Friday, November 20, 2009
Great balls of fire
As we approach the last game of the Fireballs' season this weekend, let's look at the official portraits of Aidan and Cole and the rest of the team. Good times.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Overheard while waiting for the school bus
Me [to Cole, who was wearing my scarf]: Here, I'd better take that.
Cole: No....
Me: Well, can you promise me you'll remember to put it in your backpack?
Cole [handing the scarf to me]: No, I can't promise that.
Me: Thank you for being honest.
Friday, November 13, 2009
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
As we watched the When I picked up Grant from school that day, we walked by the Director, Mrs. Oliver, to whom Grant waved and shouted, "I love you!"
If the world needs more love, Grant's here to spread the word. And it's not just love, but compliments, too. We sat next to Mrs. Ball, Grant's co-teacher, at their class's Thanksgiving feast the other day. Mrs. Ball had to tell me (I love how people just "have to tell" us about something nice Grant did) that as he sat on her lap during circle time - something he doesn't normally do - he looked up at her and told her, "Mrs. Ball, you look very cute today."
Grant is certainly one to show affection, as Mrs. Duffy, Mrs. Oliver, and Mrs. Ball know. He's not shy about waving to people - even perfect strangers - or giving hugs. He spontaneously tells me and Mary all the time that he loves us, and we try to do the same to the boys. While Aidan and Cole are typically more reserved with their feelings, they do share them with us. It's not uncommon for Aidan or Cole to give us hugs or tell us they love us. What parent doesn't want that? Even a couple of nights ago, as Grant was climbing into bed, Aidan came up, climbed on the bed, and gave Grant a long hug and a kiss on the cheek. An unexpected, unsolicited love bomb. Kind of makes up for the other, not-so-affectionate times.
Maybe it's contageous.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Happy birthday, Grant!
I'm sure I say this kind of thingevery time one of the boys has a birthday, but I can't believe it's been four years since we first held Grant in our arms. Our big boy is getting bigger! Take a walk with me down memory lane as we celebrate Grant's fourth birthday.
November 2005
November 2006
November 2007
November 2008
November 2009. Wait, what? Don't ask.
Happy birthday, Grant!
November 2005
November 2006
November 2007
November 2008
November 2009. Wait, what? Don't ask.
Happy birthday, Grant!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Monday, November 09, 2009
Thursday, November 05, 2009
A six sense of humor
Ah, to be six. What, you're not six years old anymore? Well, you'll need to try to put yourself into that frame of mind, because Aidan and Cole have come up with some jokes for you. Ready?
Cole:
Aidan:
Aidan:
Cole:
Q: Why is the Tootsie Roll afraid of the donut?
A: Because it was cut!
Aidan:
Q: Why was the donut afraid of the alligator?
A: Because he could swallow him (w)hole!
Aidan:
Q: Why is one afraid of one?
A: Because zero won! (Or could be spelled "zero one", I'm not sure...)
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Let the promise of my love cover you like a warm blanket
It appeared on our bed again last night. Sometimes it's on Mary's pillow, and sometimes it's on mine. The "it" I'm referring to is Grant's blanket - or at least one of them. He's got a couple, and he sleeps with one every night. In the morning, if he's still tired when we get him up, he'll grab the one he's been sleeping with and take it to the breakfast table. When we tell Grant good night, if he can't find one of his blankets, he'll make sure we get one for him from his closet.Sometimes when we're saying good night, Grant will hand a blanket to me or Mary and tell us we need to sleep with it. Other times, one will just appear on one of our pillows. When Grandma Houillion stayed overnight to watch the boys recently, Grant gave her one to sleep with.
I have to say I really like this sweet ritual Grant started. He's sharing something that's special to him, and what could be more personal than one's security blanket. And it's nice to snuggle with while we're sleeping.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Overheard in the back yard
Grant: Dad, I love you.
Me: I love you, too, Grant.
Grant: I love you even when I say you're mean.
Monday, November 02, 2009
Give us something good to eat
It all comes down to this: a single night of ringing doorbells to get as much loot as possible. The day Aidan, Cole and Grant had waited for for weeks finally arrived.
Of course, they had to get through Aidan's and Cole's early soccer game first, but after that, we went home, carved some jack-o-lanterns, and waited until it was time to go to Aunt Helen's for trick-or-treating. And after that, we still had to wait for evening to come! Grant made sure to come by every couple of minutes and ask if it was time to go yet. He could practically hear all that candy calling his name. But in the end, their patience paid off. They all got bags full of candy, which they couldn't wait to enjoy - literally, in Grant's case, since he asked after every house if he could have one. I finally gave him a bag of Skittles towards the end to get him off my back. I'd carry his bag between houses and he'd carry the Skittles. Fair enough. After all, he - and Aidan and Cole - offered to give me any Reese's Peanut Butter Cup he got. When any of them got one, they tried to hand it off to me, even though my hands were already full with cameras, water (I did remember to bring it this year), Grant's Captain Hook wig and hat, and candy bags that were too heavy for the boys to carry.
First thing Sunday morning, the boys dumped out their candy, and I was reminded of when I would do the same thing: sort the candy, mentally catalog it and figure out which ones to eat first. Like father, like sons.
Even though poor Grant had a pretty rough night - after getting home late, he resisted going to bed, then fell out of it around midnight, scratching his face on his nightstand, then woke me up around 1:00 since his room was "too dark" - he still got up at the usual time. Except the usual time was now an hour early, and 5:15 is too early for an almost-four-year-old to be up on the weekend. So after asking nicely for him to go back and get into bed, I had to pull out the big guns: if he didn't go back to bed and get some more sleep, I told him, he would not get any candy that day. That did the trick. If there's one thing Grant loves, it's candy. Good thing - he's got a lot of it to go through.
Of course, they had to get through Aidan's and Cole's early soccer game first, but after that, we went home, carved some jack-o-lanterns, and waited until it was time to go to Aunt Helen's for trick-or-treating. And after that, we still had to wait for evening to come! Grant made sure to come by every couple of minutes and ask if it was time to go yet. He could practically hear all that candy calling his name. But in the end, their patience paid off. They all got bags full of candy, which they couldn't wait to enjoy - literally, in Grant's case, since he asked after every house if he could have one. I finally gave him a bag of Skittles towards the end to get him off my back. I'd carry his bag between houses and he'd carry the Skittles. Fair enough. After all, he - and Aidan and Cole - offered to give me any Reese's Peanut Butter Cup he got. When any of them got one, they tried to hand it off to me, even though my hands were already full with cameras, water (I did remember to bring it this year), Grant's Captain Hook wig and hat, and candy bags that were too heavy for the boys to carry.
First thing Sunday morning, the boys dumped out their candy, and I was reminded of when I would do the same thing: sort the candy, mentally catalog it and figure out which ones to eat first. Like father, like sons.
Even though poor Grant had a pretty rough night - after getting home late, he resisted going to bed, then fell out of it around midnight, scratching his face on his nightstand, then woke me up around 1:00 since his room was "too dark" - he still got up at the usual time. Except the usual time was now an hour early, and 5:15 is too early for an almost-four-year-old to be up on the weekend. So after asking nicely for him to go back and get into bed, I had to pull out the big guns: if he didn't go back to bed and get some more sleep, I told him, he would not get any candy that day. That did the trick. If there's one thing Grant loves, it's candy. Good thing - he's got a lot of it to go through.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
A day in the life: October 28, 2009
5:00 - Alarm goes off, even though I'm taking the day off. I head for the shower, and Mary goes to the kitchen to get Aidan's and Cole's lunches and snacks ready.
6:00 - Wake the boys up.
6:05 - Time for breakfast!
6:25 - Get teeth brushed, then get dressed.
6:45 - Head out to the bus stop. Even though we're all going to Benchley/Weinberger, we have Aidan and Cole ride the bus so they won't get there too early. As it turns out, they came running up to us as we arrived. Oh well.
8:00 - Aidan and Cole perform in the First Grade Fall Singing Program. They're definitely more animated than they were last year, and they sing not-so-spooky Halloween songs.
8:30 - Aidan's class has a "cast party" with light refreshments, while Cole's class starts its Halloween party. While Mary takes Grant to school, I stay in Aidan's class until it's time for parents to leave, then head to Cole's class. They have lots of fun games, music and snacks.
9:50 - I head home to spend a few minutes with Mary.
10:30 - I arrive at College Park Preschool to read a Halloween story to Grant's class. I chose "What Was I Scared Of?" by Dr. Seuss. Want to know what's really scary? Reading to a class full of preschoolers! I also get to snack time with the class, and after the story, I help Grant and some of his friends make Play Doh spaghetti and meatballs.
12:15 - Grant and I go to pick up Aidan and Cole from the bus stop, since it's their early day. Grant eats lunch (peanut butter and Nutella on Ritz crackers, of course) in the car.
1:00 - I have a quick lunch while Mary gets ready to do homework with the boys. Aidan and Cole have their weekly packets to do, and Grant does pages in a workbook.
1:30 - Cole and Grant are done with homework, so we head to the front yard to set up our scarecrow family. Aidan isn't in the mood to do his creative writing assignment, so he stays inside to work on it with Mary.
2:00 - The boys entertain themselves. Grant rides his bike around, then his scooter, then his Lightning McQueen bounce ball, then he wants to play football. Meanwhile, Cole goes inside to draw, then play with Tinkertoys. Aidan is still working on homework. After that, he has to work on his Student of the Week poster for next week. Cole starts asking me if I can draw him something.
3:00 - The boys and I head to the back yard to play ball. Aidan joins us, and so does Cole. This time, he brings a paper and pencil out, asking me if I can please draw him something now.
3:30 - We go back inside, and I finally draw something for Cole. Mary and Aidan have done a lot of work on Aidan's poster, and I help him come up with ideas for what to write on it.
4:45 - The boys take showers so they won't have to after we get back from dinner at Grant's school.
5:30 - We go to the Spaghetti Social at College Park. We sit with our friends, the Parkes family and the Farnaes family. Aidan and Cole entertain themselves at the art table, and Grant and I get dinner for everyone and greet some of his friends and teachers.
6:40 - Home again, and time for stories.
7:30 - Bed time for the boys. Mary goes to relax with a book while I do some programming work for a friend of mine. What a day.
6:00 - Wake the boys up.
6:05 - Time for breakfast!
6:25 - Get teeth brushed, then get dressed.
6:45 - Head out to the bus stop. Even though we're all going to Benchley/Weinberger, we have Aidan and Cole ride the bus so they won't get there too early. As it turns out, they came running up to us as we arrived. Oh well.
8:00 - Aidan and Cole perform in the First Grade Fall Singing Program. They're definitely more animated than they were last year, and they sing not-so-spooky Halloween songs.
8:30 - Aidan's class has a "cast party" with light refreshments, while Cole's class starts its Halloween party. While Mary takes Grant to school, I stay in Aidan's class until it's time for parents to leave, then head to Cole's class. They have lots of fun games, music and snacks.
9:50 - I head home to spend a few minutes with Mary.
10:30 - I arrive at College Park Preschool to read a Halloween story to Grant's class. I chose "What Was I Scared Of?" by Dr. Seuss. Want to know what's really scary? Reading to a class full of preschoolers! I also get to snack time with the class, and after the story, I help Grant and some of his friends make Play Doh spaghetti and meatballs.
12:15 - Grant and I go to pick up Aidan and Cole from the bus stop, since it's their early day. Grant eats lunch (peanut butter and Nutella on Ritz crackers, of course) in the car.
1:00 - I have a quick lunch while Mary gets ready to do homework with the boys. Aidan and Cole have their weekly packets to do, and Grant does pages in a workbook.
1:30 - Cole and Grant are done with homework, so we head to the front yard to set up our scarecrow family. Aidan isn't in the mood to do his creative writing assignment, so he stays inside to work on it with Mary.
2:00 - The boys entertain themselves. Grant rides his bike around, then his scooter, then his Lightning McQueen bounce ball, then he wants to play football. Meanwhile, Cole goes inside to draw, then play with Tinkertoys. Aidan is still working on homework. After that, he has to work on his Student of the Week poster for next week. Cole starts asking me if I can draw him something.
3:00 - The boys and I head to the back yard to play ball. Aidan joins us, and so does Cole. This time, he brings a paper and pencil out, asking me if I can please draw him something now.
3:30 - We go back inside, and I finally draw something for Cole. Mary and Aidan have done a lot of work on Aidan's poster, and I help him come up with ideas for what to write on it.
4:45 - The boys take showers so they won't have to after we get back from dinner at Grant's school.
5:30 - We go to the Spaghetti Social at College Park. We sit with our friends, the Parkes family and the Farnaes family. Aidan and Cole entertain themselves at the art table, and Grant and I get dinner for everyone and greet some of his friends and teachers.
6:40 - Home again, and time for stories.
7:30 - Bed time for the boys. Mary goes to relax with a book while I do some programming work for a friend of mine. What a day.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Oh, the things Grant can do!
Mary came into the kitchen and told me she was surprised that Grant could blow a bubble with his bubble gum. I admit, I didn't know he'd taught himself to do that, either. He chews enough of it, though, you'd have to assume he'd figure it out eventually.
Did she know what else he could do?, I asked her, and showed her this:
I had come into the kitchen earlier in the day, and Grant had already written "HALLOWEN" all by himself - I just had to tell him to add one more "E". Way to go, Grant!
"Jack o' Lanterns" by Grant, 10/25/2009
Did she know what else he could do?, I asked her, and showed her this:
I had come into the kitchen earlier in the day, and Grant had already written "HALLOWEN" all by himself - I just had to tell him to add one more "E". Way to go, Grant!
"Jack o' Lanterns" by Grant, 10/25/2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The Hamiltons
Meet the Hamiltons:
A suburban family. Twins. A younger sibling. A basement. Coincidence?
Except this family has vampires in it. There goes that theory.
How could I have missed this film from 2006 that won the Santa Barbara and Malibu International Film festivals?
The Hamiltons seem to be the picture perfect American family. They are hardworking community members; giving to their local charities; attending Town Hall meetings, and always respectful to their neighbors... The twins seem to have their own dark agenda and seem to share an eerie connection that separates them from the rest of the family. It's through the youngest sibling's eyes that we soon get to know the Hamiltons and realize there are much more disturbing elements lurking below their "ordinary" household.
A suburban family. Twins. A younger sibling. A basement. Coincidence?
Except this family has vampires in it. There goes that theory.
How could I have missed this film from 2006 that won the Santa Barbara and Malibu International Film festivals?
Monday, October 26, 2009
A day in the life: October 24, 2009
6:12 - Cosmo wakes me up meowing in the hallway. Why does he do that?
Ah, what a lovely day for a Halloween parade
6:28 - Grant comes out of his room, followed by Aidan and Cole. We go to the kitchen and I start to make breakfast (egg sandwiches for me, Aidan and Cole, "toast" - Nutella on bread - for Grant, and scrambled egg whites for Mary). The boys constantly ask me if I can draw something for them, but I remind them that I need to get breakfast ready.
Grant's ready for Halloween fun
7:04 - Mary wakes up and comes to the kitchen.
7:10 - We sit down and have breakfast. The boys eat quickly and Mary and I have a few minutes to relax.
7:34 - Aidan and Cole put on their Halloween costumes for the Boo! Parade.
7:50 - I fix Cole's costume (it's a bit too long so I have to shorten the legs), Mary does some laundry, and Aidan asks if he can use the computer. After you brush your teeth, I tell him. He does this quickly, and is soon followed by his brothers.
9:00 - Grant decides to dress as Peter Pan for the parade
Grant's ready to go to the parade
9:05 - Aidan and Grant discover some sticky eyeballs in the Halloween stuff, and amuse themselves by throwin them on the walls and ceiling and watching them roll down.
9:15 - I get the soccer stuff ready for later, then fold some clothes.
10:00 - We get in the car to go to the Boo! Parade with Claudia and the Parkes'.
10:30 - We find a spot for the parade and start waiting.
11:00 - The kids are getting restless...
The boys wait for the parade with Ethan
11:30 - The parade finally begins!
12:30 - The parade is over. We head home.
12:50 - Lunchtime
1:30 - We head out to go to Aidan's and Cole's soccer game
2:00 - The soccer game starts vs. the Red Rockets. Cole volunteers to be goalie first. "Look at the red ants!" he says to a teammate, already distracted. He managed to stop a goal by sitting on the ball, but the Red Rockets ultimately scored on him twice. Aidan tends goal in the third quarter, and gets scored on once. The only goals against our team were against Hamiltons. Oh well. Cole sustains a phantom eye problem in the fourth quarter, and it mysteriously goes away just as the game ends.
Oops...
3:00 - The soccer game is over. We go to the car, and Aidan and Cole put on their costumes again for the Halloween Happening at their school. Grant has worn the Peter Pan costume since the morning.
3:30 - We arrive at Benchley/Weinberger for the Halloween Happening. The boys play lots of games and go through the haunted house - twice. Cole wins chocolate dirt cupcakes with gummy worms on top during the cake walk.
Aidan and Cole with buddy Reed
Grant is ready for the haunted house
5:15 - We leave the Halloween Happening
5:30 - Rather than eat at the Halloween Happening, we opt for dinner at Marie Callender's - with the boys still dressed in costume.
6:40 - We arrive back at home and the boys eat the cupcakes that Cole won.
6:50 - Bath time
7:15 - Story time
7:30 - We tell the boys good night and close their doors. What a day...
Good night, Cole!
Ah, what a lovely day for a Halloween parade
6:28 - Grant comes out of his room, followed by Aidan and Cole. We go to the kitchen and I start to make breakfast (egg sandwiches for me, Aidan and Cole, "toast" - Nutella on bread - for Grant, and scrambled egg whites for Mary). The boys constantly ask me if I can draw something for them, but I remind them that I need to get breakfast ready.
Grant's ready for Halloween fun
7:04 - Mary wakes up and comes to the kitchen.
7:10 - We sit down and have breakfast. The boys eat quickly and Mary and I have a few minutes to relax.
7:34 - Aidan and Cole put on their Halloween costumes for the Boo! Parade.
7:50 - I fix Cole's costume (it's a bit too long so I have to shorten the legs), Mary does some laundry, and Aidan asks if he can use the computer. After you brush your teeth, I tell him. He does this quickly, and is soon followed by his brothers.
9:00 - Grant decides to dress as Peter Pan for the parade
Grant's ready to go to the parade
9:05 - Aidan and Grant discover some sticky eyeballs in the Halloween stuff, and amuse themselves by throwin them on the walls and ceiling and watching them roll down.
9:15 - I get the soccer stuff ready for later, then fold some clothes.
10:00 - We get in the car to go to the Boo! Parade with Claudia and the Parkes'.
10:30 - We find a spot for the parade and start waiting.
11:00 - The kids are getting restless...
The boys wait for the parade with Ethan
11:30 - The parade finally begins!
12:30 - The parade is over. We head home.
12:50 - Lunchtime
1:30 - We head out to go to Aidan's and Cole's soccer game
2:00 - The soccer game starts vs. the Red Rockets. Cole volunteers to be goalie first. "Look at the red ants!" he says to a teammate, already distracted. He managed to stop a goal by sitting on the ball, but the Red Rockets ultimately scored on him twice. Aidan tends goal in the third quarter, and gets scored on once. The only goals against our team were against Hamiltons. Oh well. Cole sustains a phantom eye problem in the fourth quarter, and it mysteriously goes away just as the game ends.
Oops...
3:00 - The soccer game is over. We go to the car, and Aidan and Cole put on their costumes again for the Halloween Happening at their school. Grant has worn the Peter Pan costume since the morning.
3:30 - We arrive at Benchley/Weinberger for the Halloween Happening. The boys play lots of games and go through the haunted house - twice. Cole wins chocolate dirt cupcakes with gummy worms on top during the cake walk.
Aidan and Cole with buddy Reed
Grant is ready for the haunted house
5:15 - We leave the Halloween Happening
5:30 - Rather than eat at the Halloween Happening, we opt for dinner at Marie Callender's - with the boys still dressed in costume.
6:40 - We arrive back at home and the boys eat the cupcakes that Cole won.
6:50 - Bath time
7:15 - Story time
7:30 - We tell the boys good night and close their doors. What a day...
Good night, Cole!
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