team, rose to the challenge to beat the only, up to that point, undefeated team in the league for our final regular-season game. Our first playoff game is tonight, and I can honestly say, I have enjoyed the season. Everytime I can make it to a game, I am right there shouting things like, "Baseball-ready!" and "Run! Run! Run!" with the rest of the parents. I have a much better undertanding of RBIs, advancing the runner, and, especially, errors, than I did before the season began. One of the moms brought popsicles for after the game; it was about the best thing after a 90 degree baseball game. Finn even got to have one!

We also finally made it to the pool at the Y on Sunday and discovered it to be the best kiddie pool ever. The boys had so much fun! Finn wanted to go down the slide and all over the pool, and even Liam let go of the side once to make it down the slide. The water only gets about 3 feet deep, and there are sprayers, showers, and fountains. It's pretty great, and I think Matt is taking the boys back again today.

After the pool, Liam really, really wanted macaroni and cheese, and we decided to try a vegan version for Finn. To our great surprise, not only did Finn like it, but we thought it was pretty good, too!

Liam and Finn also discovered some "new" music this weekend, and Liam decided that rock was definitely his favorite kind. The boys were having a good time with the Rolling Stones, the Clash, and Queen. I am pretty tired of "We will rock you", but Liam could listen to it over and over and over and over . . . .

Freeze Tag

I am having a very busy month right now, and am working pretty long hours. Matt has been great about making lunches, planning dinners, and taking care of the boys, but I miss seeing them in the morning. Last night, I got home around 7:30pm, and was really hungry. I came in the house, and it was quiet. Weird. So I poked my head out the front door and saw the boys playing with Matt. They ran up to me to say hi, and I told them I was going to grab something to eat. Finn was very excited to tell me they were playing freeze tag, and then looked up at me with his big brown eyes and said, "Mama, will you play freeze tag with us?" How could I say no? So there I was, in the yard in a skirt and heels, playing freeze tag with the boys. The rules were a little loose, but it was great fun. I have wonderful kids.

History Buff

Liam is very interested in space, and is still planning to be a space police officer when he grows up. He has also resumed his interest in reading "Conquest of the Sky" from the children's encyclopedia series that Matt had as a kid. Previously we have read about the history of flight, and tonight Liam picked out the chapter on the Battle of Britain. We learned about bombers, fighters, aircraft carriers, and how never was so much owed by so many to so few. Finn had a lot of questions about the guns, and the shooting down of planes, and the fires in the buildings. It was quite a bedtime story. We finished our bedtime reading with the exploration of Mars by the Mariners and Viking Landers, and it was nice to have a chapter without shooting.

Material Boy

Liam is getting excited for his birthday well in advance. At first he was just planning the party, and I encouraged it because I need all the help I can get. Now, however, he is heavily invested in what gifts he would like to receive. The other day he asked for "one of those drawing things, with two knobs". An etch-a-sketch, I ask? Yes. Good. An etch-a-sketch is a good toy. More recently, though, his requests have gotten a bit bigger. He told us that he really wants an earpod. "You mean an ipod?" "Yes." When Matt and I told him, unequivocally, no, he said other kids in his class had one. When told it was too expensive, he said he just wanted the really small one (!). When I asked what he would even listen to, he said, "Rock, country, jazz, I like a lot of music." Sigh. I hope he'll still be happy with legos and an etch-a-sketch.

Worst Blogger Ever, Part 2

Okay, now that I am a bit more motivated, I'll try to summon a few Liam stories.

1. Baseball. Liam has been improving a little in baseball, and seems to be still enjoying it quite a bit. Last week, we went out to the batting cages in the evening, and Matt pitched while I played catch with the alternate boy outside of the cage, then we switched. It was soo much fun, even despite the fact that neither boy is really able to either throw or catch. Finn has a pretty decent swing, though. Liam learned what "hustle" meant, at least in terms of moving fast. That evening, as we tucked them in, Finn said to me, "Mama? I liked playing baseball with you today." So sweet! I love baseball! Last night, Liam got hit in the face with a ball, and Matt was off in the bathroom with Finn. I was still at work, so one of the coaches checked on him. I felt a little guilty when one of the parents commented to me on it, but he didn't seem upset by it at all. At least he also got a good hit in!

2. Biking. We went out to the Shelby Bottoms greenway this weekend, and Liam showed off his biking skills. I rollerbladed, and he went twice around the loop on his bike. We had so much fun! I'm not sure that Matt has as much fun pushing Finn on his trike. Liam was working pretty hard on his 12" wheels, though, and I think a 16" bike is in his near future.

3. Swinging. Liam has learned to pump his legs on the swing, and now proudly gets himself started and goes way up high. I was excited too--no more pushing! But then I learned that my job is to watch him pump his legs and get way high into the air.

Worst Blogger Ever

Okay, I admit it . . . I am the worst blogger ever! My last blog was about getting ready for Florida, and nothing since. That was early April. Sigh. Then I got so everwhelmed by the thought of catching up that I couldn't face it. Sarah tells me I don't need to catch up, so I am going to try to get back in the saddle with a few tidbits to help motivate me. I'll start with Finn:

1. Finn saw me eating a vegetable quiche one evening, and asked what is was. I felt confident that my children would have no interest in something where food groups were mixed, and it was covered in mushrooms, tomatoes, and spinach, so I answered happily that it was called quiche. Finn replied, "Am I allergic to quiche?" Um, yes .. . "Can I have soy quiche?" Now, on the one hand I am flattered that the child thinks I can convert anything into a non-allergenic soy version, however the thought of a soy quiche makes even me feel rather nauseated. Poor kid. He wasn't very happy about my answer.

2. Finn developed some serious hero worship on our Florida trip, and it persists to this day. Finn's big nine-year old cousin, Erik, was very sweet with Finn in Florida, but eventually got very tired of having him continually attached to his body. The adoring gaze was pretty sweet, though. Now, he found Erik's old indoor soccer shoes, and refused to wear anything else. He is also currently refusing to wear anything but clothes with baseball on them, and the other day we had no clean baseball clothes. He threw an outstanding temper tantrum when we suggested a soccer shirt, declaring, "I don't like soccer!!!!" I remembered the Erik connection, fortunately, and reminded Finn that Erik played both soccer and baseball, and he agreed to wear the soccer shirt. The next day, his temper tantrum was because he couldn't wear it again.

3. A couple of weeks ago, both boys came home with bad notes from school. Finn had been talking back to his teachers, and Liam had been naughty for a reason that I have already blocked out. They both got a big talking to. Now, every day before school, Finn tells me, "I'm not going to talk back to my teachers today!" And every day after school, he tells me, "I didn't talk back to my teachers today!" I guess I made an impression!

Okay, I'll try to come back later with some Liam posts . . .

Ready for Florida

Liam has been excited about going to Florida for months. He asks frequently if we are going soon, despite having apparently no idea what we will be doing there. I think he is mostly excited about seeing Nana and Pops. When Matt took him on a very special lunch trip to McDonalds one day, Liam picked out a pirate toy for his happy meal (over the princess toy, mind you!). He was really excited, and Matt put forward the suggestion that the pirate toy was related to Disney and wasn't Disney World in Florida? Liam was dismayed at the suggestion of going to DisneyWorld, and had to be reassured that there would be no pirates.

When I brought home new water shoes last night, he asked me if it was April yet, and got really excited. Finn immediately had to put on his water shoes and run around the house. This morning I heard Liam telling Finn how Pops can sink and sit on the bottom of the pool. Finn got quite excited, and said, "And then we push his head down!" I had no idea that they remembered this, and that it made such an impression last August!

Naturally, this led to games, and in the kitchen this morning, they took turns being Pops. Liam said, "Ok, now you be Pops and I'll be Liam, and I'll push your head down!" They both found this quite fun and were not happy with my suggestion that it might cause one of them to get hurt.

I'm getting pretty excited for vacation myself!

Baseball

Liam's first baseball game was Saturday, and even though it was a bit chilly, it was so much fun! Liam is dead last in the batting order, and sat on the bench for 2 of the 3 innings on the field, but he didn't seem to mind.

It was really the unpredictable nature of the game that made it so exciting. You never knew if one of the kids could bat well, catch well, or throw well; even when they did, it was impossible to determine what would happen next. Would two outfielders fight over the ball? Would the 3rd baseman throw to first despite there being a runner coming from second? Would the "pitcher" be unable to pick up a ground ball because he was busy swinging his mitt?

And when one of the outfielders on the other team caught a great hit, we all cheered. So exciting!

I can't wait until the next game--I never knew baseball could be so much fun!

A Major Breakthrough

Tonight has been a night to remember.

After baseball practice, I started making dinner. I put out little ramekins of sour cream (and fake sour cream for Finn, of course) and began assembling bean and cheese (again, fake for Finn) quesadillas. This is my latest attempt at something we can all eat, with extensive modifications.

Finn at once climbed up to his seat, declared happily, "I like sour cream!" and promptly asked for a spoon. We asked him to wait for the quesadilla, which he reluctantly did. Then Liam arrived, asked skeptically, "Is this soy sour cream?" and when told it wasn't, was also happy.

Dinner was served, we all sat and ate together, and no one cried. Liam only got up from his chair without permission once. And no one cried, whined, or threw a tantrum. Everyone just ate dinner and talked.

We'll definitely have this for dinner again! Ah, the little things.

My little princess

Finn has a very vivid imagination, and has been having lots of fun at school lately. I'm guessing he's been playing with Violet, as he seems to have picked up some of her tendencies.

I remember when, after a bath, Finn first put a towel over his head and said, "OOOOO . . . . I'm a ghost!" It was cute and funny. Now a few months later, he took the same towel, wrapped it around his shoulders and said happliy, "I'm a princess! I'm getting married!"

I'm so glad he has such high aspirations.

The performer

Matt and I attended the parent board meeting for the preschool last night. Typically one of us will go, and one will take the kids home. There is childcare, but it involves everyone eating pizza except for Finn, which just seems mean. Last night, however, Liam was very excited because the kids had a performance planned for us, and we didn't feel right about making him miss it.

The meeting lasted forever. It badly needed a strong chair to cut people off and summarize, but instead everyone's opinion's were validated. It made me think of the PTA meeting Stephanie so expertly described on her blog. The topics varied from pipe dreams of what to do with all of the excess money in the account, to what to do about all of our budget shortfalls. Sigh.

Finally, past the kids' bedtime, the kids came down to perform. They each had styrofoam plates stapled together and decorated to look like smoke detectors, and the teacher turned on a song about smoke detectors. The kids apparently had learned the song, and were supposed to sing along and make some motions with their props. At first, they all just stood there looking confused and staring blankly, until their teacher reminded them to sing. Then Liam and maybe one other child actually sang. Liam apparently felt the need to make up for the other deficient stuents by singing loudly and gesticulating broadly. Finn just stood there and looked confused, then finally began moving his lips repetitively and without any relation to the music. By the end, I could hear one other student's voice, but really, it was all about Liam.

Matt and I told him he was the best performer, and he was so proud. Do I hear Broadway calling?

Snow in Nashville

We woke up this morning to several inches of snow, and the boys were SO excited. Finn's first words this morning were, "Can we go outside?" We put him off until we had had breakfast and were dressed, with quite a bit off effort. Finally, at 8am, Finn got his wish and we went out. The snow was light and fluffy, and tough to pack, so Matt and I made snowballs for the boys to throw, and used buckets to make a snowperson. Finn's response to the snow was to become, in the boys' words, "SnotRod." We were back in the house drinking hot chocolate by 10am. Now what to do for the rest of the day . . . . .

An evening's conversation...

Liam and Finn have been known to be tucked into bed only to reappear in the den, out of bed, with a variety of things to say. Most of the time it's "I have to tell you something" or "Finn's not letting me sleep" or better yet "Liam woke me up". This can get pretty tiresome, as the boys have to be tucked in several times each evening. Last night, I decided to nip that in the bud and stand outside their door to redirect them immediately back to bed. After closing the door I heard the following:

Finn: "Liam, I love you."
Liam: "I love you to." Liam then lets out a big, tired groan.

Pause

Finn: "Liam, are you dead?"
Liam: "No, I'm just tired."

Those wacky boys...

A Finn conversation

Today was a big day for all of my boys. It is reading week at their school, and Matt agreed to come in and read to each of their classes. Then we remembered it was Liam's turn to be "host" at his Encore program that afternoon, so not only did we need to bring snack, but Matt was once again on the hook to read to the class.

So, I made blueberry muffins for snack, and when Finn came home he saw the extras sitting on the counter. Naturally I had made them vegan for Finn, but he had some questions:

Finn: What are those?
Me: Muffins.
Finn: Are they chocolate? (a child after my own heart!)
Me: No, they're blueberry.
Finn: (not listening to the answer beyond "no") What are they?
Me: (cooking dinner, only 1/2 paying attention) They're blueberries.
Finn: Am I allergic?
Me: No . . . (sensing the direction this is taking)
Finn: Can I have one?
Me: Yes, after dinner.
Finn: No!! I want one!!! (dissolves into tears and throws himself on the couch)

Later he will tell me that he hates me. Perhaps I will not make muffins again. I thought it was a pretty good line of questioning for a 2.5 year old, though!

Day 8 February 16. Sulphur Springs, TX to Nashville, TN

Matt slept with Liam head-butting him all night and asserting his territory, while I slept with Finn adherent to my body and attempting to snuggle with his head either on top of mine or pressing into my back all night. We were definitely ready to be home in a more appropriate sleeping situation. As usual, the boys enjoyed the hotel breakfast, and it will likely be one aspect of the trip they’ll miss. No more fruit loops for a while!
Once on the road again, Liam declared that he would never go on another road trip. And I thought this was going so well!!
We listened to music (Finn can now identify Bob Dylan), played with new transformers (a bribe for the last day of driving) and mostly argued about transformers. Overall, the boys were pretty good. Lunch lasted forever, and included much frustration over eating, restrooms, and behavior. Did I mention how overtired the boys are at this point?
Another nap followed lunch, and by late afternoon, we once again caved into the power of DVDs. The boys happily, and quietly, watched Cars until we rolled into Nashville, ate dinner at home, and went to bed.
We were able to visit with a lot of people who are important to us, and the boys got to play in various parts of Texas. Overall, a good trip, but one we probably won’t repeat in the near future!

Day 7. February 15. Austin, TX to Sulphur Springs, TX.

We had a pokey morning, and went to the playground for more boy time. Unfortunately, Finn had a major pants blow-out and we had to leave, at which point it became rather obvious that our boys were incredibly tired and emotionally fragile. The end of the trip was definitely in sight. Our final hurrah was going out to lunch at Phil’s, which had fabulous burgers and a great playground for the boys. I wish we had one in Nashville. Anyone want to open a franchise here?
When it was time to go, there were lots of tears. Liam would very much like to move into Andy’s house. They fell asleep quickly in the car, though, and slept until we stopped for dinner in Dallas. Finn really enjoys corn on the cob, and I can think of little that is more entertaining than watching him attack it.
On to Sulphur Springs, which has a surprisingly nice Holiday Inn Express. I’m sure there was conversation, but boy were we all tired. Another late night before one more day on the road.

Day 6: February 14. San Antonio to Austin, TX

After a late night, the boys slept in a bit, Finn especially. Liam once again relished the hotel breakfast buffet, sampling a blueberry muffin, fruit loops, eggs, bacon, 2 cups of milk, and some hot chocolate. I think he’s feeling better.
This morning we are going to the zoo and to ride the train, and then off to Austin to see Heather, Dave, Andy, and Ethan.
The boys enjoyed the train ride a lot, and really liked all of the animals at the zoo, especially the ones we don’t have in the Nashville zoo. Finn decided that an area of Africa Live! Was our cage, and we needed to stay there. There were eggs in one cornder of our “cage” and both boys decided they needed to sit on them. Liam also showed a surprising interest in snakes, saying that he was scared of them, but they interested him. They also enjoyed the lion, bears, kangaroos, komodo dragons, and the baby gibbon. The baby gibbon was a big hit with us because it kept sneaking out of its cage and swinging on the outside. It was all arms and legs, and impossibly cute.
After the zoo, we drove to Austin, with naps on the way, and arrived at “Andy’s house”. The boys were so happy to be at a house with such fabulous toys. Matt and I also really enjoyed the legos. The boys tied the plasma cars together and dragged each other all over the house. They also played dress us and spied around the house. Going to bed was not entirely successful, but eventually they all went to sleep. We had a chance to visit, too, and thoroughly enjoyed watching all of the boys together.

Day 5: February 13. Houston to San Antonio, TX

We had a bit of a slow morning and headed over to the Costellos to visit one last time before we headed out. The boys had a great time, with Liam and Jamie playing “stuck in the chocolate” with the pillows downstairs, and hiding in Jamie’s bed together waiting to be discovered. Finn and Connor had more of an independent play experience, and the grown-up got to visit, too.
Finally, it was time to go. The boys had some sandwiches on the road, and Finn took a good two hour nap. Liam rested nicely, and we got into San Antonio around 3pm. After picking up swim trunks for Matt and a little to eat, we all took a swim together at the hotel. Liam is scared silly of getting in too deep, but Finn actually did a little better this time. They both enjoyed “swimming” with me and playing sharks, until Matt got in, and then wanted nothing to do with me.
After cleaning up we went out to see Clint, Kelly, Sabryn, and Shea. The kids didn’t really remember each other, which was sad, but soon they didn’t want to be separated. We ended up going out to dinner kind of late, but the boys behaved amazingly well, and the grown-ups got to talk and visit. We ate some really good Tex-Mex, and then headed back to the hotel.
When we got back, Matt put the boys to bed, and my friend Beth and her boyfriend Bill came over to visit. We hadn’t seen each other in so long, and it was really nice to get the chance to catch up while the boys slept.
Once again, we managed to fit a lot into one day!

Day 4: February 12. Houston, TX

This morning we picked up Liam at the Costellos and lamented the inadequate room in our car for Jamie’s carseat. If only we had a big gas guzzling SUV! Of course, then we probably couldn’t have afforded this trip. Uncle Leo took Nana off to the airport, and we set off for the Children’s Museum.
The boys were so excited by all of the exhibits at the museum. This was not, however, a place to be with a headache, and it was crawling with school groups. We did pretty well, though, and managed to see a lot. Liam learned how to use the camera, and took some pretty good pictures! My favorite part was building vehicles with Baufix in the inventor’s workshop. The boys enjoyed the periscopes, cow milking, magnet experiments, and most especially, the bus and car to play in. You’d think they would have had enough time in the car already . . .
By lunchtime it was pouring rain, so we brought in our picnic and tried to wait it out. After lunch it was still drizzling and we debated naps versus butterflies. Butterflies seemed the way to go, and we headed over to the science museum. We apparently has perfect timing, as the exhibit halls are free on Tuesday afternoon starting at 2pm, so we paid $6 to see the butterfly exhibit, and then headed over to the exhibit hall. By this time, Liam was feeling sick, but we perked him up with advil and kept going, because, y’know, it was free. The boys both really enjoyed the dinosaur skeletons and Matt liked the gem and mineral exhibit. They even got to search for real fossils together. Finn handled the forceps pretty durn well!
After a little while at the museum, we faced facts and went back for short naps. Liam was the only one who was successful because Finn fell asleep in the car, but hopefully it will be enough to get us through tonight’s dinner.
We ate dinner at Barnaby’s, and the boys got giant hotdogs that they each ate only about a quarter of—I’d forgotten how big the portions are! Finn and Alden got along very well, smiling and laughing at each other while they ate. Finn even regressed to baby talk for the occasion, unfortunately. It was great to visit with Mary-Helen, Ellis, Phil and Melissa again, and it’s hard to believe it will be a long time until we get the chance again. On the way home, Finn resumed talking, non-stop, asking, “Why are we not in Melissa’s car? “ and pretending to have conversations with baby Alden. Very sweet. Then they resumed space shuttle play, with Liam telling Finn he’d melt his “firepipes”. Then, after eating very little dinner, Finn announced in the car, “I’m hungry!” They really know how to drive us crazy. Finn was obviously tired, though, and turned his unpleasantness way up when we got back to the hotel. We finally have teeth brushed, pyjamas on (except Liam, whose pyjamas I forgot to pack—oops!), and are reading books. I hope tonight everyone sleeps well, because I’m really tired from getting kicked all night by Finn the last two nights.

Tour de Tejas, Day 3

Day 3 Houston, TX

After we had so much fun last night, we got back to the hotel and Finn had a fever of 101. I hope we didn’t pass anything along, but at least we gave full disclosure. Finn was a bit needy during the night, and I ended up “sleeping” on the sofa bed with Finn while Matt was alone in the king size bed. I’m a little tired this morning.

Finn has so far gotten to watch more television than in his entire life while we get a little laundry done, and then we’ll head to the Costellos to pick up Nana and Liam for the Space Center. So exciting!

The Space Center was so much fun! We started off with a tram tour that took us to Johnson Space Center, where we saw historic mission control, the astronaut training center, and Rocket Park. We also saw some cows, and I jokingly told Finn they were space cows. He took this very seriously and exclaimed, "Space cow!!" every time he saw one. The tour was really interesting, especially for the adults. Liam was totally amazed by the Saturn V rocket. We ate lunch after the tram tour and then went into the space center exhibits with two tired and cranky kids. They both like the computer simulations of docking the shuttle to the space station, the front of the shuttle with the command center, and learning about life in space. I can’t imagine sleeping with my head strapped to my pillow. After we had explored a lot of the exhibits, I decided it was time to go. Liam pled for a little time in the play area, and then Matt wanted to see the space artifact show, and then we found a whole other area of the center where you could control the Mars rovers, pretend to be Mission Control and the Apollo mission, and have all sorts of fun. Nana really enjoyed it, too, expecially after she saw Finn climb into a small space capsule, lie down, look up, and say “hi, mommy”. I was downstairs playing mission control, and we could see each other on the monitors. It was great, but then it was 3pm, Finn was huddled in a corner of a play area screaming “no!”, Liam was whining, and we realized we’d pushed our luck. Time to really leave!

After short naps, we went out to Mission Burritos, and met up with Melissa, Phil, Mary-Helen, Ellis, Alden, Nana, Sarah, and Jamie for a nice dinner and playtime for the boys. Liam went home with Jamie for another sleepover, and a very long day ended with a great visit with our friends. Alden is impossibly cute, and Liam and Jamie are complete BFFs.

Tour de Tejas, Day 2

Day 2: Laurel, MS to Houston, TX

Going to bed was pretty entertaining last night, even with Finn’s fever. The advil helped a lot, and he was in rare form as we went to bed, asking to switch pillows, sides of the bed, etc. At 1:30am he woke up thirsty and hot, and got some more advil and water. This morning he seems fine, having spent the night either adherent to my body or with his feet in my face.
5:00am Matt wakes up, confused about the time, showers and get dressed. The boys and I do not.
6:45am The boys and I are up, Finn seems healthy, and the bed is damp. Fun!
7:30am Breakfast takes forever, as Liam wants to try everything. So many choices! What a wonderful place the Hampton Inn is!
8:30am On the road again, leappads on hand. So far, we have managed to not show movies, but to listen to music, talk and play. We’ll see how long this lasts.

Well, I drove for the rest of the day, so no more play-by-plays, but we had a pretty good day! We stopped for lunch in a nice town outside of Baton Rouge, and Liam was intrigued by the swamps we crossed. Both boys also appreciated the words “Achafalaya” and “Opelousas”. They took really good naps, and we were all excited to cross into Texas.
The excitement waned a bit when Houston and the cousins didn’t materialize immediately, and at 4:00pm, we broke down and broke out the Backyardigans. Peace and quiet!
After checking into the hotel, we went over to “Jamie and Connor’s house” where they boys acted as though they were BFFs who had seen each other yesterday. They played so nicely together, which gave us a chance to visit with our friends Paul and Claire Brady, and to catch up with Mom, Sarah, and Leo. The Mediterranean food was fantastic, and Liam asked if he could have a sleepover.

Since Finn was still not well, we took him back to the hotel, and Liam got to have his first sleepover ever. I hope he behaves well! Last we saw him, he was happily reading books.

Tour de Tejas, Day 1

We are on the road to TX, and I thought I'd blog as we go, so here's day 1:

Day one:
6:00am The boys are up. Time to wake up and get finished packing.

8:30am We are officially on the road.

8:40am The ipod stops working.

9:00am We rig up the DC to AC power inverter to the computer, and play music directly from the computer through the speakers. Matt points out that the power is being converted from DC to AC, then through the computer’s cord back to DC. There are a lot of wires, and a computer in my lap. Not ideal. Hopefully there is a Best Buy in Huntsville.

9:20am Liam asks if we are still in Tennessee, and announces that his bottom hurts from sitting too long. Inauspicious.

9:25am We have a family conversation about hot pants.

9:36am Liam: Are we almost in Mississippi? No, Liam, we have to get to Alabama first. We’re going to spend most of the day in Alabama. Liam: I don’t want to spend the day in Alabama!!!!!

9:50am Liam reaffirms that his bottom is still hurting from sitting too long.

9:54am We enter Alabama. Finn points to the right and says, “There’s Mississippi.” I wish I could write it the way he says it, because it’s really cute. There is a big rocket at the Alabama welcome center. Liam is quite impressed. We learn it is a Saturn 1B, predecessor to the Saturn V that took the Apollo mission to the moon. Liam is also quite pleased with the Huntsville Space center brochure he acquires. Fortunately, he is too young to know to ask if we can go there.

10:30am The snackgates have opened. What began with a mid-morning snack of pretzels has now become pretzels, bananas, and dried blueberries. So far. The boys are now officially eating their way through Alabama.

11:30am Finn announces he is hungry, starts crying about wanting Liam’s space center brochure, and promptly falls asleep. Now we need to find a place to picnic in Birmingham. The Alabama adventure had looked promising, but it turns out to be a small amusement park, closed for the season. Good thing the boys were asleep, or they would have cried about it.

12:00pm No luck in Birmingham, but we find the Tannenhill Ironworks State Park on the way to Tuscaloosa. What a treasure! We have a picnic, a great little hike to the furnace works, and then learn all about iron smelting and the Civil War in the museum. Of course, the fact that Matt appears to have lost all of our travel money at the last rest stop makes it a bit less pleasant, as does Finn’s large splinter, but there you go.

2:30pm On the road again. The boys are having fun with their leappads and definitely not napping. Still no Best Buy or place to fix the ipod, but there is peace in the car.

3:30pm Liam napped and Finn was somewhat quiet. Upon waking, snacktime resumed, and we listened to some music.

4:30pm Almost there. We paased a sign for Pachuta, and somehow Matt and I started to sing Pachuta, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take ya to Bermuda, Bahama. Etc. Finn really enjoyed the “Bermuda, Bahama” part and started saying, “Babuda, Bobo, bathtub!” When we all laughed, he added, “Bob the Builder!” Liam tried to get some of the attention, repeating “Bathtub!” and we had to tell him it was only funny once. So he added in bumblebee, buck and bock. Matt tried to mess the game by saying “Underwear!” (yes, we were all laughing pretty hard at this point without a definable cause). He explained it was bumblebee underwear (Liam has transformer bumblebee underwear) which made Finn exclaim “Pull-ups! Pyjamas!” Oh my.

5:30pm We arrive at the horrid town of Laurel, MS. Don’t come here. Enough said.

6:00pm Finn has a fever of 102. Please, please let this be the prodrome to a simple cold. Here’s to tomorrow!

Tornado time

We woke up the boys at around 1am to go sleep in the basement. They were quite confused and we explained that there was a dangerous storm, so we had to sleep downstairs. Liam replied, as though speaking to himself, "But thunder is just noise, and lightening is just light." Nevertheless, they agreed to go downstairs, and seemed to think it was a bit of an adventure.

This morning I had the news on to see about the damage and what schools were closed. Liam looked at the pictures on the TV, considered them a bit, and then declared, "That's a junkyard." I explained that it was in fact the remains of someone's house that was damaged in the storm, and again he grew thougthful and looked at the tv a little longer.

Next thing I know, he has recruited Finn to play "tornadoes and buildings". Basically one of them gets to be the tornado and knock the other one down. It took a lot of negotiating as they were both eager to be the tornado rather than the building each time. I guess he had finally made sense of it as only a 4 year old can.

The Great Shoe Debacle

We couldn't find Finn's shoes the other morning. This was rather problematic, as we needed to get to work, and Finn only has one pair of shoes. I figure, if I'm going to shell out for the expensive shoes that don't actually fall apart on him, he's only getting one pair. This seemed totally reasonable to me until we couldn't find them.

So, Finn seemed unconcerned, Liam was dawdling with his own shoes, and Matt and I were frantically searching every corner of the house. Remembering how Liam had once put his in the laundry basket, I was going through all of the laundry in the house. We were desperate. Finally I turn to Liam, and say, "You get to be Detective Liam! If you can find Finn's shoes, I'll put a treat in your lunch box today!"

Within minutes, Liam had located the missing shoes under a bookshelf. I told Finn, "please don't hide your shoes again!" We were so happy, and Liam got lots of praise and a strawberry fruit leather in his lunch. We were quite late at this point, so I went to help Liam with his own shoes (yes, they were still not on!) while continuing to praise him for helping us.

Suddenly, Liam bursts into tears. "I'm the one who put them there!" He was nearly inconsolable with guilt. I didn't know whether to laugh or yell, so I just hugged him and we went to school/work. I'm glad his conscience works!!

Recent interests

Reading about Jamie's interests has caused me to ponder Liam's recent interests. I think I can safely blame playmobil toys for his recent interest in guns and swords. Sigh. However, Martin Luther King day has re-kindled his interest in death, and he explained to me how someone "shooted" him. Then we had to discuss why someone would do that. In the end, Liam decided that MLK didn't deserve to be shooted. When I asked if anyone deserved to be shot, he said that someone who didn't stop when the police told him to deserved it. A reasonable scenario. The topic was dropped briefly, and then Liam declared "Jesus is dead." Can't we go back to talking about space shuttles??

Liam's joke

Liam tells a lot of jokes these days, and most of them are not funny at all. For example, why did the ice cream truck cross the road? to get some more ice cream. The other day, though, he made a joke that was actually funny.

He was learning about weather at school, and studies thermometers. When he got home, he began to tell us what he learned, and how the mercury went up when the temperature went up. Matt tried to correct him, telling him that mercury was not used in thermometers anymore, but Liam didn't believe him. He repeated that Miss Jill said it was mercury. We obviously were never going to be able to contradict Miss Jill. Matt persisted, though, and really made his point that mercury was no longer used in thermometers, until Liam paused in his protesting, got a sly look on his face, and said, "I think thermometers have Pluto in them!" before bursting out laughing. It was actually pretty funny, and not a bad pun!

Right now . . .

Finn is pretending to drink coffee (he doesn't know it is a bad idea to drink coffee before bed).
Liam is asking where his guacamole (i.e. Guatemala) flag is.
Matt is patiently waiting to read a Dora the Explorer book.
I am coughing and hacking.
The cats are sleeping.

The cats have the right idea.

New Years Day

Since I was feeling really sick on New Years day, we stayed in and spent most of the day in pyjamas. I wasn't up to wrestling, but Matt felt pretty good, so here is how the day was spent:

Giving thanks

I admit that we are not always the best about remembering to give thanks before we eat, but we were able to sit down to more meals together over the holidays, and made some effort. Geof said a lovely prayer before Christmas dinner, and Liam wanted to add something. He gave thanks for his family, and especially his brother. It was incredibly sweet, and brought a little tear to my eye.

As we sat down to eat a couple of days later, Liam again wanted to say grace. He gave a similar speech, saying, "I'm thankful for my family, and my brother, and for his being born because he is a really nice boy. God bless Finian David. Amen." Matt asked Finn if there was anything he wanted to give thanks for, and Finn thought about it for a moment, and then said, "I'm thankful for . . . exercise!!!!" I'm sure he is also grateful for his brother.

Christmas all over again

We all got to have a second Christmas last weekend when Geof and Lo came to town. The boys got lots and lots of vehicles, and some fun dress up clothes:

They also really enjoyed the slot car racing set from Aunt Breezy and Uncle Mike. In fact, all of the boys enjoyed it:

Yes, all of the boys:

It's too bad we all ended up sick, because otherwise it was a great way to end the year.