shorn, like the little lambs they are...

We got the hairs cut. Such little men. Sitting on my lap and waiting for the cool spray of water, the snip snip of the scissors and the pressure of the hand tilting their head forward. They play along for the most part. Their last cut sits in their memory banks still. No blood- no real damage- just oohs and ahhs when we are through, so they're still in. Thank goodness we get to go to Sandra's for their cuts. I couldn't imagine plopping them in the big barber chair, handing them a magazine, dowsing them in the steam of a hot towel and buzzing them clean. I can wait for that.

20 fingers, 20 toes, 4 knees, 4 elbows, the hits keep on coming

Busy little bees. I know I write about Aidan a ton. I don't mean to be unfair. I love little Hen, too- you know I do! Aidan's just been a super charged baby lately. He explores constantly. He takes everything apart- and does crazy ocd things- for example, he loves handing out car keys or shoes to their rightful owners. (The boys have learned, through repitition, we are going out if we put on shoes which leads to the car-keys chant and then he gets them out of the box and opens the door and takes Henry's hand and we're off! He loves to help. He likes to wash up and cleans with some kind of tenacity unknown to my gene pool. He likes to help bring in the groceries, dry cleaning, and hands out suckies like a champ. He wants to know words and names, names, names. Once he knows a name or any new word, really- he practices them. (!) We're driving around the 'hood doing our chores the other day and he is having a full on conversation with himself. Listing people, neighbor's pets, random items he sees, modes of transportation, animal names, Elmo... the list goes on and on. Yesterday he was asking himself questions. Cooking? Washing? Running? Funny man.
A's latest trick is that he's stopped stripping at nap time and now just removes himself from his crib. And climbs in with Henry. And starts jumping! And laughs JUMPING! JUMPING! JUMPING! Good god. Tonight he got up and came out into the living room. Dear me. I think we're in for a fun ride.
Henry has had a number of really good days. He says truck, hammer, cracker, dinner, diaper but refuses to say airplane. Once he learned helicopter- (well, his version of helicopter) which is hel- ca-ca- thats all he'll say. He can be right under a plane and will watch me say air... plane. He'll say hel-ca-ca. Often times we see both fIying machines within minutes of each other- he can see the difference- but he won't do it! I can just hear the neighbors.... WHY DOESN'T SHE JUST GIVE UP?? I must say airplane 5000 times a day. But- by gum- I know he can do it! It must be in there.
Hen's been taking things a little slower. Or something. He takes a look at things, lets say. If he has a stick in his hand, he'll poke at things. He draws in the gravel of the driveway with sticks. He follows Aidan on jungle safari with a stick- but take it away and he's stuck (or done). He still likes to hit, scream, yell. He regularly throws things and tips over the coffee table. The most AWESOME thing with Hen is that he's taken to doling out HUGE hugs. Repeatedly. He spreads his arms, grabs you and SQUEEZES! Yum.
One silly thing is both boys are in love with the garbage and recycling bins. They push them all over the driveway, run into each other like they're prepping for destruction derby or race them like nascar. WHY? you ask. Don't know!
The other thing Aidan's been doing is ABC's and 123's! He is so insistent with it. At meal time we sing ABC's and he'll beg to do it again and again. "More ABC's?" "More ABC's?" (Henry asks for ABC's too. "cuh-ca-caz"?) Sure thing buddy!
I'm in constant amazement. These are little people. Not babies. Not little lumps of wiggling, burpy, flesh. Like, seriously, little people. Miniature. Not like toys. Like people.

sweet, clean, and snuggly

Here is gabby gabby mama and sweet Henry oiled up and fresh from the bath. I wish you could smell how yummy he smells! He loves nose holes- his, yours, the dogs, you get the picture! (you hear overalls in the drier in the background)

in defense of defense

So, today I was a bad mommy. If Aidan had said, "Mama, no!" I would have said "YOU ARE RIGHT!", right away (and loudly)- because yes-sirree, I was NO. I made a little girl at the park cry.
I am one of the moms that stick with their kids at the jungle-gym-climbing-apparatus-thing. It's not that I totally fear that my sweet boys would head for the hills if I actually looked away from them, I just like to keep an eye on them. Offer them a finger the first time they go down the shiny slide or cross the wiggle bridge. I like to make sure, when they serve up what ever it is they think they're serving, when they scoop up handfuls of bark chips and display it like gold on the little window sill under the giant abacus- that they don't accidentally take out another mini park-goers eyeball. I like to make sure that Aidan is successful at climbing the chain ladder (YEAH! first time success today!) and that Henry can exit the slide before being trampled by the flashing mary-janes of a horde of girls in skirts and shorts (!). And so, it happened. Aidan crossed the wiggle bridge and walked right up to a girl- a foot taller than him- with a very cute 1920's bob- and said "Hi!!!" She ignored him- which is her prerogative- so when he walked around her and said "HI!!!!" to her other cheek she said "Go away." quietly and gave him a nudge. I told Aidan she didn't want to play right now- and he headed over to the abacus to play with the Japanese girls he loves to listen to. When first girl walks up to Aidan's back and says, "Get out of here!" and shoves him to the floor from behind.
**See the evil horns protrude from my forehead- my long claws sparkle in the dappled sun, the hair sprouting from my sweater's sleeve holes and neckline, warts arrive aplenty, my clothes a tattered mess and sticks in my hair**
"Please don't push him honey."
Screams. Screams. More screams. Not from my boy that fell into two sweet little girls and came up bleeding, not from the sweet girls that count in japanese at the abacus, but from the girl, caught by a mommy- not hers- and shocked. Then said girl's mommy comes running. "What's wrong,what happened, where is your owie?" spilled from her, all concern. Aidan by this time is crying. I told her she pushed him, but that he's ok and she's ok. I just scared her when I asked her not to push him.
**see horns shrink, warts disperse, hair retract, claws too**
Oh MY GOD IS HE OK?? It's just a scratch. Daughter still screaming, screaming screaming. Aidan is off figuring out how to jump from the corkscrew, Henry- jumping on the bridge like a big boy. Girl screaming, still. I approach to apologize. Mom waves me off (nicely). That girl is never going to want to go to the park again. Sorry little girl. Sorry little girl's mommy. Next time I'll just let it happen. A can handle himself. I just need to let him.

sun-day on the river

Today, after naps (and pudding) we went on the boat for an enjoyable little trip up and down the river. Sean came too, and helped corral the munchkins in floaty coats. We soaked up some sun and laughter and headed home to celebrate grandparent's day with the grands after some BLT's. The t's were straight out of the garden!

Oh yeah, on the way to the river, Michael got pulled over. :(

what? victoria's three!

This morning we went over to Victoria and Sasha's house for a party! We celebrated the big #3 with Victoria and all her friends from daycare. We jumped on the trampoline, played house, golf, raked up the yard a little, removed only two (!) lawn ornaments and ate some cupcakes! "Nummy-nummy!" to quote our Aidan (one of 2 there) when he got to frost his own cupcake! Henry was mostly interested in the frosting on the stick- funny man. But he did like wearing his birthday hat! Such a little sprite!









The boys and their 'little' babies!