Stay Classy

Just hey.

I'm just checking in with a quick hello.

Zack says, "Hey girl, what's up. Wanna check out my closet?"

I have lots of updating to do, mostly Christmas-related. For now, however, I am rocking in a dark room with an almost 20-month-old who has decided that he would like to take the rest of his nap on top of me. I know I have precious little time left when he'll want to do this before he's all big and independent, so I'm letting him. It's not a half bad way to spend a piece of a Tuesday afternoon.

In other news:
-Brady now starts a good 70% of all him sentences with "Well, ya know..." I have no idea where it came from, but it's pretty funny.
-Zack has started really stringing together two and three word phrases in ways that are clearly intentional. My favorite so far-- "Mama, snack? Snack please? Mama, GET UP!" I'm sure that will lose its charm pretty quickly.
-Brady has discovered that turning on the charm can help him get his way. Lately, he'll put on his sweetest smile, use his best soft, non-demanding tone, and say "Oh Mommy! I was just thinking of a wonderful idea! How about you... (let me do playdoh, take me to the park, read me 17 books)?" He's fairly persuasive.
-My whole life got significantly better when Paul agreed to start coming upstairs at 5 instead of 6 so that he can play with the boys while I cook dinner. It turns out that having Zack literally scream and tantrum and throw himself at my feet for the entire hour was really getting me down. For whatever reason, he is a monster when I cook, and poor Paul was arriving to dinner every night to discover me on the edge of a nervous breakdown. This new arrangement has changed everything, and I swear I feel the ripple effects all day long. At exactly the same time, Brady decided to start getting up an hour or so earlier every morning so that Paul can make up the work time. He's so helpful.

2012 is going to be good. I can feel it.

Posted via email from stayclassy's posterous

Tis the Season

Here's a link to my December article in L Magazine. Now all I need to do is follow my own advice...

Better late than never!

Dear Grandma Carol and Grandpa Bill,

It's taken me well over a month, but a promise is a promise. I'm sometimes slow, but I always deliver eventually! After much ado... here are the rest of the pictures from your wonderful, wonderful visit to Lincoln. And now we get to come see YOU in just a few weeks! Are we lucky or what?!?

Love,

Us

 

Hey, remember that time when Brady made you sniff the mystery jars at the Dinosaur Museum?

And then you built a really tall tower?

Well, he loved that.

OH! But the boys also loved Boo at the Zoo...

...especially because they got to ride the train.

We REALLY loved the day you spent with us at the pumpkin patch...

And, frankly, we still can't believe they got Bill up on stage with Paul's improv troupe. And not only did he get up there, but he was GOOD! We don't have the greatest pictures... but we've got the video evidence. So watch yourself, Bill... because that's some prime blackmail material. :)

Thanks for helping us carve pumpkins... after we cleaned them (and, apparently, you), of course.

But mostly, thank you for being such wonderful grandparents. We have some seriously lucky little boys who could not love you any more.

We love you! See you soon!

Grandma & Grandpa

A week with my dad... followed closely by a week with Paul's parents... Brady and Zack have been in grandparent heaven!

One of the best parts about grandparents? Unlike Mom & Dad, they never tire of listening to you talk... and talk... and talk... 

I think Brady talked to Grandpa Bill for at least 22 out of each of the 24 hours they were here. And when they weren't talking, they were making paper airplanes.

Grandpa's a good pilot.

Zack, meanwhile, was infatuated with Grandma Carol's jewlery. By the time she left, he could correctly point to and say "ring" and "watch". Maybe he'll be a pick pocket.

All that learning is tiring, and after some initial shyness, usually led to snuggles. Every boy needs a grandma's lap to rest on.

I can't tell you how grateful I am that the boys have grandparents who love them so much. The absolutely light up when they're together, and it's pretty amazing to see. Plus, everything tastes better when Grandma makes it. 

We love you, Grandma Carol & Grandpa Bill!

Halloween...finally

So, I'm perhaps a little behind once again. It's so far past Halloween that all the good candy has already been picked through, and we're at the point where I rumage through the bag over and over, tyring to convince myself that I really do like Smarties and hoping that an overlooked Twix will magically appear. 

But, hey! Look! Halloween adorableness!

It's a bird... it's a plane.... it's... SUPER BRADY! (He's super strong!)

And his sidekick... Zachary, the tiny tiger!

(Click here for a look back at our other favorite tiny tiger.)

Our neighborhood was, as always, awesome for trick or treating. Lots of candy, lots of kids, lots of fun. Zack started out walking, but it didn't last long. The first time somebody had the audacity to answer their door after we knocked on it, he insisted on being picked up... and he didn't let me put him down for most of the evening. My left bicep nearly exploded. 

 

He seemed to generally enjoy himself, save for when anyone spoke to him. Without fail, he'd put his head on my shoulder and tell them "Mama" in a complete dead-pan. You have to cut him a little slack, though-- the whole concept of being spoken to by dozens of strangers dressed in all kinds of strange costumes must be a little confusing when you're 18 months old. 

Brady, on the other hand, was all kinds of excited about the whole trick or treat experience. The costumes were exciting. The jack-o-lanterns were exciting. Every single piece of candy was exciting. See? (That's not actually candy, by the way. One of our neighbors gave out microwave popcorn, which is one of Brady's favorite things in the universe. The kid loves him some popcorn.)

We trick or treated for easily an hour and a half, well past dark. Thankfully, at some point Paul took over Zack-carrying duties and saved my arm from falling off. 

Halloween is one of the many things that I find myself falling in love with all over again now that I get to share it with my kids. I remember how crazy exciting trick or treating was for me, and it makes me so happy to try and make it equally exciting for them. And the best part about Halloween? The next day marks the start of Christmas! (I know, I know-- not really. But count me among the people who secretly has no problem with 2 months of Christmas.) 

Ya gotta laugh, right?

So far today, this guy...

...has had major freak-outs because:
1) His feet are too big to wear Mr. Potato Head's shoes
2) I wouldn't let him suck on the meat thermometer
3) I objected to him sticking his hands down the back of his dirty diaper
4) I had to fill his cup with milk before he could drink it

I'm convinced that God makes the difficult ones extra adorable so you don't throttle them.

Posted via email from stayclassy's posterous

Frequent Flyer

One of Brady's very favorite parts...

...about visiting with Grandpa Bill and Grandma Carol...

...is making paper airplanes.

He could do it all day long.

And sometimes does.

Thanks for playing airplanes, Grandpa and Grandma! We miss you already!

(More pictures to come, of course!)

I am a rock.

I will not get a dog. Not until everyone is out of diapers. Not until somebody is old enough and responsible enough to take it outside in the snow.

He's trying to wear me down with his powers of cuteness. He falls in love with dogs whenever he has the opportunity. At the pumpkin patch last week, the farm dogs were by far Zack's favorite attraction.

Did I mention the hugs and kisses? He gives them hugs and kisses.

Sheesh.

Ok... That's not even a real dog. Seriously?

And that's a goat. He's not even discriminating.

This is going to be hard, isn't it?

Posted via email from stayclassy's posterous

Just a quickie...

Here's the link to my L Magazine article for November.

Speaking of November... how is it November?!?

The rest

We didn't spend all of Poppi Ken & Mishka's visit at a farm, park, or zoo. Sometimes we just stayed home and watched the boys climb my dad.

Happy boys. Plenty of attention. People who are not burned out on their same favorite toys, books, and games over and over and over.

And then there was this. Mishka described it like being in one of those laughter yoga classes. The boys would laugh hysterically at us, and we'd all laugh back, progressively louder and louder. This went on for quite a while.

But all good things must come to an end, and we had to say goodbye.

Brady wouldn't give Poppi Ken a hug, which was obviously very upsetting.

Finally he relented, and all was well.

And that was that. Lovely, lovely that.