Projecting

We've got quite a number of projects going that are typical for this time of year. I'm still trying to finish up something that I've got mostly made for Claire's room (I mentioned it several months ago-- don't judge me!), we are trying to put all our Christmas decorations away and stay on top of shoveling snow, I'm working on a Family Emergency Plan binder to put somewhere in the kitchen, I'm also working on a complete home inventory, we just got a job chart started for Mason, and last but not least, this.


I made the ill advised decision last year to put Mason's train table in our loft area. I argued against putting it in his room because I didn't want him to stay up late playing with toys after bedtime. I also didn't want something so potentially loud sharing a wall with the incoming baby's room. Then there was the solid argument that the bedrooms in our house are not that large and a train table alone would take up far too much space.

So we assembled it in the loft (which we normally use for a computer/reading room). The next step was we brought all of his toys upstairs and began using the two trundle drawers as a toybox. The previous toybox we'd had was a large Rubbermaid bin. It got progressively larger over his three years until there was so much unused detritus in the bottom I thought maybe a puppy had moved in that we didn't know about. There was the occasional playdate when all this stuff would get dumped out in the middle of the living room floor (so the kids could use the empty box). After one particularly large dump & play, I spent an hour picking up and swore it would never happen again. So the toys migrated.


Well, they migrated but not to the inside of anything. For about a year now, if we need to use the computer, we've been rooting through shin-high toys, trains, and so on. The room is out of the way enough that we weren't so good about picking up everyday. Suddenly, vaccumming took an hour because you had to clean the toys up first. If you wanted to find a specific toy (anyone met my three year old? He's so specific this was a daily occurrence) or book, forget it. So we came up with a new system. Mom and dad got the loft back and here's Mason's room now: The little table lost its corner. But it gained a game to be played until parents begged for reprieve (oh yes, it's only a week after Christmas and we're already fairly sick of this bad boy, but it's better than watching TV!)
The inner workings. We have nine long and skinny bins put into these two drawers. We left the back part of the second drawer for the large buildings that accompany the train table. There is no way any particular feat of engineering can include them all. The theory behind this is that each bin is categorized: one for plastic dinosaurs, one for Matchbox cars, one for trains (that aren't in the Roundhouse), one for legos, etc. When Mason wants to take a toy elsewhere, he can just take the bin out and we can load it up and put it back where it goes. The jury is still out on whether this will happen, but isn't it pretty at the moment?

The train track dad built to "celebrate". Look at that thing! And he's disappointed that all routes lead back to the roundhouse! This is the kind of thing dads are for and moms gladly let them have it.

More on the job chart later. This post turned out long enough already!

Christmas Highlights

We had a fun, busy holiday season. We hope yours was as fun as ours. Much thanks for the grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, and cousins who kept us going and kept us full of love and the holiday spirit!

We spent Christmas Eve with Alan's side of the family, following tradition that was established many years before I came along. One thing we do is play "chimes", which are pipes cut so they (in theory) play the proper note when they are (theoretically) hit with a knife handle at the proper time. Each pipe has a number, and our parents have carefully charted out several Christmas songs. With so many kids in the next generation, we've learned how the parents must've felt when the cousins were all small; it is truly noisy and mostly indecipherable, but it's a tradition we continue.

Mason was focused on the toy dinosaurs, in keeping with this new favorite theme of his. When not playing "Rudy" (the T-Rex in Ice Age 3), he was busy playing trucks and trains with the other boys; it was a little bit of boy heaven for him to have kids his own age and gender around.

Claire enjoyed being one center of attention and hammed it up for most of the night. I actually got to eat a meal with two hands. Thanks, Erika!

Alan's brother's girlfriend, Leah, made a beautiful and yummy red velvet cake that put the dessert I brought to shame. It was so fancy, and I'm sure it took so much work!

We spent Christmas morning solo at our house, just the four of us, and then headed over to my parents. Again, this was following tradition. Without all the hustle and bustle of 12 kids ages 6 and under, it was much more relaxed and a whole different kind of fun. Claire didn't get it (we knew she wouldn't), but I think in the long run she will like her toys and she already loves her books. As can be seen above, her very favorite thing is snuggling with Grandma. This was not in conjunction with a nap; it's just how they are together. It's so cute!

I bought Mason a 100-piece puzzle. There is nothing between the chunky toddler puzzles and the ages 5+ puzzles, at least not at Toys R Us. So I bought the big one knowing that his smaller ones have become routine and also that I would have to help him. We put it together as one of the first things, and I was once again shocked by how smart this kid is, and he even stayed focused long enough to finish it. His other present from Mom and Dad was "Hungry Hungry Hippos", which we have already devoted several hours of our lives to. Santa brought him a red scooter. He's ridden it a bit, but I think he'll enjoy it more when the weather warms up a little.

I could go on and on about the two days of exhausting excitement, but I won't because I know we're all in the same boat. I also have a squeaky little girl telling me to come get her out of bed. Hope your holidays were merry and bright and all that and hope you are all looking forward to the year ahead the way we are.

Seven Months... in Heaven?

This sweet baby is getting so big so fast. I hate how kids do that! But I love it at the same time. She is so exuberant and sweet that it's hard not to enjoy it. Seven months old already -- time is flying. She is almost crawling, and I'm sure Mason's world is going to change drastically very, very soon. She has taken to eating solids very well. She will usually give you a dirty look on first taste of something new, but then quickly shriek until you give her more.

Likes: talking (and blowing raspberries), starting intently at any object she can get her hands on (mouths, noses, hair, toys, clothes hangers), eating (grilled pineapple is a new favorite), singing songs, rattles, Christmas lights, being in motion, her brother

Dislikes: being put down, being hungry

Sittin' pretty.... ish....

My mother-in-law helped me take the kids to get their pictures done today. Overall it was a fun outing, and as you can see we got some good pictures.

It was also the first time Claire has had professional pictures. She didn't enjoy the parts where she had to be put down; she definitely made the photographer earn her wage. The only smiles we got involved feet being tickled with a feather duster and a small stuffed dog "getting" her. Of course, once someone picked her up she was all smiles and very chatty. Maybe this will get easier as we go.

Mason was handsome as always, but he tired of the activity quickly and was more excited about Grandma being with us.

Much thanks to the portrait studio and to Grandma.

Letters to Santa

Dear Santa,

Merry Christmas! I love your reindeer. They are my favorite.

Will you please bring a train table for my room? I want two tables to play lots and lots of trains. Also, some trains to chug on the train table.

I would love a red scooter to play outside with my friends.

Please take lots of toys to the sick kids sleeping at the hospital, too.

Happy Holidays! I promise to be a good boy.

Love, Mason

******

I might have done the penmanship, but Mason told me what to put in the letter and then he "traced letters". He's currently in his room writing a letter to his dad. I think we may have hit on something here.

He is currently very fixated on a charity his preschool is sponsoring this year. It provides a new toy to kids with cancer. We let him pick a toy himself to put in the box for kids who are very sick; ever since then, he keeps asking for reassurance that when he is sick and in the hospital, mom and dad will come with him and bring him a new toy. I love the empathy he's showing there, but need to find a way to instill the idea that not every kid gets sick and he may not (God willing) be one that ends up in the hospital in the same way. This is all a pretty heavy conversation for a (nearly) four year old.

This is one of those things...

... that we'll look back on and laugh a bit, right? I suggested a trip to see the lights at the zoo last night. Saying it didn't come together smoothly is an understatement. We were running very late (getting there just before they stopped selling tickets), I was in a very poor mood as a result of the running very late, I forgot Claire's hat, and it was arctic-style, freeze-your-nose-off cold. Last but not least, my camera battery died fairly early on. So here's a picture of bundled up little Claire. The blanket was a good hat substitute, and she was warm and smiley all night. Anyway, that's about the only quality picture I got from the evening.

Mason, however, had a great time running around with Grandma. The lights were spectacular, as they were last year, and we finally got to see the tiger cubs moving around. Alan harrassed one until it (sorry, didn't check the gender) was growling and considering chewing through chain link to get to him. We also had some fun with the more nocturnal cats inside the reptile/desert building, but is it just me or does that building always smell like there is a crowd in there? There were not that many people inside but it still had it's usual aroma -- let's call it "earthy" to keep this on the more upbeat side, mmmkay?

We were also disappointed to learn that our zoo membership doesn't admit us to Zoo Lights like it does to the zoo. We still had to pay nearly full price. The concession-folk were very nice about explaining that it's because an outside company does all the displays, but I still thought it was kind of a rip-off.

In the end, the evening was a success for Mason and that's the most important part. I'm hoping in time that's the only part we'll bring up when we remember this particular outing.