Gone Baby Gone

Sweet Little Guy

Look at that face.

I could definitely go on and on about how much I wish he would never grow up, but it would only be a half-truth. This LG has come a long way in a year, and this was a great birthday. I'm sure that if I could measure his brain matter on the scale, it would look downright fat and plumpy compared to last year. If I forget to see the forest through the trees, it is easy to become frustrated with this one, but looking back over the year is a good reminder that he is growing, learning, and loving so much more every day. 

Take Disneyland for example. When our family went to Disneyland in the fall of 2011, he really should have been on a leash. He ran away (notice this is not the same thing as getting lost) twice, got lost once, was licking handrails, and had a VERY hard time waiting in line. Most of the rides terrified him, and me and the BK were kind of done by about 3pm. Fast forward to spring 2013. We just got back from a fabulous trip to Disneyland, and though I was equipped with a monkey leash (yes for him if he needed it), I never even threatened to use it. He waited patiently and excitedly in lines that were twice as long (here's a recommendation to avoid Disneyland over spring break) as the last time we went, and he was an absolute joy. Just one year made such a difference. 

He wanted Legos (shocker), and friends, and something fun to do. I was happy to have the party at Boondocks where they supply the food, entertainment and the cleanup. I provided the cake. I'm not quite sure whether my children (or the BK) will cherish or detest their homemade cakes, but you can't say I don't try. 

Note to self: he will continue to grow up every day. He certainly doesn't look much like that little boy above, and I am trying to be grateful today and everyday for his curiosity, challenging behavior (which makes me both grow and growl), sweet loving snuggles (these may not last much longer), and bright smile. Happy Birthday to my amazing LG. 

Resurfacing

It's been too long, but there is a time and place for everything, and I have been very busy drowning in the needs of my small children. I'm hoping they either need a little less of me, or that I somehow find the energy to overcome. I plan to revive this blog, and at some point in the near future give it a facelift - that will require me to figure out how to do that which honestly could take a long time, but I hope I'm back.

Obviously I am a wee bit behind, so to catch up, I figured I would start with the most mundane happenings and then devote some real time to the important ones so stay tuned.

Snow Days
I think I may be the only parent who looks at the beautiful white stuff and thinks, "This is going to be a long day." Probably. For about 30 minutes they are in heaven, and it is totally worth it, but it is a bit like making dinner - a lot of preparation, a bit of enjoyment, and a lot of cleanup. It was a nasty winter, and this type of snow and clean air wouldn't stick around for long, so I am glad we were able to enjoy it before the smog set in for the next 3 months. It really was an incredibly beautiful day.

Ski Days
I think the moose makes him look more professional. The BK keeps telling me that if we are going to live this close to the greatest snow on earth, that we should teach our kids to enjoy it. It makes sense, but it also makes me cold just thinking about it. Maybe if there were moose sculptures along the slopes. That probably won't happen. Neither will me warming to the idea of spending every Saturday in the pizza position on an ice hill for the next 5 years.

Education
My kids are geniuses, that would be due to all of the time we spend with the abacus, working on our times tables, reading, and doing our Mensa worksheets. Yup. In truth, they just like the noise the abacus makes when they shift the beads around. That doesn't mean they aren't geniuses.

IPad
This thing has taken over our lives. I just thought it deserved some mention as the newest member of our family.

That's all for now.