It was a grand day indeed. Jamie woke up on Christmas Eve saying he wanted to go to bed right away so Santa would come sooner (I'm not sure what would have happened if we'd tried to put that into practice.). But we counted the hours down by watching NORAD's Santa tracker throughout the day and this year they both went to bed right on time so as not to risk being naughty. There was some concern because there are some little girls on our street and there was a fear that Santa might mix them up and bring the boys princess dolls or some such horror.
But happily Santa nailed it as usual and the boys were very pleased with their loot. They managed not to get up too early, with Jamie waking around 6:30 and Connor soon after. The bunny was a little cranky at first and I think may have forgotten it was Christmas but as soon as his eyes scanned the room full of presents he perked right up and it was on. Most of their presents had been unwrapped before it was light out. For Jamie the big item was a Nerf gun (shoots soft darts with surprising velocity). He has actually handled this responsibility well, meaning that he hasn't been shooting Connor with it. Connor got a smaller version and a number of other things. Curiously, he greatest excitement was opening his stocking when he found a Matchbox old-time pickup truck. Frankly it was a bit of throw-in, but the minute he saw it proclaimed "Ohhh!! It's just what I always wanted!!!"
The rest of the day was pretty good, there was only limited crashing and most of the toys managed to make it through the day without breaking so all in all a success!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
The Reader
I don't why we don't pick up on this pattern until after the fact, but Jamie has once again disproved the notion that you have to walk before you can run. Just as he waited to walk until he was an absolute expert and could zip off in a hurry, Jamie seems to have waited to start reading until he could read almost anything. The penny has dropped suddenly and he is a reading machine, tearing through one chapter book after another.
This has coincided with and partially contributed to a shift in sleep patterns. It used to be that Jamie would drop off to sleep the second he got in bed and Connor would be awake for hours. Now, having done with naps, Connor tends to sack out very quickly, while Jamie will now lie in bed and read for hours if we let him.
This has coincided with and partially contributed to a shift in sleep patterns. It used to be that Jamie would drop off to sleep the second he got in bed and Connor would be awake for hours. Now, having done with naps, Connor tends to sack out very quickly, while Jamie will now lie in bed and read for hours if we let him.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Snippets from the road
I obviously have a lot of material to catch up on, going back to Halloween and Jamie's birthday, so I'll try to get some of that up soon. For the moment, I'll just offer a few details from our Thanksgiving travels.
First of all, I will say that the boys are really seasoned, skilled travelers. As should any traveler, they learn from past experiences and plan accordingly to avoid discomfort. Thus, at the very beginning of the trip, Jamie counseled all of us, but Connor in particular, NOT to sit at the back of the shuttle bus from the parking lot. As he learned this can lead to carsickness and vomiting while waiting in the check-in line (good times!). So, wisely they sat in front and all was well. Also pleasing is that some line has been crossed and the boys have actually become a help, at least some of the time, in carrying the masses of stuff we need to bring. Jamie likes pulling a suitcase on wheels very much and so Connor has to as well, which is a bit of an adventure, but the fact is, it made things genuinely easier. Granted they tend to weave a rather twisted line through the airport, so we don't move too fast but it certainly beats Sarah and I lugging three bags each. Once we got on the plane, the boys both settled in immediately with their entertainment devices and snacks and were as happy as clams. Connor as usual asked about the plane "blasting off" and I had to hush them a bit because as we were just about to "blast off" they began saying gleefully, "We're gonna blow!!!!" Makes people nervous.
Connor also produced a couple of funny neo-logisms along the way. First of all, he kept asking if we were in Baltimore yet, except he struggled with the name so started calling it "Voldemort," from Harry Potter. So of course soon we were all talking about going to Voldemort. Second, he christened the headsets for watching movies "earrings." Picture this said about 50 times: "Daddy! My earrings fell out again!" Grrr. Once we got to Voldemort (Frederick really) he saw some horses pulling a carriage down the street. Remembering that we had seen something similar in Houston as well, he remarked intelligently, "Those must be very energetic horses to have come all the way from Houston!"
But really travel was simple and we had a great time at Nonni and Diddy's. They had a great time raking leaves then jumping in the pile and also discovered a "secret garden" in Nonni's backyard. "Do you think she knows about it?" Jamie asked me in a hushed tone. Given that she built it with her own hands, I assured him, yes.
First of all, I will say that the boys are really seasoned, skilled travelers. As should any traveler, they learn from past experiences and plan accordingly to avoid discomfort. Thus, at the very beginning of the trip, Jamie counseled all of us, but Connor in particular, NOT to sit at the back of the shuttle bus from the parking lot. As he learned this can lead to carsickness and vomiting while waiting in the check-in line (good times!). So, wisely they sat in front and all was well. Also pleasing is that some line has been crossed and the boys have actually become a help, at least some of the time, in carrying the masses of stuff we need to bring. Jamie likes pulling a suitcase on wheels very much and so Connor has to as well, which is a bit of an adventure, but the fact is, it made things genuinely easier. Granted they tend to weave a rather twisted line through the airport, so we don't move too fast but it certainly beats Sarah and I lugging three bags each. Once we got on the plane, the boys both settled in immediately with their entertainment devices and snacks and were as happy as clams. Connor as usual asked about the plane "blasting off" and I had to hush them a bit because as we were just about to "blast off" they began saying gleefully, "We're gonna blow!!!!" Makes people nervous.
Connor also produced a couple of funny neo-logisms along the way. First of all, he kept asking if we were in Baltimore yet, except he struggled with the name so started calling it "Voldemort," from Harry Potter. So of course soon we were all talking about going to Voldemort. Second, he christened the headsets for watching movies "earrings." Picture this said about 50 times: "Daddy! My earrings fell out again!" Grrr. Once we got to Voldemort (Frederick really) he saw some horses pulling a carriage down the street. Remembering that we had seen something similar in Houston as well, he remarked intelligently, "Those must be very energetic horses to have come all the way from Houston!"
But really travel was simple and we had a great time at Nonni and Diddy's. They had a great time raking leaves then jumping in the pile and also discovered a "secret garden" in Nonni's backyard. "Do you think she knows about it?" Jamie asked me in a hushed tone. Given that she built it with her own hands, I assured him, yes.
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