What We Have Here Is a Failure To Communicate

So, as I suppose most boys are at his age - Zachary is fascinated with his penis. Just last week, in fact, Fadia could barely stop laughing long enough to tell me that when she went to change his diaper he demanded that she "say hello to my penis!" (I assume that this is because I always tell him to say goodbye to his penis so that I can get him to let go and put his diaper on) As time has gone on he's asked about Lexi's penis, which in turn forced us to explain that Zachy has a penis and Lexi has a popoe (I don't know to spell this made up word, sorry). He likes to review these facts often, and brings it up anywhere and everywhere.

So, this evening, after returning from a fantastic ski weekend with Auntie Ali and Uncle Brian, Zach was talking to Grammy on the phone and giving her the rundown of the weekend. Zachary is not that easy to understand in person, but over the phone and with a stuffy nose it's next to impossible to understand a word he says. So there was a lot of "Really? Wow..."s coming from Grammy who wasn't making much out. So Grammy started asking Zachary all about his ski trip,
Grammy - "Did you ski down the mountain?"
Zach - "Yea"
Grammy - "Did you wear a lot of clothes while you were skiing, to keep toasty warm?"
Zach - "Yea."
Grammy - "And when you went inside, did you have some cocoa?"
Zach - "No! I have penis. Lexi have popoe"
I almost died laughing in the background. Grammy asked him a couple of times to repeat what he said, and then went on with, "Oh, wonderful..." having no idea that she was being set straight about who has what piece of anatomy in this house.

It Just Keeps Snowing and Snowing and Snowing...

It started the day after Christmas and it seems as though it hasn't stopped since. The snow this season has been plentiful, and we've had significant snow at least twice a week in the past few weeks. We are snow hearty New Englanders, so a little snow isn't going to get us down, but I will admit that I am pretty happy to be looking out the window and seeing the sun shining and the snow no longer actively falling out of the sky.


Today's snow only produced another 6" or so, but because the weather has been so cold over the past few weeks, the prior 2-3'that had already accumulated out there hasn't gone anywhere, so the snow banks are getting outrageous. When I shovel the front steps, I now have to throw the snow into a pile that is over my head, making it just slightly more challenging than usual. However, also because of the cold temps, the snow has been light and fluffy, so that been a bonus.

The picnic table has been most amusing for us to watch. With each passing storm we have been losing sight of the entire table and benches. Then, as the snow packs down a bit we can see bits and pieces of it again for a day or two before more snow comes and covers it up. This morning the kids had a blast playing in their "fort" and pretending to eat a very large mound of mashed potatoes.






As much as we love playing in the snow, it is making us groan a bit that the weather forecast is calling for yet another storm next week. Lexi is not a fan of missing so much school, and we are quite simply running out of places to put the new stuff. This will definitely be a winter that goes down in the history books.

New Rooms

Today we rearranged the kids bedrooms. Lexi got my bedroom set from when I was a kid, and Zachary got Lexi's old twin bed for his first "big boy bed". It was a long, and very exciting day for both kids. They had a blast helping us with the move, and Zachary was bouncing around like a mad man while we took down his crib and set up his new bed. We just put them to bed and we've been called back in many times already. I suspect both kids are just way too excited to sleep. Hopefully the excitement will wear off soon! Tomorrow we're back to the project with some new shelves and bins to help organize all the toys. I'll update with more pictures once their rooms and really done.

Here are some pictures of the more complete project. They were taken with my phone, so the quality is not great.

Snow Galore!

Today we woke up to almost a foot of snow piled up in the yard. We watched from the windows as the snow continued to pile, and eventually began to cover all the bushes, the picnic table, the cars...and it just kept coming. As I type this at 4:30 we are over 12 hours into the storm, we have about 18-20" of snow, and it is *still* coming down.







After lunch the snow had calmed down enough that Ahren decided to head out to start clearing it away. Lexi went out with her dad, and Zach and I joined them about a half hour later, after he woke up from his nap. The way the wind was blowing the snow around, I expected we would only be out for a few minutes before the kids called it quits. The blowing snow did bother Zachary at first, but putting his goggles on proved to be a quick fix, and there was never another complaint. Lexi and Zach stayed out there happy as clams for a solid two hours. They had a blast playing in the snow banks. Zachary, once again, wouldn't do anything without his "shobel" in hand.











It was a fun afternoon, and now we just hope it won't snow so much more that it requires additional clean up. Off to make the hot chocolate...

Question Of The Day

Each day at school the children are asked a "Question Of The Day" during circle time. The answers are posted on the bulletin board outside the classroom. Here are Lexi's most recent answers...

If you could have any birthday wish, what would it be?
Lexi - "To hold a star"

If you could give any gift, what would it be?
Lexi - "A rainbow that sparkles and you can slide on it."

(on another day)
What gift would you like to give?
Lexi - "My heart."

If It Happens The Week Before Christmas, Does It Really Happen?

Although Zachary turned two well over a month ago, his two year physical only just took place on December 21st. Because it was 4 days before Christmas, it was barely a blip on the radar in our family and I forgot to post his stats.

We saw Dr. Mark, who we still love. He told me that Zachary looks like he's perfect in every way - meeting or exceeding all of the milestones that he should be. This comes as no surprise to us, although it's so strange to have no questions for the doctor at his check-up! Here are some of the things I reported to the doctor:

Zachary

• Runs, climbs and jumps in place
• Has successfully used the potty when he is placed there - and has occasionally asked and used it as well. (We are not pushing this right now though)
• Mimics everything his sister does in play, behavior, etc.
  
• Follows along with a conversation asking appropriate questions, and answering questions appropriately.
• Can sing his ABCs, as well as a few other children's songs
• Counts to 10
• Knows tons of words, and uses them in clear sentences.
• Has begun to identify his letters

Dr. Mark was happy with what he saw. Zach was not thrilled with his exam, or the shot he needed, but he did quite well. Here are his stats:

Weight - 26.4 lbs - 25th %ile
Height - 34 1/4 inches - 50th %ile
Head - 19 1/2 inches - 50-75th %ile

We'll take it. Job well done Zacharoo!

Best Parts of My Day

I had these little shining rays of light in my day today.

First thing this morning I was in the bathroom drying my hair - a most mundane task - while the kids played together in their rooms. In the reflection of the mirror I watched them, with huge smiles on their faces, as they walked into the bathroom together holding a "cake" made from a bowl full of foam bathtub letters and singing "Happy Birthday to Mommy." It's far from my birthday, but it absolutely made my morning.

Later, after a long day at work, I rushed into Fadia's to pick up Zachary. He greeted me with his usual enormous smile and bear hug, and today topped it off by saying in his adorable little Zachy voice, "I'm so glad you're here!" Melt...

And finally, after a long day, the entire family snuggled together on Lexi's bed for some bedtime stories. Lexi chose "Hark The Herald Angels Sing" as one of her stories and Ahren, Lexi and I all belted it out together while Zachary (who has not yet mastered those tough words) sat "in the nest" and helped turn the pages. A wonderful ending to our day.

Sometimes I find that all the in between stuff that happens all day long is far less important than those bright and shiny moments that pop up when you're least expecting them. How lucky I am.