the week in pictures

Well, the second part of the week, anyway. We had soccer practice Thursday, then went out to dinner with my family on Friday (as you can tell, the boys were in rare form). Mike also took Max to get a haircut on Friday, but you can barely tell in these pics; I'll have to post some soon to capture the cuteness. Saturday morning, Mike and Liam had a little pre-game power struggle, which resulted in a win for Mike (shocking!) and a sulk fest for Liam (warming up for the game by kicking the ball around with his arms crossed and a giant scowl on his face). Things got better as the game progressed, and the rest of the weekend went fairly smoothly. The boys and I went to a pancake breakfast at my dad's fire station Sunday morning, where they chowed down on pancakes, sausage, and eggs, and we spent the rest of the afternoon running errands and hanging out at home. A fairly busy weekend, but we still had time to relax and unwind, which we (at least the adults) needed.

life in the vomitorium, or: it was almost a good day

Today was a big day around here. This afternoon, we took Liam to Kindergarten Round-Up, where he was tested on basic skills (he said he knew all of the answers, but I'm not surprised since they only asked the kids to identify colors, shapes, letters, and numbers) while we were tested by having to sit on stools designed for small people for an hour while listening to the many (many!) rules for school protocol. Overall, it went pretty well. I'm not at all emotional about it now, but come August 19, I may change that tune.

Later in the afternoon, we headed off to a hot and sunny soccer practice. It was a really nice day, and I should have had the foresight to (a) put the boys in shorts, (b) bring sunscreen, and (c) find some sort of large-brimmed hat to keep the sun from burning my (very sensitive) face. Luckily, I did have the foresight to bring giant bottles of ice water for the boys, which Max sipped happily as we watched practice, and Liam guzzled as often as he could sneak away from the field.

After practice, it was home for dinner. Miraculously, the boys both ate well, even Max, who usually takes two bites and then announces that he's done (and then asks for a treat, of course). Loni came over, and things seemed to be going fine ... until after baths when it was time for them to go upstairs, and Max promptly vomited all over his room and the hallway. I won't give you the details, but suffice it to say that both boys were fascinated with telling me about the consistency, color, and odor of each of the specimens, and speculating on which thing Max must have had to eat or drink to cause these effects. Ugh. So now it's 10:30 and both boys are downstairs. Liam's asleep in his sleeping bag on the floor behind me, while Max is on the couch with a towel underneath him and a bucket at the ready, still awake and whisper-singing so he doesn't get into trouble for not going to sleep. I have a feeling this may end up being a long night for the whole family...

P.S. Apparently Klaudia and Emma are also sick today, so watch out, family: I'm starting to suspect that this bug is a little something extra the kids picked up during the Easter egg hunt on Sunday!

circus forticus: now with more ... um, forticus

So the Easter Bunny brought bonus baskets to my parents' house on Sunday: one for Liam, one for Max, and one for their new sibling, who will make his or her arrival in early October. The boys are pretty excited about the prospect of having a new baby to play with. To be fair, it's Liam who is really excited and impatient. We're not really sure that Max has entirely grasped the concept. What we do know is that both boys are totally jealous of the baby's Easter gift, a sock monkey jack in the box. I'm hoping they stop fighting over who gets to play with it by the time the baby is ready to play with it ... oh, who am I kidding?

happy easter

We enjoyed a fairly low-key Easter this year. After a morning at home, we headed to my step-grandma's house for a quick meal and an egg hunt for two (which Liam and Max really appreciated!) before trekking across the driveway to my mom's house. Quite a few of my aunts and uncles made the trip in to spend the afternoon together, and everyone had fun flying kites, playing wiffle ball, going on a scavenger hunt, and, of course, hunting for eggs. There was a lot of fun stuff for the kids to do outside, and for the most part, the adults got to enjoy some time chatting and catching up inside. After the egg hunt, each kid got a prize. Liam got a book of mazes, and Max got sidewalk chalk -- both of which were perfect for them. Plus, after all the other guests left, the boys discovered that the Easter Bunny had stopped by my mom's house to leave gifts for them there, too. Liam got a set of Thomas train cars, and Max got a Diego toy. However, they both fell in love with something that wasn't even in their baskets. Luckily, we got to bring that thing home too, and I'll report on it in our next installment.

first soccer game

Liam's first soccer game was Saturday, and it went really well despite the cold, damp, windy morning. Each team was split up into two smaller groups so everyone could get a chance to play, so Liam was separated from Emma, but he did get to play with his nemesis/best friend T.R. It was a very lively game. Liam may not have been the best or fastest player on the field, but he definitely made up for it in enthusiasm. And by "enthusiasm," I mean trash talk. And overly aggressive body checks. And outright pushing. It was a little surprising, but most of the other kids were doing it too, so I guess this is normal (?) for this age group. At one point during the game, the coach made Liam and a boy from the opposing team (a boy who Liam knows from school, who is almost two years older than him) shake hands and make up for their unsportsmanlike conduct. Yikes! Anyway, Liam's group ended up tied at 2, while Emma's team clobbered the opponents 7-1. Liam had a wonderful time playing, and was exhausted and grass-stained at the end. Max had a pretty good time watching, too, though he was definitely not a fan of that cold wind.

sheepish

The boys have been to Aunt Bethany's house twice in the last few days to enjoy the wildlife. Sunday night, they admired (and brushed, and petted, and fed by hand, as you can see in the pictures) the two new sheep. Last night, they made a return trip to check out the six (!) new pigs. They were mightily impressed, from all accounts, though I have no pictures of them with the pigs to offer as proof.