happy boom, boom, bang, pop, pop!

These cute boys have been having some fun at the club of late- and though they don't know about the impending fireworks, I hope they're ready to hop-to! 'Cause it's a coming! 'Swimming' is a kick. Lots of bubbles are being made in the water- and they've been meeting new friends. Though they kind of tag team newbies and I can't break them of this behavior. It's kinda scary for the new 'friend'. We're now on another wait list for preschool in September for A- I fear nobody will drop and Aidan will have to have to be home pre-schooled. I am just not qualified...

dear poppy-poppy

Aidan recently started calling Michael 'Poppy-Poppy'. As in "Oh my Poppy-Poppy! I LOVE him!" "You want it Poppy-Poppy?" "I do it too, Poppy-Poppy!" It's very cute. Henry sometimes follows suit- but may be more inclined to stick with Pappa. Michael is our touchpoint- a working guy that brings home the bacon and the smiles and love. He's the guy we turn to to change diapers and fix Sunday breakfast. He shows how to use a hammer and reads Henry's Thomas book- EVERY time it comes into play. (Seriously, this could be 100 times a day!) He's an invaluable person to our little pod.
There are a few other fathers we celebrate today... Daniel is Aidan's first father. He was a little hard to get to know when we were initially introduced to Aidan's first family. He was young-in outlook. He was transparent and possibly naive- if that's right? Well, surely he was energetic and so into his kids. He had lots of dreams and it was hard to see so many of those dreams remaining dreams for him. When we had a family visit last summer, he was exceptionally kind to Aidan and Henry too. Kind with his wife and kids and us. Real. Open. Here is a man that gave up his right to parent this boy of 'ours'. He chose us to parent his child. Sometimes thinking about what played out nearly three years ago- just leaves me completely flummoxed.
David is Henry's first father. We don't know him- except through what Carissa shares with us. She sees David's expressions in Henry's face -but prefers to see herself I think:) - which isn't hard! He looks just like Carissa. Its hard to know what David thinks of being a father to our sweet Hen. Hopefully we will know him someday and he too will see himself in this little mirror- and he will share with us all who he is. I found some photos of him online- from when he was 16. Tall and skinny, shooting hoops with a friend or foster brother? Few words. We heard last Christmas that he might be interested in seeing Henry and hope it happens.
My Pops. A funny rock. Slippery and sharp and soft. He loves our boys and us and supports everyone. He is happily ensconced in music after years of teaching other's kids. He is our grandpa, our pop- our Thursday morning recycling celebrator-the guy with the magic in his shirt pocket-and we love him!
Happy Father's Day to you all!
Robert, Jay Jay, Ken, Matthew, Oty, Jerry, Ralph, Tory the illustrious fathers to those in our circle- we salute you!
Michael reading with Aidan and his baby. Aidan is telling the story of the puppies and is saying, "Listen baby!" Michael is helping out by holding baby at attention. Here is Mr Ballionne getting the boys to smile BIG on our recent vacation! He's always good at encouraging the 'crazies' to come out at picture time- especially at roadside attractions! Why he's having them all hold the barbed wire- I just won't ask. No pain no gain, I guess :)

a week of winter

What the heck! This is June. Middle June. RAIN. That's what we're talking about here. Even when it's not raining it's cloudy or generally, not bright. Now, we're in Oregon. A nice place for rain. But seriously, enough is enough.
We've taken to the streets- on bikes and in bike trailers. Off to the park? You bet. Amusement rides? That too! A boat ride on the river? Out to dinner? BubbleFest 2009? The zoo? Yes, yes, yes. YES. Still, it would be nice to have some rays. Not for our skin- but for the vitamin D or light therapy. All it makes me want to consider is adding another baby to our family. What? Well, the subject has been broached a few times. And now well, things look one way- and then the other. I'd love it. Maybe if the sun comes out, the boys won't want to cuddle so much- want to run and play and take up sports and run through the neighborhood naked or something- to distract me. We'll see. Tick Tock. (Obviously- by tick-tock, I am not referring to my own personal ovum- but the idea of starting diapers again from scratch, say- next Tuesday) I must be feeling smug- or missing my babies being actual babies. Gad. Well, there are surely things to consider- but the idea of being needed by another little one- who needs a mom and dad- some big brothers- plus all the love in the world- well, lets just say, we're not closing ourselves off to the idea. Last week, Aidan was telling me how he wanted a baby. His baby would be called baby Biolet- he reminded me. Well, I asked him yesterday if he wanted a baby for our family and he replied- in your tummy? I said no- he said- baby Biolet? I said no- she'd be staying with Auntie Lib and Uncle Ken. He said- No. Later he told me he was a "tiny baby"- our fun game where he gets carried around like a tiny baby and rocked and coo'd at, etc. He said he wanted to be in my tummy. I told him I'd eat him up- but he reminded me- no biting! (shaking his finger) so we were at a standstill. I couldn't get him in and I couldn't provide him baby Biolet- so I guess he's voting no for now.

oh, dammit

I always thought I was a shi%* person. Even worse, (before the boys) I'd drop the f-bomb like a pirate with a sore tooth. But I know now, as I watch Aidan build his 'tower' that I am- in fact- an, "Oh, dammit" person. Bad mommy.

adventure day

Today started with making custard with papa and then off we rode on our bikes to the farmer's market for a little adventure. The boys got balloon animals (yeah- they lasted about three minutes- so we won't be standing in line for those again!), tasted fresh organic salt free butter, strawberries, ate a peanut butter cookie, petted carrots- lets see- anything else? Oh, great marimba music from White Rhino (that hit the spot!) and dancing, crepes and sausages, the boys 'fished' in a teeny-tiny rain puddle with pine needles- then back in the bike trailer and home just in time for naps and papa is off to golf with uncle JJ. I heard a rumor we might see uncle Scott this afternoon- so the adventure continues! OK- close your eyes and listen- at least till I can get this thing figured out!

big bands and queen kisses

Friday night the boys and I had a date with uncles Arthur and William! We had a fun night cavorting under the clouds at BandFest 2009. Both boys received "Princess Power" buttons from Reigning (2008) Rose Festival Queen Marshawna- and kisses and offers of baby sitting! We had a pretzel and some fruit snacks and pink lemoname and we pissed off the people in front of us with cheers of "Great job guys!" and "Good drumming!!" oh and Henry kicked the ladies chair in front of us which caused the uproar to begin. Ah well. Aidan swung his arms with the flag girls and Henry sat patiently- leaning on either William or me and finally pooped out just as the One More Time Around Marching Band started up with Louie Louie. We had a great time! Though- I think we all wished the 'Mummers' were a little more mum. Still- the rain stayed away and we snuggled in our blankets and clapped hard for everyone!

eiy yie yie yie

blue skies, smiling for me

Omaha, Cheyenne, Ogden we've been lucky. No rain since Iowa. Thanks be to the driving gods! Scary beautiful country we have here. Sometime the road goes on forever, sometimes around a rocky bend- and still there are surprises. Like the camel I saw walking in a field with some cows! Aidan's new theme is HIT THE ROAD JACK! Both boys are back seat singers and have really kept the arguing down to once a day- which is nice. Well, we hit Oregon border today! Staying in Baker and home tomorrow!

iowa fun

We had a great visit in Marquette with Gramma Donna, Grandpa Bill and all the rest of the family! We got to visit with everyone solid-from Friday through Tuesday. You could have found us riding bikes, playing at the park, sleeping on the sofa, digging through the toy basket, laughing over old pictures, cruising the Mississippi, dinners out and lots of meals at the 'lodge' too! It was sure worth the drive! We had a great visit- including a visit to the folks interned at Manona and a side trip to grandpa's old place in Waterville- as well as the old swimmin' hole, Chet Spinner's place and Waterville Elementary.
Tonight we're in Omaha, Nebraska- so we're westward bound.

rushmore, bound

Well, we made it to Mt. Rushmore! We had breakfast, played a little and then headed up to see Abe Lincoln- and George whamummble-mumble. But yay! Abe Lincoln! He's Aidan and Henry's favorite president- but mostly because we let them have pennies in their pockets! We ran all over today. Stone guys, not so stone guys, dinosaurs, wall drug, corn palace and more dinos! Phew! We pulled into Sioux Falls around 10 and rapidly pissed off the person or persons staying in the room below us. Aidan gets pretty excited when you ask him to do something- and he figures it out all on his own- so he was bouncing with abandon on the floor- after finding a trash can and depositing Henry's diaper for me. Yippee! Well, again- tired, so nighty night- and here are a few pics from today. And can I just say again how much I LOVE the WPA and their works. Sign me, Smiling big in Sioux Falls, SD!
You may also note that Henry is decidedly mostly missing from pics today. Today was a toughie for MR. Grouchy-Sassy Pants and attitude to boot = very few palatable pics. Ah, tomorrow. :)

road trip 2009, fun

So, we're on day two of our road trip. First we stopped in Couer d' Alene, ID and now we're in Bozeman, MT. In CdA Aidan and Henry made friends with restaurant staff and got free cookies from Rhonda and Wendy. Then today they received hot wheels at the hotel from Dee Dee. If they could just make friends with a nice gas tycoon or hotel magnet! The boys have been good travelers- pretty patient and napping well in the car. They love going to the hotel and pushing the buttons on the alligator. Oh, um- the elevator. :) I'll post more tomorrow. Tired now.

a visit from uncle scott

Last weekend I taught on Mother's Day- so we celebrated on Saturday- which I later learned is also called Birth Mother's Day (which I happen to think is a total crock). We ate breakfast at grammy and grandpa's with the uncles, dropped Sean home to his slumber and traveled to the train station with Scott and grandpa. It was a great time-full of people, trains, enthusiasm, balloons, excitement, trains, clowns, oh yeah, trains. I got a migraine- but that magically passed just in time for me to drive home- and reappeared in time for me to take a nap with the boys when we got home.

santa, the green van and the summer job

What I'm nostolgic for; Senn's Dairy drive thru- fudgecicles, pop shoppe pop, drive-in movie play yards. These poor boys, they don't know the excitement of entering the drive thru- milk products, cow cut-out's, the promise of the frozen fudgieness. Also is lost the mystery of those tiny jewel-toned bottles of pop shoppe. And the comfort of viewing a movie from the theater swing set in their pajamas. So sad to me. Now, though, they hold the beautiful notion that Santa is working a summer job, here in town- in fact, driving down our street- selling ice cream from a green minivan. He wears his beard a little whispy, same smiling eyes, uh-hem- red turban, free candy. They have a jar of change- for ice cream sandwiches and visits from Santa. So lovely.

where have we been?

OK, I've been a total slacker. Poor Shaverville. It became my back burner, my thorn. Sorry. Again. I'll try to keep it up now. I'm trying some new time management skills, but we'll see how that progresses. Aries, you know. Love to start- not finish.
So, anyway. Look how big these boys are! They are smart and funny and talented. They sing songs, read stories, announce spiders, worms, ladybugs, bees as well as airplanes and helicopters and any number of trucks from the taco variety to the ambulance. Oh and we remodeled our bathrooms, so now they are all about the hammers and saws, screwdrivers, adjustable wrenches and plumber's tape!
Aidan is a sensitive little scamp who is learning how to turn up the cheese factor when he really wants something. You know when he gets to PUH-WEEZE, and you're laughing despite yourself- he's gonna win. Henry has made a ton of advancements in the past few months. He is still kinda tough to deal with Are we too much alike- that boy and I? He likes to talk back and PUSH buttons. Should I say hammer buttons? But he's smart and funny and out-laughs everyone for blocks around. Seriously, one day I will record one of his laughs- play it for the world and cure cancer or something!
Michael is doing well and busy with new responsibilities at work, I'm wrapping up teaching for this school year and we're all looking forward to our trip to Iowa later in the month and all the adventures the summer holds for us!

can you say busy?

We had a few nice days- then some really rainy ones. We've played inside and out- made art and gone to the park. Here are a few smiles to make your day! We have fresh hair cuts and a runny nose on and off- but for the most part, we're all healthy!

for arthur...

So if you know Arthur, you know he has a deep appreciation for bacon. It seems Aidan is gleaning some good info from his Uncle Arthur- though his bacon is good as food, and a spoon for syrup!

long time coming

Sorry for the massive delay in posting! We've been busy, snowy, sunny, rainy, foggy, funny, happy, sad, crazy, tired, sleepy, reraxing, learning, growing, showing, telling- the list goes on and on and on. No , these aren't excuses- just the facts!
We've celebrated Christmas, New Years, Sammy's birthday, Oty's birthday, Julie's birthday, Arlo's birthday, Melissa's birthday, Chinese New Year, Arthur's birthday, National Kazoo Day, Sasha's birthday and Groundhog Day! We've been to mountains and museums, rode trains and attended parties, meetings and reunions.
Henry is so smart. He knows all his letters and is working on his numbers. Aidan loves singing itsy bitsy spider and being 'dangerous'. We've been busy. Sorry. And lazy. Sorry for that too! I personally think I didn't post- because I actually put it in writing that I'd be posting more frequently. So, the joke's on me.

megasnowpalooza

We've had snow, no snow, mush, ice and nearly a foot of snow (just today)! This is pretty unusual around here, so we've tried to take advantage of the slippery, floaty goodness. Though the roads have been 'treacherous' we've successfully visited Santa (at the mall) been to the post office, did some shopping, some shipping and purchased the boy's first sled- albeit an orange plastic toboggan- and not a proper sled with metal runners. No snowmen yet- ha! our snow's not wet enough! Hope you enjoy the pics. I'll try to be better at posting in the coming days. Michael is home for 2 weeks! Hoorah!

celebrating 12.09 the day our debbra came to be amongst us!

silly man child

happy birthday, two haircuts!

We had a fun weekend. Michael jumped to the next age bracket on most surveys. We celebrated at M's work with a pot-luck feast and black balloons and then again with our good friends Friday with a fab dinner out on the town while the grands watched the boys. Scruffy and Scrappy Doo got their hairs cut to an appropriate 'boy length' and Michael got to play golf with Uncle JJ - who-ray! Our thanks to friends and family!

mister logy, grouchy pants (x2)

Aidan was sick last week. His first real fever turned him into a big ol' snuggly lump. He would moan mournfully when I had to put him down to get him a cup of water (or go to the bathroom). His eyes were dark pits in his pretty boy face. He was one hot tamale! While A and I sat on the chair, the sofa, the floor, Mr Hen played with abandon. He got all the toys and no struggle for the prime place in front of the living room window. He was super happy the first day- but when he figured out he wasn't getting any lap time- and not much one on one time at all- he raised a little of his very special brand of h.e. double toothpicks. He beat the window with his favorite hammer, crashed all the trucks and caused the little crock-piano to dive off the coffee table (for eight hours)! He pulled Arlo's hair and Hammy's ears and Max's tail. Boo. I'm glad A is all better. Our house is much quieter. Oh, I mean... louder. Busier. Happier. Now, we've got to get them in for a haircut!

keep 'em moving

Our boys are confident and crazy! We are finding ways to keep them moving so they crash hard enough to take a nice nap during the afternoon. You can see, they jump right in on their new 'chores'!Well, Henry looks like he might like exploring more than physical labor. Keep an eye on that one!

celebrating!

We celebrated last night! Boy howdy- we had a good time! We are happily feeling very blue. We are celebrating with the state, the country and the world. It's great to live in a country where you can grow up to be anything you set our mind to!

yes we can

hey vote for us!!!!

Please take a minute to go to this blog and vote for the boys (siegfried and roy!) we need your votes by the 4th! Thank you!! http://www.goodhappenings.com/

happy halloween!

covered in fluff

Happy Halloween! In response to the economy (and lack of abilities) I have revised the boy's costumes this year. My intention- as many of you know- was to play up the "how to utilize the 'light/dark' look of the boys"- basically rooted in tv programs of my past. Last year the boys were Siegfried and Roy. This year they were supposed to be Bo and Luke Duke- but I couldn't get the General Lee to work, and really, they wouldn't have stayed seated in the wagon this year anyway. So, I recycled the fur from last year's wagon liner (plus some duct tape, the boys backpacks and the stuffing of a very lumpy pillow) into two lovely and lovable wolf spiders. Oh yeah, I also splurged on some winter hats (you'll be seeing them again, later in the season) and whiffle balls. Here they are, laying in wait for two inquisitive boys to wander by. Who knows, next year they may be the dudes from Miami Vice or Lewis and Clark or Starsky and Hutch. We'll see. Maybe next year I won't procrastinate the idea of the costume away....