Wednesday, March 31, 2010

March: A Review

March is just about over.  We've been up to a lot this month.  And whenever we were up to these things I think, "oh, this would be cute for the blog.  I should write about this.  Let me get some photographic evidence.."  and so forth and so on.  Well, we were up to so much that I really didn't get around to writing about anything, and then it feels silly to say, several weeks ago this funny thing happened.  So, instead I give you March: a Review.  

Zach has taken up barefoot running as part of his running regimen.  He only runs a very short distance barefoot, but that's apparently how you are supposed to do it.  One day he asked the boys if they wanted to go with him and they literally jumped up and down at the chance.  Then they went and dressed themselves for the barefoot run.  This picture was the result.  Now, they go with Zach almost every time he goes barefoot running, but I think they go on bikes and scooters instead of running.  

I made the boys aprons out of a denim skirt that doesn't fit me properly.  Ben's got finished first and he and Sam wanted to try it out by painting a picture.  And then themselves.  As you can see, the apron is completely successful at keeping all the paint off of the areas that it is covering.  Success.  


It was my birthday this month.  This is the cake that Zach and the boys made for me.  Ben and Sam were psyched out of their minds to make this.  Unbelievably excited.  While decorating it, Zach accidentally mistook the gel dyes we have for the decorating frosting and wrote "Happy B" before he realized his mistake.  If you have never used gel dye it is really strong, you only need a drop or two.  So, after eating this cake our mouths were dyed blue.  The boys thought it was hilarious.  

Ben wants to push some buttons with me.  Here is his contribution.  

tytgjhjkhikkkk,;k;';'/k.;k.k';k;.k;. g;lggkgjjjnjgjjkhgggggguuuuuubbbbbsssssscccccxxxxxxxxxxsstttttttttttttttfffffffeeedddddddddrtto;'juiuiiuiiiiiijjijijiiuukjuojiuijoioiojihhhhhhredrtytyhhuyuyhjjjjyhyjhjh k.k,.klkh, bvggferwqcdrddrddddfdfferewv1 d f f  gjggggggggggyrguitturh

We broke out the bbq for the first time and have been making burgers and chicken and potatoes and other things that we think would be yummy on it (for instance, an onion wrapped in foil and left on the warm coals for a couple hours gets really sweet.  Awesomeness)  The boys love to help Zach barbeque.  They think it's the bees knees.  But they are forever getting into trouble for sticking sticks in there and such.  

They inherited Zach's fascination with building fires and my fascination with burning stuff.  
Trouble Brewing.  

We have a door jam on the wall shaped like a hexagon.  Ben asked me one day what the shape was called and it has been his hands down favorite shape since.  They get together and make hexagons and eventually figured out that stop signs were actually octagons, though it took some convincing.  Anyway, I was really impressed with this shape they made, but it could just be because I'm their Mom.  But I think their awesome.  

We made a batch of cookies and the boys helped me.  Before I added eggs to the batter I told them they could lick the mixer, a beautiful and consecrated act of childhood.  It took some convincing, but they finally figured out that I was telling them to like a blend of butter and sugar to their heart's content and they went wild on it.  Two kids licking on mixer at the same time is a glorious site. 


A few minutes later they took out all the pots and pans and had a little percussion party.  Very noisy. 


The boys are finally getting into drawing.  They only had a mild passing interest in it before, but in just the last few weeks, they've taken off.  They tell these awesome stories as they draw and create little worlds.  I got a new box of sidewalk chalk and they've almost gone through the whole thing.  This is a little stick figure girl (see? On the left, with the legs and the arms and squarish head?) and Ben says that the line is her brain coming out.  I think they were telling a story about aliens at the time, because Buzz Lightyear showed up a few minutes later.  

Ben and Sam are completely enthralled with camping.  Love it.  So we went on a little camping trip last week to give them a taste of it.  And to see what stuff we need before any other camping trips.  It was pretty cold.  More on this later. 


Oh, and Spring is here.  And it's wondrous.  

And that's March.  Nicely done.


Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Hoity-Toity

A couple of weeks ago was my b-day and to celebrate we had a little party.  We decided to have a hoity-toity grape juice and cheese tasting party.  It was fairly awesome.  

We had some of our friends and their kids over, probably too many for our space, because it was impressively crowded, but great fun.

The Layout

Here is what we served: Chevre (goat milk soft cheese), Great Lakes Danish Blue Cheese, Manchego (Spanish sheep cheese and my favorite cheese ever), Premium Lite Matured Dutch cheese (completely mediocre), Pecorino Romano (hard Italian sheep cheese).  To accompany to cheese, (it's all about mixing and matching the flavors and seeing what works together), toasted baguettes, crackers, apples and pears, piquillo peppers, pickles, honey, Dijon mustard, hummus, and raisins.  

Zach discovered that honey and blue cheese is surprisingly good together, and I discovered that I like Dijon mustard now.  Crazy.  

C'est moi

Thanks to everyone for coming to my little party and for putting up with my hoity-toityness, and for (hopefully) having a fun time!  

Monday, March 15, 2010

Childhood Verbosity

Sam: Be happy.  Like me.  See!  (Big smile on his face) Put your mouth up like this (pulls the corners of his mouth up with his fingertips).  When you put your mouth down it means you're sad (pulls corners of his mouth down in exaggerated frown).

Sam dressed in his Woody (as in Toy Story) pajamas is sitting in our bedroom before Ben wakes up
Ben: (Calling from their room) Woody?! Woody, can you come here?
Sam: Hey, Ben!
Ben: I was in here, but you weren't in here with me.
Sam: Now I'm in here with you!

Sam: Do you know where Billy is?  (His little toy dinosaur)
Me: No, I don't.
Sam: But he could be in grape danger!
Me: Do you mean grave danger?
Sam: No, grape danger.  That's where Zurg lives!

Ben: Megatron, I'm going to teach you how to be nice to children!
Sam: Grrr!
Ben: But if I teach you how to be nice, then we can be friends!
Sam: Grr! I don't like that!

After his request for more cake was denied
Sam: But I love it!  Like I love airplanes and candy and packages!

Ben and Sam had climbed up and were sitting on the top of our fence, spitting.  
Zach: Boys get down.  And stop spitting.
Sam: But we're pretending to be clouds!  And it's raining!

Ben biting his toenails
Me: Ben, why are you biting your toenails?
Ben: Because I like to.
Me: Did you know you are a lot like me? When I was little I used to do things like that.
(Pause)
Ben: When I'm not looking at people I pick my boogers. Did you do that when you were little, too?

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Mud Brothers


See these two?  I love them.  I love them so, so much.  They make me laugh and fill my life with so much joy and wonder.  I absolutely adore them.

Considering that, I think it's amazing how often I feel like strangling them.

I don't though.  Let's just get that clear, right off the bat.

Ben and Sam displaying their tools of destruction

These pictures are to show what happens when we leave the boys alone for too long.  Like say, fifteen minutes.  Zach and I had been dozing on the couch, thinking the boys were happily playing with blocks in the backyard, when I sat up to stretch and saw this.  

Sam
(See those bins of leaves?  I had just swept up the back porch and it was quite tidy.  Of course.)

They had emptied a pot full of soil onto the ground and mixed it with some rainwater to create a mud puddle. Then they threw the mud onto the fence.  They say it was the fire guys who were doing it and they were throwing fire.  They are nothing if not creative.  

Ben's funny face

I guess I really shouldn't be surprised by all this anymore.  

Sam's funny face

And I should just always have a bath ready and waiting.


Tuesday, March 2, 2010

He just felt like running...

Zach is a running fool these days.  He runs a lot.  And he is forever looking at shoes and runner's world and talking with other running fools about running.  It's officially an obsession.  But he's getting into really great shape, so I'm not complaining.  Too much.  

He's working up to a marathon slowly and is probably going to do one later this year.  Last Saturday he ran his first Pikermi, so he is officially half way there.  He was pretty nervous that morning, kinda jittery like, even though, I think, he's already run this distance before.  But, then again, this was up in the mountains in rainy, muddy conditions.  But I've heard that "pre-race jitters" are pretty common.  


Zach, running in a field to get warmed up before the race
(I would be sitting down, to avoid running as much as possible before the race)

We were hoping and planning on having a little BBQ and hiking some of the trails they have up there, but the weather wasn't great for it.  It had rained all night and then cleared up for long enough that the boys and I to eat donuts and find the playground in a mere drizzle. 

Sam and Ben in the rain

Ben in the Rain 
(That's his dog Chocolate, who doesn't like to get wet)

As we were playing on the playground in the light drizzle, and I was under and umbrella attempting to read a book, the real rain started up.  Of course, it only lasted long enough for us to get uncomfortably moist and into the car and then it stopped.  Ah.  So we just went back to the race finish and stood in the rain and waited for Zach to finish.  

Awful picture of Zach finishing

He reached his goal of 8 minute miles and had a finishing time of 1:45:07.  Which I think is pretty darn awesome.  He was, of course, completely soaked and the backs of his legs were covered in mud.  Sam said he didn't know it was him when he saw him.  And then we went home and had the BBQ in our backyard, so it was a pretty splendid day overall, I'd say.