The boys love playing in the basement.  The laundry is down there, and there is also one finished room that we very loosely dub "the guest room."  It has a pull out sofa, a table and closet piled high and stuffed full of my sewing and craft stuff, and then everything else that doesn't have a place gets dumped down there, too.  Because there is soooo much to get into, I hesitate to send the boys down there on their own, but when I need a break and they've already exhasuted the backyard, I unlock the gate on the stairs and shove them down.  And they love it.  Their imaginations go wild down there. 

One afternoon in particular, they were having quite the adventures.  Samuel came up several times to ask me if I wanted to see the spider web he was making.  He would check in every few minutes to tell me it was getting bigger and bigger.  Oh boy.  "It sounds pretty cool, Sam, I just hope you're not doing anything naughty.  I will come see it as soon as the dishwasher is empty."  But after a while, he stopped asking, so I figured I could get a bit more done before needing to investigate.

Later, Owen came up to go potty, and told me, "Sam is the best fireman, he puts out all the fires so strong!"  A while later, I heard Sam explaining to O, "When you rescue things from the fire, you put them over your shoulders like this," and then they both came upstairs out of breath and hollering about rescuing the dogs from the burning building.  I got them to hold still long enough for a picture on my phone before they had to "go back to see if there were any survivors." 

Once the fire was safely put out, and the heroes had saved the day, there were some "ghostes" that needed to be "killed."  Not one to intrude, I didn't feel the need to explain that ghosts are already dead.

So a good while later, I heard screams of terror.  Followed by sobbing and more screaming.  I booked it, this was the real deal, something was seriously wrong.  As I was running down the stairs, Sam was running up to get me, panting, "Mom!!!  Owen's stuck!!!!!"  By the time I made it down, maybe 17 seconds after the screaming started, O was full blown out of control terrified.  "I'm stuck, I'm stuck, I'm stuck, the ghost is going to get me!!!!"  Yes, he was stuck.  In the "spider web" which turned out to be a roll of yarn wrapped around every single thing in that horific basement, from one end to the other.  Owen had gotten his legs caught, and every time he moved, it got a bit tighter.  It was also connected to one of my clothes drying racks, which had a jacket hanging on it, and moved and shook each time he tried to get free.  Once I got him unstuck, Owen practically jumped into my arms, grabbed around my neck, and didn't let go until we were safely upstairs.  He was seriously shaken up about this!!  He calmed down quickly, though, and then had lots and lots to say about the event.  He talked about it the rest of the day.  And every time we've gone into the basement since.  He points to to drying rack and says, "That's where the ghost was, he was going to get me."

These two boys crack me up.  They are so so fun.  I love how bright and full of life they are.  When they're not yelling at each other or beating each other up, they sure are good little buddies.  

For Samuel’s end of the year preschool program, the classes put on a little play.  It was a cute version of Hansel and Gretel.  The two oldest kids were Hansel and Gretel, then everyone else was a kid who got turned into gingerbread by the wicked witch.  Samuel has been practicing at school and at home for a while.  I have loved listening to him sing the songs and do his little dance.  Come show time, well . . . as parents we had that moment (or several of them) when you kind of half chuckle half sink in you chair and say, “Yeah, that’s my kid.”  Sam was a goofball and got a bit silly with some of his friends several times.  He also sneaked off to pick candy from the house every time he got bored.

Yep, that’s our Sam. 

Giving his frozen gingerbread kid pose.  This makes me laugh.

Best Buddy Jacob.  These two are trouble.  But so so cute.

The wicked witch’s candy house.

I think I’ve blogged about gymnastics a few times.  It runs in sessions, 2 each year.  Sam has been doing it since he was two.  This session, Owen was old enough to go to his own class!!  I had wanted to do Owen’s class during Sam’s school, and then O could just hang out during Sam’s Wednesday class.  Timing didn’t quite work out for that, so I ended up signing the boys up for back to back classes.  We will not do that again.  It is full on exhausting for me (and being sick this entire session was pretty dang rough) and it pushed up right against lunch and naptime.  So after almost 2 hours, O was usually done and I think we only made it to the end of his class twice.  Which is ok, because the first time he got a stamp on his hand, he FREAKED out and spent the next hour scraping at his hand trying to rub it off.

Regardless, the boys still LOVED it.  Samuel’s class is nice because I just to sit back and watch.  Owen is usually great about hanging out with me, and the teacher is great about O checking out the equipment when he gets restless, even if it isn’t his class yet.  Then during O’s class, Sam always packed some toys and a snack.  There were two other boys with younger sibs, so the three of them always had fun in the back during the “baby” class.

This time around, Samuel finally got really good at things that require arm strength, not his best area before.  This was this first session he was able to swing on the parallel bars with straight arms.  It was also the first time he did a handstand with his arms straight, and the first time I saw him do this . . .

{Which will be a video when I finally get it off my phone.}

On the very first day of class, when the moms and kids all sat on the mats and started stretching and doing the other activities, Owen just laughed and laughed.  He loved it.  I think this was the first time he and I did something so involved together, just the two of us, and it was great.  Owen likes to jump.  And jump and jump and jump.  Everyone was pretty taken back by the heights this little guy would jump off of all on his own.  And even when there were things that weren’t really for jumping, he’d still jump off.  He’s just our crazy jumper!  Owen was also super good at the balance beams.  He would full on run down the wider one.

{Again, more video on my phone.  One day.}

So the spring session always ends with a program.  Owen was not so excited about that part.  He prefered to watch Sam and then show Dad his tricks afterwards.  And at the very end, he did go with all the other kids to line up, take a bow, and get their medals.  It was a really cute little performance, and I felt like such a proud mama.  Seriously, I know, I’m such a cheeseball.  It’s also always really fun to let Erik see what we are to up during the day without him.

The Christmas Post and VIP Christmas Program now available with video.  My cute kids.  In live action.  Love them.

Christmas seems like it was a lifetime ago.  I’ve been putting off this post.  The camera died so we took maybe 6 pictures total.  But it needs to be done.  Our Christmas was very mild and oh so low key.  It was just the 4 of us here at home.  And it was just what we needed.  We’d all been pretty sick (and most of us still are/are again) and just weren’t up for a big hooplah this year.  What we did do was intimate, cozy, and still very special.  So here is the rundown . . .

Christmas Eve is kind of the big day for me.  While Owen and I napped, Erik and Sam went to the dollar store to finish some shopping.  Sam picked out presents for both me and Owen.  (Naps and dollar store, sure sounds like a pretty big day!)  I planned to make a semi-traditional Danish dinner.  I started slowly in the morning with the intention that I could have it together by dinner time.  Almost.  I screwed up the cranberry salad, and never made it to the candied potatoes or rolls.  But we were all still happy and full after a pork roast and gravy, mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing, green beans, red cabbage, and a bottle of snow cold Martinellis.  All served in my most fancy dishes.  When it’s just the four of us, all sick, I have a hard time putting on a show.

We got out the Christmas jammies and the boys ran around crazy for a few minutes before calming down with the scripture story of Christ’s birth from the New Testament reader.  The boys each chose a gift to open.  We had to talk Sam out of choosing the giant bags that came from Colorado.  Then I put sick O to bed and the other two made some peanut butter cookies for Santa.  Sam came to the realization for the first time that we didn’t have a chimney, and he asked how Santa would get in.  We suggested we could leave the door open for him, but Samuel was very concerned about the cats getting in if we did that.  So he suggested we leave a note on the door that said, “Come in Santa, but please don’t let any cats in.”  Erik and I stayed up till about 10 getting everything finished up and waiting for Santa.  It was totally a record being done that early, but I was still just throwing things into boxes and slapping on a dumb bow by that point. 

So Christmas morning came early with O waking up crying at 6:20.  I gave him some milk and crossed my fingers he just might go back to sleep, but he didn’t.  So I brought him into bed with us and turned on the tv.  Erik was starting to get antsy by that point.  It was pretty cute.  I could hear the wheels in his brain cranking, deciding if he could go in and wake up Sam. 

Samuel came out on his own pretty soon, though, and by 7 we were all waiting behind the upstairs gate ready to go see if Santa had found our house.  The first thing Sam saw were the stockings, and he headed right over.  It took him a few minutes before he noticed the other stuff.  Classic moment. 

We spent the morning slowly opening presents and playing with them before moving on to the next gift.  I was pleased with how calm and mellow it all was.  The castle and dragons were a huge hit, and so was Owen’s policeman Helmet Hero.  (Samuel has the racecar driver, and the two fight over it like crazy.)  Grandpa W and Mormor totally scored major points with the Pillow Pets, since Erik and I had told Sam countless times that we would never buy him one, and as parents, we had the power to tell Santa not to bring one, too.  We had a mighty fine haul from Grandma and Grandpa B, too!  Santa was smart and labeled most of the gifts to Samuel AND Owen in hopes of alleviating too many Gimmes and Mines.  Erik got to build himself a brand new computer for his present a week or so earlier, I made him a desk calendar from Shutterfly, and Sam got him a huge plastic trumpet.  Because apparently, “Dad NEEDS one of these!  So he can go ‘Doo doo dooo’ and say ‘Saaaaaaaaaamuuuuuuuuuuuel’ really loud!”  Sam got me a stamp, and I also got a bigger and faster camera card.  After presents, we had a yummy breakfast of monkey bread, bacon, and sausage.  And a few apple slices for good measure.

The rest of the day was for eating, playing, resting, and watching movies.  We stayed in our pjs until after a dinner of leftovers.  Then we changed into clean pajamas.  And went to bed.  At least those were the highlights.  It was different to do Christmas completely and entirely by ourselves.  We missed being with family and other special traditions, but we also really enjoyed the quiet time at home.  Merry Christmas!

December 21, 2010

So after a busy day in the snow, we got ready for Samuel’s very first preschool program.  Samuel was very excited.  So was I.  It’s one of those things that makes me feel like a real parent.  I got to walk Sam over to where all the kids were meeting while Erik and Owen got us some second row seats.  After a few minutes, the kids came marching out, ready to share their usual morning songs and routine.  After that, they went off stage and came back marching in like toy soldiers.  They recited something from Babes in Toyland, and then sang several Christmas songs, including motions, actions, and a few props.  Samuel knew most of the stuff pretty well.  (I had been hearing him practice Jingle Bells and Up On the House Top for weeks.)  My favorite part was when he held his belly and leaned back for “Oh ho ho, who wouldn’t go?”  When all the songs were done, we had a surprise visit from Santa and Mrs Claus.  All of the preschool kids got to visit with them.  After that, we grabbed some cookies, looked around and collected Sam’s Christmas art pieces hanging on the wall, and brought home the present he had made and wrapped for us.  

I still don’t know how my Sam Baby got so grown up.  It was such a delight to watch him interact and perform.  In between each act, Sam was always chatting with someone, and at the end Erik wondered what Sam could possibly have to say, and say so much of!  I sure love this bright, cheery, outgoing little man of mine!

I love how he walks, runs, hops, jumps, skips, and skedaddles.  He has a darling wiggle and a bounce that I am wild about.

I love how he looks for me to say, “Hi, Ma!” and says it over and over until I say “Hi, O!”

I love his “Cheeeese!” face.

I love how he points at the toilet or his dirty diaper and says, “Poooooooo.”

I love his obsession with pencils and marbles (“bah-balls”).

I love how he says “No” in his cute little voice.  It sounds like “NA-oh!”

I love when he says “No” to answer me, or when Sam is trying to take something from him, or when he takes something from Sam and books it shouting “Naaaaaaaaaaa-OH!”

I love that he still does this, and we still laugh.

I love that he loves his big brother so so much and wants to do everything he does.

I also love that he lets his big brother know when he’s had it.  And I love that he is starting to fight back and even instigate.

I love how each and every time I am telling Sam to go to time out, yelling at Sam to go to time out, threatening Sam to get his butt on time out, counting down till I send Sam to his room because he still hasn’t gone to time out, Owen quietly walks over to the time out spot, sits himself down, and folds his hands.

They are new enough that I love when he throws a little tantrum.  He tries so hard to be nasty, but he’s too dang cute.

I love that he is finally starting to line things up.

I love all the things he says!  He has a slew of basics, like more, milk, drink, food, eat, book, sit, bath, train, up, down, out, all done, mine, and a ton more.  And he has a few not-so-basics.  Like dragon.  He is also saying “I” and putting words together.  ”I pooooooo.”  “I jumped!”  He loves to throw his arms up in the air triumphantly and shout “Good job!” or “I did it!”  He bangs on the back door and says “Socks, shoes, hat, GO!”

I love that after reading a book and turning off the light, O starts humming while he drinks his milk if I’m not singing yet.

I love how sweet and tender-hearted and happy and loveable and cutie cute cute this little guy of ours is.

I love each and every moment with this babe of mine who grew up a whole year and a half when I wasn’t looking.

{professional photos by Laurel Horchem Photography}

A few days ago, Owen had a really late nap and Samuel did not nap.  That meant Sam went to bed at 7:30 and Owen was up till almost 9, playing only child with his Mummy and Daddio.  He was being so funny and so goofy.  Owen can get silly sometimes, and he is very pleasant and smiley, but he doesn’t usually get crazy.  It was a lot of fun to get some special time with our Bubs.

Owen started small a while ago, (this is from the end of June) but has since moved on to the slides at the park and completely mastered those, so this must be getting old . . .

Which must be why he decided to try something new . . .

Sam begs to go to Jumpin’ Jacks almost every day.  We have been several times, but definitely not recently.  Last Wednesday was a good day for an outing, so off we went.  I was terrified to go by myself with the two boys.  I imagined Owen on my hip with his death grip on my arm while Sam screamed that he needed my help and I injured myself trying to keep everyone happy.  Well, I was right . . . I sprained my ankle and burned my arm.  Loser.  But I was dead wrong about the boys.  Owen flippin’ loved it.  He ran around, jumped, bounced, face planted more times than I could count, threw himself onto his back over and over so he could lie there watching everyone play around him, and laughed his little guts to pieces.  And Sam didn’t need one bit of help from his mom.  He climbed and slid and blew through the whole place effortlessly.  He even managed to steer AND reach the pedals on the racecar game.  What a super fun afternoon with my two favorites.