A Great Milestone

At the risk of outing ourselves as horrible parents, we have reached a wonderful milestone in our house.  Henry is now able to turn on the TV and cable box and type in "847" on the remote.  This brings Nick Jr. onto the TV.  On weekend mornings he and Molly go straight to the couch and watch their show happily while we get some extra shut-eye.  Looks like all of those fine motor drills I do with him have been a huge success!  Now if I could only teach them how to operate the coffee maker we would be in business!

Funny Stuff

Molly loves to read out loud.  She paraphrases quite well and sometimes adds her own adjustments to the book.  I laughed recently when I overheard her ending  her story "Haffiny never nafter." 

Yesterday Molly told me that something "would be her pleasure"

Henry is like a little Adam clone.  He recently told me that he could not eat his maple carrots or his apricot jam toast.  "It's really just too sweet Mommy."  He also told me that Adam was a much better "cooker" than I wise.  Oh well, tough break kid.

This evening I was tucking him into bed.  I said for him to get some rest because we were going to have a fun day tomorrow.  He asked what we were going to do.  I said that I didn't know but I would think of something fun (we went to the beach today at his friend Elliot's suggestion).  He said, "Elliot picked something today.  I will think of something tomorrow.  Before I watch my show in the morning, I will watch the news to see if it is warm out and then I will decide."

Italian Mother Syndrome

I worked with the funniest guy at my last job.  My friend was a middle aged Italian guy who grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  (Williamsburg is now UBER trendy which amused him.  He described it as the "armpit of the earth")  He had a lovely, but tough as nails wife and two boys. 

Listening to Ralph tell stories was like having a friend from another culture.  It was completely unlike my upbringing.  They did literally everything for their boys, provided them with every material comfort and never wanted them to move out.  They micro-managed their daily existence.  The plan was that they would live with their parents until they wanted some freedom and then they would move to the basement.    Once they got married, the son and (that bitch who married their son) would move into the basement.  After saving some money, either they or the inlaws would chip in and buy the kids a house and they would live next door.

I would make fun of my friend (to his face) all of the time.  He was too soft.  He did too much for the kids.  Give them some freedom.  The wife was too hard on the son's girlfriend.    He told me a story where if he tried to grab the last piece of chicken his wife would give him a dirty look.  Maybe one of the boys would like to eat it she would say.  There were so many funny stories that I wish I could remember because they are so relevant to what I am going through now as a parent.

I had an epiphany one night after I caught myself giving Adam the evil eye for taking extra food that I thought Henry might want.  After poor Adam had probably worked a 70 hour week.  I had to call my friend  to tell him that I now understood his wife completely.  I was sorry that I had every disagreed with anything she had ever done or said.  She was right. 

Off to find a triplex in the Brooklyn so that the kids never have to move out.

Christmas -2010

Christmas Eve we had Adam's family over for dinner and Christmas Day we went to my brother Kevin's house for dinner.  The highlight of the day was all of the kids shaking their booties to some sort of Wii Dance Game.  Too funny. 

This was the first year that Henry was really into Santa which made it a lot more fun.  We had to leave our carrots and cookies on the front mat because OF COURSE Santa does not have a key to our locked door.  I have to admit- that the thought of a fat, old, strange, bearded man breaking into your house IS a bit creepy, however jolly he might be.

Things the kids asked for: they both wanted pillow pets.  Molly wanted the lady bug and Henry wanted the dog.  The rest of Molly's list was "Dora Stuff" and Henry wanted a video game player, a spongbob toothbrush and a stuffed spongebob doll.

Here are some pictures right after they woke up on Christmas morning.  We must have concentrated on the video because these shots really are not that great!

Random Cute Pictures

Digging through the archives these are just pictures that I liked.  This outfit was one of Molly's own creations.  Her Easter basket, a necklace Adam bought her, pajamas, different pajama pants, and socks on her hands.  The last one is a classic Molly face where she is giggling at her own joke.

 In these pictures Henry must have just gotten his hair cut.  He has some sort of hair product in his hair that he would never let us do at home.  I just thought he looked very handsome that day and the last shot reminds me of what he will look as a teenager staring at the TV.

Tree Day - December 16th 2010

Ever since Adam and I started living together we have always gone to get our Christmas tree on December 16th, which was my Dad's birthday.  We have continued the tradition with the kids.  We make a big spaghetti and meatball dinner, drink some wine and yell at each other while trying to get the tree straight in the tree stand.  We buy our tree from the same guys from Canada each year who stay for the entire season just off 181st Street.  We pick the tallest, skinniest tree we can find, pay an exhorbitant sum of money for it.  Adam drags it home while I snap photos.  Invariably the camera lens always fogs up and the pictures are terrible but it is documentation nonetheless. 

Since we have always lived with very little storage space (no garage, attic or basement) I have traditionally made new ornaments each year based on some sort of theme.  Since the kids have been born I have really focused on non-breakable ornaments that they could touch.  We have since gained some storage space so I am able to keep what I make from year to year.  It is fun to see Molly react to the felt Elmo ornament just as Henry did when he was her age.  This year we added to the collection by making some beaded ornaments that I bought in kits.  We also all painted some glass ornaments as a family.  I personally enjoyed watching Adam out of his comfort zone doing crafts.  Henry really enjoyed making the snowflakes which had the tiniest little beads.  I was surprised that he could even work with them and how much attention and time he devoted to making them. 

Family photo-  That is Molly stuffed in my coat.  We got a late start and she passed out as soon as I put her in the Ergo carrier.

Getting the end sawed off the tree

Close up of some of our home-made ornaments

The finished product

Molly's Second Birthday Celebration!

Here are the photos from Molly's big day in December.

Picking out her birthday breakfast at the diner



At the New Jersey Chilren's Museum



The Knight.  Just prior to the picture she was chewing out some poor boy who had the nerve to enter her castle

Ride 'em cowboy!

Molly with her best friend Roen.  Roen and her mom and brother stopped by to see her new dollhouse

Molly with her Dora cake

Molly at her birthday tea with two of her friends. 

Pink cupcakes- Molly's only birthday request

Now That is Some Craft Box!

As background, Henry and Molly have a craft box with assorted things:  paper, crayons, pipe cleaners, string, paper clips, glue, stickers, streamers, feathers etc.  Henry is quite the inventor and is always making all sorts of contraptions.  Yesterday it was putting feathers on the backs of his Toy Story Figurines so that they could fly.  Today it was stringing a line between every chair and knob in the dining room making a tight rope that he planned to walk on.  Good luck with that one right?

Anyway, the kids were taking their naps this afternoon.  I heard Henry leave his room and go into the bathroom.  A minute later after his business was done I heard him back in the bedroom having a very earnest conversation with Molly.  I went in to see what was keeping her from getting out of her bed.  Henry filled me in since she was not speaking that Molly had to use the bathroom but she didn't want to sit down.  She wanted to stand like him.

We are always taking about the differences between the boy and girl anatomy in this house.  Usually more than I would like but whatever.  I explained to Molly, yet again I might add, that she didn't have a penis so she would have to sit.  She looked at me and sighed, I sure thinking that I was lacking something, maybe imagination.  It was definitely a condescending look.  Henry, sensing trouble brewing on the horizon, started spouting off ideas.  His best and my favorite was: "I know!  We can make Molly a penis using stuff from the craft box and then she can pee standing up!"  Henry, I love your enthusiasm and craftiness!

Apple Picking- Fall 2010

Looking through our pictures, it seems that all we do is pick fruit on the weekends.  Since I am trying to be thorough for Grandma, I now present you with Apple Picking at Masker's Orchard in Warwick, NY.

Halloween 2010

We started off the day at the NY Botanical Gardens where they had a Halloween celebration for kids.  We then had an appetizer contest/Halloween party in our lobby with the neighbors.  We took second place with our bacon wrapped, ricotta stuffed dates which was very exciting!  We even got a trophy.  We then did some trick or treating in our building.  Molly didn't want to wear her costume until she got the real idea of what Halloween was about.  She quickly changed her tune!

Molly running through the hedge maze

Henry in the maze

Sitting on the log furniture

Sitting at the mini log table and chairs

Doing some sort of botanical project.  I think it was what they find in animal stomachs or something gross like that

Spongebob and the Red Crayon setting off to find treats in our building

Making their very important selections.  I wish I paid more attention since I wound up eating most of the candy!