Welcome to Paper City

Cole and Jay spent many, many hours one weekend creating Paper City in Cole's room. We managed to keep it standing for a few days, then big tornadoes, shaped like my feet, inadvertently cleared a path to the dresser.

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!

And we wonder why our grass doesn't grow

Plastic shovel = $3.99.  Water = $3.43/1,000 gal.  
Making a mud pit in the front yard = Priceless.

There Are No Tea Parties at Our House

That's My Boy!

I am so proud of Cole! He had an issue with a boy at the Pirate Park and handled it beautifully.

He and Jay were playing pirates with a boy they met there. At one point, they climbed up a tall structure with a long tube slide. Suddenly, Cole flew out the bottom of the slide on his belly and landed face first in the sand. Poor guy was gagging from all the sand in his nose and mouth and could barely see with sand in his eyes. While I was comforting him, the new friend came over and admitted he had pushed Cole down the slide. When I asked him why, he replied, "A zombie was coming." After mildly scolding the boy (his father was close by, but didn't seem like he was going to do much), we went to the car to get water and wipes.

After a while, Cole asked if we could go back to the park. I was surprised that he still wanted to play. As we walked back across the street, I heard him whispering under his breath. When we got there, he walked right up to the boy.

"Are you still gonna play?" the boy asked.

"Yes," Cole replied. "But I don't want you to push me down the slide unless I say it's ok."

The boy agreed and they continued to run around like crazy pirate boys.

It turns out the muttering I heard was Cole rehearsing what he was going to say to the boy. I'm so proud of the mature way he handled it. Times like this make all the hard work of parenting worthwhile.

(We left when the kid found a discarded plastic golf club and began swinging it at the boys.)

A Typical Night (Right Before Bedtime)

Update to "Puppy Was a Rolling Stone"

Puppy number 2 has been found in the play kitchen--in the oven of all places!

I think I'll go back online and purchase puppy numbers 3 and 4 just in case.

Have You Seen This Puppy?

Our house is in full-scale search-and-rescue mode. Jay's beloved puppy, named Puppy, is missing. He was last seen on a picnic at Center Park on Daniel Island, where I dinstinctly remember bringing him to the car. Rob and I are panicked, since we believe Jay will be inconsolable soon. At the moment, however, Jay is remarkably calm about it. According to him, Puppy is having a great adventure:

Me: I haven't seen Puppy for awhile. Do you know where he is?

Jay: He's at work.

Me: Okay. Where is he working?

Jay: In... Africa.

Me: Did you put him someplace?

Jay: No. He had to go in the biggest airplane.

Me: Where will Puppy be when he comes home?

Jay: He has to stay for this many days (holds up five fingers).

Me: Well, it's fun to pretend Puppy's at work in Africa, isn't it? But I'd like to see him right now in real life. Do you know where he is in real life?

Jay (sounding slightly exasperated): Puppy's in Africa.

When Rob got home from work today, I told him about this conversation. He tried to question Jay about Puppy's whereabouts and got the same answers.

If you happen to go to work in Africa, please tell Puppy to come home!

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!

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!

Look Who Found My Goggles

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!

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!"

The Quest for GeoTrax

Cole has discovered his Holy Grail of toys, his Red Ryder Model Air Rifle. It is called Geotrax, and he can no longer live without it. I swear, he has thought about that remote control train system every moment since he first laid eyes on it.

His relentless campaign begins each morning as soon as we wake ("Mommy, can we go to the store today and buy Geotrax?"); and continues far after his bedtime ("Mommy said that maybe I'll get Geotrax for Christmas and I can't sleep!") At first, his earnestness was enduring. He has never wanted anything this badly before. But now, it is wearing on me.

The reasons he dreams up to go shopping are far too clever for a four-year old:

• "We should go to Target to get Jay new shoes and, while we're there, we could check if they have Geotrax."
• "I want to use all the pennies in my piggy bank for something new."
• "We don't have to wait for Christmas. We could get them now."
• "Jay wants them too. We should get them for him."

I have to admire his tenacity. He reminds me of the pigeon in Mo Willems books, especially The Pigeon Wants a Puppy: "I WANT A PUPPY! RIGHT HERE! RIGHT NOW!"

One benefit of this obseesion is that the boys are playing with our Thomas trains everyday (poor Thomas was getting quite dusty and lonely). The tracks are spread across our family room rug, and each new layout is bigger and more complicated than the last. I love the Thomas toys and their old-fashioned looks and ageless sensibilities. I'm not sure I want to replace them with a Fisher-Price, plastic, noisy, battery-eating train set.

After some reseach, however, I have to admit that there are advantages to Geotrax. For one thing, the Thomas tracks link together only one way, which inevitably leads to two open ends facing each other (my best solution so far has been to tape the pieces together--utterly unacceptable to a purist like Cole). Geotrax tracks, on the other hand, join together on either side, so no need for tape. They also seems to lock together tighter. The Thomas tracks break apart quite easily, which can be quite frustrating with a little brother who likes to sit on the tracks.

I even see advantages to the remote controls. Now that the layouts are becoming more elaborate, it's harder for Cole to reach the far tracks. We bought a train table last year for that reason, but he hardly uses it. Despite how much room the table takes up, it isn't big enough for the layouts he wants to create. With the remote control, he wouldn't knock over bridges or break the tracks trying to reach the other side.

***Update to the first draft (because he can't read yet)***

I convinced myself with the previous paragraphs and bought Geotrax Grand Central Station. Now that I have it in my possession, it's burning the proverbial hole in my closet. Can I hold out until Christmas? Waiting will be hard, especially since I know it would occupy him for hours and that means FREE TIME for me. However, I hear Super Nanny's voice in my head saying it would be a good lesson in patience and the futility of expecting instant gratification.

Perhaps we'll give it to him in New York so he can play with it the week we're there for Thanksgiving. Besides, I suspect Pop Pop will want to play with it too.

The Joys of Boys at Play

To My Aunts in LA

Dear Aunties in LA,

You should stop making fun of my favorite style--tank tops.

I can so totally pull off the look with my BIG MUSCLES!!


And check out those muscles in action. (Jay has some good muscles too.)

Jumping Jay

Jay loves to jump! When he wants to jump really high, he grabs his crotch to help him get air. At first we thought he needed a diaper change. It took a few times for us to catch on to his unique form. The ideas toddlers have are amazing and often hilarious. I love this age.

Where are the boys?


Peek-a-boo!