Halloween Pictures

Spencer, obviously, is dressed as a vampire. More specifically, he is Dracula. Michael, less obviously, is dressed as Calvin, of Calvin and Hobbes.

Apple Picking with Cole, Andre, Nick and Ashley

Michael Soccer Pictures

Thumbs Down

I was talking about movies with the boys this evening. I asked them if any of their friends had seen various movies, one of which was "Beverly Hills Chihuahua." Patrick commented that the critics say it is one of the best movies for children currently playing in theaters. Michael said, "well I guess those critics were looking through the wrong end of the telescope then."

A Stitch In Time

Spencer came home from his after-school program yesterday and immediately asked for yarn. One of the teachers there showed him how to knit, using his fingers instead of knitting needles. He asked me if I could knit. I explained that I didn't have knitting needles, but did have a crochet hook. He then asked me to crochet him (or papier mache, as he subsequently and repeatedly called it) a quilt. What surprises me (and also makes me hopeful) is that my little Spencer has so much confidence in my abilities that he is able to make that statement without a touch of irony, and with the complete assurance that I would be able to fulfill his request that evening.

Scavenger Hunt

Over the past year or longer, the boys picked up a new skill. No matter where we are, they are able to find objects which they deem worthy of saving. It began innocently. They would see a cool rock. And honestly, I liked the enthusiasm. So although they often found the "cool rock" from amongst the landscaping rock which borders our house, I echoed their enthusiasm. At first. I soon realized that both boys, if left unchecked, would cover every available surface and drawer in the house with these rocks. I was more worried about trying to figure out what to do with all of these rocks than I was about the idea of eventually needing to replace the landscaping rock, which would doubtless involve ordering 3 more yards of landscaping rock, shoveling it load by load into a wheelbarrow and spreading it out with a rake. And so I advised the boys that the rocks were to be kept in a cardboard box in the garage. But that didn't work out. I didn't like having a big box of rocks in our very small garage. So I came up with a new plan. I told the boys they could keep each new rock they found, but only for 3 days. So now we have a series of rocks revolving through the house, but not taking up residence. This has been effective in keeping the total rock population in the house to a minimum, but I'm not confident that I really thought this through completely.

So, it started with rocks. But then it progressed, evolved. They still find rocks, but now they also find other items (some would call these items "trash" or "garbage" but I don't think that's an entirely fair classification). For example, one boy might find a rubber band (which they would fight over because rubber bands are cool and useful). Or maybe a pen. Or even a pen cap. Spencer found a gold-colored pencap that was a quite a favorite. He was very attached to it and referred to it as "my golden." For those familiar with Lord of the Rings, I'm sure that sounds Golum-esque, but it didn't when Spencer said it. He is much sweeter than Golum. In a parking lot, one boy (I don't recall which) picked up a receipt and proudly declared "we could use this for a bookmark." Which we could, but did not (although we are in fact nearly always in need of bookmarks). The boys also enjoy finding various items that litter the floors in clothing stores. They scour the floors, picking up broken hangers and pieces of plastic. These items are deposited with me briefly before they are passed along to the cashier so she can dispose of them properly. In grocery stores, they collect twist ties from the produce department.

One day an event happened that ratcheted up the fairly relaxed attitude of these searches. This event was the discovery of a penny. And then a nickel. The boys have become quite driven. They are intent on finding some piece of money whenever we go out. My abiding hope is that either both boys find a coin of the same denomination or that neither boy finds anything. One day in the hardware store, I was surprised and slightly disgusted to find both of my children lying flat on their stomachs scanning under the rickety, over-packed shelves for lost change. I pretended this was normal. I told them it was time to go, and once outside I advised them that it was not acceptable to lie on the dirty floors of stores looking for money. Of course this was followed by the inevitable questions. "But what if we can see money, can we lie down to get it?" "What if it is $100?" Of course I told them that would be fine, but they'd have to share it with me.

I hope this ends soon.

Superior Genes

I picked out an outfit for Spencer before school. It was a long-sleeved shirt and a navy sweater vest (possibly some pants too). After he dressed, he asked me (somewhat plaintively), "Why am I so handsome today?"

Bedtime Part II

Aside from stories and songs, there are two remnants from Michael's long bedtime routine. One - I tell him "good night, sleep tight, dream of bedbugs tonight." My sense is that I could omit this and he would be fine. Two - he still likes to ask if I know the daddy thing, right when I get down and do I promise. Spencer, on the other hand, has a whole procedure that we go through every night. First we rub noses, then we do butterfly kisses (he gives me one on the right cheek , then one on the left cheek and then I do the same), then we each give each other a kiss on the forehead. In the beginning, I would give him three kisses on the forehead, which could be either regular, suction or juicy (these are Spencer's descriptors). He would then guess what they were. Then he would do the same for me. Eventually he started making up all sorts of kisses. Now we just do one and I never can guess it right. Yesterday it was the "eeny meeny miny mo, catch a tiger by the toe" kiss. That was an easy one. I'm not sure how I missed it. I then give him a hug and (for some reason) recite "cat, hat; in French, chat, chapeau, in Spanish, el gato in a sombrero. Ole. Ole. Ole, ole, ole." Lastly, Spencer will say "I love you more than you love me." I say "Not possible." He says "Yes, it is 100% possible." I say "No I love you more than you love me and that is 100% possible."

And then I leave. I go downstairs. And then Spencer starts shouting things down the stairs. Important things. Like "Are you making chai tea?" Or "Don't forget to cover me up when you go to bed." Or "Is that Madeleine Peyroux?" Or "Will you remind me to be a puppy tomorrow?"