Lego Maniacs

I need to change AJ's name to Zach (remember the old Lego commercial from the 80's?  Zach, Zach, he's a Lego Maniac!) AJ is a true Lego addict and devotee.  I don't mind at all because they are such a better toy than Transformers.  It is fun to watch what AJ builds.  He recently earned a trip to the local library's monthly Lego Club, and this is what he built and shared with the group:

A Transformer Car.  When we first arrived at Lego Club, AJ demanded to leave immediately. He said he had pictured tables with each person having their own chair and did not like the way the Legos were all spread out on an old bed sheet in the middle of the floor with everyone crowding around.  I knew he wanted to do it but was just a little intimidated/anxious about the setup, so I told him we could just sit at the edge of the room to watch but weren't going to leave.  About 15 minutes into the meeting, he inched his way over to the sheet and started digging in.  I didn't realize that Lego Club is also about practicing public speaking skills, but at the end they had all the kids get in a circle and tell their name, age and describe what they had created.  AJ was in awe of the big kids and what they built--I think he's found his people.

Davey wasn't into the Legos for a long time but in the last month has really started to figure out how to build things and has started to spend more and more of his play time with Legos as well.  Now I am on a quest to figure out how to neatly store all of these tiny pieces when they are not being turned into a dragon car that breathes fire with laser missiles on the back.

Off to Grandma (and Papa's!) House

Miss Julia is on her first solo trip to visit Grandma Francie and Papa sans brothers.  I hear she has been enjoying herself with lunch out on the town, a trip to the library, cupcake baking and a little window shopping.  Here is a picture of a trip all three kids took to Chicago to visit Grandma and Papa taken in my favorite photo spot in Chicago down by the aquarium.  The second photo is of Julia in a dress Grandma Francie made for her, and the last is of Julia in a red sweater that Grandma Francie made for Joe back in the day.

Did You Hear the One About the Lawyer, the Banker and the Scientist?

AJ did an interesting project at preschool where he was asked to draw a picture of his parents and describe what they do.  Over here we have a lawyer:

The description as reported to the teacher says: "At work my mom is a lawyer.  She tells people what to do."  I have a feeling my colleagues would have a good laugh if they saw this picture, because that does not feel like what we do.  But notice the smile on that lady's face!  She looks like she whistles to work every day.  If only all lawyering were so much fun.  When AJ asks what I do, I tell him that my job is to tell people the rules, and if I have to stay late at work, I explain to him that someone broke the rules and I needed to help them figure out how to fix their mistake.  AJ is in that developmental phase where he loves to figure out the rules and tell people what to do.  I think that is why he has drawn me so happy, because he would love to have a job one day where he gets paid to tell people the rules.  

Bankers did not do so well in this little virtual bring-your-parent-to-school day.  Here is Joe at work with a big frowny face.  The caption says "At work my dad goes downtown and he sits and stares at the computer."    Yowza.  This looks like a banker circa 2008-2009 when the Great Recession first hit.  Since seeing this, I have been trying to explain to AJ a little more about what Joe does.  I try to summarize it as daddy helps people figure out how to spend their money and how to make it into more money.  AJ and Davey both love getting their allowance, stuffing it in Julia's piggy bank and counting it over and over before blowing it at Target on Legos every chance they get, so AJ liked this idea about making money.

When we ask AJ what he wants to do, he says he wants to be a scientist who studies outer space, and then later, when he is 81 or 86 and is no longer afraid, he will become an astronaut and walk on the moon or maybe Mars.  I think he would make a great scientist and tell him that is a very good plan.

Corn Season...We're Ready!

Despite the rainy, cold start to spring and summer, it is unofficially corn season around here, thanks to imports from the southern states.  This is one food that all three kids will happily eat.

Holiday Card Rejects

I was just looking through old photos and think the holiday card rejects are even better (read: funnier!) than the ones we ended up using...

Julia's not so sure about this photo project.

AJ saying "hey, I already smiled three times!  That's enough."  David is still giving it his all and holding the perma-smile.  Julia looking at daddy off screen.

Julia: I am going to duck and cover, because usually when they get this silly, one of them hits me and says "we were just having fun!"

Made the mistake of asking David to hold up his star a little bit.

And all three get into the act...

We're on the Move, Take 2

I wrote almost two years ago here that we were moving to Iowa.  Since that time, we have been living in a cramped rental house with many of our belongings in a storage unit and a general feeling of being unsettled.  In May we closed on a house in the same elementary school boundaries for AJ as his preschool this year, and we are all so excited to move in next week.  I can't wait to unpack (everything--for good!), get the kids' rooms set up and settle in.  The kids are hoping we can keep this fun U-Haul truck for a while longer.

David's Menagerie

David loves animals of any kind.  Dogs, cats, birds, bugs, even worms.  He has a large collection of stuffed animals and likes to take them with him to daycare, in the car, to Grandma and Papa's and on.  He has started to ask for real animals, too, including a rabbit, a turtle, a guinea pig, a spider, a dog, a snake (um...never!), and some goldfish to boot.  And don't forget "a parrot that talks and poops!"  I don't want to squash his love for animals but also don't particularly want to own all of these furry/scaly/slimy guys.  If this animal love lasts, I am thinking we might start David's Pet Sitting Service when he is around eight.  Here is David's carefully arranged stuffed animal collection brought with him in his suitcase on a recent trip to Denver and greeted like long-lost friends when he discovered them again upon unpacking.

The Dollhouse

Julia's dollhouse really deserves its own post.  It is already a favorite toy of all three kids in this house.  They fight over how to arrange the furniture and who gets which doll.  Julia has staked her claim on the girl doll wearing the shirt with light and dark pink stripes.  After months of begging the boys to play with their transformers/cars/trains, etc., she is clearly delighted to be the proud owner of the new most desirable toy in the house.

How To Survive a Long, Hard Midwest Winter

This year winter lasted from December until May with significant snow in April and again the first week in May.  It. Was. Depressing.  With a capital D.  Since our current house does not have a finished basement with a play room, the only way we survived was by parking the cars on the driveway and letting the kids ride around and around and around in the garage until they tired themselves out...

Christmas Wrap (Up)

I was flipping through old photos tonight and can't resist posting some from Christmas even though it was six months ago.  I should have done it last month when we had the most snow in May on record since 1907.  AJ and Davey were thrilled to get Bruticus, the mega-transformer made by connecting five separate transformers together, as well as the cookie that was on their list for Santa. I think Julia's favorite from Santa was the wooden toaster with bread, butter and honey, as well as the wooden coffee pot so that she can "make kaff-eeee!"  But her clear favorite overall (and let's be honest, the favorite of the boys as well) was the  beautiful dollhouse from Grandma Francie and Papa.  That is going to get a lot of use around these parts.

Hats Off to 2013!

Yet another catch up post.  I would say Happy New Year 2013, but we are almost halfway through the year.  Hmmm...maybe a good time to check in on our New Year's Resolutions?  AJ's resolutions were to learn how to shoot a bow and arrow and to learn how to be a really good swimmer.  No dice on getting the bow and arrow yet (we all like our body parts intact around here), but he has been taking swimming lessons and loves it.  He still needs to work on getting the kick and the arms coordinated, but he is doing...swimmingly.  Davey wanted to sign up for tae kwon do, soccer, t-ball, football, music class and gymnastics.  I'm tired just typing that.  For now, he is doing t-ball and we will add one more thing later in the year. He would also like his own pet rabbit and asks me to take him to the pet store 10 times a day.  I would call that more of a wish than a resolution, although he swears he will clean up after the rabbit if he can "just have my own bunny rabbit that lives with me."  Julia is not quite able to make her own resolutions yet, so I resolved that she would do the big girl potty training, as well as do the toddler pacifiers anonymous support group.  We pulled the plug on the paci about a week ago and so far, so good.  She is whining more than normal but has been able to sleep fine.  (And I'm pretty sure I would whine even more often if someone took away my coffee.)  Here's to a good second half of 2013!

The One

This is another one of my catch up posts from December 2012.  For the second year in a row, Grandma Julie came through and helped the kids and I pick out The One at the Christmas tree farm.  A family started this farm years ago to pay for their kids' college tuition, and now they are working on covering college tuition for the grand kids.  Last year was very cold and snowy, so we jumped out of the car, picked one and then headed over to the hot cider/train hut to warm up.  This year was warmer and the kids took their time finding just the right one.  I think we got a keeper!