Super Tuesday

We voted! Did you?

Congrats, Uncle Chris!

Congrats to Christian (or, as we call him around here, "Uncle Chris") on his fancy-pants new job with Dannon. He will be the Marketing Research Manager on two of Dannon's product lines: Danimals and Light&Fit.

Good luck with your new job, Christian! We are proud of you!

Air Alex

Donuts with Dad

This morning was the annual "Donuts with Dad" at Evan's preschool. Evan has been excited about this event for some time. He made surprise gifts for Will, including a laminated bow tie, a frog magnet, and a frog place mat.

Someone didn't want to haul a camera to breakfast, so this shot will have to do:

Big Boy Pants

Big news! Evan wore "big boy unders" to school this morning. He went potty three times and had no accidents! We are so proud of him.

To celebrate, I suggested that he choose lunch. He opted for a frosty from Wendy's. Alex loved this idea, as his favorite food is "bock bock" (chicken nuggets).

Here is a shot of the celebratory lunch and a shot of his droopy pants. Without a diaper to hold up his jeans, Evan will need a belt every day!

Jan 30 update: 2nd day at school w/o diapers - no accidents!

Floors, Glorious Floors!

The kitchen floors are done! Will did an awesome job. He single-handedly completed the entryway, living room, most of the dining room, and the kitchen! The only work left is the back door area and the last of the dining room.

I am ecstatic. YIPPEE!

Potty Training

Warning: If discussion of bodily functions offends you, read no further.

Evan has been in diapers too long. At his 3-year check-up in October, I asked his pediatrician about training. Her response was to hold up her hand and say, "He is a boy. He doesn't care what he sits in. Leave him alone." I protested. She continued, "He is so close in age to Alex [22 mos difference], he may be waiting for Alex to train with him." The blood drained from my head. I thought I'd pass out.

As a result of this shocking news, we have been using "potty" language with Alex, too. Today, we had the potty out in the middle of the den and Alex sat on it more than Evan. He also wore it as a hat, rolled it around, and stood in it. At least it isn't dusty anymore.

Yesterday, Evan decided to wear "big boy unders." He had four accidents and pooped in the diaper that I slapped on him at nap time. (I guess all the time we spent in the bathroom singing songs and telling stories didn't help; he still wanted to poop in a diaper!) Happily, we had a successful trip to the grocery store without incident, though.

Today, Evan had no accidents! Usually we tell him to go potty, but today he told us once that he needed to go. He wore his unders all day, including to Lowe's to work on a tool box project with Daddy. He waited for nap time to poop in a diaper again, but at least I didn't do two extra loads of laundry tonight! We'll keep our fingers crossed. .... I hope we are making progress.

Stay tuned.

7:30 am update on 1-27: one accident already. shoot. Another two accidents followed later in the day.

1:00 pm update on 1-28: wore unders to school; no accidents; went potty three times!

What a trip!

We are now home from a week in Evanston chez Gramie & Bapa (Ani's folks). It was a terrific week, although the travel to and from O'hare was horrendous! The weather was very cold, so we had lots of time for playing around the house and reading books. Mom/Gramie/Karen took time off work, and Dad/Bapa/Jay only teaches on T/Th. We were fortunate to spend much time with them! We also had breakfast with Ani's college friends and their significant others (Lenore & Ross, Rosa & Bernhard) and dinner with Dad's cousin, Dave Kingman, who was in town for the Cubs convention.

To see pictures of playing at home & visiting with family and friends click here.

We spent Friday and Saturday at the Museum of Science and Industry. The kids were in heaven. Evan ran from exhibit to exhibit yelling, "I love it here! I love it here!" By the second day, it was clear that Alex remembered certain exhibits and walked straight to them. Evan's favorite thing to do was watch the Model Trains. Alex loved the Baby Chicks. (When he put his face to the window, the fluffy chicks came running!) Other highlights included experiencing the Farm Exhibit where to boys "drove" a huge John Deere and milked cows; walking through a Human Heart; seeing the U-505 Sub; and touring the Zephyr train.

For many museum pictures, click here.

My weight watchers regimen was out the window this week, but it was worth it; we had fantastic food every day. Oh, I miss ethnic cuisine. We had Chinese twice from Pine Yard (best Chinese ever), Chicago style pizza at Lou Malnati's, Portillo's Italian beef, Thai food, and Mexican. Yum Yum Yum. When I lived in Evanston, I took all these options for granted. Now when I visit, I savor each bite! In Macon, unless you want to vary the "two" in your "meat and two," there is little variety of cuisine. (For those who don't know, the "two" is two vegetables -- usually deep fried or soaked in butter.)

On Tuesday, at the age of 17 mos and 2 days, Alex's received his first official haircut at KidSnips (if you discount my trimming over his ears). Evan got a cut, too.

For a slide show of haircut pictures, click here.

It was a great week and we miss Gramie and Bapa already!

Bath

We don't usually give the boys a bath together because it is a lot easier to hustle them in and out one at a time. Tonight, they played in the tub together and had a blast.

Trucks

The boys and I stumbled upon a kid-project class at Lowes this morning. Designed for 2nd-5th graders, this was rather advanced for Evan and Alex. However, there were plenty of folks around to help (er... build the trucks for us).

Each participant got an apron, goggles, and a badge! The boys loved it. Evan even got to hammer nails, his brother's finger once (yow!), and the helper's fingers many times. Thankfully, there are no broken bones and we have two cool pickup trucks. The best part? It was free! We'll be back in two weeks to build tool boxes and earn another badge!

YouTube Flashback

Until a few minutes ago, I hadn't checked Evan's YouTube debut in ages. Can you believe that since Sept 2nd, he has over 23,700 views? Seventy-five people have favorited the video, too! It makes me laugh to think about his squeaky little voice playing around the country 23,000 times.

Just for fun, here is the video again! Click on it. Maybe we can get him to 24,000! :)

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Captain Crunch

We try to keep the kids away from sugared "kid" cereal, but from time to time... why not? In December I bought Christmas Captain Crunch. Not surprisingly, the boys loved it. Out of nowhere the other day, Evan began begging for Crunch Berries. Getting nowhere, he stopped his whining and tried a different approach:

E: Mommy, Captain Crunch Berries are healthy.

A: What? No, they aren't Evan. They are junk food.

E: They are healthy, Mommy. The Captain is smiling!

Bam. The impact of advertising hit our house.

New Floors!

Will is in the running for best husband-of-the-year and it is only the 6Th of January. He is installing wood floors on our 1st floor. So far, the entryway and the living room are complete. The rooms look awesome. It has been a tremendous amount of work, which he will downplay if asked. We've moved the piano into the living room & the toys out. woo-hoo!

Thanks, Grampa, for the generous Christmas gift of new floors! I'm happy every time I walk on them. Thanks, Will, for your installation work! Happy happy happy me....

For a brief slideshow of during/after, click here. Here, too, is a funny video of Evan "working together with daddy."

Family Movie Night

As kids, Will and I both enjoyed Sunday afternoons with Disney movies, popcorn, apples, and cheese. We just started this tradition with the boys, as well. Earlier today, Alex had popcorn for the first time while we watched the musical numbers from Mary Poppins again and again and again.

Note: Evan had been dancing like a chimney sweep much of the afternoon, so he is pooped in this picture. Alex also likes the Step-In-Time number best! You should see these guys dance. Evan swings around a baby-sized-broom while Alex ducks (usually). They bounce, giggle, jump, and roll around. It is hilarious.

"Macon" Rolls

These rolls were great, though not quite as fancy as their west coast counterparts. I have some learning to do! Thanks to Emmy and Christian for the sushi making kit! What fun!

Happy New Year!

Best wishes to all in 2008!

Happy New Year!

New Year's Eve Karaoke

For Christmas, Nana and Gramps gave us a digital piano. It is absolutely fabulous. The touch is just like an acoustic piano, the sound is of a concert grand, and the extras are awesome (instrument voices, ability to record, etc). One of the extras is Karaoke! A new New Year's Eve tradition is born:

All bundled up in Colorado

I can't resist posting this video. Alex is all bundled up and ready for the snow! The only problem is that he can't walk. "uh oh!"

What a Christmas!

We are home from a wonderful week in Colorado. The boys loved spending time with Will's side of the family: Nana, Gramps, and Megan (aka Aunt Cucka). Upon our arrival, we hit the snow to build a snowman, have a snowball fight, and do lots of exploring. Georgia kids don't see much of the white stuff and they loved it! We also had large family dinners with the Jordans and the Browns on Christmas Eve and Christmas, respectively. It was great to see so many family members, and the boys loved playing with their 2nd cousins, some of whom are close in age to Evan.

Santa was good to the boys, bringing "Thomas" engines, Bill & Ben, and Donald & Douglas. Evan quickly scooped up all the trains (both his and Alex's), while Alex horded the Thomas people and ate the rest of Santa's cookie! It was fun to watch. We have oodles of pictures, but I've narrowed them down from 500+ to the best of the best. Click here to see the highlights.

Both boys were super-sick during our time in Colorado. Most pictures feature runny noses, flush cheeks, or pale skin. We even made a trip to the ER on Christmas Eve morning for Alex (a first for either kid). His fever was through the roof but they weren't sure why. Evan is now sick with the same thing. I fear we've infected 40 relatives with kiddie germs; sorry everyone!

Before leaving for Denver, we celebrated an early Christmas in Macon with gifts from Ani's family. Here are some pictures from that celebration, as well.

We were all spoiled. It was a wonderful Christmas full of family togetherness (in person or via phone), great food, fun, and too many presents. :)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

(We will be away from high-speed Internet for a few days, so postings will be limited. )

Visit with Santa

Two visits to Santa in two days! The kids (ok, Ani) can't get enough.

For more December pics, including family portraits, click here.

Jingle Bells

Here is Evan singing Jingle Bells like you've never heard before. This version includes Alex panting, a fake sneeze, dramatic pauses, and muddled words! Enjoy!

The Russian Navy

These shirts came to us from our good friends in Moscow, Alex and Marina Belkin. Alex bought them at the Russian Navy Store. Thanks, Alex and Marina!

Nice Catch!

Alex loves baseball and football. He calls them both "eyeball." At times he even plays them together.

Evan's Bike Riding

The weather has been in the upper 70's in Macon this week and tomorrow we might set a record at 82. Why not learn to ride a bike in the middle of December? (Did you say there were ice storms up north?)

The Bumble Bee Song

Alex loves to hear us sing "Bringing home a baby bumble bee." He clasps his hands together and says, "bumble, bumble!" Prior to this video being shot over Thanksgiving weekend, he never participated in the song....

Take a look. We were all caught by surprise!

Holiday Open House

Usually we never have plans, but today was nuts! Evan went to the first 30 minutes of a birthday party for his friend Maddie (see school picture). Next, we hurried to Church for our directory pictures. Later, we prepared for Will's Ancient Political Thought class to visit. (We were expecting 11, I baked enough food for 25, and 5 made it. It is finals week, so folks are swamped.) These are some of Will's best students and we had a nice time visiting with those who did come. I sent everyone home with goodie-plates and reindeer.

Evan and Alex were great entertainment the whole time!

Students from Will's upper-level Ancient Political Thought class

Snacks

Lately, Alex insists on eating snacks at the little white table. I love it. I'm encouraging Evan to sit when he eats, too! (If he isn't strapped into his booster seat, he wanders.) This is a picture of the first time the boys ate together in their "big boy chairs."

Evan's Class Picture

Evan's first-ever class picture was taken last month, but we received our copy today. Not one kid is smiling, but it is cute nonetheless. (click on the picture for a larger view) For those keeping up with his friends, here are the names:

Back: Will, Michael, Lawson, Nate, Evan

Front: Jorja Ann, Shelby, Riya, Maddie, Livia (Kaitlyn missing)

Ms. Blackwood (teacher aid - on left), Ms. Gibson (right)

Smocked-boy-outfits are totally popular down here. (!?) Evan wore the basic sweater vest, polo, and khaki pants. Sorry, kid -- no smocked stuff for you -- especially at 3 years old!