This is 40, Installment 7

Remember when kid food was cute? I mean, in the beginning it was adorable-- baby's first solid foods, funny faces. Then it got a little messy as they started feeding themselves, food all over the upper bodies. But still cute. And little. Then you could do creative things with the food-- shapes and colors and such, and they'd semi-appreciate it, maybe even help you with making it. Still, it was little.

I am past the little food phase of my parenting life. I'm pretty sure I'm now on to the huge food phase. I have three boys and all they're doing is eating and moving.

Recently I just owned it and started feeding the twins two dinners a day on hockey practice days. They'll down a frozen pizza or two after school and before practice (to be clear, I cook them first), come home from practice, and eat tacos and drink smoothies. The second dinner is the one where they smell like dank hockey gear and sweaty helmets, in case you wondered.

Brian often makes them two breakfasts on hockey game days. Piles of sausages and a carton of eggs. Twice. If they don't eat that much then they end up eating 20 granola bars and 25 string cheeses and we will be out of school snacks for the week. And they're skinny and they're not very tall.

Guys, it's only going to only get worse from here. We might need to take out a second mortgage to afford our grocery bills.

This is 40.

Eaters

That Time We Let the Boys Watch Star Wars

We let the boys watch Star Wars. It took us about a week and a half about a month ago, but we got through the three original movies from the 1970's- early '80's. They loved them, though they will confidently and a little condescendingly tell you that movie four was far inferior to movie five, because it, "moved so quickly, not slow like the first one. It was the greatest one." The boys are constantly talking about the characters and the plot and acting out every scene they can think of. This includes doing Jedi training upside down and breathing like Darth Vader.

Here are the best, randomly overheard quotes from our Star Wars binge:

"I'm not going to play with you anymore if you don't stop pretending to be R2D2."

"I'm Yoda and I can break dance and play the piano.”

"I will light sabe you in 4..3..2..1"

"Fine! YOU cut MY hand off!"

"Here’s a picture of the Emperor when he was a football player." (freezes into a still shot) "He was SO tall."

Brian: "What do you guys want for Christmas?" Cal: "Everything Star Wars that talks and is plastic."

They have spent time "flying" in duffle bags with their hockey helmets on and arrows sticking out the sides. They beep and move slowly like R2D2 when I tell them to do things. Clark created Darth Vader out of a mortar board and batman mask. I can't find my camera or I'd post a picture of it. So great. Every day there are light saber wars on the way to and from school, usually with dangerously long sticks.

And then there was the night Calvin drew the characters on the board:

Yoda

Han Solo, Darth Vader, Princess Leia 

Jobba the Hut

Soldier for the Empire

For some reason my pictures of Luke Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi won't load. It was a fantastic display.

Tonight Cal drew the cover of the DVD case:

Obsession has always been a strong suit of theirs. Ceiling fans, NASA space robots, astronauts, et. al.

I'm going with it and discussing plot with them-- the characters, setting, conflict, and such.

They are getting the newer movies under the Christmas tree next week and there will be a couple little Star Wars Lego sets in their stockings. My favorite is the Star Wars art that I see in my future.

Beginning Kindergarten Series, Day 1

The walk to school was fun and the boys' voices only faltered a few times. They asked again what they'd do today and I told them drawing and coloring and reading and playing on the playground and playing games. Clark, the forever competitor, said, "I'll win 10 games for you today, Mom!" Which almost made the dam break behind my eyes, but I held it together. At the front door it was a little harder, they kept wanting to hold my hands and I could feel their palms were sweaty (or maybe it was just mine). 

At the door of the classroom Clark started to break down. I went in with them and helped them sit down at a table. He kept hugging my legs and crying quietly, asking how long it would be until I would come back, asking if I could stay just a few more minutes. When the bell rang I pulled away and walked toward the door. He kept saying, "Bye Mom,"searching for my face around the other parents. Cal on the other hand seemed fine-- checking out the crayons and books. 

I said goodbye as long as I could and that it would be awesome and they'll have so much fun and can't wait to hear about it. These things were difficult to say. As soon as I turned around I started crying so I walked quickly down the blurry hall and out the door.

This day came so quickly, and yet I am so, so thankful to have been able to spend almost each and every day of Cal and Clark's life at home and on adventures with them. I know many mothers don't get the chance to do that and I will always treasure the years I've been able to be at home full time. I'm thankful for a husband who understands and is on the same page that I'm on as far as me staying home. 

But I digress. 

When Teddy and I picked the boys up at school this afternoon they were a little shaken up. The teacher said they did great all day and then got antsy and scared as they were dismissing them. Understandable. I felt a little jostled in the dismissal herd and I'm 5'6". 

The walk home was nice as I tried to get information from them about their day. I found out that they didn't go outside much and play on the playground because it was so hot today. Clearly this affected them. They got home and yelled, "YYAAAAAAHHHH!" while flinging their backpacks across the living room. After a small snack with Teddy they did NOT STOP THE CRAZINESS all night. Bouncing off the walls. It was storming or I would have taken them outside for awhile to run it off. Clark was literally climbing up the dishwasher an onto the counter, which he has never done before. 

They husked corn for me on the balcony and made a "corn machine" with the sliding glass door. Clark held the stem or handle part of the corn into the space where the door slides into the side of the frame. Then Cal smashed the door shut. They were ecstatic that it worked! 

When Brian got home they wrestled for what seemed like two hours straight. Teddy even got in on the wrestling. 

It's a lot of time that I'm not with them and it will take some getting used to, for sure. I'm supposed to find out in a few days what day I can come into the classroom and volunteer as a room mom. Then I'll really get the inside scoop. 

Here are some good quotes from the day:

On the way to school:

"I'm going to win 10 games for you today, Mom." -Clark

After:

Me: "What did you do?"

"I don't really remember. I think we colored the whole time." -Cal

Me: "Did you read stories? Did you work with letters, did you build anything or do anything with numbers?"

"We didn't work with letters. They assumed we already know them." -Cal

"Lunch was boring and loud, like AHHHHHH! I wasn't even hungry." -Cal

"I did not like lunch. But we did see Peter and Andrew there." -Clark

"She said we were going to do math, but we didn't even do any." -Cal

"I told my teachers all about t-ball." -Clark

Me: "What was your favorite part?"

"The drawing." -Cal

"Yeah, the drawing."-Clark

Getting into bed: "School was funner than we thought." -Clark, with a nodding Calvin agreeing. 

Yay! 

Gammy found two of the same old Norman Rockwell
mugs with a first day of school scene. So
the boys had their milk in those this morning.

Leaving home

At school!

I love this picture so much. They look at each other
the way Cal's looking at Clark here so much of the time.
I'm happy that they have each other. 

I'm still holding it together as we near the door...

Found their classroom

I think it's all hitting Clark right here. 

All done! Water before heading home

Brothers missed brothers

After school snack/leftover lunch

Cal just broke the corn in the door. You can see the little chunk
of cob stuck in the frame.

Corn-cuttin' machine!

Beginning Kindergarten Series, the Prequel

In order to help me cope with this first week of kindergarten, I'm going to do a few days of questions and comments and stories from the week. To start it off, I asked the boys a few questions about their expectations.

What do you think you will like about kindergarten?

Calvin: "I'll like to play, eat lunch, start off with easy math and then get to hard math."

Clark: "I'll like eating lunch, playing, snack time, and cutting stuff up into mountains of shreds with scissors. Will there be any tape?"

Are you excited?

Clark: "Um. Yeah."

Calvin: "Yeah."

Okay. Not very verbose, but I bet they'll have more to say over the next couple days. I'm going to try to hold myself together and not cry until the walk home. Maybe I'll wear sunglasses and pretend to be aloof and unaffected. Oh, my babies.

Let's do this thing.

Brushing with Theodore John

Brushing your teeth is complicated, but I've come up with a step-by-step tutorial to help you first timers out there.

First, grip your toothbrush at the top like this so you can eat the toothpaste off.
Wait, that's not right.

Here we go. Hold the bottom grippy part and stick the top part in your mouth.

Move it up and down and let the spit run down your chin.

Don't be afraid to GO A LITTLE CRAZY with it.

Then swallow the yummy baby toothpaste...hold  up, I found a shower curtain!

This has been Brushing with Theodore John. Tune
in next time for How to Play in the Toilet, Undetected.

It's the Silver Line!

For years we've heard that the metro will for sure be coming to Reston on its way from DC out to Dulles Airport. We had that in mind when we bought our condo six years ago near one of the two planned Reston stops. Many political and economical and financial discussions and plan-changes have been going on for so many years it has been hard to keep track (pun intended) of the latest metro news. Well, last Saturday it finally happened! The grand opening of the Silver Line! For those of you who drive, it might be intrusive and annoying to have a metro stop by you, and all the businesses and people that come with it. But for your friendly, non-driving, epileptic momma, this is awesome!

Before, I could walk five minutes to a transit station to catch a bus to transfer to the metro to catch a train to get downtown. BUT. Now I can either walk 15 minutes to the station, catch a train and be downtown in 25 minutes or less, or, to make it even faster, I can catch a bus outside my door that goes directly to the station, be there in two minutes, catch a train, and be downtown even faster. It is so much easier, and direct, and exciting!

Today I took the boys on our first Silver Line adventure. Though the parking garage is still incomplete, the station is open and sparkly new. Maybe I got a few goosebumps walking over the toll road.

There doesn't have to be a silver lining, anymore...there's a silver line. (Badda-bing. Sorry, I just had to work it in somehow.)

Look out, Silver Line, weirdos boarding.

We got on the front car and watched all the new route and new stops.

Teddy's First Birthday- A Teddy Bear Party

I figured the first birthday...maybe the second... is really the only chance I'll have to do a teddy bear-themed birthday party for Teddy. I doubt as he gets much older he'll want to have a lot to do with teddy bear parties. So I went for it.

The party hats might have been my favorite part because I designed them myself. I used a regular party hat pattern, modified it a little and poked holes for ears, used foam instead of paper, made ears with notches, and stuck them in the holes.

Bear party hats

Stapled elastic to the sides

Inside the hat

Teddy the Party Bear

Cousin Clara Bear

Best Friend Bears

Cal and Clark wanted to help with the party,
so they colored a bunch of these teddy bears for a few weeks
before the party. I hid them at the party and the kids ran around
finding them. They were a big hit.

Bear paw cookies! brownie mix, upside-down Hershey dark chocolate
kisses, peanut halves

Yum, but more importantly, cute

I made a banner. I love banners.

I borrowed the chalkboard from a friend.

Bear face cake and Teddy Graham trail mix: The mix is
honey, chocolate, and cinnamon Teddy Grahams with mini marshmallows and raisins.
I separated the mix out into cupcake liners on a cupcake stand and used
the rest in the glass container for decoration.

Teddy's little cake. My mother-in-law
just happened to have a beehive cake
mold, so I used it and made a banana cake
with yellow "honey" cream cheese frosting.
I was hoping to make little bees for it,
but ran out of time.

The weather was nice so all the kids got to play
outside a lot and I even got to play with the
birthday bear a little.

Bear-friends

Teddy Bear eating berries

Teddy was not sure about sitting on a table
without a shirt in front of a room of people.

He did enjoy the frosting, though.

Brother bears surround little birthday bear, who has had
enough of this party.

It was a fun party, and not too much work. I stayed simple with food. We had round sandwich thins with chicken salad for the grown-ups, peanut butter and jelly for the kids, as well as cheese and ham sandwiches and crackers with cheese and salami. We also had a berries plate, apples, watermelon, (bears would eat those things, right?) and veggies. I made strawberry lemonade.

I can't believe our little Peapod who became Theodore John, who became Teddy, is one whole year old. We adore him and can't even imagine what it would be like without him now. We are blessed.

Papa Meets Teddy and some Firsts

Late last night my parents flew in on a plane from Idaho. So this morning Papa got to meet little Teddy for the first time! He was, of course, smiling and cooing and loved his Papa right away.

Teddy also had a couple other firsts yesterday: his first swing on a real, outside swing, and his first experience with an exersaucer. His first roll-over is under review. Here are the ranging swing emotions:

Mild concern

Cautious intrigue

Unexpected elation

Pure enjoyment

The part where he tries to eat the zipper on his jacket

What, this old swing? Been swingin' in it for years. NBD

We were loaned an exersaucer (see below if you don't speak modern parenting tongue) that Teddy is barely big enough for. His little toes barely touch the bottom. He likes it, but I think Cal and Clark like it more than Teddy.

So much to look at/listen to/touch/eat

The boys claim that Teddy rolled over the other day. I think he came very close to rolling over and was physically encouraged to roll over by an older brother. But both older brothers are banding together and claiming that he really rolled over all by himself. The weird thing is that I haven't seen an actual roll-over since the alleged roll-over. 

Teddy's first roll-over?

We spent Papa and Grandma's first day with their grandsons playing a lot of sports. Papa and the boys had a rousing, and probably irresponsible hockey game inside, we all played baseball outside, football outside, and, much to the chagrin of our downstairs neighbor, a little football inside. We also did some picnicking, grocery shopping, cooking, and took in the first innings of the first game of the World Series(Red Sox, yay!). Now Grandma and Papa have escaped the crazy world of our condo and are sleeping quietly in their comfortable quarters at Brian's parents' house. And we have a whole six and a half days left with them!

Brothers!

(looks like a) Selfie!

Teddy is concerned by the picnic

Is Teddy really Teddy when his hair isn't showing?

Clark, rockin' the homemade sports jersey (masking tape number)

Scored the double steering wheel cart at the supermarket!