Another year gone by, another holiday season under our too-tight belts.

We started off the month celebrating our darling Lloyd who turned FOUR YEARS OLD.  In so many ways he seems much older than that (he’s so very smart, and so very large), but then he also seems like my little baby and the tantrums and whining sessions remind me he’s still got some growing-up to do : )

Lloyd with cake-face

Then we went off on an exciting one-night weekend trip to Chicago!  It was a TOO AMAZING present from Grace and Jerry.  We all went on the train where the boys ran all over the place.  Then it was to the hotel to drop off our bags, lunch with Nic (an old friend), then the aquarium and dinner and finally to bed.  It was our first night sleeping in a hotel room as a family, and everything went fine.   The next day we woke up and played; after breakfast Grace and Jerry took the boys swimming and to a Children’s Museum by Navy Pier.  Meanwhile, Greg and I went shopping on Michigan Ave, out to lunch, and then saw Book of Mormon (an irreverent and HILARIOUS musical).  We all met back up at the hotel to grab our bags and catch a cab to Union Station.  The boys were awake for less than two hours on the night-train, and slept soundly all the way back home.  It was an amazing time.

Henry on the train with Grandma

Lloyd is doing better and better at school, learning to socialize a bit more with his fellow students.  He’s definitely opened up to his teachers, telling them stories and making them laugh.  At his parent-teacher conference his main teacher commented on how advanced his verbal skills were and how smart he is.

One trick Lloyd does now is to manipulate language to try and skirt around restrictions.  For example, if he really wants me to play with him but I’m not available because I’m working, Greg will tell Lloyd I’m busy and he’d play with him.  Lloyd will start specifying, “No I really need a WOMAN to help me play” knowing full well I’m the only woman in the house.  He does this in a variety of ways and it’s pretty funny to watch him hunt for the words that would lead with only one resolution (whatever it is he’s hoping to single out).

Henry continues to be the little light of our household.  Even on difficult days he can stop us all in our tracks with a bright smile, a little dance, and the surprise introduction of a new word.  Henry LOVES stickers and coloring (on walls and floors, especially).  He loves being told the species name of whatever dinosaur he’s holding or pointing to.  Even without words you can tell he’s upset when you get the name wrong or admit you don’t know!   Henry also continues to be a bit of a brute, wailing on Lloyd especially.  We’re still working on that, and its interesting watch Lloyd oscillate between wanting Henry to stop and to get comfort from us and from hating listening to other kids get in trouble.  To tattle or not to tattle… it’s one of the main sibling questions.

And of course this month had Christmas!  We had a blast watching the boys as they were spoiled rotten by Santa, us, and of course our wonderful families. All of the Pittsburgh relatives were able to be in town for the holidays, and Caitlin and Kylie made it from Wisconsin!

There was a bit of a shadow over the holidays, as there were those whose absences were felt deeply.  We certainly miss Pa, and Helen, and Kevin, who all passed in the second half of 2012.   My Uncle Bill, a very sweet man who had early-onset Alzheimer’s, passed away the Friday before Christmas.  The funeral was held on the 26th.

Although we keep warm memories close to our hearts, we try and focus our eyes on the future.   Henry, especially, has such a tremendous year ahead: this will be the year – one can assume – he will learn to really talk!  And Baby, we are listening.

Date: 12/4/2012

Age: 4

Height: 3’9″

Weight: 47 lbs

Likes: Lions and all animals, long books

Dislikes: Playing alone, loud children

Favorite foods: Jelly Bellys, suckers, all fruit, hummus, tortilla chips

Favorite toys: Safari trucks and animals

Friends: Libby, Logan, Henry, and his favorite kids at school are Alex P. and Samantha.

A couple other great Lloyd quotes:

Lloyd: I want to be President when I grow up… WAIT. NO. I want to be a mailman!

Lloyd: “some kids at school drew pictures of their families, but I drew a cash register full of super hot hot water.”

Henry is still a man of few words (but many grunts), however he is still learning new tricks.  For one, he is super duper into jumping and has been working on his technique as documented in this clip.   He also is able to recognize many more animals and objects (you say the noun, he points to the picture) and he can follow more elaborate verbal instructions.  He also picks his nose and eats what he excavates.

We had a very nice Thanksgiving filled with wonderful family and good food and are anxiously awaiting Lloyd’s 4th birthday celebrations!  xoxo

We had an absolutely FABULOUS Halloween this year… TWO Halloweens in fact!  For the actual holiday we all dressed up in our costumes and went out trick-or-treating.   At the first couple of houses, Lloyd was a little scared and shy.  Then he started getting into really into the process and soon he was sprinting from house to house yelling “Trick or treat!” all on his own!

Lloyd: “MOM, HOW ARE YOU DOING? I’M A LITTLE TIRED BUT I WANT MORE CANDY SO LET’S GO TO THAT HOUSE. THEY WERE NICE. WHAT WAS HIS NAME? WHY DID HE HAVE CURLY HAIR? LOOK OVER THERE ANOTHER HOUSE! LET’S DO THIS ALL THE TIME AND EVERY DAY.”

He was absolutely exhausted by the time we came back to our house, but he had a full treat basket and a big smile.

Then a couple of days later we went to Pittsburgh to see Matt and Erica’s new home, and of course to visit with all our Pittsburgh family!   Alison had such great places picked out for us to visit.  It was a short stay, but we had a blast touring the conservatory that had a special model train exhibit going on (picture a gigantic room filled with a miniature village and zooming trains chugging all about), as well as cool waterfalls and a fun kids area.  We also went to the museum of natural history and saw TONS of dinosaur fossils and animal exhibits.   As a bonus, due to a delay from Hurricane Sandy, we were actually in Pittsburgh for their rescheduled trick-or-treating night.  TWO TRICK-OR-TREATING NIGHTS!  Lloyd was pretty much as serious about the candy-getting as he was his first time around.

Anyone should be able to view more photos by clicking HERE, but here are a couple of my favorites:

Safari guy and cheetah

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox

Pittsburgh Natural History Museum

Needless to say, our boys went into a two week sugar rage that we all barely survived.  However, there was this delightful exchange within it all:

“Lloyd: I would like to eat a cat tail.
Me: … like the water plant?
Lloyd: … What? No. The brown sticks.
Me: … What?
Lloyd: … Huh? They have chocolate on them?
Me: … Do you mean a Kit Kat?
Lloyd: YES. I would like a Kit Kat Tail.”

Happy Halloween  : )

September started off with an adventure – Greg and my first vacation WITHOUT the kiddos!  Lloyd and Henry stayed with Grace and Jerry while Greg and I went off to Traverse City for a weekend, celebrating our five year wedding and ten year togetherness anniversary.  We had a nice time, although it was strange being away from our little men.

Lloyd started back up at regular preschool.  He goes Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and is doing better with participating and playing other children.

Henry has slowly introduced a couple more words into his vocabulary – the most prevalent being NANA – which means “Banana.”  The kid would eat endless bananas.  : )   He’s also quite the helper around the house!  After he’s done with his food or his drink, he’ll overhand toss his dishes into the sink.  He’s also happy to throw away his trash and to put his diaper into the Diaper Genie.   It’s amazing how much he can comprehend – especially considering how little he says.   He’s also really mastered puzzles and is very dexterous.

Saying "Chheeee!" (Cheese)

However, it’s not all so cute!  : )   Henry has turned into even more of a brute than he was previously.  He’s a hitter, and a wrestler, and a thrower.  We’ve been working out our parenting muscles teaching Henry how to make good choices, and how to help Lloyd cope when he’s being terrorized.  There are lots of discussions about sharing and taking turn going on in this house, as Henry wants nothing more than to do exactly what Lloyd’s doing.   Henry can definitely tell when he’s being left out.

Usual stance=mid-throw

Even though there are plenty of battles, the whole brother relationship is getting more friendly than antagonistic.   Lloyd talks to Henry a lot more often, even though Henry doesn’t say anything back.  They cuddle and wrestle and enjoy making each other laugh.  The two have made cuddling each other a mandatory part of their go-to-sleep process and it’s very nice.

Lloyd has come up with a couple of new ways to help him deal with his anxieties.   One is by asking Greg or I to tell him about when WE were kids in the exact same situation in which he was currently experiencing.   For example, “Dad, would you tell me about when YOU were a student and didn’t like the loud kids?”  “Mom, would you tell me about when YOU didn’t feel like going to the store?”  Lloyd has also started saying “OR WHAT?!” As in – “Are we going to play on the deck, OR WHAT?!” It’s a little sassy, but it makes me smile.

We’ve been keeping plenty busy around here!  We have a family swim class we do on Tuesdays.  We’ve had a couple of new friends over for playmates, and recently Greg and Jerry took the dudes to Yost to see the UofM Alumni Hockey Game!  Making memories : )

We’ll do a separate post about Halloween after we enjoy the festivities.  Have a spooktacular holiday!

Our dearest Greg turned 30!  We had a great time celebrating the world’s best human with the help of family and friends.  On his birthday eve, we went to the Wolverine Brewery with the Dwyers, Bob and Brie, and even Alison and Paul who made the trip all the way from Pittsburgh!  It was a lot of fun.  The next day, there was a large family gathering at Grace and Jerry’s and we continued the celebrations the next day at my parents’ house.

Lloyd has finished up the “Summer Camp” series of his schooling and will start preschool proper this week.  This past month he had a lot of fun bringing his favorite stuffed animal “Lumpo the Lion” the an herbal tea-party they had at his school.  The tea, of course, was made from herbs they planted in the spring.  It’s a very adorable place to learn and grow.

I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned it before, it’s certainly been going on for a while, but one thing Lloyd does is dictate what he wants the conversation to be… exactly.   He’ll direct, “Mom, you ask me, ‘Lloyd, what are you thinking about?’” or, “Dad, you tell Henry, ‘What is Lloyd doing now?’”  Once we say our words, he’ll carry the conversation forward.    Three-year-old’s sure do love being in control… but I guess 27 year-olds do, too.

Henry running to pick up Lloyd from school.

Henry has had a very challenging month.  Two teeth trying to cut through, combined with the continuous nap battles resulted in fairly constant tantrum throwing.   Luckily, between hissy fits, Henry shows us glimpses of his extremely sweet and silly personality.   There are a couple of new words: “Uh, Oh” “No!” “Ball” “Bubble” and “Ooo yea.”

Is this a Greg face, or what?

But of course the main event in August was the passing of Pa. Alton passed peacefully in his sleep, in his home, with Jerry close by.  He will be dearly, sorely missed, but we do comfort each other knowing he’s much more comfortable in heaven, and happily enjoying a reunion with Granny.

- The other day he asked, “Before I was a baby in your belly, did I have a body? Did I have feet? and legs? and knees? and a butt? and a penis? and a belly? and a belly button? and nipples? and pits? and arms? and hands? and a face? and a head? and hair? and ears and eyes and a nose and a mouth?” It was the “pits” that really killed me.  I told him he didn’t have those parts because he was just a bunch of ingredients floating around.  Then we talked about the ingredients you need to make cement.

- If you tell Lloyd something he doesn’t want to hear (like we have to go in 5 minutes) he’s started saying, “Don’t say that! Let’s not talk about minutes…”

Another stall tactic is that he runs and grabs three books and gets settled with them on the couch and tells me when can go in just a minute, he’s going to just read these books “really fast!”

Love him.  He’s too smart.  It’s nuts.

He continues to have fun with his brother as Henry grows into a more engaging playmate. They love to play “catch” together with a ball, and they definitely love to wrestle.

Caught playing together

Lloyd reading to Henry

Lloyd enjoying a special Fourth of July snack.

I first witnessed a big change in how Lloyd interacts with kids close to his age when he was playing with Libby – a frequent playdate buddy who’s just a month younger than Lloyd.  They started playing lions together, and now are perfectly happy playing together alone in a room.  Listening to their conversations is very heartwarming, as Lloyd has been so reluctant to play with other children.

That time with Libby really helped Lloyd be a more sociable friend when we had a couple of visits with Irene (a 2-year-old dear friend who came to stay over for a weekend with her parents Dustin and Metta) and Kylie (our 2-year-old niece who stayed at my parents’ house for a week with Caitlin and Reggie).   These girls are very social and Lloyd had been so skittish in the past.  The fact that the ladies have developed larger vocabularies and Lloyd’s turning of a new leaf lead to really nice visits.

Lloyd with Irene

Kylie and Lloyd

And Lloyd has absolutely LOVED playing with his “cousin” Logan over at Pa’s house.  They run around in the backyard and laugh.  I know those two will have a fun-filled future together.

So I’m very hopeful that these skills help Lloyd come out of his shell even more as he starts preschool again.  Lloyd’s been attending the school’s “summer camps” two mornings a week and will start going three mornings a week when the school year formally begins in September.

More Lloyd anecdotes HERE.

Lloyd wearing Olympic Medals

Henry is a caveman!  He is very active and physical – hence the lack of still photos.  However, I have made a couple of short movies of the dude in action:

Here he is playing hide and seek. He’s covering his “eyes” and “saying” “1,2,3, READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!”

Here he is playing Bouncy Baby. He’s wearing his Underpants Hat of Shame, which I make him don when he is being a stinker who won’t nap.

Here he is clogging. At the dishwasher he’s pointing to the letters (he thinks every one is the letter M), and then he shows us his Henry dance.

Of course, Henry is extremely lovely.  Although stubborn about napping, he generally has a very sweet demeanor and is very quick to warm with strangers.

Henry loves to sit on trucks and to hold his blanket.

Henry is taking over Lloyd’s love for dinosaurs, as Lloyd’s interests have migrated more towards animals – Lions, specifically.  Lloyd loves to play with his stuffed animals and often has them attend picnics in a jungle (or – getting into piles on a blanket).

As for the adults, Greg finished a huge remodeling project he was doing for work with the University of Michigan.   I conquered investment banking earnings reports and made a couple of commissioned quilts.   Greg and I happily celebrated our 10-year dating anniversary and are looking forward to an upcoming trip to Traverse City to celebrate 5-years of marriage.

Sorry for the grainy pics.  I haven’t had the digital camera close by, so have often resorted to my iPad for quick shots.

Henry had a check-up at the Doctor’s office. He was 26 lbs and 34 inches long, which put him in the 70% for weight and the 99% for length. Developmentally he is doing great, with his variety of tricks and “words”. Henry has started saying “Ow” when he’s slightly hurt and “ha-oo” when he needs help. Says “Book” (almost – it’s more like “Boo-OO”) and calls Lloyd “Da” (you know – like half a “Dada” ; ) )

Lloyd and Henry continue to develop a lovely relationship. They playfully wrestle with each other and give each other unsolicited hugs. They’ve taken baths together for most of the month and make each other laugh. When nap schedules get screwed up and Lloyd has to nap without Henry in the room, Lloyd gets upset: “I need Henry to sleep!” We’ve been playing epic games of catch between the three of us where Lloyd throws me the ball, I hand it off to Henry, who throws/delivers the ball to Lloyd – repeat while laughing for 30 minutes.

Lloyd has almost slept through June. He’s still taking naps during the afternoon, which I’ve had to wake-him up from after about the third hour! And he’s sleeping through the night for about 11 hours. We’ve recently had to move up his bedtime back to 7:30, seeing a drastic change in his behavior if we post-pone bedtime too long.

Lloyd’s favorite activity nowadays has been to pretend he’s a ferocious “man lion with a mane who snarls.” Sometimes we “fight” together as lions (meaning slow-motion, growly wrestling). Other times we act out scenes from The Lion King. It’s a lot of fun, and a hardy work-out.

“Dinosaur A to Z” has taken the backseat to “Fifty Nifty United States” as far as Lloyd’s singing repertoire goes. Still trying to capture a movie of the performance, but trust me – it’s impressive. The song involves listing all of the 50 states in alphabetical order and Lloyd almost has it down pat.

Lloyd makes up songs and stories all of the time. Because he’s making up the story as he’s telling it, you often have to give him a lot of time to spit out what he’s trying to say. For example, when we were on a playmate at a friend’s house who has a dog Lloyd dug into a story: “When I was a man… or, right now… at my house… I had a dog with rainbow eyes… and black… and black fur… and… his name was FUMP!” Lloyd has also carried this story-telling ability over into lying territory. When I told Lloyd we had to get ready to go to Busch’s, he told me, “Dad said we could never go to Busch’s because it is under construction.”

Lloyd has been doing so much better at playdates. We’ve recently seen a fellow three-and-a-half year-old boy named Micaihah (who also has a baby younger brother), an almost-three-year-old named Pheobe (who has a baby sister named Penelope), and Lloyd’s best friend is dear Libby – who is a month younger than Lloyd and who has been playing with us since the kids were about 9 months old. Lloyd and Libby are really hitting it off – holding conversations between just the two of them, asking each other to play in various activities (or asking for the other through the proxy of the moms), and willingly touching and hugging each other. Lloyd is also getting closer to some kids at preschool, although there is a summer vacation from school throughout July. In June, preschool had soccer school with a local 18-year-old wunderkind. At first Lloyd was reluctant, but by the second week he was playing for the whole time and liked scoring goals.

Greg is still working in Ann Arbor and had a big win this month selling his company on the idea of using a iPad app Greg jiggered to help maintain punch-lists. For me, work is going well with the variety of investment banking scandals keeping me busy. I’ve also been active with my sewing clubs and learned how to make t-shirts from scratch this month – including learning how to draft patterns from pre-existing t-shirts. Greg is very excited for me to master this skill so I can make him custom under-shirts.

Wishing you a lovely summer. Stay cool!

Here

and Here

and then I realized I had uploaded this movie of Lloyd back in January. It’s 4 minutes of him hanging with his dinosaurs.  I filmed it without him knowing and it really melts my heart.  It also has one of my favorite quotes of his every, “I’m not thinking, Mom!  I’m playing!”