Fun with friends in West Virginia

Our church participates with a consortium of other churches in the DC area to take turns using a really beautiful retreat site near Harper's Ferry. This past weekend our Friends and Families group got a turn to go and had a blast just hanging out, doing a community service mulching project and relaxing in a way that does not seem possible in the big city. We had something like 14 kids and 12 adults and I know our boys are already looking forward to our next trip. Without further ado, a pic or two... (or more)

After grinding up branches in a wood-chipper it was time to load up the wagon.

This hard working gang got to ride with the mulch to the garden. Nice mask to protect against gnats don't you think? ;-)

Then it was time to load up the wheel-barrels with mulch and get back to work.

Benji honed his supervisory skills.

The kids did their own version of London Bridges. Or something like that.

Our friend Catherine kept the kids engaged in a game for hours. We love her.

And in honor of Earth Day the kids had fun making the world out of clay and other fun crafts. Overall a great weekend!

Ode to the Space Shuttle

The boys were pretty excited about the space shuttle making its final laps around Washington, DC on Tuesday. At bedtime, Danny instructed me exactly how add a toy stuffed plane onto their Lufthansa model. Totally cracks me up every time I see it! -M

Bzzzzzzz

It's that time of year again. Time for the boys to shed their shaggy manes and get ready for summer. Benji has no qualms about this now annual spring event, but his older brother Daniel is Mr. Reluctant.

However, this year after stalling for a whole day about it, he finally agreed to let Susanne buzz him.

My favorite part is our our hybrid superhero helper. Benjamin is Spiderman on the top, and Superman on the bottom (his very favorite pajama bottoms by the way). I'm thinking we are going to have to cut the sleeves and legs on his Superman pajama set to make it wearable all summer.

Without further ado...the shearing ;-)

Recent Ramblings on FB Relating to our Really Rowdy Rugrats...

April 12

Danny is definitely starting to pick up some Spanish in his immersion school, and loves to tell us when he hears the language being spoken around us. He cracked me up the other day though when he asked what language the Beatles were singing when "Obadi, Oblada, Life Goes On" came on the radio. I'm thinking Bob Dylan would really confuse him.

April 11

Our pediatrician’s office has a pretty cool basketball net right in the exam room, so Danny enjoyed playing while we waited the other day. When we were done and the doc left I said “okay buddy, just 3 shots and we’re out of here”. I couldn’t figure out why he got so upset. Turns out while I meant basketball shots, he thought I meant vaccinations. Was he ever happy when I clarified!

April 7

Embarrassing kid question #249--"What's that thing for?" Asked Danny when we hauled out our iron for a guest to use this morning. (Note, it was not embarrassing for him!)

April 5

Danny: "I don't like nuts." Susanne: "Sure you do. And they are good brain food--they'll make you smarter." Danny: "I already ARE smart Mama".

April 3

Dear Benjamin. Next time we see a stooped over older gentleman at the grocery store with coke bottle glasses pointing at something can you please refrain from excitedly yelling “ET!”? Going to cut you a break this time because you’re only 27 months old…

March 20

There are 13 “body parts” in the game Operation. This morning after the boys were done playing there were only 7. Wild searching ensued. I was beginning to fear our two year old had swallowed them when we asked yet again “where are the rest of the pieces boys?” Benji said “hind you”. Susanne was holding the game board and sure enough, behind it jammed into the battery area mechanism were the missing 6 pieces. What a great way to start the day.

March 17

(Posted by Susanne) Monica to Susanne: What are you going to get at T@get? Danny: A discount?

March 12

The adults proudly watched as our adorable one year old neighbor mounted our tricycle. "Benji, would you like to push him?" Would he ever! But instead of pushing him along for a ride, Benni sidled over and pushed the little guy to the ground! Two year olds are not only very literal, they are awfully possessive it turns out. (So sorry G & M!)

March 10

Homeward bound. My apologies in advance to the poor woman in 23A who will experience intermittent "foot percussion" in the small of her back for the next two hours.

March 8

"Paper, rock, scissors, shoot" "Ummmm..what is that Danny?" "Gun, I choose gun." "Well there are only three choices--paper, rock or scissors." "No gun? Then why do you keep saying shoot?"

March 7

"Here I am" is apparently not the proper response to "ready or not here I come!" The 2 year old versus 4 year old battle continues.

March 5

Having fun on vacation. Best part so far? Danny excitedly yelling "Guys! Look! A blond eagle!"

Feb 13

Last night Danny informed Susanne that she was the "rightest" mom when he realized she was correct about something he had doubted. Is it wrong for me to hope that this actually makes me the "leftist" mom? ;-)

Feb 12

The other night coming through the front door after work I exclaimed "something smells really good!" Without missing a beat Danny piped up "it isn't me."

Happy Birthday Mom and Dad

Dad, me and mom on vacation in North Carolina in the mid 1990s.

My dad Joe was born on April 8, 1930 and my mom Mary Ellen on April 9, 1932. I wish so much that I could tell them happy birthday in person, but they have both passed away, so that's just not possible.

Like most people who have lost loved ones, I wish I could see them both just one more time. I have just memories and pictures and a few "treasures". Nothing fancy. I have the flag that draped dad's casket. But far more valuable to me somehow is the little Tootsie Roll we found in his bathrobe pocket after he'd died. Oh how he loved those little Tootsie Rolls. The years of chemo for his cancer kept him feeling pretty crappy for the most part, so I'm glad he found some pleasure in his occasional chocolatey treat. I have that "keepsake" in a safe place lest it get accidentally eaten. But I do see it from time to time and I smile. Next month it will be 10 years since Dad died. How is that possible?

From mom, I have her Claddagh ring and some Dublin Crystal candle holders she liked. They too make me smile when I see them. Mom's been gone less than 2 years. Losing her still feels really raw, and some reason I think it always will. Maybe that's how it is with moms and daughters? I don't know.

Mom and Dad, if I really could see you both one more time, much as I think I'd have to come up with something perfect to say, I think what I'd really want to do is to just listen to you (I know, I know--for once right?) Seriously though. We don't have too much video of your voices and I miss the sounds of your Boston and Brooklyn accents. Oh how comforting and soothing they were to me. (I can just hear mom saying "I don't have an accent!)

Happy birthdays dear parents. I hope it's not presumptuous of me to guess that there is most likely very good cake in heaven. Love you, and miss you. -Monica

Easter--Friends, Family and Fun

We had a wonderful Easter. After church we stepped outside to enjoy a delightful Easter Egg Hunt. Then at home we held one of our own for all the neighborhood children and then followed that with a delightful lunchner (is that what you call lunch and dinner together?) with neighbors, and traditional Easter Egg Roll. The kids went to bed exhausted but happy. Hope everyone else had a wonderful weekend too!

Danny and Benji strategize with pals from church before the Easter Egg hunt begins.

Alleluia! He is risen!

Back home. Let the games begin!

Susanne and Jo Ellen teamed to make an amazing banana bunny cake.

The boys' Nana catches a breath. These kids are full of energy.

Neighbors pose for a sweet pic.

Benji and Callagh get down to business watering basically everything in the back yard.

Danny and friends try their best to hit a piece of candy with their egg. A wonderful German tradition courtesy of Nana.

Welcome spring. You can stay ;-)

Fun at the Blossom Kite Festival

Daniel strikes a pose when he's not busy running around and oohing and aaahing at all the cool kites!

Benji's favorite part of the day was rolling down a hill. Over and over and over again.

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Susanne's box kite got way up there and our neighbor's bird kite looked pretty cool too!

Not sure who had more fun--the kids or the parents. It was a beautiful day to fly kites last Saturday, and the Washington Monument is a pretty cool backdrop don't you think? Have a great day! -Monica

Double Take

Danny is going to turn 5 years old next month. FIVE! Okay, so maybe every parent goes through these odd phases of being absolutely amazed that their child is growing up. But even so, to actually experience it is really striking. I don't mourn the loss of baby Danny (or baby Benji for that matter). But I'm not sure that the word celebrate is the right one to describe this "gain" of children growing up.

Case in point. Last Saturday we stopped at our local Target and the boys got new bike helmets. I was walking down the street holding Benji's hand while Susanne and Danny walked ahead of us. Danny had his helmet down on his side--sort of holding it like a schoolbook. He and Susanne were just chatting away and I suddenly realized he was loping. Striding alongside of her with no effort. None of that half running to keep up with Mama's longer legs or anything like that. And they were actually conversing. Talking and laughing together like two adults might. Nodding and gesturing. It was really striking to me.

Of course withing 5 minutes he was having a fit about not having the toy he wanted and complaining about his carseat straps, so he is still our little guy. But for that moment on 14th Street, Danny became just Dan. No longer a baby or a toddler--not even a preschooler. A real live little boy. I guess I'll remember this as my Gepetto moment.

Oh who am I kidding? These two will always be our babies! -Monica

Gratitude

Yesterday I learned an EXTREMELY valuable lesson. It's a lesson that I hope anyone who ever reads this never has to experience for themselves.

You see I had taken both boys shopping for groceries. I put 2 year old Benji in the cart seat and let 4 year old Danny jump up on the side where he delighted in yelling "all aboard" and pretending he was Mr. Conductor.

We'd just entered the store and the cart was empty. It was a fairly old metal cart I remember and spying a bag of small oranges across the way, I started walking away. I'd taken maybe 5 steps and as I turned back my heart stopped. The cart was tipping over. Danny was trying to jump off and it was falling and Benji was trapped. I don't know how I raced with my heart stopped. I wish I could say it didn't tip over. And that Benji's head did not hit the ground. But I can't.

I did get there before it fell all the way. I did slow its descent but could not stop it. I did see Benji's little head strike the floor. The store wasn't very crowded and everyone ran over. I pulled the cart up a bit and got Benji out. He was in the throes of a silent cry which ended in a horrible wail. I just hugged him for I don't know how long.  A man at the store ran to get a bag of ice.

After he'd calmed down he wanted to sit inside the basket (not in the seat he'd been in.) He'd already spotted some "baby bananas" he wanted and I was so amazed by his resilience.

Throughout all this, my sensitive 4 year old was crying too. I actually had to carry him as we got our groceries and went back to the car. He was very upset about the cart. I knew how he felt.

I'm so filled with gratitude that Benji is okay. We watched his eyes for signs of a concussion. We watched for unusual sleepiness--no sign of that at bedtime. Our dear sweet boy is fine. And I will never, ever, ever, let either boy ride on the side of a cart again. And I'm thinking they won't ask any more either.

Thank you God. Thank you. -Monica

Perspective

I wonder if I'll ever blog as much as I used to? It's not that there isn't much to write about, it's just that I do not seem to ever get my act together very much lately to blog. The boys definitely keep us busy, but that's no excuse. I like to think that this blog serves the purpose of reminding us down the road what life was like at certain times. So it looks like this past year has been a lot of nothing. But I've been thinking about this.  You see,  I've been in a job for the last year that has not been too inspiring or fun for me and I'm really, really hopeful that I'll be moving into a different and far more interesting job in the weeks ahead. Perhaps when I'm not so cranky about my job I'll be more inclined to blog. We shall see.

But even though I may complain, I want to be clear that I feel so blessed to have a job. I know there are so many people struggling with things that make my complaints seem absolutely frivolous. And it the grand scheme of things they are. And after all, no matter how lousy a day I may have at work, who can stay cranky long coming home to these smiling faces? Blessed indeed!

Tis the Season! (Soccer season that is...)

Danny had his first day of soccer practice yesterday and we are pretty amazed at the difference a year makes. He's still just learning the basics, but he actually listened to his coach the whole time and followed directions. He also did a better job than usual of getting up after falling down and continuing rather than just crying and running to a mom to console him. It's really fun to see him mature and also to see him having so much fun.

I'm curious to see what kind of sports mom I'll be. After reading so much about "helicopter parents" and the cultural shift toward everybody getting a ribbon or trophy for every little thing, I guess my feeling is that I don't want to be overly "great job!" on every little thing he does. Not just in sports but in life. On the other hand I do want him (and Benji too) to see how proud we are of them and also that we are paying attention. Guess I'll figure this out as I go along.

I know I won't be the kind of mom that pushes their kid to be the best one in any given endeavor. We all have special gifts, and the most important thing for me is to see that our boys are engaged and excited about what they are doing. It's an interesting thing to experience--this parenting thing.

Alrighty, without further ado, here are a few photos of our soccer dude!

Ah Margaritaville...

It's hard to believe we've already been back for a week, but again, time flies. Our trip to the Florida Keys was excellent. I'm not a huge fan of hot and humid, so a March vacation is just prefect to me. The first day we arrived in Key Largo it was fairly warm and muggy, but then a nice cool front moved in for the rest of the week. The only disadvantage was that it brought with it a lot of wind. Which is not so cool while in a glass bottomed boat 45 minutes from shore trying to spot colorful fish in a coral reef. We held off from taking the glass bottomed boat ride until our very last day, hoping that the water wouldn't be so choppy. Turns out it was more than choppy.

Danny was the one who begged and begged to go on this special boat and was so delighted when the boat zoomed off with 60+ passengers to head out to a reef. But then things really started to rock and roll so to speak. The boat just rolled with each huge wave. Through incredible luck, none of us got sea sick but plenty of people did. They had to go up on top of the boat and be sick (as Benji would say "eewww!")  I ended up sitting inside the cabin holding both boys for most of the trip. Danny was so scared he was shaking. Susanne fortunately was able to scoot on down to the bottom to see some fish, but for the most part, it was was just one very expensive rocking chair for the duration of the trip. Of course when we got back to land, Danny's revisionist history took over and as he remembered it, the whole trip was AWESOME. Right ;-) But I love his enthusiasm.

We frolicked in the ocean, fed fish, built sand castles, saw animal shows, and also spent a day in Key West. Overall, a very good time for all. Here are a few pics that describe better than I can our adventures. Ciao! -Monica

Benji shakes hands with a sea lion!

This is Twister. Or Simon. Cool dolphins at the Theater of the Sea just south of Key Largo.

We were so proud when Danny volunteered to play with the dolphins. Diagnosis? Slimy!

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Did I mention it was windy? Benji's face (er... hair) says it all.

Look! A parrot! Apparently wanted a cracker.

Speaking of parrots, this is called a Parrot fish, named for its "beak". They are not very attractive...

In Key West with Su's mom and the boys in this pic. Happy Birthday to you too Nana!

Where it all begins. At least Route 1.

A gorgeous shot of the setting sun. Thanks Susanne for taking such great pictures!

Happy Birthday honey!

Today is a fantastic day! My dear Susanne is celebrating her birthday. We'll have our traditional birthday breakfast with a candle and presents, and then we will be hustling out the door to catch a plane to hang out with Su's mom for the week in sunny Florida. It's going to be a great time. Happy birthday honey!

Su, a few years ago ;-)

Dateline: 1:56 pm

Benjamin is home with me today. I didn't know until around 7 this morning that this would be the case, but sometimes when life throws you a curve ball, you just go with it. His regular "day mother" Jenni, has a sick kid on her hands so Benji needed to stay home. It happens, but very infrequently I will say, so thank you Jenni!

Anyway, so what's it like to be home--while teleworking--with a rambunctious two year old? Hmmmm...the word for this escapes me. At this moment, he is in his crib screaming "Mommy! Mama!"...wait, it's changing..."Mommy! Milk! Pwease!" Who can keep track any more really. He went down for his nap 40 minutes ago (exhausted I might add and with a full sippy cup of milk) and I've heard nothing but his demands and several different renditions of "Twinkle, Twinkle"  in the meanwhile (I believe he threw in a Hip-Hop version 14 minutes ago.)

It might sound like I'm complaining, but if I am, it's only because the CITRIX connection for our personal laptop which I should be able to use when unexpectedly at home like this, isn't working. I can still log in from our desktop computer, but this means I'm rather chained to our office while 2 year old, Bam-Bam (that's the sound he's making right now from his crib in the room next door) roams all three levels of the house. This might work fine for those without anxiety, but for me, not so well.

He has actually been really sweet today--it's just that he sort of wants me to be involved in every facet of his play. Although we did take a break and go outside for a while earlier, and later this afternoon a neighbor with a toddler invited him over for an impromptu play date,  it's just been a fairly non-productive day. (I'm hoping that the hour that he's on play date will let me catch up on most everything.)

Of course if he would just stop fighting his nap and succumb to the blessed gift that is sleep, we would both be much happier. It's just that he does not yet appreciate the nap.

Wait! What's that I hear? Nothing? Could it be that the nap fairy has come? Aww....I am so gullible. He totally had me for minute. He's back to his "Mommy, Mommy"/crying jag again already.

Time to get back to what little work I can. Fortunately I have some reading I have to catch up on in addition to my online work. I'm going to stop typing now and be completely silent now. "Hush little baby, don't say a word"... -Monica

 Shhhhh...dateline 2:17 pm. All is calm. All is bright...er...dark...

Today is an important day!

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!!

And for our very favorite Valentines:

 

Under the Sea (and Often the Weather)

Last weekend while Susanne was gone helping her mom out (she had surgery on her shoulder) the boys and I took a little trip to the Baltimore Aquarium. For those who are not familiar with this place, it is really awesome for kids. Benji's favorite was the octopus and Danny pretty much loved everything except for the really loud rainforest exhibit.

Danny being a bit averse to the loud noises is probably linked to the fact that he's been a bit under the weather. As you can see, his mouth is all chapped and red which has been an ongoing problem this winter. He sucks his thumb pretty religiously and the more he sucks it the redder he gets. Then he gets sick--this week we took him to the doc and turns out he had strep throat. I can't help but think there is this weird cycle going on. He sucks his thumb which introduces more germs than he would otherwise get. Then he's sick and needs to rest. The more he rests, the more he sucks his thumb. When he's well and active there is less time for thumb sucking. Sigh. We've got to figure this out. All this thumb sucking is also pushing his front teeth out and that will mean orthodontic work down the road. We haven't yet tried any "icky" stuff to put on it to stop him from sucking it, but that may be our next step.

Other than that, all is well. These two continue to crack us up. Last night I came through the front door and exclaimed "mmmm, something smells great!" Danny replied "it isn't me." Hilarious.

Then last night when I was putting Benji to sleep I was quietly saying the "Our Father" which is something we do every night. This time though at the end of each sentence he was repeating the last few words. It was very cute...
Mommy: "Our Father"
Benji: "Father"
Mommy: "Who art in heaven"
Benji "in heaven"
etc..etc...

but when I got to one of the last lines, I burst out laughing though.

I'd said "As we forgive those who sin against us"
And Benji said instead of just saying "against us", what he said was "gainst us and Miles"

Miles is his wonderful little buddy who he plays with every day at our friend Jenni's (she of "Oscarelli" fame.) 

Now where he came up with the idea that somehow Miles needed to be included in this part of the prayer I'll never know.

That's the beauty of these children of ours. You just never know what's coming next!

Have a great day everyone. -Monica

Danny's Ark

Danny in 2012

It was only 30 degrees this morning when we woke up so Danny decided he needed to continue his rest right next to a radiator. And just to make sure he was not lonely, we also had to gather a few of his friends. Reminds me of this other day long ago...

Danny in July 2007

As I was saying...

Seems it's been a while since I've posted again, so I'm going to share some observations about our kids that I've made on Facebook in the past few weeks (actually Susanne posted the last one which makes me laugh every time I see it!) Cheers! -M

January 30, 2012

This morning I spilled some water and muttered a bit loudly "oh s*it!" From the bathtub Benji then happily chirped "oh chips!" Oh alright. He happily chirped what I'd said. :-(

January 27, 2012

Life lesson #207. Approach yakking/yelling toddler in the pre-dawn hours like approaching a ferocious beast. Make no eye contact. Give commands in a gentle voice. Show no fear while slowly backing away...

January 26, 2012

"Just 2 more minutes of rocky rocky (rocking) Danny". "Aw..5 minutes! Please!" "Hmm...okay, how about 1.5 minutes?" He drifted off to sleep,  thrilled with his "victory". Are you smarter than a 4 year old? ;-)

January 24, 2012

What to do when 1,2,3 Magic becomes 1,2,3 Monotony?

January 23, 2012

If there was FB for 2 yr olds, would they post stuff like "I did it!" Would they change status to stuff like "potty trained?" And would they have "mine, mine, mine" buttons?

January 22, 2012

Cognitive dissonance=4 year old playing awesome super hero while bursting out tears about every teeny tiny boo boo :-)

January 19, 2012

I love that Benji's new favorite thing to do is yell "HUG" and give big bear hugs. Makes all the rest of this stuff in life seem rather unimportant :-)

January 15, 2012

So apparently the nickname "Stinkerbelle" is not our toddler's favorites. "No, no mommy!" he disagrees. Hmm...alright, but there is something to be said for "if the shoe--er--diaper fits...

January 14, 2012

Not much sweeter than seeing a 2 year old view his Nana via Skype for the first time, saying bye-bye by planting a big kiss on her (or rather the screen).

January 9, 2012

Dear Spellcheck. My son's name is "Benji" not "Banjo". Really. Sincerely, Maniac

January 9, 2012

I quote: Mama, can you pause the snow? - Danny

Benji Sings!

My Brain is Full. May I Be Excused Please?

Wow. Information, information. So much information. Blogs and Facebook and a Facebook-like collaboration site at work. Our Yahoo e-mail, my always piling up work e-mail, newspapers, links to interesting articles, stuff from Danny's school (both via e-mail and in his daily folder.) I can connect instantly to the treasure trove of "online" from work, home--my Blackberry, Su's IPhone, my new Kindle. I sometimes think there is a limit to what I can manage, and this, ladies and gentlemen is the excuse I give this week for being such a negligent blogger of late. I don't have time to create. I'm too busy digesting!

Sometimes I wonder what it must have been like to live in the not too distant past. Most people never traveled probably more than 20 miles from where they were born. Their "social network" consisted of their neighbors, church friends and folks from town. If you could read, I'm sure that books could open your mind to a whole new world of thoughts and images, but more than likely books were not that easy to come by for most.

Would this have been a boring life? If this was the only life you ever knew, how would you make an assessment that it was boring? And what is the opposite of boring anyway? Is this crazy 200 mile per hour ride every day down this "information superhighway" the anti-boring? I don't think so.

I think it's good in that our brains probably stay pretty sharp as we continually make connections with new information. But I think that the overload can also hurt. Our minds become so full of "stuff" that there is scant room for reflection and deeper thinking on well, anything.

But our world is what it is. I could do all sorts of things to slow down the onslaught, and sometimes I do. I'll opt out of some e-mails that I get constantly and never read. Or I'll request a digest from listserves rather than getting sometimes dozens of messages each day. But for the most part, I continue to slog through. Mindfully at times, but more often that not, mindlessly.

I could have written this in a private diary or journal, but no, I had to blog this deep thought. You know, so I could add some new food for thought to your world.

You're welcome. -Monica

The Crack (or is that the creak?) of Dawn...

I'm an early riser. Didn't always used to be that way, but for about 10 years now I have easily woken up at or before 6 am. There is not much I enjoy more than heading downstairs and as the sun gently rises, reading the paper from cover to cover with a hot cup of coffee.

In reality, this hardly ever happens.

Why you may ask? Exhibit A shown here.

Oh how I love them, but oh how they torment me with their keen hearing. You see, our house is well built and not too creaky, but when I dare to tempt the fates by QUIETLY opening our door, then QUIETLY going to the bathroom before attempting to navigate the steps, I find myself holding my breath waiting for one of them to cry out.

If I am lucky, I can survive this portion of the competition, but then it's on to the stairs. The dreaded stairs.

Should I try to dash quickly down them? Or slowly descend, stopping on each step, hoping beyond hope that I've not been discovered?

As it turns out, none of my strategies seem to matter much. One of the boys inevitably wakes up and calls out (which of course wakes up his brother).  If it's Danny, he's up and running out of his room, excitedly telling me all about his latest dream (this morning it was that he lived in an aquarium and his best friend was scuba diving there with our fish.) If it's the little guy in his crib, he begins his loud and persistent demand for MOMMY! MAMA!  Benji will not take no for an answer. There is no winning.

So when I wake up early if I have a book I try to read. If not, I daydream about the newspaper just waiting for me one flight down. Calling my name I swear. I will admit that sometimes I feel like a prisoner in my own home.

Then when my impulses get the best of me, although I know I shouldn't, I try once more to sneak downstairs. And every once in a great while I succeed. Then there are the other 99% of the times.

There's always tomorrow ;-) -Monica