Keeping Watch O'er My Flock By Night

It's been a long week without much sleep, but we had some fun tonight before bed at least.

– Oh hi everyone. It's me Seth. We is about to get a little silly over here.
I'm just getting warmed up and maybe being a shepherd.

– Or maybe Virgin Mary. I'm pretty keen on grils* after all.

– Now I is shepherd again and I is working this look big time.

– Oh hi everyone. It's me Nate. I also work on some kind of look here...

–... at least until Mommy ask me to smile. So I does. Really BIG too!

– Of course there is the unsolicited, but obligatory nose-picking shot.
(No photo session is complete without one!)

– Sometimes though I just like to just goof around when I think no one is looking.

– Like now. You all not looking, right?

– So... you think we take it easy on Mommy tonight?

– Not a chance, 'bro. I think this grin says it all. 

Once again, sleep has been hard to come by over here, and we are full up on almost 3 year old independence and attitude but we still manage to have a good bit of fun here and there and I love nights like these with my boys.

- L.

* "Grils" is not a typo. It's what you call a girl if you are Seth and I can only imagine he means it with the deepest respect since he's fairly gril crazy. I'm a gril and I'm proud to be one. If you're a gril, I hope you are too.

There Gonna Be Some Changes In Here: Part I

"There gonna be some some changes in here!" is a popular phrase lately for some reason.

Notice anything different?

– There gonna be some changes in here everyone!

Yep. There gonna be some BIG changes in here.

We're in the midst of redoing the boys' room from stem to stern for a myriad of reasons – the bulk of which were unexpectedly urgent ones. The room needs to remain a livable space at all times so the plan consists of 3 phases.

The first phase involved getting rid of everything superfluous: 

Yep, there gonna be some changes in here alright. 

• • • • • • •

– So... it look like there gonna be some changes in here everyone.
– Big ones even.

– I pretend I cannot hear you ask why.
– I knows why, but I rather not say.

– Also I does my best to look endearing right now so you not judge too harshly.
– I still not talking.

– Of course 'dis whole plan probably blow up in Mommy's face 6 months from
now like the last time she carefully plan out a very safe room for us.
– Well... at least if 'dis look has anything to say about it.

Unfortunately my boys are probably right – they have a knack for finding the weakness in any plan. But really, this time we are locking it down tighter than Fort Knox.

- L. 

*The grime on the walls behind the cribs was not one of the reasons, but if I'd had a clear understanding of the advanced stages of said grime, it might have been. Gross!

When Pollock Met Van Gogh

It's been a long time coming, but this post is the (long awaited, much anticipated?) update to a poll that ran awhile back regarding art and how it is best served. The choices were fairly simple and it was about as close to a yes/no answer as a poll can get: do you prefer your art on paper or on the face?

And much like our last poll, it was another landslide victory:

Let's take a moment to check in with the winning candidate to see how (or if) knowing the results swayed his artistic stylings in any way. 

– I not sure I agrees with you lone voter, even though
I mostly tries it your way 'dis time.

– Seriously though, does 'dis look like I is having fun?

This round might have turned out with a little less art on the face. By the time all was said and done, I'd say it affected things about 7%. 

So good on you lone voter*! We are officially making a little bit more art on paper thanks to you. 

The last time we got messy with paints and I finally got a little weary of paintings of "alligators" after the 57th one, I put on my thinking cap and asked the boys if they could paint pictures of each other and Mommy and Daddy too. Seth was a little more on board with this exercise at first, but by the end Nate got into it and did a full family portrait.

I found the results far more telling than I anticipated when I came up with a simple suggestion just so I wouldn't have to look at alligators anymore.

For what it's worth, this is an alligator (WARNING! It's possibly a blood thirsty one and might not be appropriate for sensitive viewers): 

"Alligator" by Nate.

My boys are very much into alligators and things that look like alligators or even things that don't look like alligators but they call alligators anyway. I'm sure you get the idea.

So the rest of our gallery was pretty amazing all things considered. The titles are from the artists themselves.

"Mommy and Seth" by Seth.

"Blast Off" by Nate.

"Seth" by Seth.

"Nate" by Seth.

"Mommy, Daddy, Seth and Nate" by Nate. (clockwise from top left)

- L.

*I would have sworn up and down that Gamma Rita was the hold-out for art on paper, but she's flatly denied it and I believe her. At this point in time, I have no other likely suspects. Really though lone voter, you voted for paper over this? 

PS. I must not have looked back far enough through the post-pending archives last night for a happy post, because this would have been much better choice.

A Series Of Happy Accidents

"Remember our golden rule: we don't make mistakes, we make happy accidents, so we can turn this into a beautiful painting no matter what, because between the two of us, we can do anything.” 

– Bob Ross 

Apparently my boys are familiar with the golden rule of Bob Ross because they made what they considered to be a very happy accident all over their room a week or more ago. Also, between the two of them they can do just about anything (especially when no one is looking) which has been well documented here and here. I'm not sure if the "painting" they made was beautiful or not since no one took the time to fully appreciate it before Gamma Rita and I sprung into action with a lot of soap and water and bleach, but even a cursory glance indicated that my sons certainly gave it their all "no matter what".

And just in case you aren't sure where I'm going with this post, it's about poop.

Things ended with a bucket of legos and a few other assorted toys drying outside after a thorough scouring:

And also this: 

Why yes, that IS duct tape!

I bought it in white to fix a one-time thing around the house and despite an occasional empty threat here or there, it's laid dormant among the fix-it supplies.

At least until now.

I did not stop to take pictures of the carnage I walked in on in the AM last week, but by complete happenstance Gamma Rita enjoyed a Klondike bar after lunch the same day and shared a little chocolate and ice-cream with her grandsons. I guess you could say it was another happy accident – at least if Seth recreating a smaller scale version of the "painting" in chocolate rather than poop counts for anything. 

– It look a lot like 'dis everyone, but original was bigger.

– And I doesn't want to alarm you, but when I say bigger I mean lots bigger.

– Almost as big as my poop-eatin' grin everyone! I help with morning art project
so 'dis is qualified opinion.

As for the duct tape, it turns out Nate and Seth were pretty impressed and more than happy to show off for the camera. 

– 'Dis our new and improved diapers, everyone!
– And so far they is holding up despite our best efforts to make more morning
painting fun in room.

– Is OK though. We likes a challenge.
– Also we like duct tape as it turn out. 'Dis really was a happy accident, everyone!

- L. 

PS. I started writing this post last week, so the original pictures pre-dated my discovery of this: 

Duck® Brand duct tape comes in tons of fun colors and patterns as it turns out. You should have seen the look on Nate and Seth's faces when I pulled out the roll of blue penguin tape at bedtime a few nights ago. Trust me when I say it was a definite hit, and much like the plain white it's doing a fine job (so far) of keeping the diapers on in the morning until I make it in to the boys' room.

PPS. My apologies to the late Bob Ross for taking his beautiful quote places it never should have gone. It was, however, too good to pass up.

A Day At The Park: Two Ways

My boys agree on most things when it comes to play at home, but the park is a whole different ballgame (which is why it's impossible to take them to the park when flying solo). 

I took my point-and-shoot camera along on a recent trip with Gamma Rita and the only two pictures I managed to get of the boys together were pre-park over an incredibly nutritious lunch:

– Turns out we is still lovin' it™, everyone!

And pretty much right before we left where they were miraculously smitten with the same aspect of the park at the same time. Lovely shot of the back of their heads, but you get the idea.

Welcome to a typical day at the park OP style! 

• • • • • • •

This is how the "Nate Way" typically unfolds – and by the way, this is not the same slide featured in the previous picture. This is the "Really Big Slide!" (just so you know): 

– "Really Big Slide" is what I imagine Heaven look like everyone!

I need to caveat this post right now by saying that although I spent an equal share of time with both of my boys at the park there are far less photos of Nate mainly due to the fact that we spent 90% of our time together in the exact same location.

And there's only so many photos you can take of a boy doing exactly this: 

– I could do 'dis all day. And usually I does!

Over and over and over again. What can I say? Nate really likes that slide!

Despite the park resembling an uninhabited wasteland* in all my photos for some reason, things were fairly hopping (busy park on a busy weekend) – and even though both of my boys are quite good at waiting their turn, I won't insult you by pretending they necessarily enjoy it. 

– I is waiting turn which I doesn't really mind that much, but I throws in 'dis
tragic look for effect anyway in case it endear someone to let me through
to front of line.

The other 5% of the time with Nate was spent dashing around trying out anything that could be climbed on: 

– Please note everything around me in focus. Is just me that is blur
for some reason.

Or anything worth riding: 

– Big or small, I rides them all!

And even though the general consensus has been that swings are stinkeroo since Seth lost interest (and anything your brother doesn't want to do is typically not worth doing of course), Gamma Rita managed to coax Nate back onto a swing:

After which it was game-on!** 

– OK. I admits it. Swing is fun.

• • • • • • •

The second half of our day at the park was spent doing things the "Seth Way" and it's probably best if I just let Seth narrate this: 

– Oh hi everyone. Is me, Seth. We is at park today and Nate doing it all wrong
so I shows you how it done right instead. There is a lot to see and do here and
I see and do all kinds of stuff, but everyone know first priority at park is to
impress the cuties. Right now I is gathering ingredients to make one of my
signature dishes. Everyone know the cuties dig a guy who know own way
around a kitchen.

– I has a few recipes I likes to make at park. Macaroni and cheese, grilled
cheese sandwiches and caesar salad are my go-to favorites. Today
we is making macaroni and cheese.

– I start by combining ingredients in handy bowl-type thing hidden under
play equipment. Is especially handy because 'dis secret recipe!

– So secret in fact that it important to take look around from time to time
to make sure no one peeking...

– ... before I add super-secret final touch. Turns out, rocks and twigs are what really
make 'dis recipe.

– And BAM! Is all done.

– I take moment to bask in own success but is fleeting. It take more than a
winning recipe and good looks to impress the cuties after all.

Mommy note: it doesn't take more than that smile and those baby blues to impress me. I could get lost in those eyes (and sometimes do). And yes, they really are that blue.

– Good thing I also has skills at vehicle maintenance. Oh sure, it obvious that
missing wheel is real problem, but taking time to look under hood anyway
make it seem like you really know what you is doing.

– Next I head over to "Really Big Slide" to see what all the fuss about.
I start to climb up to slide 'dis way but discover pretty quick there
no cuties over here so I cuts it short.

– I end up finding more cutie-friendly way to top of slide but when I arrive
it turn out I only find Nate and some big kids and exactly zero cuties.
"Really Big Slide" turn out to be stinkeroo!

– Thank goodness regular slide has plenty of cuties and even though you
not see any evidence of that here, me and my bucket was big hit!

You probably wondering about my bucket right now and why it such big hit
so I give you hint.

– Is not big hit because I using it to make more recipes.

– And it not big hit because I pose here and there to casually show off
a little leg (although 'dis big crowd pleaser also).

– Is big hit because it turn out caring about environment also popular
with the cuties!****

– To be perfectly honest though, I do 'dis part even if no cuties is looking.
Is just fun!

- L. 

*I have no idea how I managed to take pictures of my boys at an extremely popular park on a weekend afternoon and make it look like we were the sole inhabitants. It wasn't especially deliberate, but really... wow!

**I had Seth in hand when I took the swing pics of Nate. It was pretty close to leaving time and I had approximately 500 pics of Seth and a half dozen of Nate. Also, enjoying a swing is a rare beast ever since Seth declared swings stinkeroo*** and Nate took his word for it.

***In all fairness, Seth unexpectedly got sick on a swing last summer and hasn't been on one since.

****Actually, it's not. The part about the recipes/kitchen play, car maintenance and the "regular" slide all being popular with the cuties is quite true, but Seth is definitely on his own with park maintenance. Hunting for "little treasures" is an intrinsic part of going to the park with him however, and the highlight is definitely the trip to the respective bins where we sort things into "garbage" and "recycling".

• • • • • • • 

PS. In case you thought this was fresh material and wondered why the weather was so nice and everyone was looking so spry, these pics are actually from a couple or more weeks ago when the weather was still good and we were between summer colds.