Telling Secrets

Day and Night statues outside the MFA.

I have to ask him again what he told the statue.  It was something that kind of made sense, like, "wake up," but can't remember right now.

Playground

So fun that they are finally starting to play together (and argue, but I'll focus on the positive!).

Sam's Construction

 Sam got some fun, new presents so that he could do some construction work.  He took this seriously and went out back at my parents' house, where he determined that the plastic playhouse was in need of a new door.  When I couldn't produce, he went to work ripping down the rotting, so-to-be placed fence along the property line. 

Modeling his new gear.

Carrying a fence post that he pulled down.

Lining up the boards to create a door.

Bruins Game

Tessa, Chris, and I went to the Bruins/Sabres game yesterday and took Sam.  It was a day game and we'd won the tickets last year at Sam's school auction, so ideal.  We had premium seating which was super cool.  There was free food, waitress service, no drunk/yelling fans, and no lines for the (clean!) bathrooms.  We were also randomly seated directly behind the NESN desk which was funny.  Chris had hung out with one of the guys who does the signs on the big screen, so they put up a belated "Happy Birthday Sam B."  On top of that, Sam and Chris appeared on the big screen (total coincidence), at another point during the game.  All very fun, but Sam will be disappointed when he goes to a game in the future and has regular seats and is not featured on the big screen (though I don't actually think he noticed any of that, so perhaps it won't faze him!).  It was also Auntie Tessa's first Bruins game, so she might be disappointed with future games too ; )

Sam's highlights of the game:  the French fries, watching to see if the ice machines were going to collide, the goals, and the players going to time out (pretty violent game!)

The Bruins won, but there were a couple of concussions and a serious leg injury, which put a damper on things.

Watching the Zambonis

It says "Happy Birthday Sam!"

Being mature with Tess, taking selfies with NESN filming behind us.

Constant State of Chaos

This house, my car, and these children are beyond me at this point.  I cannot keep on top of the mess at all.  Chris and I will have the place spotless and within an hour, with them both home, things are just everywhere and I'm still trying to clean up from say, breakfast.

Conversations we've had lately, "Chris- can you bring me the carrot in the living room?"
"Huh?"
"The carrot.  Isn't there a carrot in the living room?"
Rummaging.  Chris appears with the carrot, "why is there a carrot in the living room?"
"Because Vivian was holding it in Whole Foods because she is teething, and then she was chewing on it... why are you asking?"
"I don't know.  Silly question?"

A few days later, I open the cutlery drawer to get a fork.  There is a strawberry in the cutlery drawer.  It appears to have been there for a while.
"Who put the strawberry in the cutlery drawer?"
Sam replies, "not me!"
Vivian yells something unintelligible.  Then I remember her "helping" me unload the dishwasher this morning before work holding a strawberry.
"Maybe it was Annie," Sam offers.

Sometime in the past few weeks, I went to run a bath for the kids and find about 20 veggie chips in the bathtub and the cat licking at puddles of water.  "Why are there veggie chips in the bathtub?"
"Vivian did it!" Chris and Sam call back.   Everyone knows, but they are still there?
Chris and Sam try to tell me the back story, involving Sam needing to poop and eating a snack and then Vivian taking the snack, etc.  I am picking veggie chips out of the tub and stop listening.

Usually the kids move from one activity to another faster than I can get them to clean up.  Sam at least understands cleaning up. Vivian is still in the dumping phase.  She's staring to get the concept of cleaning up, though every time we complete a task, she then immediately dumps it again, unless I snatch it away.  For instance, we get all the blocks back in the container, and she's upended them again, and walked away or thrown at least five across the room.  I've taken to giving Sam chocolate to clean up after Vivian on nights when I'm trying to do other things.

Today I got home from work and the house was fairly clean, since the house cleaner came yesterday.  Then Sam wanted to go in the sandbox.  Vivian took the pile of grass that Chris raked up over the weekend and rolled in it and then threw it in the air.  Then she and Sam hoed a pile of mud with a kiddie hoe.
When we came inside I tried to brush them off.  As I was making dinner, Vivian emptied the drawer containing rolling pins and tea bags.  Sam walked into the kitchen and ran behind me (which he isn't supposed to do while I'm cooking) and slipped on a rolling pin.  He wailed, "Vivian blocked the kitchen with a rolling pin!  I'm not playing with her anymore!  I slipped!"
I calm him down, pick Vivian up, who is now getting cranky because she's hungry.  She's eating a tea bag.  I take the tea bag and she screams.  Sam is now negotiating for a snack because he "forgot he didn't have one."
Ten minutes later he's had a snack- (there's only so much I can deal with), their hands are washed and they're seated for dinner.  A screw falls out of Vivian's high chair, Sam drops his fork, and Vivian throws her potatoes across the kitchen.  I love dinnertime SO much.  Vivian rejects the fish I made, Sam rejects the potatoes.  No one will touch the peas and carrots.  They both eat apple and banana for dinner with Saltine crackers.  I sit down and Vivian hands me her peas one by one.  This is an improvement, usually she throws whatever is on her tray.  I take about two bites of food and she cries to get up.  Sam drops his fish, napkin, and peas in no particular order.  Vivian gets down and eats the same peas off the floor that she would not eat at the table.  Then she poops.
I give up on eating and drink my wine while I clean up the kitchen and their lunch things from earlier that day.  Sam gets down and goes in the living room to play.  As I'm washing the dishes, Vivian plays with the tea bags.  She goes to see Sam and comes back.  There is now a trail of teabags from the kitchen to the living room.  I can hear Sam playing with some kind of toy with motor, so he's fine.
Then he starts wailing because he bumped his head.  I go to check.  He is suspiciously blocking the area behind the couch and the wall.  I move to look.  I'm not really sure what I'm looking at, it's mushy and a yellowish brown in a little plastic bowl.  Then I see the toy mixer in his hand.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing.  Did you see anything Mom?"
"Yes, Sam, that's why I'm wondering what you're doing."
Pause.
"Cooking you a birthday cake?" He's good.
"Made of?"
"Vivian's banana from the floor."
Ahh...
He also appears to have several new temporary tattoos.
One hour until everyone is in bed.  The dishes are half done, but I give up on them and get Sam and Viv ready for baths.  I call them into the bathroom and Vivian appears with a tea bag and a toy baby bottle.  She peers into the bathtub and immediately throws the tea bag in.  I should have seen that one coming.  I reach to pluck it out and turn as she is depositing the baby bottle into the toilet.  I catch it at the last second and make a mental note get lock for toilet seat lid.  As I take her clothes off, dried grass falls out and onto the clean bathmat.  When Sam undresses, a layer of sand coats that.  I go into the hall to get a clean washcloth.
"Vivian!  Don't poke my belly!  Haha!! That's my BUTT!  Vivian poked my butt!"  They are both laughing hysterically.   She's one year old  and she gets butt humor?
Chris comes home and finishes bathing Sam, which is helpful.  I get Vivian down and then retrace her steps through the house retrieving tea bags.  I get the kitchen cleaned up and read Sam his stories.  Now they are both sleeping and I cannot find the bowl of mashed banana anywhere, though I did find the toy mixer, a rolling pin handle, numerous mashed peas and fish, and Sam's lunchbox that was missing.

Gender and Toy Color

I wonder about this ALL the time and just found a research based article on gender and toy color preferences.  I am particularly struck if I run to a store like Target to pick up something quickly for a birthday party.  You can see the glaring hot pink aisles from halfway across the store.  It's not that I'm against girls playing with pink toys, I just don't understand why 90% of toys marketed for girls are pink and the boys toys are every color except pink (and purple).  It's interesting raising a boy and a girl, and watching what they gravitate towards, as well as what society and different groups of people think they should play with.
Below is the link to the article.

Article on Slate.com about science and gender preferences and toys.

Where Are You?

Both kids are exhausted today, which is strange seeing that we had a pretty low key weekend (they better not be getting sick again!).  I was putting Vivian down around 6:30, a good hour before Sam's bedtime and came out of the nursery to read him his last story and get his teeth brushed.  He was no where to be found.  I checked each room, called for him, started to panic, wondered if my father had come by and taken him outside, and then decided he was hiding.  He was hiding, but had fallen asleep in his hiding spot.  He was under some big cushions we have, completely obscured from view, sound asleep on the hard wooden floor.  Luckily he choose a hiding spot I'm familiar with!

Between the couch and toy box, after I'd removed one layer of cushions.  Usually he giggles when he's hiding and we call for him.  

Happy 4th Birthday

We celebrated Sam's birthday with the first "real" (not just family) party that he has had.  He had been to enough parties this past year that he understood they were not always just extended family.  With March birthdays in New England, it's hard to have an outdoor party, because I'd be happy to just have it in the backyard.  We found a fun, indoor gym, that is small enough that the kids are contained and within sight.  They were all happy to be there and the party was fun and not as overwhelming as I'd feared.  Having said that, I'm glad we didn't try this any earlier, I think four was good age for such a big event.