Tuesday, December 29, 2009
sock monkey!
Henry got his very own sock monkey from Yami! And just like his brothers before him, it was love at first sight...
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
artists in residence
Tuesday was Klaudia's day to entertain two little boys who were suffering from cabin fever. In preparation, I hauled up their easels and a tarp, and when they woke up from their naps to find not only easels, but Klaudia, they were ecstatic. Max started painting right away, going first for a rainbow, and later for some more abstract pieces. He was quite prolific, creating about 10 masterworks in the short afternoon. Liam, meanwhile, stuck to variations on a theme: space. I'll let him explain it to you below.
snow crabs
Liam and Max are both on a two-week winter break, and having them home has been ... challenging, at least so far. We've spent the week running errands, doing our Wii fitness, coloring, painting, playing with play-doh, and generally trying to stay busy. But sometimes, even that isn't enough. Luckily, Loni came over the other night and took Grumpy Gus and Crabby Patty outside to run off some energy in the snow.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
birthday horoscope roundup
It's the one day of the year that I actually check my horoscope. Here's what this year has in store.
Horoscope.com says:
Expand your horizons on your birthday by doing something different and exciting. When you make this leap of faith on your birthday, another path will open up to you and lead you toward the new direction you have been looking for. Your old pattern has gotten boring and you weren't sure how to change it, but your birthday can bring that opportunity. By breaking your established pattern on this special day, you open the door to a mountain of possibility. Take advantage of this moment and be daring in both business and pleasure. The reaction you will receive should be instantaneous, and it will cause a chain of events that will change your life. When March arrives, you should have transformed from a lamb to a lion.
Astrology.com weighs in:
Happy birthday! In the next year, strange and unusual circumstances will lead first to a little confusion, and then once you learn how to surf those waves, to pure delight! The first half of 2010 will bring renewed energy with your social contacts, and will see new life flow into your love life -- old relationships will be invigorated, and new opportunities will arise with little or no effort on your part. The real drama, though, is going to be in your career and financial life. January through March will bring changes to your work routine and workload. At first this may not seem like much of a blessing, but it can be leveraged into better circumstances, via either a raise or a promotion. Next November and December will actually see an increase in your money supply (strange during the holidays!), with a possible new and improved job -- if you're keeping your eyes open for it!
I can already tell you that msnbc.com's prediction is unlikely to come true:
Other people are sure to be envious of your superior public speaking talents, so enjoy the attention while you have it. Saying exactly what you mean diplomatically comes quite naturally to you, which means you should be able to keep the number of misunderstandings around you to a minimum. This is the perfect time to give a speech to a packed auditorium, recite a poem at a coffee shop or sing a spontaneous song to the love of your life in the middle of a crowded park.
Finally, tarot.com:
You make it clear to everybody that you care about them. Although you can't be at their sides all the time, you carry your friendships with you in spirit, everywhere and always.
Although your big plans could run into a wall now, with intention and focus, you can turn an annoying setback into real progress. You would be wise to pay attention to all the current possibilities instead of imagining what might go wrong. Then, when it comes time to make your decision, at least you'll have a whole spectrum of choices from which to pick your new direction.
Horoscope.com says:
Expand your horizons on your birthday by doing something different and exciting. When you make this leap of faith on your birthday, another path will open up to you and lead you toward the new direction you have been looking for. Your old pattern has gotten boring and you weren't sure how to change it, but your birthday can bring that opportunity. By breaking your established pattern on this special day, you open the door to a mountain of possibility. Take advantage of this moment and be daring in both business and pleasure. The reaction you will receive should be instantaneous, and it will cause a chain of events that will change your life. When March arrives, you should have transformed from a lamb to a lion.
Astrology.com weighs in:
Happy birthday! In the next year, strange and unusual circumstances will lead first to a little confusion, and then once you learn how to surf those waves, to pure delight! The first half of 2010 will bring renewed energy with your social contacts, and will see new life flow into your love life -- old relationships will be invigorated, and new opportunities will arise with little or no effort on your part. The real drama, though, is going to be in your career and financial life. January through March will bring changes to your work routine and workload. At first this may not seem like much of a blessing, but it can be leveraged into better circumstances, via either a raise or a promotion. Next November and December will actually see an increase in your money supply (strange during the holidays!), with a possible new and improved job -- if you're keeping your eyes open for it!
I can already tell you that msnbc.com's prediction is unlikely to come true:
Other people are sure to be envious of your superior public speaking talents, so enjoy the attention while you have it. Saying exactly what you mean diplomatically comes quite naturally to you, which means you should be able to keep the number of misunderstandings around you to a minimum. This is the perfect time to give a speech to a packed auditorium, recite a poem at a coffee shop or sing a spontaneous song to the love of your life in the middle of a crowded park.
Finally, tarot.com:
You make it clear to everybody that you care about them. Although you can't be at their sides all the time, you carry your friendships with you in spirit, everywhere and always.
Although your big plans could run into a wall now, with intention and focus, you can turn an annoying setback into real progress. You would be wise to pay attention to all the current possibilities instead of imagining what might go wrong. Then, when it comes time to make your decision, at least you'll have a whole spectrum of choices from which to pick your new direction.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
the most wonderful time of the year
Early last week, I got a text from my mom with these magical words: "Are the boys free on Saturday night?" How could I have forgotten?? Saturday night was THE night, the one that only comes around once a year: The boys go to a Christmas party with my parents at my dad's (and brother's!) fire station, and Mike and I get to go out to eat. Alone! Seriously, people, it's like a Christmas miracle every year!
Liam and Max were on pretty rocky ground behavior-wise before we left the house for the party. And by "pretty rocky," I mean that on the way to my parents' house, I told them that if they didn't choose to be good for the entire night, they would go nowhere but school and home for the rest of the year, and they wouldn't be able to watch movies in the people mover for the rest of the year, either (that's the one that really gets them). Luckily for them, they decided to be little angels and play nicely with all the other kids at the party. As a reward (right, like they wouldn't have gotten them anyway!), they got gifts from Santa. Liam got Connect 4, Max got an ambulance, and Henry scored some cool stacking blocks for when he finally learns how to grab things. And all three of them were fine sitting on Santa's lap, which was a first.
As for the grown-ups, we headed to Valpo to Kelsey's Steak House, where we enjoyed a leisurely dinner (complete with appetizer!) and a lot of conversation. Amazingly, most of it wasn't even about the kids! I guess we DO still have things to talk about after all this time...
But lo, the miracles continue! My sister Avalon was kind enough to agree to watch the boys this coming Saturday night so we can go out for my birthday. That's two unprecedented weeks in a row with dinner out (at least the kind that doesn't come in a bag or a box). Now, Mike just has to find a good place and make a reservation.
Liam and Max were on pretty rocky ground behavior-wise before we left the house for the party. And by "pretty rocky," I mean that on the way to my parents' house, I told them that if they didn't choose to be good for the entire night, they would go nowhere but school and home for the rest of the year, and they wouldn't be able to watch movies in the people mover for the rest of the year, either (that's the one that really gets them). Luckily for them, they decided to be little angels and play nicely with all the other kids at the party. As a reward (right, like they wouldn't have gotten them anyway!), they got gifts from Santa. Liam got Connect 4, Max got an ambulance, and Henry scored some cool stacking blocks for when he finally learns how to grab things. And all three of them were fine sitting on Santa's lap, which was a first.
As for the grown-ups, we headed to Valpo to Kelsey's Steak House, where we enjoyed a leisurely dinner (complete with appetizer!) and a lot of conversation. Amazingly, most of it wasn't even about the kids! I guess we DO still have things to talk about after all this time...
But lo, the miracles continue! My sister Avalon was kind enough to agree to watch the boys this coming Saturday night so we can go out for my birthday. That's two unprecedented weeks in a row with dinner out (at least the kind that doesn't come in a bag or a box). Now, Mike just has to find a good place and make a reservation.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
christmas pictures and outtakes
We got a super post-Thanksgiving deal on our Christmas cards this year, but apparently, the catch was that we were only allowed a stingy 50 or so characters. So I had to cut the caption that would have made the photo make (more) sense. It was supposed to be something like, "We hope you find something wonderful in your stocking this year." Because Henry's in a stocking. Which he really enjoyed.
the pizza kings
I finally caught up to the rest of the world and got a Netflix subscription. Then I feverishly watched the first two seasons of Mad Men (watch this show!) and promptly forgot that I even had a Netflix subscription (there are two movies just sitting in my in-box, where they've been for a couple of weeks now). Anyway, my brief flurry of Netflix activity inspired us to start a weekly family pizza and movie night. So far, we've only watched movies that we already have but never got around to watching (sigh), but someday, if I ever get through part of my queue, there are some brand-spanking-new kid movies waiting for us!
henry at three months
No checkup this month, so no stats to update. However, I can tell you that he's smiling like crazy, demanding to be entertained constantly, and NOT yet sleeping through the night. So, instead of stats, I thought I'd share some extra pictures. Enjoy!
See also: one month, two months
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