words

When they read library books, our boys will often sit next to each other and talk about them together. Both boys love books, but Noah loves them beyond anything else. Stories, nonfiction encyclopedia-type books, easy readers that he's starting to be able to read, you name it. He's been obsessed with books and stories since before he was one.



Below are some Facebook entries you might appreciate if you and I don't Facebook together. People always tell me to write them down, which they technically are, but who knows how permanent Facebook is, so I'll put some of them here. If you want me to invite you to be my FB friend, let me know. I don't really like to mix my work and personal lives too much, so I have my settings set so that I can't be seen in the directory.

Me: "Noa*h, why do you have that funny look on your face?" No*ah: "I'm trying to completely stop thinking, but I can't do it." Oliv*er has spent the last several nights sleeping with his favorite, um, potholder. I think maybe we have quirky children.

[I'm] an auntie again! Welcome to the world, Li*y, and congratulations, Dav*e, Jen*nifer, and Zo*e! Ollie said, "L*ily BLOOMED!"

Heard some noise in the kitchen an hour after the boys' bedtime. Found Ollie standing bare-naked in front of the craft cabinet, rummaging through the beads. Put the chain on the front and back doors so my little sleepwalker doesn't escape altogether.

Ollie, with just his head poking out of the bubbles in his bath: Aaaaah! Look! I'm a terrifying floating head!"

[Min*ke] fell feet first down the basement stairs. Pretty banged up, but very proud of her boys and their gentle kisses, attempts at applying bandaids, and bringing of stuffed animals and water until Joel could get here. Feeling like a klutz, though.

Spent the afternoon finally plantic the garlic with Ollie, who was better, but now has a deep cough. He said "night-night for da winter!" to every clove and sang them a lullabye when he spread the straw over the top. A boy and his, umm, garlic....

[Min*ke] and the boys sniffed the forest floor at N*oah's suggestion. Was asked by a passerby on the trail whether we found what we were looking for. Ollie: "we found fall!"

[Min*ke] is putting in garlic and going to the playground before meeting with her fabulous group of moms who write. All of which will be better than seeing the walls shake after the boys jump off the arms of the couch and crash to the floor. I'm starting to suspect that the boys have a secret stash of caffeine, or worse.

[Min*ke] thinks we may just have to get it over with and score some of that awesome Tumbling Class-type equipment for the living room. Or go to Tumbling Class twice every day. Please let this very-high-energy-boisterous... phase pass before we go visit the Apartment of Lovely Antiques at Thanksgiving...

stoptouchingyourface, getoffyourbrother, putthatdown, Ialreadysaidno. Sigh.

Noa*h's response to dropping a big pile of books he was hauling to his room for Quiet Time: "Oh that's just fabulous!" Then he looked at me and said, "Was that a rude thing to say?"

[Min*ke] had some nice "only boy time" with No*ah this morning. Now laughing about O*liver's assertion that "Harold doesn't hold that purple crayon properly AT ALL!"

[Min*ke] hit the Lego jackpot at the thrift store. I sense that these little tiny foot-bruising plastic bricks are going to be a part of our lives for some time. Pick-em-up or lose em', kiddos.

[Min*ke] thinks this is good wholesome Dutch weather. Or, it would be if I could have some split pea soup with ham after a nice bike ride over the cobblestones with umbrella in hand and a bike-basket overflowing with flowers. Not quite the same.

[Min*ke] says bless those boys who let her sleep past 8 this morning making "countries" together with their own special combination of Legos, train tracks, Playmobil, and bingo chips

No*ah learned to skip today, and skipped everywhere one would normally walk. Wheeeeeee!

I have orangutans for children. Not a week goes by that my boys' climbing doesn't alarm someone. I've learned to relax because they're pretty darn surefooted, but my apologies to the sometimes shocked onlookers.

Me: No*ah, why are you removing a dollar from my purse?" No*ah: "I'm paying Ollie to clear the table for me." Can't say he's particularly sneaky, at least.

[Min*ke] probably lost her East-coast directness years ago, but is only now coming around to the resultant identity shift. Still says "I'll be having" instaid of "I'm thinking maybeeeee" in restaurants, though.

[Min*ke] has as much in common with Kate Gosselin as your bank account does with that of Bill Gates because here are dollars in both yours and his. Keeps coming up anyway somehow, though.

Oliv*r's take on gravity: "Good thing". Lots of discussions about this lately.

[Min*ke] was happy to disabuse Ol*iver of the notion that the Lego sizes get smaller indefinately. Quatro, Duplo, Lego......he was a little worried about what comes next.

[Min*ke] thinks that even though he's obviously imitating his mother, it's still hilarious when No*ah sighs deeply and starts out giving his brother heck by saying, "O*liver, my sweet child"...

Ollie: "You should always sing a whole "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" when you wash your hands after peeing. I call it, "tinkle, tinkle, twinkle twinkle".

[Min*ke] is glad the boys had a great first day at school, but had to put the kabosh on their idea to meet in the hallway between their classrooms and trade baskets of toys.