Outnumbered! Life in a House Full of Boys

A nice email from Aidan's hockey coach

2011-09-12T21:59:00.003-04:00

Aidan had his 2nd-ever hockey game yesterday, Sunday Sept 11. 1 goal, 1 assist, 1 penalty. But turns out that is probably not what we should remember of his debut weekend. Here is an email Joe got from the coach today:

FYI – I ran into Aidan at the rink on Sunday morning and we talked for a few minutes about the game from the day before. Then he says to me, "Coach, do you think it would be okay if we did the Pledge of Allegiance today before the game, with everything going on?" I was floored. How thoughtful of that little boy to remember the tragedy of 9/11 and his country! So after I gave my pre-game prep talk I told the boys what Aidan wanted to do and I asked him if he would lead us, and he did. We all stood, put our hands over our hearts and gave the Pledge! It shot goose bumps down my spine and made me very proud of that little boy.

We are very proud of him too.

Summer Update Coming Soon

2011-08-22T13:07:00.004-04:00

Yes, I have been a major blog slacker. We have been very busy all summer. And someday soon, I will recap it...at least for my own sake! For now, watch the latest danger in which we placed the boys last week in Lincoln, NH. You'll notice Seamus' video is cut a little shorter as I wasn't sure if I wanted to capture the moment my 5 year old drowned...

One of these things is not like the others...

2011-05-17T11:16:00.002-04:00

All of these kids played hard, but only one of them is taking the loss hard.

The other Aidan

2011-05-08T16:12:00.005-04:00

Doesn't Aidan look great pitching?!

Yeah, I thought so too!! I cheered loudly for him for the 2 innings he pitched, before I saw him move to the outfield for the 3rd inning.

The only problem?

That pitcher?

Is not Aidan.

This was an 11am game. I didn't discover that this was not Aidan pitching until 7:30pm when we all sat down for dinner and I told Aidan to tell Daddy how good he had pitched earlier. He looked completely puzzled and finally convinced me he was not messing with my head, that really wasn't him pitching.

If I get any defense, it was the first game of the season AND I forgot my prescription sunglasses in Joe's car the night before so I had on a regular pair during the game.

Fortunately, none of the others parents from our team were sitting near me. And the othres were hopefully not paying attention to me. At least that is what I'm telling myself.

Happy Mothers Day eve to me!

Easter Hunt

2011-04-26T18:35:00.001-04:00

There's a little aggression and craftiness going on here. There's also some dizziness from the camera work. The best stuff's at the end, so you might want to fast forward. :)

Seamus Does Country

2011-04-25T22:36:00.001-04:00

For this, I blame Joe.

Which boy said the following...

2011-04-22T15:00:00.001-04:00

"I won't wear any shoes where you can see my feet. That's gross."

Cruise Report, Part 1

2011-04-16T16:36:00.003-04:00

We had a great family cruise/side visit to Orlando. Lots more to come, including pictures. For now, I thought I'd post the video of Colin's onboard talent contest performance: naming all 44 US Presidents, in order. It's a little long so feel free to skip - but if you get out a book, I'm pretty sure you'll find he got them 100% right. He went a little long so didn't get to his planned 2nd part - having people yell out the name of a president and for him to give the years they served and then having people yell out a year and for him to say who the president was then. Next time, Colin, next time...

This is from INDOOR soccer

2011-04-06T18:08:00.001-04:00

Honestly? How can you get this dirty playing inside??

Aidan's TV Debut

2011-03-31T09:11:00.004-04:00

Aidan's school did a Hockey 4 Heart fundraiser yesterday. He was quite excited to learn that he made it on TV (full TV clip here) - nearly as excited as he was about the fact that his team won the 3rd grade challenge and he got a medal.

Why it's good I don't have girls

2011-03-29T09:24:00.003-04:00

Colin is obsessed with the Presidents these days (he can name them all in order from memory - except he keeps saying Hillary Clinton not Bill Clinton for #42). So naturally he chose one for his school biography project. This involves writing a report, dressing like the character to read the report and making a 'bottle person' for display in the classroom. He chose Lincoln, but he wishes now he chose Taft since he got stuck in a bathtub since he was so fat. Nice.

Here is Colin with the bottle person. I may or may have not helped, but it's really irrelevant because even if I did, it still looks like it was done by a 2nd grader. I blame this on my lack of practice doing crafts, since little boys aren't exactly known for sitting around and doing artsy things.

For Uncle John

2011-03-29T09:23:00.002-04:00

I am still alive. :) I will update this blog. I will update this blog. I will update this blog. There! I did it! :)

I really will. For the moment, here is what I am focused on:

My Countdown Countdown

First snow day of 2011

2011-01-12T10:44:00.003-05:00

what we saw when we opened the garage today

Colin says that is his 'surprised' face. ooookay.

Then it was time for a little playing.

Aidan's preparing for his career with the circus

2011-01-09T18:03:00.004-05:00

I really should get him a pet

2010-12-20T21:12:00.002-05:00

I meant to post this one a while ago, reminded tonight when Seamus asked me 'when am I going to get a new pet balloon?' What is a pet balloon? It looks something like this:

This was from the summer after a parade. Seamus dragged "Balloony" around for a few hours, as if it was an animal on a leash. Needless to say, I banned the germy piece of latex from entering our house, so Balloony lasted even shorter than a carnival goldfish. But, alas, he holds a special place in our hearts.

Boys like candy

2010-12-19T23:52:00.001-05:00

Pure glee thanks to Aunt Lynn & Uncle David

I think it is too pretty too eat, but I finally gave in after a few days and let them go for it...

Cousins

2010-12-10T21:28:00.001-05:00

Aren't they...lovely?

Santa's videos to the boys

2010-12-09T01:47:00.005-05:00

Here's hoping this encourages the (somewhat waivering for the middle and then the eldest, in that order) belief in Santa. Click on each below for a personalized message from the big guy from the North Pole to each of my little guys.

Aidan's message

Colin's message

Seamus' message

Colin's take on the rating system

2010-12-08T21:36:00.003-05:00

The topic of video games recently came up, and the boys mentioned some shooting game. Colin said, "Oh yeah, that one is bad...it's rated M...for Men."

Our little 'star'

2010-12-07T23:45:00.002-05:00

If you didn't know before, you'll soon learn that one of Santa's reindeer is Pinocchio and Babe Ruth's mentioned in the Star Spangled Banner. Seamus is clearly destined for American Idol. Or America's Funniest Home Videos.

Election Night

2010-11-02T21:02:00.005-04:00

The boys and I are watching mid-term election coverage. Colin in particular watches too much Fox News.

Colin: I am a Republican. I don't want to be an Independant like you. And terrorists are usually Democrats, so I definitely don't want to be that.

Me: Colin! That's terrible. Democrats are not terrorists.

Colin: I said USUALLY.

Seamus talks Nookie (Nuki)

2010-10-14T18:20:00.002-04:00

Yes, I've been MIA and surely there have been some good stories from the end of the summer/start of school. I'll add them as they come back to me in horror.

But no better way to start back to the blog than share my horror du jour. Seamus has been walking around the house singing "Nookie, nookie, nookie...better than a cookie." Oh dear. I let him on YouTube while I tried to get stuff done. And this? The sad result.

As a parent in 2010, I could have explained to my (now) 5 year old (yeah, we missed that milestone while I was off not blogging) what nookie is.

But as a parent in 2010, I decide to Google instead.

PHEW.

another one bites the dust

2010-08-10T16:33:00.004-04:00

And in honor of this, I'm sharing Colin's favorite roadsign ever. (I admit, I think it's mine too. Other than the one in Ireland that showed a car randomly falling into the water. That was pretty good too.)

Ok, ok....here is that Ireland sign.

Our littlest daredevil

2010-08-05T10:40:00.004-04:00

Seamus has finally nearly mastered riding his bike without training wheels. It's good that he figured it out mainly on his own, because my back wasn't up for much more teaching. So last night he random shouted out, "Hey Mommy! Watch what I can do!" Usually, these are words that fill me with fear, and they're often yelled from a great height or involve some sort of made up martial arts move being tested on a brother. But this time? I just saw my little 4 year old pedal his hardest, perfectly balanced and happily jetting forward. Ok, so he was basically aiming for the pole holding up the basketball net - but he swerved in plenty o time. The bigger concern? He didn't yell something back to me like "Look what I can do!" or "Aren't you proud of me?!" No. Instead I got this: "Awesome - now I can be in the X Games!!"

Colin the Farmer?

2010-07-29T19:28:00.002-04:00

We're at a lovely Residence Inn in Vermont. As can be predicted, Colin had to use the facilities as soon as we crossed the threshold. The good news? No plunger was required. The bad news? There was an odor to the point Seamus sniffed a few times and asked, "Colin? What are you raising ponies in there? P.U.!!!"

Almost as comfy as the minivan

2010-07-28T00:36:00.001-04:00

3 boys, 1 twin bed.

Is it wrong to want your kid to fail?

2010-07-27T11:20:00.002-04:00

This is my dear, sweet red headed Aidan.

He is currently interested in growing his hair like this guy.

This must be what my mom felt like when she watched me in horror slaving over a curling iron for the better part of the 80s, giant can of aqua net in hand, spraying the top high and the side wings as wide as gravity could take them.

Who Says a Minivan Isn't Comfortable?

2010-07-26T09:09:00.000-04:00

Score One for Me

2010-07-25T18:02:00.002-04:00

Seamus has started to make his Christmas list. Top of his wishes? An air guitar.

I was nice and gave it to him early.

Brainwashing ala Daddy & Fox News

2010-07-24T19:27:00.005-04:00

Today was the usual Saturday morning craziness, this time we were trying to get out the door for a "Touch a Truck" event. And also as usual, there's a trail of destruction that I want (reasonably) cleaned before we go. I'm barking out orders to all 3 boys. In a distraction ploy, Seamus asks me why I'm looking for Aidan. I reply, "Seamus, let's worry about yourself, not about your brother." Hearing this, Colin replies, "Yeah Seamus, we're Republicans in this house. We don't worry about other people, we just worry about ourselves."

Why I'm Not Posting So Much

2010-07-18T23:43:00.001-04:00

Because if I take my eyes off the monsters for a mere minute, destruction happens!

Just kidding. Sorta. That mess above? Real. But the result of Seamus having to pee in the middle of a brotherly soccer game and deciding mid-relief he just had to look out the window to see if anyone scored while he was taking care of business.

More to come. Pinky swear.

Breakfast of Champions

2010-06-22T10:39:00.002-04:00

10:39am. Loud clomping on stairs. Aidan is awake. Yeah, summer vacation.

Joe: Aidan, what do you want for breakfast?
Aidan: French Toast sticks and coffee. And I'm serious about the coffee. And I want it hot.
Me, giving him a quizzical look.
Aidan: What? There's no law about drinking coffee.

Touché

Collie Stinkypants

2010-06-11T22:32:00.004-04:00

You've heard of Spongebob Squarepants? You know, he lives in a pineapple under the sea? Yeah, well I have Collie Stinkypants. He wears the same pair of underwear for 4 days.

They look like this:

Because they're so...yellow...I finally realized I saw them on Colin 2 days in a row. When I called him on this, he said, and I quote:

"Yeah. Actually? This is my 4th day."

Ew ew ew.

Colin? He fell on the floor laughing and swore he was wearing them tomorrow too.

Why Aidan Is Up Early

2010-06-09T06:52:00.002-04:00

It's Step Up Day - the day when the boys find out their next year's teacher...and more important to them, which of their friends lands in their class. (With 10-12 classes per grade, this is not a guarantee!)

So when my usual hard to rouse in the morning red head walked in about 6:50am today, I naturally assumed this was due to his excitement of today.

WRONG.

"I got up early because I try to watch Sports Center every morning, and I can never fit in the whole show. I wanted to make sure I could today."

Aidan and the Magic 8 Ball

2010-06-03T21:40:00.003-04:00

At the suggestion of a friend, I just uploaded Fortune Ball on my iphone...basically a virtual Magic 8 ball. Aidan's obsessed, asking it oodles of questions:

>>Will I be a famous hockey player when I grow up?
>>Will Shaun White come to my 9th birthday party? (at this, I scoffed. his reply to my snicker? 'but Mommy, you're Facebook friends with him. just ask him!')
>>Will I be really rich when I grow up (woot - this came up 'it is certain' - let me go cash out the 401K now!)
>>Will I get to see the Karate Kid, the new movie?
>>Am I the best at Bubble Breaker? (another addictive iphone app)

The funniest thing? He thinks he needs to yell into the phone to ask the question. I don't have the heart to correct this notion. It's making me giggle far too much.

Sometimes, It's Me

2010-06-01T21:11:00.002-04:00

In a moment of being a nice mom (and having a rare one-sporting event night), I followed through with a promise (made to stop Seamus from begging) to take the boys to the town beach last Thursday.

I let them swim and get sandy for about 45 minutes, then ferried them straight home for a bath before dinner. In a second moment of being a nice mom, I actually checked on them in the tub to ensure no one was being drowned by a brother. This is when I discovered muddy footprints all over the bathroom floor. There was no third moment of being a nice mom. Instead, I went into back into my comfort zone: crazy yelling mom mode. Lecturing about how many times I've told them to take off their shoes before coming into the house. That when Aidan sheepishly broke into my tirade.

"Um, mommy? I think it's your flip flops making the mess."

Damnit. I hate it when they notice that I'm not perfect.

Preschool Love

2010-05-29T20:29:00.005-04:00

Seamus loves Lola. We have to routinely stop them from kissing. Tonight while they and all the other babysitting swap kids were ~~being allowed to run around to get really tired~~ playing outside, he walked around calling her 'honey.' As in, 'honey, let's go play golf.'

Once we moved in the house, things got a little more serious. Seamus, dressed up as Superman, naturally, got down on one knee and said "Honey, will you marry me?!"

Lola, as 3 year old girls are wont to do, giggled. Seamus, clearly encouraged, made his next move. "Lola, smell my feet! Smell my feet! Give me something good to eat! Hahahahahaha." She just giggled again. Then she asked him to marry her.

She's a keeper, this one.

Why a Smaller Car is Bad for a Roadtrip

2010-04-25T19:02:00.002-04:00

We decided to bring the new car - Subaru Outback - to North Conway instead of the minivan. We debated, because of several issues.

Is there enough room for 3 days of luggage for 5 people in a variable climate?
Will there be enough room in the car for the kids to not fight sitting so close to one another?
What if we made some good purchases at the outlets?

Never did we think to ask the most important question: will there be enough air circulation for 3 boys who like to pass the time, ahem, cutting the cheese?

Tooth Fairy Cometh

2010-04-18T20:56:00.007-04:00

Colin's top tooth's been loose for about a year. It was time for it to make its escape, given that it's taken to just hanging there. However, it wsan't without a little convincing.

First, by an apple

Then some pliers (ok, this was mostly a joke!)

Finally, a good ol' paper towel (er, the next night - told ya that thing was stubborn!)

Success!

And what does any good kid want to do when they lose a tooth in 2010? Find pictures of other toothless people online. All the boys found this extremely entertaining.

No Good Deed...

2010-04-14T20:32:00.003-04:00

I was having one of those moments tonight where I though, hey, I really have this parenting thing figured out. The cause for this euphoria? I managed to get the boys to eat Crispy Baked Taquitos with Black Bean Filling. How? By appealing to their crude side. It's beans. And well, you know what they say about beans.

Worked like a charm.

Until...

Have I ever mentioned on this blog Colin's, shall we say 'skill', in clogging toilets?

I am currently assessing the if the price of getting them to eat new foods is really worth it.

Why didn't I think of that?

2010-04-01T14:24:00.002-04:00

Colin’s class earned the right to ‘beach party’ day due to ongoing good behavior. I was working with Colin last night to brainstorm what he wanted to wear to school for this today. I’m throwing ideas out there about bathing suits, goggles, sunglasses…you know, things that you need when you’re around water. Colin had other ideas. He thought – water. Oh, ok. How about a tuxedo and a life jacket. Hmm. Wonder why.

Coincidence?

2010-03-31T20:55:00.003-04:00

It's parent/teacher conference time. Aidan's is tomorrow. I think you might want your child's teacher to tell you he's the worst kid ever, when you have a conference on April 1. :)

Colin's conference is on April 14. I mentioned this to him tonight. He said, "Oh, right. Because that is the day the Titantic sunk."

Yes, of course. We chose that date on purpose.

Ironically, I have a feeling the focus of this conference is how to snap Colin out of his current obsession of the Titantic and all other sunken ships out there (his new favorite book: Ghost Liners) since his constant daydreaming and drawing about these ocean liners is what is pulling him down in 1st grade.

PS - after I mentioned the April 14 date, I had to listen to several minutes of explanation about how the ship did not actually sink until April 15 at 2:20am in 1912. Awesome, little dude, thanks.

House Rules

2010-03-29T19:50:00.003-04:00

Tonight, the boys and I worked on the house rules. I am hoping this will make them feel more invested and follow what I expect of them. I thought 20 seemed like a reasonable number - enough to cover the bases, not too many to seem overwhelming. Should you be interested, here is the list.

Family House Rules
1. Always tell the truth.
2. No being sneaky.
3. No teasing. Be respectful of your brothers and any guests who are here.
4. No punching, hitting, tattle-taling or pushing.
5. Share your toys.
6. No coming down stairs without first brushing your teeth.
7. Keep the cars clean. When you get out of the car, bring your belongings with you.
8. When you come in from school, hang up your jacket & backpack, bring out your folder & lunchbox
9. When you are done eating, put your plate in the sink.
10. You eat your dinner and you do not complain about what you are served. Dessert will not be served every night. But if we do have it and you do not eat all of your dinner, you do not get dessert.
11. If it is a nice day, play outside as much as possible.
12. Video games can be played for no more than 30 minutes a day. You must first read for 15 minutes that day.
13. No complaining when you have to take a bath or a shower.
14. No complaining when it is time to wake up or to go to bed.
15. You make a mess, you clean it up. No going to bed with messes in the playroom or in your bedroom. This includes putting your clothes in the hamper.
16. Put the video game cases and controllers back when you finish playing.
17. No answering the phone.
18. If mommy or daddy are on the phone, do not bother them unless it is an emergency.
19. One vitamin per day and no more than that.
20. If you are assigned to do a job, you do it without complaining.

More interesting, however, are the rules that I could have put on the list - they were suggested by one or more of the children - but I declined to add them. In retrospect, I should probably rethink my 20 rule limit and add these..

1. No farting at dinner.
2. No showing off my weenie to by brother.
3. No farting when we're in the bathtub together.
4. No peeing on my brother.
5. No laughing so hard water comes out of your nose. (Note: this happened after rejected rule #1 was suggested. Thank you, Colin.)
6. If you get a black eye, keep hurting yourself until it's really obvious.
7. No punching the Easter Bunny.
8. Lick the toilet water when you are thirsty. (Um, we are clean around here but not that clean. Ick, ick, ick.)
9. No getting up and breakdancing during dinner. (Again, this would actually probably be quite valuable as it happens nearly every night.)
10. No jumping out the window.

How to get Aidan to stop crying

2010-03-27T14:33:00.003-04:00

Tell him that the injury *might* turn into a black eye.

The story has something to do with a broomstick, a hcckey puck and little brothers, but Aidan was hysterical so I didn't get the details. And once I made sure he could see and I noticed the potential black eye which immediately ceased the tears, I figured there was no reason to rehash history.

Rock On, Boys

2010-03-23T21:52:00.002-04:00

Colin's St. Patrick's Day Wish

2010-03-17T22:31:00.003-04:00

The assignment: "If I found a pot of gold...I think my wish would be..."

Colin's answer: "All the Titantic books and movies. They are cool." (spelling fixed :) )

Have you met our son, Clark?

2010-03-16T22:33:00.002-04:00

The boys have a little obsession with YouTube, and have stumbled upon a little video about a hockey player who plays baseball in the off-season. The goalie's name is Clark, which Seamus has taken to introducing himself as.

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Guest entry from my dad

2010-03-16T22:31:00.001-04:00

From an email to me and Joe:
The other day when we were in the car with the boys the subject of the new full body airport scanners somehow came up. Aidan opined that they were “inappropriate”. When asked why he felt that way he said that if a woman was operating the scanner and a man went through she’d be able to see “his nuts”, and that was “inappropriate”.
You have to be really proud!!!

Social Seamus

2010-03-04T00:31:00.001-05:00

I thought it was also worth a mention that at AIDAN & COLIN's school tonight, which one of my 3 boys greeted/was greeted by name the most kids he passed in the (very, very crowded) halls? That's be Seamus, aka Mayor McGoo. That kid knows EVERYONE.

Colin, by Colin

2010-03-04T00:24:00.003-05:00

Tonight was the cirriculum fair at the elementary school. Each class did something a little different, and Colin's class (er, community - they are no longer classrooms in 2010!) did bios that they wrote/typed themselves during their computer lessons. I think most of the words are read-able even with the creative spelling except maybe strobares (strawberries). This pretty much sums up Collie-monster, except there was no mention of space/rockets or the Titanic...his 2 major current obsessions. And? I would like to understand what exactly he means that his job at school is office manager. I would be pretty certain that is self-appointed. And really? He is good at music AND air guitars? Hmm. And so we're all clear. He's not into the Hokey Pokey, but rather hockey. But y'all probably guessed that. And it's also official that he's inherited my night owl tendencies. He likes night and not litenis - aka lightness, or daylight.

The Obsession Hits School

2010-02-19T20:25:00.004-05:00

I was talking to Colin's teacher today and she mentioned that he must really love the Olympics. Of course, I agreed. Then she said how funny it was that he was founding his own teams. Say what?

Apparantly, he started by asking the kids in his class to sign up for an Olympic team - summer or winter. He told them they could pick their sport if they wanted, or he and Aidan would assign them as they set up their teams.

Then the situation grew.

He asked his teacher if he could bring his list to recess with all 12 first grade classes. She handed him a clipboard and he was on his merry way. Colin told me tonight that it was very successful to get kids to sign up that way, but that bus line was also a great place to recruit.

Surely, this is a transferrable skill to some future career?

How I Know the Boys are Olympic Obsessed

2010-02-16T19:04:00.005-05:00

Overheard tonight: Colin, come quick! Women's curling is on!! And damn, if that 7 year old didn't run to sit next to his brothers on the couch.
I'm getting a bevy of questions about where different countries are* and jubilance when they recognize which country a flag is from. (*Do you think you have a good grasp on modern geography? Sadly, my skills are apparantly lacking. It was much easier when I was 8 and most of these new-fangled countries were just the USSR. Sure, I routinely woke up worried a nuclear bomb would drop at any minute from the evil empire. And god help me if ABC broke in during Love Boat with a Special Report; I was sure I was about to be told I was going to die in the next 30 minutes. But? I rocked back then at knowing all the countries, since there were like 1/3 of how many there are in 2010. PS - don't worry Dad, I am studying the modern maps for our big annual trivia contest. Go PolarMules!)
Colin's current big debate: does he want to be a figure skater or a snowboard cross guy? (Psst. Colin. You might get made fun of for one of those choices. I'm not saying it's right, but I'm just saying.)
The boys seem to think they can translate cheers/commands in other languages. "Yeah, that Japanese woman is saying - a little to the left, go left!" Um, ok. They're very well could right. Can I prove they're wrong?
Today, a snowday, the boys grabbed some filing folders, cut a semicircle, grabbed a marker, added a number then put them over their head to trudge out to the snow for the Windham Olympics and "ski skill" training. Kept 'em busy for hours.
They've memorized all the channels NBC has allowed coverage to be shown on, and they've become quite adept at flipping around to find just the right sport. Going right on past Spongebob and Phinneas & Ferb. If that ain't obsession, I'm not sure what is.

Happy Birthday, Colin!!

2010-02-04T22:12:00.005-05:00

Yes, I've been MIA from updating here. I was in Florida for work and Joe's had a trio of issues - concussion, staples to the head and MRSA, oh my!

Somewhere in there are some funny stories. But for tonight, I'll just drop off some pictures from our little family celebration tonight for Colin's 7th birthday! I cannot even believe he is 7. Argh!

We let him pick out dinner (chicken with bones) and a game (Deal or No Deal DVD). And the traditional scavenger hunt for presents!

Here's a couple pictures and then click here for more...

Tonight's Irony

2010-01-12T19:21:00.001-05:00

Aidan's vocabulary word: distraught.

When did he go up to study it? After I sent him to his bedroom to do homework - without dessert.

It's nice that he could understand the word in action.

Soccer Suckers

2010-01-10T20:39:00.004-05:00

Today was one of those days when I wanted to deny one of the boys belonged to me.

Overheard in the stands, by all the parents, on the very first day of indoor tot soccer....

"We're gonna get you, suckers!"

Who said that? Seamus, of course. Loudly. To all of the other 4 & 5 year olds on the orange team.

The other moms giggled nervously and I turned red. One of them wisely guessed that he wasn't my oldest and that he had older brothers. Does that give him a pass? Or me? Oy, I sure hope so.

No other word than disgusting

2010-01-06T20:42:00.003-05:00

Colin has a...shall we say, gastro-intestinal problem. I don't know if problem is the right word, but let's just say...the boy can poop. Big. And fart. Loud. And smelly. And on command.

Although if I am being honest and if I was a little boy, I'd actually be impressed by his farting abilities.

Here are just a few things that have happened in the past few days in this area.

1.) Staying at the hotel for Jill's wedding, Joe's cousin who was nice enough to come watch the boys, reported to me at about 12:45am after the wedding/before the pre-party that Colin had just, um, relieved himself in the bathroom and he suggested that she not flush because he was worried it would flood. This was the second time that day Colin had made that statement. Thank goodness, we both took a flushing risk and didn't have to become acquainted with hotel maintenance.
2.) Last night, Colin beckoned excitedly to Aidan from the bathroom. Why? Because a popcorn kernel "somehow" landed in the toilet after Colin did his business. Aidan was riveted. Me? I think I threw up in my mouth.
3.) Tonight, Aidan came running to me. "Mommy! Mommy! I think Colin is raising ponies in the bathroom. It stinks like a stable in there!!" Then Aidan broke down in a fit of giggles. Colin? He came out suggesting that I go find the plunger. I did. I worked at that toilet for 25 minutes. As I type this, the stinking (literally) toilet is still clogged, the plunger is still resting inside of it and there is a message on Joe's voicemail that he has a surprise waiting for him when he gets home from his hockey game.

Is anyone surprised I have a glass of wine each night??

A New Decade

2010-01-03T21:35:00.002-05:00

I feel old. Why? Aidan asked me how many decades I've lived in. I had to answer FIVE.

It also reminded me of a story from when I was Colin's age. It was NYE 1979 and my grandmother was babysitting. She told me we were about to enter a new decade. She later found me hugging my cat, Fluffo. When she asked me why I said I didn't want Fluffo to get lost when we went into the new decade.

This decade? We were of course busy celebrating The Flemwell Wedding. Pictures can be found here.

Seamus spots a baby

2009-12-24T08:34:00.006-05:00

Baby Jesus, that is.

For those of you who know us personally, you'll know Joe is, shall we say, a tad anti-religion. (He is considering suing the Archdiocese of Boston for mental distress over why, after all those years in Catholic school and service as an altar boy, why was he was not one of the chosen boys for you-know-what with one of the priests. What was wrong with him, he wants to know?)

But the harder you try to prevent your kids from being into something, the more they are.

Witness our house, Tuesday night. Joe's making dinner as I'm on my way home and I get an Instant Message on my phone. (Which I only check at the red lights, of course.)

Joe: I am concerned. Scratch that. Very concerned. Seamus is flipping through TV and stopped on EWTN. [ed note: Catholic TV. more here.] He pauses for a few minutes, watches, then runs away yelling "Colin, Colin - I found baby Jesus on TV!"

Joe might be concered, but I'm shocked - Seamus has a clue who Jesus is??

Seamus' Christmas show

2009-12-18T21:13:00.003-05:00

Seamus' pre-K class had their little Christmas show today. What's more adorable than 25 4 year olds screaming various songs? Here's an answer: when YOUR 4 year old gets to be one of the 2 sign holders and bravely go in front of the 75 or so adults to announce what is next. I was very proud of Shea!

And then they rocked around the Christmas Tree. Seamus' dance moves were not enough to win over his partner.

"I'm on Strik"

2009-12-15T18:38:00.001-05:00

Aidan is on strike. From what? His homework. How do I know this? I wrote himself a badge. "I'm on Strik." But see, I can't let him be on strike...he obviously needs to study more. Ah, the challenges of parenthood...

"Save My Spot"

2009-12-11T01:00:00.001-05:00

How do you know Seamus is the youngest? He will never get up from a meal, from the couch, etc. without asking me first to 'save my spot' or 'watch my plate." I've never heard the older two request this!

Santa!

2009-12-09T00:34:00.001-05:00

I have lots of stories to tell...will post soon! For now, ho ho ho...

Wow! Yawn.

2009-11-19T21:22:00.005-05:00

From time to time, people are really nice and tell me what a good mom I am. Usually I dismiss this as a nicety, as I'm just doing what I think is expected of me and what I want to do for the boys. And of course I don't share the bad stuff where those same folks would, um, clearly not think the same of me.

But this week, I've twice done something that I'm calling above and beyond the call. I got up with Colin to watch the Leonid meteor shower in the wee hours of the night. Or morning. Whatever you call 3am or 4am.

I got up with him at 3am on Tuesday and 4am on Thursday. Why did we miss Wednesday? Because although this 6 year old child WOKE HIMSELF UP AT 3AM (no alarm!) and came to me to go look, I said, yeah, yeah...let's rest for a few more minutes. And we woke up at 7am with Colin bawling about what he missed.

Colin claims he saw 12 between each day. I count 7. But we had fun looking.

Can you see it?! Yeah, me neither.

Caption Contest

2009-11-19T09:58:00.000-05:00

What do you think Seamus' problem is??

Ok, I know a lot of you can't leave comments - as you tell me via email. :) Alas, it could have been an amusing contest.

The story is that Seamus is too sick to go to school, yet he thinks he should be able to have a playdate with his buddy next door, JoJo. No amount of reason can get a 4 year old to understand why school is a bad idea and therefore playing with his friend is not an acceptable substitute.

It's gonna be a looooooong day.

Cosmetic confusion

2009-11-18T21:10:00.003-05:00

Aidan asked me to feel his face, remarking how smooth it felt to him. To me? It felt cold, clamy and a little bit sticky. Given that we just came back from the pediatrician with antibiotics for strep for both he and Colin, I worried that something more was wrong.

Until he held up my vanilla blackberry lip gloss. And announced that he had slathered it all over his face. Then I explained what it was and he looked a little sad and confused.

And in case you're wondering - lip gloss does not easily come off of skin when applied in heavy quantities.

300 pieces of fun

2009-11-08T18:49:00.000-05:00

Colin and I spent just over 3 hours (straight) on a 300 piece puzzle. I can't decide if that is good or pathetic. What I am sure is pathetic, however, is how achy my back is after hovering over the table for that long. But the result was worth it.

October "Bores" Bring November "Scores"

2009-11-02T22:33:00.004-05:00

You know that whole thing about April showers and May flowers? We have our own version of that.

The Scientist seen here at his school parade...

...had to be convinced to go out Trick or Treating. Yes, I had to actively argue with him (and Aidan for that matter, that's a whole 'nother story) to go acquire candy. Whose children are they?! Oh, right...Joe's. Me? I'm all about hitting as many houses as humanly possible.

So I managed to get him out and to our neighborhood pre-ToTing party.

This can also be refered to Cocktails for Candy. But that's not relevant here. What is is that after 6 houses Colin decided he was bored and it was much more interesting to stay with Grammy, who very nicely came up to hand out Reece's Peanut Butter Cups, Kit Kats and spider rings to all who braved the trek to our door. Like these kids. In suburbia they really need to work for their chocolate!

So...Colin happily stayed home, answered the door and sorted his candy. And the payoff? The next day, when all the other 6 year olds were too pooped from their sugar-high crash, Colin was in top form and MANAGED TO SCORE A GOAL IN SOCCER. For anyone who has had the ~~pain~~ pleasure of seeing my adorable little nut play soccer this year, this was quite the shock. Colin's spent a lot of time checking out the sky for tornados, ending up on the wrong side of the field since he inherited my inability to discern left from right or yelling at his teammates for not passing to him. (This is a team of smart, skilled little boys.)

And he may or may not have been rewarded with an ipod shuffle. Hey, so I have been bribing the kid about focusing on school and soccer. And after yesterday AND 2 solid weeks of good daily reports from school? I had to give in. Keep your 'sucker' comments to yourselves, thankyouverymuch!

Teach, Your Children Well

2009-10-29T09:47:00.005-04:00

Sing it with me...

And then be like me and let your middle child teach your youngest...

The kindness of strangers

2009-10-27T21:34:00.002-04:00

Seamus: "Mommy, look at me! I'm boxing the lady. And I winned!"

The lady? Holy Mary, Mother of God. A statue in front of the church.

Fortunately, the few people standing around chose to pretend they didn't just witness that.

Our little gourmet

2009-10-26T21:48:00.005-04:00

Weekends are made for sleeping in. Fortunately, our children believe this too. But they still tend to want to be up a little earlier than we do. This is where it's come in awfully handy that they are now old enough to get up and take care of themselves for a bit. It used to be just a little TV. Now? They make themselves breakfast.

But lately, Colin's decided that he must cook for everyone.

He even made menus. Rest assured, he's a better microwaver than speller. (Blogger keeps flipping the close up of the menu...maybe it's all confused thinking the words would make more sense in that direction? Hey, Colin's trying!)

Boom! Shake!

2009-10-22T23:39:00.006-04:00

After taking a vacation day to chaperone Aidan's field trip today to Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum (after which I am still wondering why they're ok calling it Indian and not Native American, yet our tour guide still asked the kids to sit Criss Cross Applesace and not Indian style) I actually didn't have to run around like a nut to get the boys from school and a child (today, Aidan) to soccer. So I offered to give Colin a rare thing - an hour or one on one time with mommy.

I gave him a host of options. He came up with his own. Go to the library and look at earthquake and volcano books. I warned him I didn't have my library card (and I didn't want to ask them to look up our number, since we currently have over 20 items out) but he was all set with that because he just wanted to make his plan for the next time we're there. Oooh-kay.

Once there, he wanted zero to do with me. Except to point out to someone (and why not me, since I was cloesest to him) that one of the volcano book used the exact same picture and isn't that just crazy?

Me? I started reading a memoir that I'll have to go back and check out.

All in all, we were both happy and that's all that matters, eh?

Thank goodness I didn't give him $20

2009-10-14T23:30:00.003-04:00

Soccer. Saturday morning. And afternoon. Looong day, 6 games between Aidan & Colin. Aidan finished his 3 games first and was, understandably, hungry. Between my parents and I (Joe had left by then) we were out of $1s. This is because we'd given over many singles by this point for doughnuts, coffee, doritos, smartfood, etc.

So, I gave Aidan a $5 bill that I had to let him get the hot dog he was begging for.

About 5 minutes later, he returned. With two hot dogs in hand.

Aidan: "Anyone else hungry? I got two!"

Me, silently: "Aw, how sweet. He thought his littlest brother might be hungry too. What a thoughtful kid."

That's about when I noticed the Boy Scout standing behind Aidan. With his hands full. Of Gatorade, Cheetos and candy bars.

Boy: "Uh, where should I put this other stuff. They said I should help this kid carry it all, his hands were full from the hot dogs."

Aidan: "Oh, right here! Mommy, look at all I got with that $5!!"

Well, dur me. I just assumed that he would know he didn't need to spend the whole amount. But nope. He's got $5, he's spending $5.

My mom was proud of him and thinks he inherited her skills in bargain hunting.

Me? I laughed at Aidan. He got mad.

Do you believe in magic?

2009-10-07T01:02:00.003-04:00

Seamus does. Except the magic he belives in? It's basically the birds and the bees. Let me explain.

When Cyndy had Nolan, there were lots of questions from each boy about how the whole thing came to be. Someone (Cyndy? Kirk?) explained that Kirk did some magic and Nolan got into Cyndy's stomach and then he was born. They accepted that, thank goodness.

But since there is still a little (lot) baby obsession in our house, I got to have this conversation in the car on Monday morning. (Just before I hopped a flight to Florida, where I am now...and for the record, I didn't even experience fresh air for a single second today...I didn't even get within 20 feet of a door to the outside world. Lucky, lucky me.)

Seamus: Mommy, I want you to have a baby in your belly.
Me: Not going to happen Seamus.
Seamus: Yes it will. Daddy can just do magic and you can have a baby like Nolan. He's soooo cute.
Me: Um, yeah. No more babies. But yes, Nolan is adorable. And we can see him all the time so that's just as good as us having a baby.
Seamus: Hmmm. Acutally, I want to be a baby instead. So I'll just go back in your belly.
Me: Not possible, buddy. You can't go back in.
Seamus: Yes I can. I want to.
Me: Yeah, well - good luck with that. I just can't happen that way.
Seamus: YES IT CAN. I'm going back in so I can be a baby like Nolan. Being a baby is fun.

And so on with me trying to convince Seamus that he can't go backwards without trying to invite too many questions about why or about how babies are made. That was a fun car ride.

Colin didn't stink at soccer this week

2009-10-07T00:42:00.003-04:00

That about sums it up. He can turn it on out there (like during tryouts since he managed to make the travel team)...but he tends to take, shall we say, a more laidback approach. I don't think my father can watch another game after he attended one a few weeks back, I'm pretty sure he wanted to run on the field to shake Colin out of his fog. I was right behind him. But this weekend? Not so bad. Go Collie!

It must have been this pre-game focused ritual. And yes, we tell him all.the.time to fix the earphones. He doesn't get it.

This? Ok, this was a bad moment. One of the other player's dad said to me, "Hey is that your son going to the bathroom over there?" I immediately looked around for Seamus, since he tends to get a kick of simply pulling down his pants and relieving himself in the middle of public. But nope. It was Colin. See the fence and the kid on top of it? That's him climbing back over the fence after he was done. He got put back in the game about 30 seconds later. Awesome.

And here are a few action shots. On the field and in goal - and no, he didn't let any in!

Seamus and his BFF

2009-09-28T20:47:00.004-04:00

That's Best FROG Forever.

There's a frog that taken up residence on our back deck. Seamus has gone from cooing "oh, he's sooo cute!" to asking me to set up a playdate with the frog to suggesting we build it a crib so it has somewhere nice to sleep.

Anyone got a actual 4 year old child who might be interested in a playdate with my son? He might need some human interaction we're just not providing him....

[note: this is where the picture was supposed to go. then the darn thing hopped away.]

The sarcasm gene might have bypassed Aidan

2009-09-28T20:42:00.004-04:00

T. Wray (hi, Daddy!) gave my sisters and I the gift that keeps on giving...sarcasm. I dare you to have a conversation with any of us that doesn't have some element of sarcasm.

My eldest, however, might have missed out on this fun personality trait. Or perhaps it just takes time to develop?

Aidan's having a tough time focusing on his homework. But somehow, he rocks it if I simply sit there and stare at him to make sure he's paying attention. So I suggested that maybe he'd do better in school if I took a picture of myself, got a nice frame and left it on his desk at Parent Open House tomorrow night.

He agreed this would help him.

Then a minute later, he says, somewhat sheepishly: "Um, mommy? I think that picture might embarrass me. Maybe it's not such a good idea."

Being the mother of the year that I am, I simply replied: "Duh, Aidan."

Yep, I'm the greatest.

Lasagna Stoup

2009-09-27T21:01:00.002-04:00

Thanks to everyone who helped celebrate Aidan and Seamus' birthdays here tonight. Total, utter madness. But I hope folks had fun...or at least the maragaritas numbed them enough. I had several people ask me for the lasagna soup recipe, so I thought I'd just post it. It's here too.

Lasagna Stoup
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 pound ground beef sirloin
Salt and pepper
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and grated
3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
One 32-ounce container (4 cups) chicken broth
One 28-ounce can Italian crushed tomatoes
1 pound lasagna noodles, broken into jagged pieces
1 cup basil leaves, torn
1 cup whole-milk ricotta
Grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, to pass around the table

Directions:
1.In a soup pot, heat the EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the beef, season with salt and pepper and cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the onion, carrots and garlic and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in 2 cups water, the chicken broth and tomatoes; cover and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 15 minutes. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper.

2.Serve the stoup in bowls and dollop with the ricotta. Pass the parmigiano-reggiano at the table.

Can you tell what this says?

2009-09-23T22:31:00.000-04:00

According to Seamus: No Girls Allowed. He found a post-it, 'wrote' his message and stuck it on his bedroom door. I'm sure all the ladies will know just what it means.

Happy 4th Birthday, Seamus!!!!

2009-09-21T22:26:00.002-04:00

Seamus had a great 4th birthday last week. He had cupcakes in class, where they also gave him a crown that he wouldn't take off the whole day. We did the present scavenger hunt (a present for each year) and had a little cake...but we're having his 'real' party this weekend.

\

Are you sure you know who's in there?

2009-09-19T17:10:00.005-04:00

Here's a tip. If you decide that it sounds like a fun idea to shake the porta potty that your son is in, be 100% sure that it is indeed your child who has entered the outhouse. Random men don't appreciate having their plastic bathroom rattled.

This tip brought to you by Joe. Who thought Aidan was in one today only to discover that he wasn't when another dad came out instead. Well played, Joe, well played.

(And lucky...the guy thought it must be his brother being the jerk. So he was a little more forgiving.)

la roca, el horno, la leche

2009-09-17T19:01:00.003-04:00

The boys are all interested in other languages, although Seamus thinks any other language he hears is Spanish. You can't convince him otherwise. (Note to self: you keep forgetting to look into language classes for them. Slacker mom, point #867.)

Seamus just came in and asked in rapid fire:

S: Mommy, how do you say ROCK in Spanish?
M: Dunno.
S: Mommy, how do you say OVEN in Spanish?
M: Dunno.
S: Mommy, how do you say MILK in Spanish?
M: (Opening Dictionary.com Translate, because I was of course within 8 inches of my computer during this conversation.) Dunno. But I'm looking it all up now.
S: Oh, ok. I'm going back outside now.

Sigh. Why do I bother?

The Wii Hours of the Morning

2009-09-14T22:54:00.004-04:00

Joe left for work at 5:30am and I was awake enough that I got up to go to the bathroom. Usually, I just sleep on through. Why is this fact relevant? Because it means I was out of bed close enough to my door to hear the chatter of two little boys. I've mentioned we're not a morning family, right? Well, Aidan & Colin decided to try to overcome their genetic inclination to sleep in due to their recent bout with Wii addiction. I went into their room to find Colin at the window confirming to Aidan that Daddy was gone.

Aidan was all ready to get out of bed for the day at that point.

Why?

Because he slept in his clothes.

Why?

Because he wanted to get up and play the Wii.

At 5:30am.

Without having to stop to get dressed for school.

This is exactly why I wanted to ban video games. But then I realized how much they distract the boys when I want to get something done. This is payback. Please note, that I forbid them from going through with their plan and they immediately went back to a deep enough slumber that I had to go through our usual 7:25am panic to get out of bed and ready for the 8am bus.

He does have a bed...

2009-09-03T23:00:00.002-04:00

...yet, this is how we found Seamus sleeping last night.

Back to School

2009-09-02T23:22:00.006-04:00

As of this morning, the boys are all back to school! The neighborhood gals ~~celebrated~~ commiserated with with muffins and mimosas shortly after they were off. Yes, I do love being on vacation.

Chocolate chips: it's what's for breakfast

2009-08-31T09:59:00.002-04:00

Time: 8:48am.
Location: my bed. ah, vacation week.
Characters: me and Seamus.

Enter Seamus, bursting through my bedroom door.

S: Mommy, mommy. I really want breakfast. Come feed me breakfast.
M: Ok, one minute.
S: But you said one minute a long time ago. [ed note: he is right, mostly. 23 minutes ago. but is that a long time, really?]
M: Ok, ok. [covers head with comforter]
S: But I'm hunnnnnnnngry. I just had chocolate chips for lunch. Now I want breakfast!
M: [removing comforter from head.] You did what?
S: Had chocolate chips. Now I want sausage. Can we put chocolate chips on those too?

I get up and actually make him breakfast at this point, trying yet again to teach him which order his meals come in. He did not have chocolate chips with his sausage, but he claims that he now knows lunch is after breakfast. So I call this morning a victory so far.

Friday Night Wrestling

2009-08-21T20:47:00.001-04:00

There is a full-on, 3-way, loud, topless wrestling match taking place in my family room. I am not breaking this up, because I have just bought my favorite ice cream and I don't want to share. Is that lazy or smart?

Pass me the Advil...

2009-08-20T19:39:00.001-04:00

...but it was all for a good cause. Solo bike riding by Colin!

The start of another woman outnumbered?

2009-08-19T23:17:00.004-04:00

We might have grown up in a family of girls, but so far my sisters and I have been only able to produce male offspring! (Ok, so only 2 of the 3 of us have tried. But we're now 4 for 4.)

I am so very thrilled to announce that the Baby Formerly Known as Fresh has appeared 15 days ahead of schedule and has been officially named Nolan! Congrats to Cyndy & Kirk. My advice: always cover up his privates with a diaper during change time or you're taking a big risk, just accept that every store has 10x the amount of girl stuff and know that it's ok to stand up to Nana when she suggests trying out just one little dress on that adorable baby, just to see...

Yummy summer dessert

2009-08-09T21:27:00.003-04:00

I made this for a JR cookout tonight...so yummy. I'd recommend halving the cream cheese and adding more cool whip. Enjoy!

The Family, through the years...sorta

2009-08-09T21:24:00.003-04:00

Oh, the laughs we had at these flashbacks...or are they flashforwards? Check out our family in yearbook pictures! Here is a preview:

Lyss

Joe

Aidan (or Poppy?)

Colin

Seamus

Our vacation, by the numbers

2009-08-08T22:40:00.002-04:00

1551 - # of miles driven on our trip
.01 - # of miles driven by Alyssa (I backed out a driveway)
4 - # of US states gone through (NH, Mass, NY, Vermont)
2 - # of Canadian provinces (Ontario, Quebec)
34 – estimated # of US license plates the boys sighted. Colin’s still playing every time we’re out.
1 – unplanned stops for a bathroom break. Not too bad!
2 – Hall of Fames visited (Baseball and Hockey)
39 – miles per hour, which is what Aidan threw in order to break the 7 & under daily record
2 – free admissions based on my local museum/zoo passes – Toronto Zoo and Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa
0 – how many dirty looks we got for having our children out eating dinner at 11:30pm in Niagara Falls. This is because there were children EVERYWHERE at that hour.
7 - # of seconds we saw Niagara Falls lit up at night. Apparantly they turn off the lights at midnight. We arrived at 11:59:53. We thought they just went off for a minute, then we figured it out.
1 – raccoon spotted hanging around Niagara Falls at midnight.
100 – miles per hour that our family ran when the raccoon turned towards us.
1 – communicable disease acquired from hotel pools (Fifths Disease, Colin then Seamus…no affect to them, and I don’t really have proof this is where they picked it up…but I’m darn suspicious)
3- how many times I almost turned “ugly American” on annoying people at Niagara Falls. Really, if I have a camera aimed in a certain direction do not look at me then walk in front of me. And if I’m in line buying lunch? It’s not ok to stand 2 inches behind me and lean over me to talk to the cashier when it’s not your turn. And just because your family is big, you can’t just take over my table without asking.
2 – visits to Tim Horton’s. Not enough.
62 - stops required to put Seamus' croc back on. They'd both fall off all.the.time, but never at the same time. I guess that was something.
2 – how many wine glasses I broke in an hour at our friends’ house.
0 – how many of these breaks were directly my fault. Seriously!
3 – how many books I read on our trip.
732 – how many magazines I got through. Ok, that might be an exaggeration, but I was happy to knock out that pile that had been accumulating for months.
3 – number of times Joe beat me in air hockey at the cool game room at the Ottawa Marriott. I’ve so lost my touch.

Why I'm in the market for a Lifecall

2009-07-29T23:43:00.006-04:00

First of all, I have a vacation recap that is chugging along. More to come on that...

So, tonight. We're driving home from the cottage, after a muggy outdoor showing of "Flushed Away." (Note on this screening: Seamus watched about 50% of this. He spent the rest fooling with the teenager staffers and looking for popcorn. Colin watched 30%. Most of his time was spent in a solo wallball game. Aidan clocked in at about 10%. He alternated between basketball and something resembling football.)

We're about halfway home when we pass a policeman tucked into a little side nook in the road. It's late in the month, no real surprise there. I make a joke to Aidan that I might need to grab the officer's attention or call 911 because I'm about to pass out from the awful stench that resulted when Aidan took off his shoes. I am not kidding. Toxic air filled the old Jetta. I am very, very afraid of the teenage years.

As these things happen, talk turned to 911 and what would the boys do if there was an emergency. After convincing Colin it's 911 to call, not 991 (this in itself took a solid 5 minutes) I decided to kill the rest of the ride with a little role play, since the Red Sox are too frustrating to listen to and it is frowned upon by most authorities that I would consider listening to Howard Stern replays when the boys are in the car with me.

Somehow the scenario was posed that I fell down the stairs (moi? klutzy?) and what would happen. I played the role of 911 operator, and Aidan was my "savior."

Me: 911. This call is being recorded. What is your emergency?

Aidan: Um, hi. My name is Aidan R____. I live on ______. Yeah, #39? It's yellow? Anyway. My mom fell down the stairs. Shhh. Guys, guys. Stop it. Yeah, those are my brothers. They're laughing at my mom. But I think she's unconscious. I poked her. Not in the eye. In the arm. And just with my finger. But she's not moving. Guys, guys - don't laugh. I'm talking to the ambulance lady. So, my mom was in the shower and came down to go to work and just fell. I think her feet were wet. So, can you send someone? Or should I poke her again to see if she moves? Maybe with something other than my finger?

Face it, gang. I'm a goner if a household emergency should happen while I'm alone with the boys. Maybe I should get me a Lifecall?

Aidan, Aidan Chocolate Pie Eater

2009-07-10T13:31:00.004-04:00

All this effort for 2nd place

S-E-X

2009-07-08T20:40:00.003-04:00

I was doing my usual evening routine: working in one window, playing online Scrabble in another window and watching the Sox. The boys for the first time decided to take interest in my online game tonight, asking how to play and then trying to read the words. One of them was sex. (Hey, it was a chance for a triple letter score on the X - you had to play that!) Colin pointed to it (after pointing to many more innocuous words) and I said, "oh that one is nothing, next!" Aidan decided to sound it out and said it right, followed by "that's inappropriate." I asked him why he thought that, does he know what it means? After some hemming and hawing, he said "it means naked people making out." He's got no official explanation as to how he knows this, but I'm blaming that yellow thing that takes him to school. Or Cartoon Network.

1 hour, 14 minutes

2009-07-05T20:23:00.001-04:00

That is the amounnt of time it took Colin to eat a single (burnt) rib tonight. Yum. And ick.

Eh, at least it kept him quiet!

Lesson: Be Specific

2009-07-02T18:33:00.003-04:00

A battle broke out over what we'd have for dinner, and as always, Seamus wants noodles and believes whining will get him his way. Not. I had to put an end to it.

Me: Seamus, don't whine.
Seamus: Ok, I'll scream.

Yeah. That wasn't the outcome I was looking for.

Seamus, the ladies man

2009-07-01T18:59:00.002-04:00

On Friday night, we stayed at the cottage to watch the cinematic masterpiece, Hotel for Dogs. They show it outside (under a covered area...it was shockingly not raining though) and serve popcorn.

Seamus had been at the playground earlier and met a little girl named Catherine. He introduced me to her as his girlfriend. Her dad told me they were going to the movie too and so I expected we'd seen them there.

Sure enough they show up. And as soon as Seamus sees Catherine, he runs over to her and says "Will you watch the movie with me?" I guess she says yes and there is some other negotiating, which leads to Seamus bringing her over to the popcorn line and HOLDING HER HAND. For like 5 minutes! (It took a while for the popcorn to pop.)

Did I mention she's 5?

Doesn't every 3 year old love Quiet Riot?

2009-06-18T22:33:00.001-04:00

Our new neighbor

2009-06-14T15:02:00.004-04:00

The boys have named him (unimaginably) Tom the Turkey. Although Seamus is lobbying for Thomas the Tank Engine Turkey.

Not quite Radio Disney

2009-06-09T21:33:00.003-04:00

I'm driving carpool this morning, when I hear Seamus singing...

"Oh baby youuu, you got what I need. You said he's your friend. You say he's your friend."

Over and over.

Then I hear Colin, "No, Seamus. It's 'you say he's just a friend.' Not YOUR friend. Just a friend."

Yep, my kids are severely influenced by the nice folks at Heineken, thanks to their ads replaying ad nauseum during Red Sox games.