rockinbabies

watching

He grabbed the "big" drumsticks and danced/jumped on his bed for a half an hour. It looked like so much fun. There was something about watching him enjoy himself so much and knowing that that was the only way I could join him.

Keegan was right; we basically bought a new washing machine so that we could really buy an extra large washing machine box.

We spent yesterday converting this massive box into a clubhouse, a snack shack, a secret fort, and a log cabin.  There were signs and flags made, there were windows cut and curtains applied, and there were many, many accoutrement added to the interior including a painting, a wall sconce, and a hallway table.

As usual, this leaves me astounded and humbled by how simple having fun can really be for these little guys. Say, put a plastic haystack on the roof and watch how it bounces right off when you pound on the cardboard.

Or, use the tube for the air mattress pump as a telephone to talk to your brother with.

The amount of giggling that ensues is incredible. So simple but SO potent.

Or, add a lamp come nightfall.

so much fun. despite all of the tidying we did before bedtime to make the living room seem manageable come morning, my favorite view was at the end of the day when I looked up from my computer from where I sat on the couch. This is where I blog from tonight. It kind of made me crack up.

In case of an emergency

What is the best thing to do when you come around the corner and your washing machine is emptying itself of all water onto the surrounding floor area and you immediately learn you will need to buy a new one?  Bake some cookies.

They really do the trick.  Everyone feels better.  We have happy tummies, a new and working machine, and a VERY clean laundry room floor. The only real downside was Ambrose used the cookie to stage his usual dinner starve-out.  This is him actually with his head in his hands over top of his meal. I said to him: "Hey Ambrose, how about we eat some bites of that dinner you have right there..."  

He said to me: " I really don't like that word that you just used...'dinner'."

Nice.

everyday things

Morning synth playing. Ambrose employs the sweat bands for his riffing.

The boys creating one of their many games that involve being covered under a pile of cuddly things and/ or surrounded by stuffed animals. It is really that simple.

Jude is discovering the many possibilities of paper sculptures and tape. This is his rocket ship with him and I shooting off to the moon.

Lunch hugs.

Jude's mop top just before I gave him a major trim.

Snow, snow, and more snow

 

This is the boys and I watching the first snowflakes cover the yard on Friday afternoon.

 

This is the rest of the weekend being filled up with taking advantage of all that fabulous snow:

Skip hid a handful of gummy worms in the snow for Jude and Ambrose to find. Jude speculated that the gummy worms came down one by one "each inside of a tiny snowflake" for them to enjoy at snack time later.

We didn;t have he kind of snow for snowman-making, but we did have the perfect type of snow for crunching and stomping all over the place in. This seemed to be a fair trade for two boot-fitted boys.

We swapped out snow time for Hot chocolate tea parties a few times.

Skip and Jude made "crunching rolls" for the entire length of the back garden while Ambrose stood at my side and threw ice clods into the air while yelling "And take THAT! You take thhhhat!"

We played outside until the sunset and then settled for more cocoa and a promise that the snow would indeed be still here tomorrow.

Another treat of these cold nights has been our after tub hair-dries. We get out the hairdryer and make sure we have completely dry hairs on heads before sleep time. This satisfies Mama and thrills Ambrose in particular. These pics are blurry but kind of amazing. Happy Monday!

Last night, instead of a 7:30 "wind down", Ambrose suggested we listen to some Arctic MOnkeys and Julian Casablancas. The results of our boys moves may be posted later this weekend ( Ambrose had us on the ground with his smokey-eyed ethereal movements) but I did manage to capture these shots of Skip dancing with both boys. The low light makes it look like he is spinning reeeaaaally fast (don't freak out about it) but really he is barely spinning at all. See those smears of light whizzing around Skip's head? They are my children! Wooo hooooo!!!

And then there was this moment: the Daddy lean. Remember this, um,..everyone? It is otherwise none as the safest, best, most comforting place to snuggle ever whether you are falling asleep on the walk home after the fireworks/a ballgame/ a dinner across the street, or just finding yourself there in the middle of some wild Saturday afternoon. It is perfect.

I also caught on of the last few pics of Ambrose in this sweater yesterday. It is a size 2 and he has looked so fantastic in this thing that I had to get a post-nap shot of him all cuddled up and ruddy-cheeked. He went to a meeting with us yesterday and sat like a champ coloring Curious George and eating a bran muffin. I blame the sweater for creating his contemplative temperament. Happy Weekend everyone!

What happens on our play "dates"

Yesterday the boys had their friend Mya over for a little hang time in the afternoon.  While I wondered what types of things we should actually "do" with a little girl (oh my!), the boys took the reigns and taught her the real meat of our activity time around here: nursery jam time.  Mya donned a parade drum, a kazoo, and leaned over the piano to tap away like a natural. Ambrose and Jude alternated between drums, guitars, and bed-jumping/singing.

We even had an enamored Ambrose play the tambourine against his face for the chorus of each song. Incredible.

This morning we are knee deep in a game of "Up" the movie around here.  I get to be Ellie (which is pretty cool), and Charles Munce has ended up imprisoned in a urine sample container which is a much more appropriate punishment than the movie provides, in my opinion. 

Thank you to everyone who came to help us party hardy for the past couple of days in celebration of our new resident FIVE year old. Yesterday we spent the day surrounded by loved ones playing chase, balloon soccer, and a LOT of Doctor Matheny.  Thanks to Aunt Patty and Uncle Phil we had a box full of "real-time" doctor goodies to fill our personalized kit with. Jude spent the afternoon writing prescriptions for aches, itches, homesickness, heartbreak, upset stomaches, and the hiccups. We served such celebrities as The Lorax (thanks Grandmom), Pop Pop, Daddy, Nana, Uncle Keegan, and every single stuffed animal that ever existed in our home. 

We also dressed for the occasion. Kali and Paul, Jude, Ambrose, and Skip have been wearing these duds for the past 48 hours. I am certain I will have to peel them from their bodies come sleep time tonight. However, they have been a smashing hit. Especially at Jude's school party this morning at which Jude was complimented and then Skip slowly unzipped his jacket like Spiderman to reveal..."twinsies!"

We made dirt and worm cupcakes ( a.k.a chocolate cupcakes covered in ground oreo and gummy worms) and took them in for a post breakfast feast at preschool.  Skip convinced all of the kids that the worms and dirt were real saying things like "doesn;t your mud taste like chocolate at your house?" Nice. Phone calls will follow. Everyone was in fits of giggles. Unfortunately he was so convincing that one kid actually sat staring at his cupcake in terror for a good five minutes and then blubbered in tears once the kids kept mentioning worms. He was cool by the time we left though. No worries.

As for us, we are in recoup-stage. wheeew. What a party.

We will be spending the next few days celebrating our beloved Jude's 5th birthday. Jude who is such a vibrant, sensitive, creative, loving, hilarious, witty, thoughtful, passionate, and devoted little boy already. 5 years ago, right about now, we were thrashing through to the 24th hour of your seemingly never-ending arrival into this world. That night, you seemed intent to make us "aware" of exactly how momentous your presence would be, how you would transform our world with the force and grace of a glacial cut through a canyon. One moment it was just us and then: form, light, space, and a magnificent current carrying us into the moment, and the next, and the next. Jude, you inspire me to wake up every morning and be the absolute utmost of anything I could ever be because you are beautiful and I love you and I am filled with joy to be around you for just another minute. I think this is what it means to "rejoice" in your presence. And, oh we do. 

And so a snippet of birthday party Part I:

Cake. Feasting. Streamers. Balloons.

A new scooter (thanks Uncle Keeg) with sweatbands that were donned upon bike riding and immediately taken off when the bike was parked. They are "part of the ride". Literally.

Hungry Hippos. 

A balloon frenzy in the soccer goal.

Treasured guests.

Alvin and (thank goodness) his other chipmunk friends.

Peter Pan and his skipper fight off Captain Hook and her dangerous Alligator. The plank was walked. 

And now imagine Ambrose on one of those after 3 a.m. Mardi Gras videos slurring happily into the camera while balloons pop behind him "this party is a wiiliiiiiiilllld rumpuuuuus!"

So far, so good.