So Very Much To Be Thankful For

That's What Friends Are For

Having great friends is a necessity, but a whole weekend away with them is a little slice of heaven. I spent this past weekend in North Conway with three of my closest girlfriends. We shopped, rode some horses, ate very well, and talked. And talked and talked and talked. I wouldn't trade living with three boys for anything, but some time with a few of my own kind was priceless.

When I returned home yesterday, everything seemed surprisingly under control. The kids were dressed in somewhat matching outfits, they smelled clean, and the house was not a disaster. Ben was even entertaining (or being entertained by?) the Doyles (minus Melissa, who was with me).

It was adorable and bittersweet to watch our boys play with Molly and Jack. Even though these kids only see each other every few months (or less), they don't miss a beat and pick up right where they left off every time. Getting together with the Doyles when they're in town always makes me sad that we don't live closer, but it's wonderful to see the relationships between our kids develop, and to realize that they can withstand the distance. I'm sure that looking at each other's blogs and talking about our faraway friends helps. Still, we look forward to the day when a pigpile on the couch is a more common occurrence.

As we begin this week that is all about gratitude, I reflect on all that I have to be thankful for. What makes me happiest, most grateful, are the people that surround me - these special forever friends, my families (both by birth and adoption), my supportive husband who recognizes and obliges my need to escape with little complaint, and of course, my boys, who have finally forgiven me for leaving them this weekend. These people, and the relationships I have with them, make my days lovelier and my life fuller.

May all your Thanksgivings be brimming with friendships, family, and gratitude.

Turnabout is Fair Play

Soon after Ethan started daycare back in the summer of 2008, we became familiar with the infamous "incident report". The boys' school also has an "accident report" but this is far less infamous and the two should not be confused. The "accident report" informs you that your poor child was a victim of some sort of accident, like falling off a slide or bumping his head on something. The "accident report" also tells you if your child suffered at the hands of a bully, getting bitten or hit or pushed (even if it wasn't an "accident"). But the "incident report" is far less benign. It is meant to inform you that your child is the bully. It details the nature of the crime, whether it was provoked (somehow, provocation makes it a little easier to swallow the fact that your kid clocked another kid on the head with a firetruck), and what punishment was delivered. At pick-up, you must review and sign the incident reports - I have no idea what happens to them after that point, but I am guessing there is an over-stuffed file folder of incident reports somewhere labeled "Stockwell".

When Ethan was in the 1-2 year room at Toddle Inn, there was a period of time when we would have to sign (I kid you not) at least 3 incident reports every day. (We think) frustrated by his inability to communicate, Ethan had a penchant for sinking his teeth into his friends when he was sad, mad, excited...you name it. When he moved up to the 2-3 year room, these biting incidents magically passed. Now, his preschool teachers cannot believe the legends they hear about Ethan, the gentlest, most empathetic kid in the class.

But now there's Adam. He made it through the 1-2 year room with a zillion accident reports (this kid should really wear a permanent helmet with the number of times he bonks his head), but ZERO incident reports. We exhaled big sighs of relief and declared victory at having raised a non-biter. Then he moved up to the next room and all hell broke loose. The incident reports started coming fast and furious and we would hold our breath at pick-up every day, fearing news of how many nibbles our little monster had taken out of his friends. One day, there were no incident reports to sign, so I asked his teacher, "No incidents today?" She replied, "Oh he bit two or three kids, but nothing bad enough to write up an incident report about." Great. So the 2-3 incident reports we sign per night actually reflect significantly more incidents?! Sigh.

Well, the good news is that we were incident-free this week for the first time in I don't know how long. It was not for lack of trying - I think Adam's teachers have just gotten good at spotting when he is about to strike and intervening. But I'll take it. When I picked the boys up tonight and saw Adam's teacher coming at me with a form, I sighed and my shoulders sank in defeat. But no! It was only an accident report - I guess he decided to tumble with the wrong kid today and got a little taste of his own medicine.

While I feel for the little guy, it is SO much easier to be on this side of the fence.

Counting Worms

Wow - days fly into weeks and suddenly it's mid-November! We are enjoying a treat of a day with 64 degree temps and unfettered sunshine. Unfortunately, that sun is already setting - boo for daylight savings time. We've been making the most of these shorter days though - playing outside sans snowsuits as much as possible, planting bulbs, raking leaves, building more compost piles (silly me thought one only needed a single compost pile but I guess I was wrong!), and counting worms. Yes, I said counting worms. Ben has completed not one, not two, but three worm censuses in the past few days. Apparently, the number of worms in your soil indicates how nutrient-dense the soil is, and early reports show our soil is not up to snuff. As far as I know, there has not been a worm census spreadsheet created to date - I'm sure that will come.

We've also been busy buying and selling cars - we sold our old Jetta and replaced it with a Mazda 3 last weekend. Our garage now looks like a Mazda showroom, except the cars are way dirtier (well the new one is still pretty clean, but I am sure that will be short-lived). The boys have been their usual wild and crazy selves and we've enjoyed having a few weekends playing at home before the holiday fun begins. They were being little hams at breakfast yesterday morning, so I snapped a few shots. Please excuse the snot- and food-encrusted faces.

And here they are enjoying this lovely weather:

Now we're off to hang the Christmas lights. While the weather doesn't feel much like Christmas, I know that December will be here before we know it and that we shouldn't pass up the opportunity to do it without gloves!

Birthday Recap

It kind of stinks having your birthday right near a major holiday. But we made sure our little monkey got his due celebration with a small party at our house on Saturday night. It was just grandparents and a couple of his local buddies, but it was a perfect way to ring in his third year. There was dinner with friends:

and of course, singing and cake:

Having had cupcakes at school and a mini-celebration at home on his actual birthday, Adam knew the drill by the time his party came around. First we blow out the candles...

and then we stuff our face.

Adam's birthday buddy Helen was in attendance. Can you tell these two are only about 36 hours apart in age?

Ethan loved helping his little brother celebrate his birthday. He was particularly fond of opening Adam's presents for him, and of reminding everyone that his own birthday is in January.

Things That Go Bump in the Night

I have always been a big fan of Halloween, but it's become even more of a favorite since having kids. Lucky for me, the boys (particularly the oldest one) share in my enthusiasm for this hallowed day. Ben used to laugh at me when I asked (usually sometime in July) what he was going to be for Halloween that year. But Ethan, he plays along with his Mommy and came up with an adorable, easy, and incredibly appropriate idea for the boys' costume this year. We won't mention the fact that he has already decided what he wants to be next year and that given the concept, I am really glad I have a whole year to think about how I am going to pull it off... But back to this year - we started the day with some pumpkin carving, and were thankful to have a champion pumpkin carver in residence.

The boys watch the master carver at work

I asked Ethan what kind of face he wanted on his pumpkin - scary, silly, mad? His response: "Sleepy." Here is my attempt:

After carving pumpkins, it was a long day of "When do we get candy? When can we put our costumes on? When can we go out trick-or-treating? Mommy, I see someone putting candy out - it's time!" We were able to hold them off until about 5 or so, and then did a quick tour of the neighborhood in some less-than-ideal trick-or-treating conditions. It was FREEZING! Here are Thing 1 and Thing 2 raring to go:

For those who haven't had the pleasure of reading The Cat in the Hat a gazillion times, Thing 1 and Thing 2 are two little blue-haired, red jammie-clad creatures that burst out of a box at full steam, wreaking havoc and creating destruction wherever they go. Hmmm.....sounds familiar.

Hope you all had a fun day with your little ghosts and goblins. I'm off to raid Thing 1 and Thing 2's loot.

And Now You Are Two

To my baby boy on his second birthday,

Wasn’t it just yesterday that we waited…and waited…and waited some more for your arrival? Didn’t you just tumble into the world in the middle of a warm, windy, foggy night? Didn’t we just meet you for the very first time, holding you in our arms and kissing your sweet little forehead and welcoming you to the world? Weren’t we just calling your grandparents, your big brother, your aunts and uncles, waking them up to announce your arrival, your name, your perfection?

And now you are already two. At two you are a little boy. You still have your Buddha belly and your chubby wrists and ankles, but soon those will fade and your limbs will be long and lean like your brother’s. You still run like a toddler, but you climb like a monkey. You are a rule-challenger, a spitfire, a natural comedian. Just the other day, after we all chuckled at one of your jokes, you said “I funny” with your adorable snaggle-toothed grin. That you are, little man. You were challenging assumptions before you were even born. I assumed you would be born early – aren’t all second children early? But no, you had to prove that to be a myth and hang out in my belly for ten long days past your due date. You are stubborn and like to be right, and you know exactly how to get your way. Your eyes twinkle and the corners of your mouth turn up just so, your eyebrows lift, and yup, you’ve won. Mommy is a puddle and you got what you wanted. At two, you are incredibly social. Unlike your big brother, you never ever need alone time. If any of us starts to leave a room, you run behind us shouting “I coming!” You want to be where the action is all the time, and you don’t care much what we’re doing, as long as it involves you. Even if you know a word perfectly well, you ask “What dat?” anyway, just to interact. Your latest joke is to point at something and purposely call it the wrong name, as a question, and then shout “Noooooo!” with a big guffaw. Your belly laugh is contagious.

I am sure you will ask me some day, “What did I like to do as a kid?” Well, at two, you love to play snort monster with Daddy. This involves chasing each other around with little snorting noises, and it makes you laugh like nothing else. You also like to trade animal noises with Daddy. Ethan likes these games too, but they are really your special games with Daddy. You love animals and trains, and flushing the toilet. You love yogurt (without granola on top), applesauce, cheese, eggs, broccoli, green beans, and anything Daddy is eating. Your table manners are atrocious, and you refuse to eat with a fork and a spoon unless absolutely necessary. You are incredibly affectionate, always asking for “hug” and then “kiss”. You are learning your manners, and have perfected “Please”, “Thank you”, “Bless you”, “Sorry”, and “Excuse me”. You are working on “You’re welcome” but haven’t quite mastered the correct use of that one yet. You ask to be picked up a lot, in your own little verbiage – “Hold you me”. You have superb pronunciation of most words, but yet you still call your brother “Ah-keen”. You can say your name very well: “Amam”. You are learning your “ABCs” and love to sing them loudly with your brother; “W” is your favorite. You are loving, witty, charming, smart, and sometimes a little devilish. You are our little munchkin and we love you to pieces.

Happy 2^nd birthday Adam!

10/26/08

10/26/10