Friday, December 28, 2007

Brotherly Love

Tonight, Josh took Sam to the movies. Benjamin didn't go because Benjamin doesn't like going to the movies. Getting ready for bed was easy, but going to sleep proved to be a bit harder. As Benjamin climbed into bed, the tears started to flow.

M: Benj, what's wrong.
B: I can't sleep without Sam.
M: But you are always saying you want your own room, now's your chance.
B: I don't think I can do it.
M: Just close your eyes and go to sleep.
B: Sam's a really good brother and I can't be happy when he's not here. I miss Sam.

Brothers and friends -- what more could a mom ask for?

Monday, December 17, 2007

Resume of a Two Year Old


Name: Nicholas White
Life Skills:
  • Climbs Anything
  • Finds a permanent marker anywhere in the house
  • Uses said permanent marker to draw on the table and the windowsill
  • Throws plastic toys into the hot oven
  • Can tell the second the door is open and always makes a run for it
  • Can undress in a matter of seconds
  • Uses words like "My favorite!" to get what he wants
  • Says things are "pretty cool" when he's trying to down play excitement
  • Loves to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, but doesn't like others to join in
  • Favorite foods are gum, candy, chocolate, fruit roll-ups and chips (yum . . . )
  • Has favorite episodes of Blue's Clues that he watches over and OVER
  • Loves to color, and although he knows to only color on paper, he regards walls, furniture and clothing as paper
  • Dumps out entire containers of crickets, cricket food and gecko vitamins for Sam's pet gecko (not all at once, thank goodness -- but not only once either!)
  • Can make anyone laugh!



    There seems to be very little Nicholas can't do -- but here are a few things:
    Can't climb out of his bed
    Can't keep his pajamas on at night
    Can't keep his hands off cell phones
    Can't stop being so adorable despite the fact that he makes me absolutely crazy!!

    Happy 2nd birthday Nicholas! We love you!!!

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

A stroke of luck

On a whim, I decided to give the boys a small something every day leading up to Christmas. I raided the dollar bin at Target and decided to call my little endeavor the "Christmas Elf."

Day one -- Saturday, I left some candy on the counter in the bathroom with a note from the Christmas Elf. The boys went CRAZY! Sam, clever as always, left me a note in my bathroom with a picture. It said, "To mom. Merry Christmas from the Christmas Elf." I excitedly told the boys that the Christmas Elf had left me something too. Sam seemed perplexed about my excitement. He thought his note would be a way to let me know that he knew I was the culprit. No luck!

Day two -- The Christmas elf left something on the kitchen counter for the boys. My elf in turn made some ornaments out of pipe cleaners for me, which I quickly stuck on the tree. (the boys glowed with pride at this gesture.) Benjamin wrote a thank-you note to the Christmas elf.

Day three -- I decided to mix things up a bit and do a service instead of give a treat. Luckily for me, the boys are slobs! So their room became my target. When I was finished, I stuck this poem to their door:

Sam and Benjamin

I went to your room to leave a surprise,
but when I saw the mess, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Toys and blankets, books and more,
all thrown about, tossed down on the floor.

So I decided to do you a favor,
And when you see why, you can thank me later.

It’s hard for Santa to leave more toys
In a house with a couple of messy boys.

Santa likes to see boys who take care of their stuff,
But I know cleaning can sometimes be tough.

So I cleaned up your room as your surprise for the day,
I made your beds and put your toys away.

I hope this will help you keep everything clean.
Cause Santa’s coming soon (and you know what that means!)

If you want to have some new toys under the tree,
see what I did and learn a lesson from me.

Keep your room clean, keep it tidy and neat,
And I promise that Santa will bring an extra special Christmas treat!

Love,
The Christmas Elf
22 days to go!

When the boys got home from school, they were a little disappointed to not find a treat. However, they were quick to point out the last line about the extra special treat. And I got a drawing of some Christmas stockings from my little elves.

Day four -- on the way home from school, Sam asked what the Christmas elf left. I told him I didn't think there was anything yet. He said, "AHA! I knew it was you!" I told him I didn't know what he was talking about. While they were playing outside, I left a little treat on their beds with a note that said, "Thanks for keeping your room clean. Love, the Christmas Elf" We went to run a quick errand, and when we came back Sam found the treat. He came running out of his room screaming (no kidding, screaming) "The Christmas elf is REAL!" I didn't get anything from my elf today -- but their room is still clean, so that is gift enough.

It's only been 4 days, and Sam and Benjamin talk like we've been doing this for years! It's fun to surprise them, I think I may continue it for years.

Thanks to an idea from the Sprague Lab Blog, we also started doing nightly family activities. I typed up a list of Christmas activities and put it in a jar. Each night we draw an idea from the jar. We made microwave s'mores, watched a Christmas movie, and tomorrow night we are going to plan a family vacation. Benjamin asked if we can do this all year. Maybe not nightly, but weekly isn't bad. . . .

Did I mention that I love Christmas?