Back to School

The first day of school was fairly uneventful, except that the boys had no school supplies! I thought I had ordered them through a service that has all the gear waiting at the school. I thought wrong. I received two notes and two disgruntled boys at the end of the day. At least the boys themselves were prepared!

I can't believe Cole is a 4th grader.
After this year, he has only one more at the elementary school!

Jay is ready for 2nd grade.

Eager to start!

Growth Spurts

I don't notice the small changes taking place every day as the boys grow, but once in a while I look at them and think, "Holy cow! When did they get so big!"  This evening was such a time, so we got out the yardstick.

Jay grew 2.5 inches this past year (from his thumb to his index finger)! He is now 4 ft 3/4 in and very happy to be tall enough to go down the big slide at the water park. I think his crazy smile is due to his shorts being too small. I hadn't realized he never buttons his pants because they are all too tight. I thought he just didn't take the time.

Cole grew 1.5 inches and is now 4 ft 3 in. Although he still has a couple inches on Jay, they wear the same size. I'd like to put a dresser in the hall and throw all their clothes in it so I can stop trying to sort.

One of Rob's favorite activities is to guess how old the boys will be when they pass me in height. I feel fortunate to be fairly tall. It will be a strange day when I have to look up at them. 

Lego Robbery, directed and produced by Cole and Jay

Cole and Jay went to a fantastic camp last week where they learned to create stop-motion movies.

Grab some popcorn and prepare to be entertained!

Five Little Pumpkins

The boys put together this little Halloween program. Here are the lyrics in case it isn't clear. Enjoy!!

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.

The first one said, "Oh my, it's getting late."

The second one said, "There are witches in the air."

The third one said, "But we don't care."

The fourth one said, "Let's run and run and run."

The fifth one said, "I'm ready for some fun!"

Oooo went the wind and out went the light,

And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight!

Canadian Vacation

This year we vacationed in Canada almost the entire month of July. It was wonderful to be there longer than usual, especially at the height of summer in the south. As the boys grow older, they are able to appreciate the lake more and more. It is wonderful to watch them enjoy the same things my sisters and I did when we were little.

 

Jay became a fish this trip! He was always the first one in the lake and the last one out. When he wasn't swimming, he was trying to convince us to go. Cole wasn't as comfortable in the water, but he enjoyed floating on the rafts. They played a game where they were drifting on "the high sea." It involved a lot of yelling and splashing. With the way sound carries across the lake, I was afraid a neighbor would think they were really lost at sea and come to rescue them.

 

 

Even the rainy days were fun with forts to build, books to read, games to play, and puzzles to do. Most of the games and books are ones from when I was little, so I always enjoy rediscovering them.  Our old story tapes were were hours of entertainment. (I don't think they had ever seen cassette tapes before.) And how could they be bored when there were drainspouts! With running water, mud, and puddles!!

 

Other highlights of the trip:

• Exploring under the house, on the path to the guest house, and in the garage.
• Jay only wanting to ride in the boats when they went fast.
• One-on-one breakfasts with Grandpa--Jay ate 2 servings of pancakes and Cole ate 2 servings of bacon. Together they make a great team!

After we returned home, Jay said that next summer we need to stay for 51 days!

 

Birthday Karate Kids

February is always a busy month with Cole's birthday on the 22nd and Jay's on the 23rd. Each boy picks a restaurant for us to go to on his special day. Cole picked Moe's (a casual tex-mex place) and Jay chose "The Pirate Restaurant" (otherwise known as Queen Anne's Revenge--a very cool place decorated with all kinds of pirate loot, weapons, and pictures). Here they are standing at the window that looks into the kitchen at QAR.
This year we had a party at Carolina Karate, where the boys take classes. Karate has been a great experience for them. We started last October and their balance, coordination, and focus have improved dramatically since then. Everyone had a blast learning ninja jumps, ducks, punches, and kicks. Notice in the picture below that Orange the monkey and the Puppies even got to participate!

The best part was cutting the cake with a sword! Thank goodness they got a little help. I made the cakes in the shape of karate jackets.

It was a fun few days, although I can't believe Cole is 6 and Jay is 4.

Christmas 2009

This Christmas we made our first gingerbread house. Unfortunately, Jayzilla broke the first one and we had to rebuild. (It was actually my fault--the house joints weren't quite dry and the frosting was across the table from him.) The replacement was delicious!

Jay also had fun wrapping the presents. Cousin Leo was the lucky recipient of this one:

Wrapping was so much fun, he just couldn't stop! (In case you can't tell, the taped-up object is his pair of scissors.)

The boys couldn't wait to see what was in this big box. It was the Geotrax airplane, which is a nice addition to our Geoland. Cole still loves his Geotrax.

Transformers were also big this year. Unfortunately, it wasn't clear online that there are different levels of difficulty and I bought the most difficult. Even an engineering background didn't help with this one. Santa must have seen Jay wrapping presents. He knew exactly what the boys needed.

Cole was very happy with his new Gears kit.

A Typical Night (Right Before Bedtime)

My Summer Vacation

If I were still in school, I would have flunked the ubiquitous What I Did for My Summer Vacation essay due to its being two months overdue. Here's a quick recap so we can return to the present day.

We had a wonderful summer of traveling. First, to my family's cabin on Lake of the Woods for two weeks. We were all relieved to escape the July heat in South Carolina for the cool summer they had up north. The boys had a blast with the freedom to run around outside. The house is perfectly set up for laps around the deck through the kitchen, out to the porch, and back onto the deck. Grandpa spent most mornings yelling, "Don't slam the door!" (I think at the end of two weeks with energetic little boys, he was rather glad to have had girls who spend the summers quietly playing paper dolls or sunning on the dock.)

The boys weren't quite ready to jump into the cold lake, but they had fun playing in the baby pool Yingy put on the deck and filled with warm water from the tap.

They also spent as much time as possible in the fishing boat playing fishermen with the dock lines. They'd throw the lines over the side of the boat and pretend to catch whales and sharks. We had to stop Jay from climbing over the side of the boat several times.
Jay enjoyed the times he really went fishing and even helped Grandpa cut the fish into fillets and dispose of the guts (something we girls never, ever, under any circumstances, ever did). He and Cole now play fishermen on my bed with belts as the fishing lines. They are very precise about it, down to bonking the fish on the heads to kill them and cutting the fillets with a knife.

Imaginations at Work

Some of the boys recent playtime activities have been hilarious. I thought I'd share some of their antics.Jay with his block family: a mommy, daddy, brother, sister, baby, and cat. In the picture, it's naptime and everyone is comfy and cozy in their block beds.

A surpise birthday party for Stee (Jay's blanket) and Orange (Cole's monkey). They were expecting quite a crowd. I was lucky enough to be invited and got lots of cake and a goodie bag.

Future cross-country skiers. They had me tape blocks to their feet so they could ski around the house. Instead of snow, however, they had to ski over burning hot lava.

At least one of us will be prepared if the 90-degree temperature suddenly drops below freezing!

Thanks, Mike Rowe

The boys love the show Dirty Jobs. Its host, Mike Rowe, travels around the country doing real jobs that have some dirty, dangerous, or revolting element to them. It's a hilarious show that features jobs I am glad not to have.

One afternoon, while I was upstairs putting away laundry, I heard the boys giggling and saying, "This sure is a dirty, dirty job." Relieved that they weren't fighting, I continued to fold clothes. I should have known better.

When I returned downstairs, I discovered the dirty job that kept them so occupied:They were extremely disappointed that their version of the show ended before they had all their games and toys thrown around the kitchen. I was disappointed that unlike the professionals on the show, they did not clean up after a hard day's work.

I sent a message to Mike on his blog blaming him for the mess. I'm still waiting for him to arrive to help with my Dirty Job!

First a Brother, Now a Friend

Cole and Jay are becoming great buddies. Each boy now calls the other his best friend and when they are apart, they really miss each other.

Last week, I went with Cole's class to the aquarium, while Rob took Jay to Gymboree. The entire ride home, Cole wondered what Jay was doing and whether he was home already. I asked if he missed Jay, and without hesitation, he replied, "Yes!"

It is the same with Jay. When we pick Cole up from school, Jay pushes his way through the sea of parents and rushes to him. They give each other a big hug that often winds up as a tackle. It's clear they are happy to see each other again. Poor Jay is going to be a bit lost when Cole starts full-day kindergarten in the fall.

Of course, the flip side is that they also annoy, tease, torment, and compete with each other. Their fights can be vicious brawls with punches, bloodshed, and hurt feelings. But we always make them apologize and hug, and before long, they are back to playing again. I found a quote from Dylan Thomas that describes this exact relationship: "I made a snowman and my brother knocked it down and I knocked my brother down and then we had tea."

Rob and I long ago agreed that our first child would be followed by a second. We believe kids need siblings, and we are thrilled with the way it is turning out. Every day, I see them teaching each other fairness, cooperation, graciousness, and the golden rule of do unto others what you would have them do unto you. We couldn't ask for more.

Cole and Jay will always be brothers. I hope they will also always be friends.

The Ballad of Old Crust and Poopy Head

I knew this day would come. Every mother of older boys had warned me.

Cole and Jay have begun to play with pretend guns. Since we don't have any toys resembling guns, they made theirs out of Legos.

After explaining that real guns are serious and can hurt people very badly when used the wrong way, I eavesdropped on their play.

After firing a hail of Legos at each other, Cole decided there should be good guys and bad guys. And, since he and Jay were good guys, they needed names.

"My name is Old Crust," said Cole. "Jay, what is your name going to be?"

"Ummm," said Jay, thinking hard. "Poopy Head!"

So, Old Crust and his trusty sidekick Poopy Head galloped around the house, shooting Legos at all the bad guys.

We all slept well knowing that they had kept our little corner of the world safe and secure for another day.

May Old Crust and Poopy Head ride again!

Christmas in Arizona (Part II)

We had a wonderful time in Scottsdale for Part Two of our Christmas. Grandma put up three trees--one for each grandkid. The big tree belonged to Cole; the medium tree belonged to Jay; and the little one to baby Sophia. A remote control turned on the lights and the boys loved pushing the button every evening. Unfortunately, they couldn't always remember where they put it, so we had to launch a few full-scale searches.

Of course, the best part of the trip for the boys was the presents! Jay's favorite was the jump castle from Grandma and Grandpa. It came in a nice, big box, which he liked as well. When someone asked him what he received, he answered, "A big box!!" We now have the jump castle in our family room until it warms up outside. Although such funishings have never been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, I think it adds a nice touch.Cole's favorite present was a rocket with detachable boosters and two astronauts. Once he opened it, he ceased to pay attention to anything anyone else did (it made a wonderful accessory to his space shirt).

The pool was another highlight. Last summer both boys were a bit tentative in our neighborhood pool. What a difference six months make! They were like little fish! Jay prefered to stay near the step. Cole hooked his arms over noodles and paddled all around, chasing the Creepy Crawler that cleans the bottom of the pool. I think they would have stayed in the pool all day. They also loved the waterfall that turned on at five o'clock. So did we because that was when the first bottle of wine was uncorked!

Christmas in South Carolina (Part I)

I've been procrastinating with the Christmas entries because so much happened. Posting it all seemed rather daunting. I finally realized that to wait any longer would just be lame.

We celebrated Christmas Eve at our home, then traveled to Arizona on Christmas Day. Santa knew our plans and visited our house a night early. We put reindeer food on the lawn so Rudolf would know the right house.

The boys' excitement was infectious!

It's FINALLY Christmas!!

Making Cookies for Santa

Enjoying Santa's Cookies

Did Santa Come??

YES!!

Taking a Bite out of the Big Apple

Because Cole loves buildings and Jay is always up for an adventure, we ventured into NYC during our Thanksgiving visit to Rob's hometown. The boys were ecstatic that the day began with their first real train ride, complete with tickets and a conductor. As we passed the 5- or 6-story buildings in the suburbs, Cole kept asking, "Is that a skyscraper? What about that one? Is that one?" His excitment was contagious. I couldn't wait to see his expression when he gazed at a true skyscraper. After arriving at Grand Central Station, we headed down 5th Avenue. (No, Cole, they didn't name the station after Geotrax.) Our first stop was the public library for a picture with the famed lions. We went inside to admire the beautiful building and to use the nicest public restrooms I knew about in the area.
Next stop was one of the ubiquitous street vendors for hotdogs and pretzels. No visit to New York would be complete without a tasty vendor treat!
And, finally, the pièce de résistance : The top of the Empire State Building! Jay seemed more interested in the pigeons, but Cole was excited to see some of the famous buildings shown in a skyscraper book we have. (I'm not sure why Jay decided to play dead for the photo.)

As we walked back up 5th Ave at dusk, I thought about visiting Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas tree and ice skaters, then I decided it was already a full day for the boys' first trip to the Big Apple. (A wise decision, I just learned, because the tree wasn't lit until a couple days ago.) Instead, the boys got to experience rush hour at Grand Central Station from stroller height.

Yes, I caved.

Cole and Jay are now the proud and delighted owners of Geotrax Grand Central Station, otherwise known as preschool crack. The next day Cole declared, with a crazed look in his eyes, "I NEED MORE!"