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?