Hallowiener

This is one of our favorite books around here. It's led to many, many wiener jokes this season. Good times had by all.

Logan started reading the Harry Potter series about six weeks ago. He got thoroughly entranced with the Potter universe and has been making plans for his own sort of fan fiction. I keep finding sheets of paper with drawings and lists of spells and potions and things that he wants to include when he writes his book. Anyway, that was the inspiration for his Halloween costume.

The very first day we talked about Halloween costumes we came across a particular sort of ninja costume that Declan decided was made for him. It's not just a regular old ninja, it's a Shadow Ice Wolf Ninja and when you ask Declan what he will be for Halloween, he'll give you the full title. Don't call it a ninja. Declan was a different kind of ninja last year, so both Chris and I attempted at various times throughout the month to convince him that there were many other suitable costumes. However, Declan being the Declan we know and love, had made up his mind and dug in his heels. Shadow Ice Wolf Ninja it was. Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Prior to the trick-or-treating, there was an epic battle in the kitchen.

On the way home from the candy-getting, I told Declan he could take his mask off if he wanted. I heard him breathe a sigh of relief as he pulled it up over his head and said, "Good idea. It smelled pretty bad in there."

Other things

Declan lost one of his front teeth and, as Chris noted, has reached a whole new level of cuteness.

Declan has been thinking about what I should be when I grow up since I'm back in school. He knows what my career choice is (generally speaking), but he'll pipe up with things periodically that he thinks I should consider besides houses. His most frequent suggestions are: be a teacher so I can teach his class at his school next year or the year after or whenever I'm done, or maybe open a restaurant and be a cooker for the restaurant. I think, given the variety of options he could come up with, those are pretty complimentary.

Logan recently asked if his friend Caleah can spend the night. It sort of stopped me in my tracks, because that wasn't exactly what I was expecting him to ask. I fumbled a little trying to figure out how best to explain to him that boys and girls can't spend the night together without opening a whole new world of questions and curiosities that he hasn't thought about yet. Aside from their brief questioning about what their testicles are or why I don't have a penis, there hasn't been much discussion about relationships or babies or anything like that.

So I pretty much just said that it wasn't appropriate and it was fine if she came over to play, but she would have to sleep in her own home. Logan said he didn't understand why it was inappropriate just because she's a girl and he's a boy. I looked at him and said he'd just have to trust me on the matter and believe that he'll understand it better when he grows up. He said, "THAT'S why Caleah keeps saying she's a girl and can't spend the night. I didn't get it when she said it." Apparently this is something they've been discussing for a while.

Curious about how he was envisioning this sleepover going down, I asked him where he thought she would sleep. Logan said, "Well, I was thinking that she could sleep in my bed and I could sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor since she'd probably be more comfortable in my bed than on the floor." Cute, right?

So then Declan walks in the room in the middle of this (by the way, Declan also wants to marry Caleah, but since Logan saw her first he's deferring) and realized what we were talking about. He started talking about how he also wished Caleah could spend the night. I asked him where he thought Caleah would sleep and he said, "She can sleep in my bed and I'll sleep in Logan's and Logan can sleep on the floor." Typical.

School Pictures

Declan, 1st Grade - I think he was trying to go for the cool look like last year, but they made him smile so this is what the mashup of that was.

Logan, 2nd Grade - He really likes that shirt.

8 is Great!

Sweet baby Logan is now sweet 8-year-old Logan. He's kind of goofy and really smart and very compassionate and has a quirky, sarcastic sense of humor and I'm really happy to know him. He does well in school and seems to have friends a'plenty. He and Declan are still best friends and talk about growing up and living next door to each other or maybe across the street from each other. He'll pretty much try any food and like most of what he tries.

Logan reads. A lot. He will read anything - the other day at breakfast he picked up some papers I was studying for one of my classes and started reading through them. His teacher says he chooses all types of books at school and is happy with whatever he can find. He's set a bit of a benchmark in his class for reading and a lot of kids see him reading certain books and want to read them, too. He read through the first four and a half Harry Potter books and found a love for that world that made me happy to see.

He's got a renewed interest in sign language since there's a boy in his class he's gotten to be buddies with who has cochlear implants. Logan wants his friend to be included in things, so he does his best to sign what he knows and is constantly asking what other signs are.

So anyway, I kind of like the kid.

1st Grade, 2nd Grade

School started for myself and the boys two weeks ago, Chris started last week, and we're now full in the swing of things. It's a bit chaotic at times, but I think that's normal. Logan has the same teacher he had last year - in fact, she has the same class she had last year plus 3 more students. We're happy about that. She is one of those teachers that people want to teach their children because she has control of the class, and because she genuinely cares about the students and loves them. So Logan is happy as can be back at school, though he's never really had any problems with going to school.

Declan is doing fine in his class, too. He seems to enjoy his teacher and I haven't (and won't) let on about how I did not get a good impression from her and she has not in any way done a thing to improve that. However, as long as he's happy and getting what he needs out of school I'll just sort of keep an eye on things and not fuss over it too much. Declan has told me a couple of times already that he doesn't like school and doesn't want to go. When I talk to him about it to find out why exactly that is, the conversation always goes in the direction of how he doesn't like to sit and do work and would rather do his own thing. No surprise there. That's a Declan issue that he will have to learn to deal with in life and I'm hoping time and maturity will be big factors in that adjustment for him.

This is the boys on the first day of school. Logan had been so excited to start that he popped out of bed and got himself dressed early. Declan wanted to look cool, so he chose that blue shirt and insisted the collar be up instead of down. That's how the cool kids do it, you know? Logan, in the true oppositeness of Logan and Declan, insists on wearing a collared shirt completely buttoned up and the collar down flat.

First World Problems

We were at the go-get-your-shoes-and-socks-on point of the morning. Declan emerged from their bedroom with his trademark scowl, brimming with at-ti-tude.

Declan: You know what's really getting old?

Me: What?

Declan: THESE!

"THESE!" was a pair of white socks.

Apparently the drawer-full of white socks was enough to push him over the edge. He wants something with color. I just want easy street when folding laundry.

We did it!

Before the boys left on their vacation, we all did our belt testing for Krav Maga. Because of their schedule for flying back to Rhode Island with Grandpa, they had to do their belt testing with the older kids. When the kids found out they were going to be with kids they don't know - older kids they don't know - they got nervous. It was to the point that both of them were saying they would rather not belt test. Logan was very concerned he would be embarrassed. He was worried he'd be asked to do something he didn't know how to do. Declan picked up on Logan's nerves about it and got shy as well. We had talks, reassuring the boys that they would not be asked to do anything they didn't know how. We reminded them that part of having courage is doing something you're afraid to do.

Eventually Declan put on his determined face and folded his arms fiercely across his chest saying, "YES, MA'AM! I'LL DO IT!" Logan watched Declan and nodded, then a moment later said, "That thing Declan said? It's a probably for me." I said I wasn't going to force him to do the testing if he didn't want to but I would really love to see him do it. His response: "Probably is more yes than no."

When the time came, Declan was fine to go but Logan was still fighting with nerves. He got in line when it was time for class to start and found that the older kids do things pretty much the same as their normal class. And that was that. The testing went along fine and at the end of it, the boys got to take off their white belts and received their next-step belts of white with a yellow stripe (the belt system is more graduated for the younger kids).

Logan receiving his belt:

Declan receiving his belt:

A few words from Mr. Cohen:

Feelin' fine:

Swimming and Kicking

The boys had another round of swimming lessons the past couple weeks. Just like last year their teachers gave them the option to jump off the diving board into the deep end of the big pool as a reward for working so hard in their class. Last year, both the boys were scared but Logan toughed up and jumped in (and decided he *loved* it). Declan couldn't talk himself into it. This year, Logan had no fear but Declan was still a bit afraid. Coincidentally, one of the focuses in their martial arts class this month has been on courage. So I suggested that maybe Declan could find some courage to do something he was afraid of and a moment later, he got that determined face and said, "I'LL DO IT!" And he did. He loved it, just like Logan. They both felt so proud of themselves when it was all said and done.

Our martial arts classes are coming along pretty well. The boys constantly impress me with how well they pick up the information and perform what's asked of them. They both want to be black belt students, so Chris and I have set forth some goals for them to achieve before we sign them up for that. In the meantime, we're working on belt advancement. Every three months the school does belt testing to move up to the next rank, and next week will be our first belt tests since we started our classes. The kids are required to know and do various types of kicks and punches, making sure while doing them that they're in a proper stance and moving and breathing correctly. (Us adults have to know the same things, plus self-protection stuff as well.) Last week Mr. Cohen, our instructor, was reviewing side kicks with the kids and I got a couple of pictures of that. As soon as the boys get some muscle behind their combatives, they're going to be pretty dang tough.

Summer has been moving along nicely. Wednesday we leave on a trip to Texas for a few days, then we'll come back, do our belt testing on Monday, and the boys will be off to visit their Rhode Island family for a month on Tuesday. They're looking forward to spending time with their dad, grandparents, and other relatives out there.

Summertime

The last day of school was last Friday, and it was a bittersweet ending to the year for both boys. They grew attached to their teachers and classmates and were sad to see the year come to an end. But, of course, there was the prospect of all the beauty of summer vacation looking them straight in the eye and they got over the sadness fairly quickly. The weekend started out fantastic - the kids got to spend the night at their aunt and uncle's house. Chris and I took them to see Kung Fu Panda 2. We hung out together and enjoyed the three-day weekend.

Then Chris decided he should mow the grass. A chore that needs doing regularly. The kids love to chase the riding mower around and they followed Chris out to do that. However, the allergens in the air packed an unexpectedly fierce punch and it was a short time later that the kids came inside with swollen, red eyes that were having a terrible and violent allergic reaction. The swollen eyes have taken their time going down. We've shut the house up and turned the air conditioning on in an effort to reduce the allergens indoors. Declan's developed a consistent, low-grade fever and headache that don't seem to be responding to any of our medicines in the house and Logan is still sniffing and wiping his eyes constantly. We're headed to the doctor in a couple hours in the hopes that he'll be able to give us something better for managing this crap.

So hopefully this is not an indication of how our vacation will go. I'm crossing my fingers that our pediatrician will help us get this under control and the kids can run and play and enjoy their various trips this summer without another allergic reaction like this. Apparently it's bad in the area this year - when Chris went to the store to get some Benadryl, he said the shelves for the allergy stuff were nearly cleaned out. So we're not the only ones. But I think I speak for all of us when I say that after a couple days of this junk, we're over it.

Ketchup? Catsup? CATCHUP!

The boys had their regular visit to the dentist last month and passed with flying colors. Our Dr.-Seuss-lookalike-dentist said that Logan will need braces at some point (doy) and Declan's got a couple loose teeth. Like a week after that visit, Declan lost his first tooth and it was a magical experience for all. At the dentist he also got his first dental x-rays. They went through about four of those stupid things you're supposed to bite down on in the right way before Declan understood that he's supposed to just hold it there in his mouth instead of flipping it around and chewing on it. Sometimes we have a listening problem.

Logan's developed quite the fear of spiders recently. He's always been sort of afraid of them, but lately it's been panicky. He came running into the kitchen one night breathing a little heavy like he was panicking and Chris and I asked him what the problem was. He said, "I'm just waiting in here while Declan kills a spider." As Chris and I looked at each other and asked Logan if he was really making his little brother kill a spider for him, we heard a faint thud from down the hallway followed immediately by Declan's voice calling, "It's ok, Logan! I got him!" And Logan happily scampered back to his room to continue whatever he and Declan had been playing. Well...ok, then.

We went bowling as a family a few Saturdays ago and had a blast. I won, but Chris thinks there should be an asterisk beside my win since I made judicious use of the bumpers put on our lane for the kids. And I'm like, "Use it if you got it!" The kids had so.much.fun! They had some sweet 80s music playing and the entire time that Declan was not bowling, he was dancing his pants off to the songs.

Declan got a scratch on his arm a few days ago when he learned about thorns on rosebushes. It was bleeding, and Logan wisely told Declan to lick the blood so it would get back inside his body. Good tip, Logan.

And can I say that I'm so freaking glad April is over because that means the end of April Fools jokes around here? Logan loved April Fool's Day so much that he decided the whole month of April was made for foolery. So I've been listening to things like, "Mommy! There's a spider on your shirt! APRIL FOOLS! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" allllllll freaking month.

We dyed easter eggs, as requested (or demanded) by the kids. They had such a fun time with it. I remember having such a fun time with it when I was a kid, but now all I can think about is the potential mess. This is one of the ways I know I'm old. Anyway, in classic Logan style, he participated shirtless. I don't know what exactly my kids have against clothes, but I've finally decided on a compromise that they only have to be dressed when we leave the house or we have visitors over. The rest of the time they can underwear it up if they feel the need. And boy, do they feel the need.

Yay Six!

Me: Hey Declan, whatcha doin' today?
Declan: Oh, just turning six.

Since his last birthday, Dex has been to Rhode Island, been to Washington D.C., started Kindergarten, and started martial arts classes. He's grown a ton and looks more like a second or third grader than a Kindergartener. He's still best buddy to Logan and my most consistent shadow. He's incredibly kind and sweet, as long as you're not trying too hard to make him do something he definitely does not want to do.

Declan loves, LOVES, animals. He had a field trip to a big farm yesterday and assured his teacher that everything would be fine since he can communicate with cows. They some nature film in class a few weeks ago and after school Declan was telling me about some kind of bug where the mom leaves the babies after they're born and some of the babies get eaten by other bugs and he started crying at the thought of it. When he grows up he wants to be a "vetatarian"...or maybe a rock star.

With the combination of Declan's birthday and Mother's Day on its way, I of course am spending a lot of time thinking about how lucky I am to be mom to these kids. Yay!

Updates

I haven't put pictures up here in a long time. Our camera broke recently, so most of the pictures I have are from my phone which isn't the highest quality. But usually when I sit down to make a post, it's because I need to get some things out of my brain (this blog, I've realized, sort of works like Dumbledore's Penseive) and I'm in a hurry which is kind of the speed of life around here lately.

So, in the past month or so:

-The kids have started martial arts (Krav Maga, specifically) in an effort to improve their discipline, focus, confidence, blahblahblahwhatever else people do martial arts for. It's going well, for the most part. Logan takes it totally seriously and seems to have pretty good form for his kicks and punches and usually isn't the focus of the instructor's attention for doing it wrong. Declan's our Logan opposite. (I think you can all see where this is going.) He is the one in line twirling around with his mind off in space. He generally has to be reminded how to stand or how to move properly. We've got a ways to go with that kid, but he's at least trying and interested and has a lot of potential.

-We're on Spring Break and for the start of the week my BFF Maclaine came to visit us with her two youngest boys. The kids all fell in love and had a blast together. So much that when it was time for the Texans to re-Tex themselves, there were a lot of tears from mostly everyone except Maclaine and I. Logan and Declan have decided that Maclaine and her family feel like our family and can't they just be a part of our family even though they're not really? And how do I respond to that other than, "Sure." We're hoping to make a trip to Texas to return the visit in the summertime.

-We've known Logan has allergies for a while, but a recent visit to the doctor has added asthma to that. The asthma is aggravated by the allergies and our pediatrician got Logan on an inhaler routine to help relieve the insane amount of coughing he does, especially when he's trying to sleep. That was about a week ago and there's been a huge improvement and so far we're not needing the fast-acting inhaler. The asthma/allergies aren't a huge surprise, given the Ed-ness of Logan so we're rolling with it and doing fine.

-Logan is 78 lbs. and 54" tall; Declan is 70 lbs. and 50" tall.


Logan putting on his gloves.


Declan showing off in line.

Randoms

-Declan got out of the bathtub and wanted to comb his hair. I stood at the counter and watched him as he swept it this way and that, trying to find that certain je ne sais quoi. He got frustrated and I asked him what the problem was. "I don't like the sprouts." Your guess is as good as mine as to what the sprouts actually are, but they were making him *mad*. He wanted spikes, not sprouts. I told him that because his hair is kind of curly, it won't do straight spikes unless it's a lot shorter. We agreed to get him a haircut this weekend.

For the time being, he wanted to figure out a cool hairstyle, so I gave him a few minutes to figure it out. When I went back, I asked him how it was going and his response was that it still wasn't looking how he wanted it to. I asked what it was in particular he was thinking he could get it to look like. "Like it has fire. Like the tips of my hair are flames of fire." Words failed me; genetics failed him.

-Apparently the bus driver calls Declan "Little Logan" or "Little [Last Name]". For some reason that I can't articulate in any way, every time I think of that, I start giggling to myself. It makes me happy.

-Logan's been chugging along happily in school and doing very well. He's one of two kids in his class who have completed all 25 of his word lists for the year and is rocking the socks off his math progress. He loves school and at the same time loves his days off school. It's a contrast to Declan, who's made a visit to the principal's office two out of three days so far this week. Note: The third day was a snow day.

Things kids say

Over dinner the other night, Declan was being Declan and relaying every thought that came through his head to the rest of the family. Things like, "Socks go in between shoes and feet" and "Sometimes dogs are brown." When Declan took a bite of his bread and butter and then announced to us, "I like bread," Logan said in a very dry, monotonous manner, "That's a great story."
________

Recently Andrea made french dip sandwiches for Sunday dinner and after Declan was done eating, he walked up to Chris and said proudly (with a fabulous gesture that I wish I could express in words), "I almost barfed, but then I sucked it back up!"
________

DECLAN: I don't like wearing those things.
ME: What things?
DECLAN: Pants and shirts.
(This particular announcement after I found him in the kitchen completely naked.)

Testicles

A long time ago when Logan was 3ish, he was standing in the kitchen naked from the waist down. I don't remember the reason for the occasion, but if you know my boys at all, that's not a surprise. He was chitchatting with me and absent-mindedly feeling his parts. He then asked one of the funniest questions in my memory of my kids: "Mommy, what are these stripey things between my legs?" I've heard/read/been told the best way to handle these situations is give correct answers to the exact question a child asks - no more, no less. So I responded that they were testicles. After a minute of thought he asked what they were for, and the best answer I could come up with on the spot was something along the lines of: "When you grow up and decide you want to be a daddy, they'll help you make babies." Fine and dandy. Life went on.

Except.

Somewhere in the course of time, Logan relayed this particular information to Declan. Apparently we played a short game of telephone with it because one day recently Declan told me - out of nowhere - that those ball things between his legs were his babies and when he grows up he's going to have two babies because he has two of those. After dropping the 411 on me, he walked away to continue his life and I was left to consider his (and Logan's) interpretation of the issue. I decided it was best to let them continue with this misinformation since it's not hurting anyone, it's close enough to the truth, and they're too young to really have any sort of talk that will actually explain the facts. We're not ready for details.

Fast forward to tonight after dinner. Logan was adjusting himself and I asked him if there was a problem with his wing ding since he was needing to do that near the table? He said, in a voice *dripping* with know-it-all attitude that a 7-year-old can manage as well as a teenager, "Those things that are my babies? They're sticking to my leg and I'm trying to unstick them."

While listening to music in the car...

Logan: I don't get what "Love Shack" means.
Me: Uh, well, it's a shack where people go to kiss.
Logan: What the...? I'm never going to a love shack.