The Mother and Son Dinner

It's tonight! We've been looking forward to this all year. It's like a prom for moms and young boys (aged 3-10) so this is the first year Aldo can go. And you can dress up--as super heroes for this year's theme. That Princess Leia outfit is turning out to be useful.

Last year, they had insects and reptiles we could touch (including hissing cockroaches and a centipede,) and "Survivor" games where we relay races to make a jigsaw puzzle. The dinner was edible but forgettable (spaghetti? taco bar?) but Owen remembers the dessert in loving detail: chocolate pudding with gummy worms sticking out of it. We got an ugly coconut tiki to take home when we won the door prize. It was awesome.

Greg would be so envious--if he weren't on the four-day fishing trip of his dreams.

Dizz-ze-nee-land!

We stayed in Disneyland until the 7:00 dance party parade. It was a Monday with a chance of rain and I think that helped with the crowds. Most rides we only waited 10 or 20 minutes. It was weird--in the Haunted Mansion we went right in to the elevator room.

I don't think Greg wanted to push a wheelchair and I am impatient and a fast walker, so we didn't do the wheelchair. It didn't seem worth it.

Oh, they loved everything. Even though they weren't chosen for Jedi training, they thought it was cool. The loved their drivers licenses at Autopia, shooting things with Buzz Lightyear, and perhaps most of all, the bunkbeds at the hotel.

California Adventure seems like the overflow waiting room for Disneyland. There aren't as many rides and it's just not as cool. Maybe being a Californian makes the theme seem a little bland. I'm glad we did that one first.

I have 4 loads of laundry to do now. :laundry: And two still excited kids at home while I do it. A naked boy in a clone trooper mask just tripped on his own pajamas. Parenthood is so surreal.

Ask Nicely

I've been training to ask the boys nicely. This involves the word "please" and the lack of the whine or the scream in the voice.

But they've taken it to the next step and somehow have learned to say, "Pretty Mommy Sweetheart, can I PLEASE have a cookie?" If that sounds a bit coached, that's because it might have been a suggestion. Greg requests, "Daddy, Best Daddy in the world who I love so much...."

But Aldo just created his own. He asked, "Can I play Blue, Pretty Mommy? Because you make the best food?" We're going to have to watch this kid.

Shoplifting

Our first deliberate shoplifting incident happened last Thursday. They craftily hid the wind-up toys in their pockets and proudly revealed them to me when they got home. The toys were promptly confiscated and a lecture ensued. Owen's defense: "Aldo told me to take it." I totally believe him.

I took them back to the scene of the crime, put the toys in their hands and told them to go say sorry for taking them. I asked the saleslady if we needed to call the store police, or if they only did that the second time it happened.

She asked the boys, "What do you think? Should we call the police this time or the second time?" Owen smiled and said, "Third time."

Sigh.

When you live with a 3-year-old

When you walk with a dog, you are alerted to every other living animal in sniffer range--bird, bug, or ground squirrel.
When you drive with a dog, you can't hear anything above the sound of the air blowing through the crack of the window.

When you live with a 5-year-old, every new person you run into will be informed that he is, in fact, five years old, that he used to be four, but not anymore. A five-year-old girl wants to wear make-up. A five-year-old boy loves his (toy) gun--even if he isn't allowed to have one until have one until he's 7.

When you walk with a 5-year-old, he might shoot everything he sees with his pointer finger pistols until he is caught and told to stop.

When you live with a 3-year-old, he will tell you every time he farts. Sometimes with details.
You will consider stealing disposable seat covers for your own bathroom until he learns aim.
You are proud of his backwards pants and wrong-footed shoes because he got dressed by himself.
When you live with a 3-year-old, he will show you how much he loves you on his fingers.

New Pens!

I just went to Sears to spend my new Christmas gift card, (thanks Aunt Liz!) and picked out some gardening tools which is exactly what I was hoping to find. And they had an Office Depot next door.

As it happened, I needed some new colorful paperclips. So, I walked in and found instead new pens. I got a very pretty little turquoise number and bought its refill. And a Ultra fine Sharpie collection called Couleurs Cafe (with an accent.) They have earl grey, blueberry, pomegranite, hibiscus and mocha.

Delicious.

Oh, and I got a pencil box for Owen because he needs writing utensils for all his writing and stuff.

And then a the checkout counter, they had paperclips.

I'm going to break out Earl Grey right now to write down a recipe.

Owen's Christmas pictures

These are the pictures Owen took with the camera Santa brought him. They were all taken on Christmas day.

Here is Aldo looking intently at a gift under the tree.



Santa brought Aldo a Clone Wars trooper helmet --just like Owen's so now they don't have to fight. Thank you, Santa.



This may be the best picture of Greg that I've got. He usually has a look of reluctance or "Can you take it already?" in pictures, but Owen got him to smile.

This is Greg from Owen's eyeline.

Aldo playing with a remote control toy. It's marvelously loud.

Here is another remote control toy. Notice how Owen got in good and close to get the detail. They love remote control toys.

An impressionistic capturing of the dining room table.

The Christmas tree?

Study of Harriet's foot at the edge of her bed with large-eyed toy near her shoulder.

Goldie--another favorite toy of the year. I like the way he chose the slightly off-center portrait.

And a hand-held video game, literally.

That's the end of the gallery showing. All works available for purchase.