Tinsel's Magic

Like Nordstrom's long-standing policy of not decorating its stores for Christmas until after Thanksgiving, I too, believe in celebrating one holiday at a time.  It's unfortunate that Thanksgiving is often marginalized due to the growing popularity of Halloween and the "Christmas creep" that seems to start earlier and earlier each year.  I think it is important to take time to recognize and appreciate all the blessings in our lives.  And, we certainly have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.  We are immensely grateful for all changes the past year has brought us.

That being said, since Tinsel, our Elf on the Shelf, has come into our lives, Thanksgiving night has marked the start of our Christmas season.  Legend has it that on Thanksgiving night, Santa sends his scout elves to their adoptive families to serve as "behavior monitors," watching and listening to everything that goes on and reporting back to Santa each night.  Well, as luck would have it, several days before Thanksgiving we remembered that Tinsel was still in Westminster.  Fortunately, Mom Mom had a spare elf that she let us borrow.  When we opened the box, we discovered, to our horror, that our temporary replacement elf has blue eyes, curly lashes, and pink cheeks.  Since Ryan has the memory of an elephant, we knew he'd immediately recognize the replacement as a fraud!  To say we were panicked was an understatement!  Mike actually briefly entertained the idea of driving overnight to Westminster to get Tinsel before the boys woke up!  Although I thought that was a bit extreme, I knew we had to think of a solution so that Ryan wouldn't start questioning things.  We decided to put the replacement elf in Gavin's crib, facing the wall so his un-Tinsel-like features wouldn't be as noticeable.  We figured we'd tell the boys that Tinsel was exhausted after flying to Westminster, and then to Ocean Pines, after discovering we had moved.  Crisis temporarily averted!  However, I have no idea how we're going to disguise the imposter until next week when we return to Westminster to retrieve the original!     

Early Friday morning I was awakened by the sounds of excited whispers coming over the monitor next to my bed.  Even though it was painfully early, I was touched as I listened to the boys discuss the elf tradition and wonder about Tinsel's whereabouts.  After a few minutes I could hear the pitter patter (more like galloping thuds) of little boy feet as they explored every room looking for Tinsel.  They could barely contain their excitement when they found him!  Their enthusiasm and anticipation was so infectious I, too, found myself filled with holiday spirit.  It's amazing that such a small, unassuming toy elf has come to be such an important part of our family Christmas tradition and represent the magic of the season.

Training Wheels

We have been in Ocean Pines for a month and have spent most of our free time at the pools, at the beach or setting up the house. Today was overcast so we decided to explore the neighborhood more. We went on the longest walk/bike ride ever to visit a hidden crabbing pier. When we got back Ryan decided he was ready for his training wheels to come off. A friend had given us a Balance Buddy to put on the back of his bike to help him learn to ride without training wheels.

So while Gavin slept off our first adventure of the day, Ryan helped me take the training wheels off. He and I set off with me jogging (which quickly turned into a full out sprint) as I held the Balance Buddy. Within ten minutes I realized he had it and sprinted along with my hand floating above the Balance Buddy bar so he thought I was still helping him. Up and down the road we raced until he caught on and figured out I wasn't holding the bar anymore! He was so excited. We went all over the neighborhood with me running alongside as he continued to build his confidence.

Soon we had Michelle come outside to see what he could do. They took off down the street with Michelle trying (unsuccessfully) to keep up with Speedster Ryan. This video was Ryan coming back to the house (alone!) with Mommy not even in sight.

When Gavin woke up from his nap he was so impressed with Ryan he wanted to start riding Ryan's old smaller bike with training wheels. And he demanded to have the Balance Buddy. So Gavin helped me modify his bike to have both the Balance Buddy and training wheels. Off the family went to race through the neighborhood - Ryan speeding around and Gavin alternating between healthy pushes via the Balance Buddy and pedaling when he felt like it. We all had a great time and relished in another great milestone!

Age Appreciation

While waiting to pick Gavin up from school,  I shared my daily devotional with Ryan.  The verse read:

"Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life."  Proverbs 16:31

The commentary afterward suggested we should not be discouraged by gray hair even when we're surrounded by a culture that values youth.  Rather than be ashamed of our age, we should take pride in our years, as wisdom often comes with age.  After hearing Ryan's take on this, I would disagree with that last part of the commentary.  While wisdom comes with experience, and thus, age, I would argue that, in many cases, children are far wiser than adults given their innocence and that they have yet to be tainted by the world's views.

To illustrate, later in the afternoon we were driving to a friend's house to surprise her with a birthday cake.  Ryan asked me how old she was.  I explained that grown ups don't like to share their age.  Confused, he asked why.  I told him that some adults are embarrassed by their age and don't like others to know how old they are.  They want others to think they're younger than they actually are.  Ryan wisely replied, "that's silly, there's no reason to be embarrassed by your age.  God made us be born when he wanted us to be born.  Remember the Bible verse from earlier, Mom.  God tells us not to be ashamed of our age."  Touché.  (He also added, "Then I hope Daddy won't be mad, because I told my teachers that he was 35!")

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Although today's devotional discourages us from valuing youth, I'd like to offer another interpretation.  We should not long for a youthful appearance, but we should strive for a more innocent, childlike perspective because I think Ryan had it right on this one!

Gavin's Big Boy Haircut

Now that his curls are gone, we finally conceded it was time for Gavin to get a big boy haircut.  I wasn't nearly as sentimental about it as I thought I would be.  Although he definitely looks older with shorter hair, I didn't get overly emotional about seeing my baby boy look so grown up.  I suppose that's because it's hard to think of him as a baby when he's such a bruiser!  Regardless of whether his hair is long or short, curly or straight, we think he's handsome no matter what!

Here are some final shots of the tousled, surfer dude hair that has been Gavin's signature look for the past two years:     

And here he shows off his new do for the new year!  Ryan and Daddy got their hair cut as well.  We finally convinced Ryan to spike up the front with gel.  We think it really shows off his handsome face!  Now if only he'll agree to stick with it... 

Once Gavin saw that Ryan and Daddy got gel in their hair, he wanted some as well.  So, here he's sporting his wet, slicked down, style.  Three handsome haircuts for three handsome guys!

Mommy Day

Since both boys had off from school today, I decided to plan a special Mommy Day with them.  We started the day with a pancake breakfast at IHOP - a rare treat since Daddy is boycotting it to protest it being in our front yard!  Both boys ordered the funny face pancakes.  Ryan's was a chocolate chip pancake with a banana face and Gavin's was a regular pancake with strawberry and whipped cream facial features.  As if that weren't enough sugar, they insisted on trying the strawberry and blueberry syrup as dipping sauces!   

Then we went to Explore and More, a hands-on children's museum in Gettysburg, PA.  Located in a beautiful historic home in the heart of downtown Gettysburg, this museum features seven themed rooms with activities designed to be fun and educational through exploratory play.  The 1860's room, which was Ryan's favorite, resembles a Civil War era house and general store and allows children to experience life as it was more than one hundred years ago.  There was also a construction zone, art room, nature area, dark room with a black light, and exploration room where children could stand inside a bubble, experiment with magnets, put on a puppet show, and use food coloring in water and milk to see the different color combinations they could make.

Today was a welcome departure from our usual school-day routine and a much needed fun outing for Mommy and her boys!  I wish we could have days like today more often! 

One Crazy Day!

Target Practice
Our morning started with target practice.  "Nerf It Up" Gavin, "Sharpshooter" Ryan, and "Bullseye" Daddy each fired 10 shots at a target taped to the fireplace.  Ryan recorded everyone's points after each shot and added them at the end to see who had the highest score.  "Bullseye" and "Sharpshooter" both put up fairly impressive numbers.  "Nerf It Up" tends to be more of a wild, unpredictable shooter.  However, you should not underestimate him; he's fairly accurate during battle, especially when aiming at the face!

On Thin Ice

A couple of inches of snow and freezing rain had fallen overnight, turning our driveway into an icy luge that was perfect for sledding.  The boys played outside in the snow and ice for more than an hour before coming in for marshmallows and hot chocolate (in that order since the amount of marshmallows far exceeds the amount of hot chocolate in their mugs).  Afterward, without prompting, Gavin would say, "Me had a great time outside.  Me had so much fun playing in snow with Daddy and Ryan!"

Dog Tired

Gavin has given up napping in his crib.  Most days he naps in Mommy and Daddy's bed.  Today, when Daddy gave him his options of where he could nap, he jokingly named Guinness' dog bed as a possibility.  Naturally, Gavin latched onto that idea and insisted on napping there.  So, we all gathered around the dog bed for story time and laid there until Gavin fell asleep.  Guinness was very confused and upset by the intrusion!

Duckpin Bowling

Later that afternoon, we reserved a lane at the local bowling alley so the boys could try duckpin bowling for the first time.  They really enjoyed it and did far better than I expected (though the bumpers on the sides of the lane helped!).  In duckpin bowling, bowlers are allowed three balls per frame, instead of two like in regular ten-pin bowling.  Since all four of us played, that was a long time for two excited little boys to have to wait for their next turn.   

Ryan was our official scorekeeper and was in charge of pushing the reset button between frames.  There were a couple of frames where he knocked down all 10 pins.  Gavin never mastered the technique of rolling the ball down the lane.  Instead, he threw it like a shot put then ran back to get another ball to immediately launch down the lane.  He'd throw all three balls before the first one even reached the pins.  He even managed to throw a couple of gutter balls despite the bumpers! 

Although we kept score, we're not sure who won the game since we had to submit our scorecard to the cashier to determine how much we owed.  Next time we'll know to add up all the points before checking out!  At least that gives us an excuse to go bowling again!

Day 176 (6/25/11) - Toy Airshow

These days the boys like to line their stuffed animals up on the couch and put on an airshow with their Imaginext airplanes, helicopters, and space shuttle.  Their airplanes perform many of the same stunts that were done at the airshow at Andrews Air Force base that we attended last month.

Day 175 (6/24/11) - Pool Time!

Ryan practices his underwater swimming.  He can retrieve diving sticks from the bottom and hold his breath and swim underwater for the entire length of the baby pool.

It never fails, we come to the pool only to have them play on the playground equipment instead!

Day 174 (6/23/11) - Play Date at the Park

Today we met some of Ryan's friends from preschool at the park for a picnic lunch and play date.  After several hours of running around the playground, playing on the swings, and feeding the ducks, I took two tired, sweaty, and dirty little boys home for a Popsicle. 

(It's impossible to get both boys to look at the camera at the same time.  Apparently I have to take two pictures for each shot that I want - one with Ryan looking and the second with Gavin looking!)

Day 173 (6/22/11) - U2 Concert

Mike surprised me with tickets to see the legendary rock band, U2.  Although we're not as familiar with some of their more recent songs, we're huge fans of their classic hits such as "One," "Beautiful Day," "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," "Mysterious Ways," and "With or Without You" (who can forget that song playing when Ross and Rachel shared their first kiss during an episode of Friends?!)  U2 is like the Rolling Stones of our generation so we were excited to have an opportunity to see them in concert.

We invited our college friends, Tom and Julia, to join us.  We met for dinner and drinks at BWI airport before the show.  We then took the light rail into the city to avoid traffic on the way home.  The set was amazing and Bono, The Edge, and the rest of the band put on an awesome show!

Day 171 (6/20/11) - A Trip To The Zoo For The Little Boy Turning Two

To celebrate Gavin's actual birthday, we took him to the zoo to see some of his favorite animals.  We even got to feed a giraffe.  Once the giraffe ambled over to us, Gavin decided he wanted absolutely no part of it so he let Ryan feed the giraffe his leaf while he watched from a safe distance.

After the zoo we returned home to finish off the remaining Sesame Street cupcakes.  A couple of bites into Cookie Monster, we thought it best to remove his shirt.  In honor of his second birthday, we even let him have a second cupcake.  You only turn two once, right?! 

Gavin, you have been an absolute joy to our family.  We have thoroughly enjoyed the past two years and are excited to see what the next year brings.  As you turn two, we want to share this Irish blessing (modified for emphasis):

"May God grant you always...
A sunbeam 2 warm you.
A moonbeam 2 charm you.
A sheltering Angel so nothing can harm you.
Laughter 2 cheer you.
Faithful friends near you.
And whenever you pray, Heaven 2 hear."

Gavin, Mommy, Daddy, and Ryan wish you a happy second birthday!  We love you 2 the moon and back!