365 project: week 40

This week: How to make a scarecrow, in seven easy steps. The garden is ready for winter, and we are ready for Halloween!

that sinking feeling

Replacing the kitchen sink has been on our to-do list for quite a while. It was pretty low on the priority list, but still there. The sink was made of some kind of black stone material that was impossible to clean, and the sprayer on the faucet, once engaged, was nearly impossible to turn off. The garbage disposal was scary, and the switch that powered it may have been a fire hazard (ahem). We dreamed of a bright, shiny, clean stainless steel sink. Well, apparently the Sink Fairy was listening to our secret wishes, because last week the faucet just snapped right off in Mike's hand, and since he was going to the trouble to replace the faucet anyway, we figured we would go in for a pound and do the whole sink.

By which I mean, of course, that Mike would do the whole sink. We waited until Saturday so he would have a full day to work on it, and in the meantime Mike watched video tutorials on plumbing and I scoured home improvement sites looking for the perfect sink. Once Saturday rolled around, we headed for the store, armed with a DS to keep Liam and Max busy and a Backyardigans video on my Kindle to keep Henry occupied. Yeah, it may have made us less-than-stellar parents, but it gave us the opportunity to actually think and make sound decisions. So we found what we needed, and headed home, and while Henry was napping, Mike toiled away. And went back to the hardware store because he needed a kinkier pipe (or something, I don't really know the details). And toiled some more. And cut a bigger hole in the counter. And toiled some more. You get the picture. Anyway, by the end of the night, we had something pretty special:

And this isn't just any sink, friends. It's a whole sink "system," which means it comes with its own specially fitted mini sink (complete with drain in the bottom, for if you want a pan of soapy water but you don't want to fill the whole giant sink), colander, and bamboo cutting board. It is so gorgeous that we have spent the day just gazing at it, and when one of us has to run some water, immediately afterward we are at the ready with a towel to wipe off any water drops lest a single spot mar its perfect surface. Okay, maybe we're geeks. But we're geeks with a fabulous new sink!

365 project: week 39

This week: Henry knows how to accessorize a fireman costume, and we try to bank as much outdoor time as possible before it starts getting cold.

365 project: week 38

This week: Parks, again, again; and Liam helps me do some canning.

365 project: week 37

This week: Our lovable, funny, ornery Henry celebrates his birthday in style!

 

henry at three

What a busy day! Henry was up before dawn, as usual, and when I wished him happy birthday, he insisted that it couldn't be his birthday yet because nobody was at our house to celebrate with him. Five long hours later, it was finally time for his birthday brunch, and Henry was in his element, greeting his guests as they arrived and charming everyone. His look of amazement as he sat before his Thomas the Train cake (Thomas is a new but intense interest for Henry) and we all started to sing was priceless, and his joy as he opened each of his gifts was infectious.

At three, our Henry is incredibly smart and funny, by turns sassy and sweet. He is impossibly stubborn and has a one-track mind when it comes to what he wants, and he never lets his big brothers get away with pushing him around or leaving him out (no matter how hard they try). He is creative and has a big imagination, which is a pure pleasure to watch. And he's always trying to figure out how things work, sometimes with happy results, and sometimes less so, like a few days ago, when I noticed how cold it was in the house and checked the thermostat to discover that Henry had turned the setting down to 53 degrees. He is inventive with language and has been making these leaps of logic that just amaze me, even though I watched his brothers go through the same process.

A big deal to Henry right now is figuring out people. He is a fickle creature and decides he doesn't like any given person in his orbit at least twice a day, with one notable exception -- my brother J, who Henry totally hero worships. At least once a week, Henry will ask if he can call Uncle J, and I will help him dial the phone, then I just sit back and listen and laugh. Henry usually asks J for something, whether it's a Dilly Bar or a purple watch or to deliver tables and chairs to our house in his big truck or just to come over and see him, and I can hear J laughing over the phone because it is so nice to be the recipient of that kind of trust and unwavering belief (and because it's a nice break from the routine of his days at the fire station). For the record, for his birthday, J brought Henry not only the requested purple watch (I have no idea where he found one!) but also a fire truck that turns into a robot and dances.

It's a time of big changes for Henry. He is working hard at potty training, and starting tomorrow, he will be at home with us during the day instead of at daycare. It's going to be a major adjustment for all of us, but we think he will be happy, and we think we'll be able to keep our sanity even with the destruction he leaves everywhere in his wake. At any rate, it'll be a wonderful experiment.

But for today, we've just been focusing on celebrating our smart, gorgeous, bright-eyed boy. Happy birthday, Henry! We love you, and we can't wait to see what your future will bring.

365 project: week 36

This week: All about Klaudia. Max and Klaudia have a ball at the Blueberry Festival, and Klaudia decides to join us for an apple-picking adventure.

365 project: week 35

This week: We bid summer farewell with a trip to Chicagoland, during which we hit the Morton Arboretum, met up with cousin Lucy at the DuPage Children's Museum, and topped it all off with a visit to Brookfield Zoo.

365 project: week 34

This week: We hit the farmers market; Henry loves bridges; there's a parade at the fire station; and we visit the Taltree Arboretum.