G2 Year in Review III: Turtles in Time (Which was the most obscure threequel I could think of)

It's bad enough that I neglect this blog like I do (go on, check how many times I posted in 2015. Five times.). But for those posts I absolutely should do, like a celebration of my son's third birthday, you'd think I'd be a bit more on top of things. Alas, no. And it's late into the evening on March 28, and I'm just getting started on G2's birthday post. If you're reading this in the future, G2, do not take it as a sign of your status as the second child. Instead, take solace in the fact that it was the acknowledgement of your birth that ended a 5-month hiatus of this very blog.

Apologies and mea culpas out of the way, let's talk about G2. It's hard to define exactly what's changed in the last year. Objectively, his twos were a bit more terrible than his sister's, but then, she didn't have an older sibling antagonizing her half the time. And hard as it may be to contemplate, he dances, sings and soaks up every bit of stimuli with greater ease than she did, again because he has her influence in his life. So if his life is defined and shaped so much by his older sister, is he his own person or a reflection of her? Evidenced by their playtime, shared storytelling, and disagreements, he is both of those things. He has never not had a sister. LG may have had a brother for just over half of her life, but the person she's become is now inextricably linked with the other person she influences daily. It would be profound if it weren't so commonplace. (This is the part that will probably make me cry when I read it in 10 years. You're welcome, future me! How are the 2020s? Have they rebooted the Superman films again, yet? I don't know if you remember, 46-year-old Matt, but Zach Snyder sucks.)

Ugh. Sorry for the digression. Onto happier things! Here's G2 last year in pictures.

Reminder: each of these pictures was taken on or around the 29th of the month.

Here's where we left off.

I am the Walrus. Goo goo g'joob. Beatles reference.

 Maybe this year was the Year of Shouting to Take Things Out of His Mouth. I swear he didn't do shove as many things in there when he was a baby. But now it's straws, fingers, sides of shopping carts, etc. If it grosses Hollie out, it's going in his mouth.

April: Out of my way; Happy Feet 2 isn't going to watch itself.

Or maybe it's the Year of the Haircut. He got his first one a month after his second birthday, and I'm pretty sure he's had more haircuts in 12 months as LG has had in her entire life. And it's not because we like the clean-cut look. Nope, this kid is just too sweaty to have more than two inches of hair on his head if the outdoor temperature is over 50 degrees. 

May: I was told there would be a lake. This appears to be a swampy inlet.

 I guess you could say I was an outdoorsy kid. I was in the Boy Scouts, so I was certainly outside a lot. We're trying hard to make outdoorsy kids, if allergies and the sunburn and the asthma don't get us first.

June: Just prior to haircut #2, by the look of it.

Which leads us to the summer conundrum: Put a hat on his head, and he'll sweat double. Don't put a hat on his head, and he'll burn like the pale son of an Irishman that he is.

July: Dig dig dig dig dig dig dig dig, mine the whole day through.

Short story: We went to the Crayola Factory, which is super far away. It was so far away, that it almost feels wasteful to travel so far just for that. Lucky for us, on our way there we saw signs for a hot air balloon festival, farm show and carnival. Hitting that on our way back from Easton really made the trip extra worthwhile. The crayons were nice and all, but it's got nothing on three dozen hot air balloons, tons of horses, rides and fair food. And also this sand pit for some reason.

August: Out for a ride on my hog. I call her Fiona. It's not sexist because she's a motorcycle.

It was definitely the Summer of Rides. Trips to Dutch Wonderland, Ocean City, and Six Flags were nicely complemented by carnivals featuring unlicensed airbrushing.

September: Seriously, you guys. Camping is the best. I'm having so much fun now.

People came from all over the world to see the Pope when he visited Philly. We, on the other hand, drove deep into the wilds of New Jersey to go camping. Sure, we lacked electricity and running water, but so did the two million people packing the Ben Franklin Parkway to see Francis standing at the top of the Art Museum steps. And we didn't even have to risk being trampled by Catholics.

October: So my pumpkin looks like it was designed by a serial killer. I'm not worried... much.

We let G2 design his own pumpkin this Halloween. It went... I guess you could say well, inasmuch as it was a thing that happened and we followed through. There's a face there if you look hard enough.

November: It's snowing inside! I swear, it is.

We hit the Dickens Christmas Village and Comcast Holiday Spectacular a little early this year. He's following his sister's lead in getting way too excited over the bubble snow. Thankfully, we managed to get them both to agree to NOT try to catch it in their mouths.

December: These are Toobers and Zots. Toobers and Zots are fun.
Especially when your sister designs a superhero costume for you.

This was true last year as well, but we live in a state of constant dress up in this house. I've lost track of how many bins have costume parts in them, largely because there's so much dress-up stuff, it's spilling out everywhere. And on the topic of construction, G2 has gotten way more into LEGO than LG, yet again providing evidence for a gender bias I've been struggling against since we had kids.

January: Yes, January, and they were perfectly fine in light jackets or long sleeves.
Climate change is real, people.

Sometimes our house is like the Itchy and Scratchy show theme song. "They fight and bite. They bite and fight and bite. Bite bite bite. Fight fight fight! The LG and G2 shoooooooow!" But most of the time, they're like that song from the Saved By the Bell Zack Attack episode. "Friends forever, with you everywhere. Friends forever, always will be friends! (Talkin' 'bout friends.)" What I'm saying is, I apply ridiculous pop culture analogies to any cute picture of my kids.

February: Every night. "Can I help you make dinner, Daddy?" It's so cute it drives me insane.

I've encouraged this, so it's no surprise that G2 wants to help in the kitchen. Yeah, maybe he likes it for the same reason young kids like doing certain household chores (like vacuuming; he loves vacuuming.); it gives them a sense doing something grown up. Now I happen to love cooking (less so, vacuuming), so I hope I make that process fun. Also, I hope it gives him some basis for learning to make food on his own. Someday, I look forward to napping on the couch while he makes dinner for me.

March: Happy Birthday to this little dude, who will not stop talking about sharks,
all of which are good and do not eat other animals.

He's funny; he's three years old; and I can't get enough of him.

BONUS: When I asked him before bed tonight what his favorite part of his birthday was, he responded, "Picking the candies off of my cake." And lo, Hollie had taken pictures of just that.