Plimouth Plantation on Halloween

On our way home, showing off the corn husk dolls we made in the Wompoanog Village

Petting the goats

This was shortly after Lennon fell, face first into a ground level well in the colonial village. He was soaking wet, so it's a good thing the weather was nice that day. At the end of our trip they gave us some clothes from lost and found that was actually really cute, so all in all, it was a score. Every time we faced the direction of the well that day, Lennon would grab my face and say "I'm okay Mommy."

Leaving the colonial village, ocean in the background.

Mia's corn husk doll rules! She's got to stop getting older. I can't handle it.

Some Pics From October

My first crochet project, a hat for Samantha

our last trip to Breakheart in nice weather for the year

Lennon was fascinated by throwing stuff into the water

Sliding down the big rock

Much Belated

We finally just took Mia in for her seven year check up at the doctor. Really, the only reason I took her in was the school was requesting a clear bill of health or something of that nature. Everything was great. Really all they did was check her temp, height, weight, blood pressure etc. As compared to Lennon who has traditionally been in the 60% or so, she was somewhere around the 20% for weight and the 30% for height. She's a teeny little munchkin. She's getting really excited about Christmas and keeps saying that she wants Santa to bring her stuff for her American Girl doll. A little more pricey for Santa than the box of raisins Lennon wants, but I think he can oblige her.

Mia rode her bicycle with no training wheels on Saturday, November 20, 2009! I've been super lazy about getting her practice on it. It's so different up here than when I grew up because we have to load her bike in the car and drive somewhere there is flat space to ride it. We can't just go out in the neighborhood to ride here or where we lived in Malden. A few of her other friends have been riding without training wheels for a while, but it was when Mateus, who's 5 remember, got his training wheels off that I knew I was going to have to step up my game. All it took was one trip to the bike park with uninterrupted attention from me and Shelby and she had it down. She was pretty proud of herself and we took her to Starbucks for chocolate milk to celebrate her new skill. Lennon got a bagel and cream cheese, his favorite treat. And he requested "cow milk." He was very excited that Starbucks sold "cow milk."

Mountains and Space Men

Lennon has become quite the little comedian. At lunch today he first declared through his ear to ear grin that he was a space man, just before asking for the "pata cheese" (pasta cheese, that green container cheese you put on noodles.) He was having leftover noodles. I was cleaning the kitchen. Shelby was working on a school project. There were probably three to four minutes of wonderful quiet while I did some dishes. Taking a break to give my little guy a kiss in his high chair I realized why he had been so quiet. He had emptied possibly half of the container of cheese out on top of his noodles. "Lennon!" He looks up at me and smiles his impossibly adorable smile, giggles and says, "I made a mountain. A mountain of CHEESE!!" How could we do anything but laugh at that point? Then he took a bite and laughed and a little cheese sort of sprayed out like snow which of course he thought was hilarious. Shelby and I couldn't stop laughing at him either, so he "snowed" the cheese out of his mouth a few more times before I called it quits and started cleaning him up. He's a little kook.

Lennon has this funny little thing he does. At the end of Happy Birthday he always sings "cha cha cha, ooh la la, kooky, kooky." Well, he now will just sort of randomly insert "cha cha cha" or "ooh la la" and sometimes both in the midst of normal conversation.

Examples:

Lennon toddling around playing and laughing, "hahahha, cha cha cha hahahah"

"Mommy, read me that book, cha cha cha."

Looking inside the refrigerator, very calmy "hmmmm, cha cha cha, ooh la la."

It's really impossible to get how strange and funny it is across in this format. He always just inserts it as if it were a pause or something. What a strange dude.

CHa CHA OOLaLA

jack was gonna leave soon.

so lennon sang Happy Birthday.

lennon: appy budday oo ou CHACHACHA OOLALA CoCECOE!

jack: it not my birthday!

lennon: a a a a a a A A a a a aA AAaaaaaaA!

by Mia

Brown Bunny Gonna Watch?

Lennon is far from potty trained, but we've gotten to a point where he pretty typically does something on the potty each day. Lately, before he heads back to the bathroom he chooses an animal - often Brown Bunny - to sit on the laundry basket and "watch" him and then say "good boy Lennon." I'm pretty excited about seeing the light at the end of the dirty diaper tunnel. It could still be several months to go, but I can see the light!

update: Lennon went on the potty three times today! Woohoo!

Say What?

Lennon asked me what a mammal was a couple days ago, so we were discussing that mammals nurse their babies and that I nursed him when he was little. The subject passed even though he argued with me that he DID NOT drink milk from me. A few days later, sitting in the highchair, eating his lunch, he said, "Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy."

"Yes, Lennon?"

"Mommy. When I used to drink milk from your breast, I bite you. I bite your PENIS!"

What a weirdo.

Jacks visote

When jack came we went outside.

he loved the tree house!

Lennon and Jackson got along well.

Lennon:dat mine ock star parking.

Jack:ok

Lenno:ba oo unt to ack up mommy?

Jack:mommy is up.

Lennon:no.no.NO!NO!NO!

by Mia

Tea Parties, Crafts and Playtime

This was our impromptu lunchtime tea party yesterday. The kids set their table and Shelby and I made them tea and sandwiches. Samantha, Mia's American Girl doll was, of course, included in the festivities.

Saturday morning we also had a tea party. Pancakes and tea this time though. Their favorite tea was and herbal tea called Tension Tamer, but we ran out, so now they've both decided that decaffeinated coconut thai chai is the best tea ever!

This is what happens when you leave a toddler alone with paints. He looks like he's in a rock band.

Lennon and Anderson climbing all over Lennon's truck like maniacs.

Lennon's favorite craft is making butterflies. I color it and he puts glitter and glue all over it and makes a huge mess everywhere. We probably make butterflies at least once a week.

Baby You Can't Drive My Car

It was view week at Mia's hip hop class. Lennon had the option to stay at home with Shelby, but since he still has a decent level of separation anxiety, he chose to come along even though he knew he was going to have to sit still and be quiet or else sit in the car with Shelby. He was great for about the first half, then he couldn't be quiet any longer. So, he and Shelby went out to play in the car and wait for us to be finished.

Lennon loves to "drive" the car still. With the car turned off, we let him sit in the drivers seat and mess with all the buttons and doodads.

Lennon: Daddy, tan I tart de tar?

Shelby: No, tug boat.

Lennon: Please Daddy, Mommy tome out here say, "wow, ennon, you are awesome!"

He's so cool.

Halloween 2009

The ludicrous amount of candy our kids collected. Lennon got a box of raisins that we'll let him have and the rest will get "lost."

Toward the end of the night at the strange, college-ish party we went to. We totally thought it was going to be a normal, adult party. It was more like a frat party or something. Very strange night. We didn't stay very late.

We went as The Dude and Maude Lebowski from The Big Lebowski, one of Shelby's favorite movies.

Sweet little Mia and Chloe after collecting loot around Chloe's neighborhood.

Best Friends

Pocahontas and Anne of Green Gables

The front porch of The Little's house just before heading out to Trick or Treat. Lennon surprised both Shelby and me by absolutely LOVING the whole trick or treat thing. He sweetly said trick or treat and thank you at each house and then excitedly announced to each home owner "ee doin to nunee house push dat button, say 'tick o teet!'" Translation: We're going to another house, push that button, say Trick or Treat." Mia, of course is an old pro, but it was really fun to see how much fun Lennon had. He didn't even know what he was getting, but he was always grateful and very excited. At most houses, he would take his candy and hold it up to us and ask, "ut is dat?" before putting it in his bucket. Lennon decided at the last minute that he wanted to be a "choo choo train driver" so we didn't put him in his Spider Man costume for trick or treating. He looked pretty cute and carried his train whistle we got on the Hobo Railroad last month with Granmommy and Grandaddy. Super fun night with the kiddos. Mia spent the night at Chloe's house and my friend Sue babysat for us to go to that weird party. It was fun to have a reason to dress up, I guess, but I don't think I would do it again. Mia wanted me to dress up for trick or treating, so I went as a gypsy. Chloe's mom, Cory was a witch. Overall, fun night.

Strange Ballet

The following will be fully understood by few, but loved by those who do.

I just put Anderson down for his nap in our room in the pack n play and then sang to Lennon and put him down for his nap. As I shut the door and left his room I heard him saying to himself in a sing song voice, "ballet, ballet, ballet. ballet, ballet, ballet." My first thought was, 'he's doing strange ballet?!' I pictured him in my head lying on his back with his legs and arms up in the air swirling them around in pure silliness. I wonder if Strange Ballet is genetic? And did that gene start with Gaga or did it exist previous to her? Questions I will probably never know the answer to. I guess when Lennon grows up and has kids and one of them starts doing Strange Ballet and his wife wonders what on earth her child is doing, we might have our answer.