G2 Year in Review IV: The Quest for Piece(s of Cake)

After what seems to my mind to be the longest year I've witnessed in 37 trips around the sun, I need take you on a whirlwind tour of G2's fourth go round. We did a lot this year. He did a lot this year. And we've reached the point when to look at G2 last year versus this year, you'd be hard pressed to see major changes. Although I realize I made the same argument 12 months ago, too. As with any person in the process of becoming (i.e., all of us) G2 spent this year becoming more himself. More personality, more opinions, more of everything that makes him him.

As we so often do, here's the birthday boy 12 months ago.

Pro-tip: Ask to see his shark dance. It is amazing.

As happens with all of us, as you age, some things fall away. Last year, G2 was into My Little Pony enough that he wanted his party/cake to be MLP-themed. And while pastel ponies still cover his favorite baseball cap, he doesn't really talk about it much anymore. What's replaced it? Batman, LEGO, Pokémon (so, so much Pokémon).

April: Speaking of sharks, he doesn't swim like one.

I can't speak for anyone else, but it should come as no surprise that when you have a second kid, your memory gets a little fuzzy. I can barely remember that he took swim lessons this year, despite the fact that I was there for all of them (though not in the water much; he demanded Hollie take him in most of the time). In my defense, we got one of those giant inflatable pools this year, and most of my memories of him in the water are from that.

May: My cousin, my friend.

As a little brother, your life follows some prescribed rules. Your older sibling directs the show most of the time (not that G2 is shy about making his feelings known). But the respite from this way of life comes from cousin time (we'll call him C2). G2-C2 antics are treasured times around here, if for no other reason than it means G2 calls the shots a little more often than he's used to.

June: More John Cusack in High Fidelity or Jack Black in High Fidelity?

Sensitivity is a moving target. You want your kids to be sensitive to a point. Empathetic, yes; freaking out when things don't exactly line up with expectations, no. So in one of these ways, G2 is more sensitive than his sister. I'll let you decide which. Why do I bring up sensitivity now? In June, we visited Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. On the way down, we took in the Ocean City (MD) Air Show, and we had the foresight to bring ear protection for the kids. Jet engines are not known for their silence. But later, when we were comfortably ensconced in our cabin, there was a thunderstorm. To my memory, it was not a terrible storm, but there was a fair amount of thunder and lightning. Sensitive little man that he is, G2 demanded his earmuffs until the storm receded. And for some time after that, just in case.

July: "Every act of creation is first an act of destruction."

Be it LEGO or Play-Doh, a truer statement has never been made. Our continued efforts to emphasize building, crafting, making, and creating have found fertile soil in our kids. I wish there was something funny to say here, but really, he just likes to make stuff.

August: "Remember to rebel against authority, kids!"

I can't look at this picture and not think of this.

Between last year's post and this one, I feel like I need a motorcycle picture every year from now on.

September: There's a Twilight Zone episode in this picture, I'm sure of it.

If we measured each year in trips to the Philadelphia Zoo, last year was maybe our most successful. There's something comforting about spending a couple of hours visiting the animals, knowing that even if we don't see everything, it's no big deal, because we can just go back another day. If I can give you no other advice than this: get yourself a membership to a local zoo or museum. It's a great way to be part of your local cultural institutions while at the same time giving you something to do on an otherwise lazy September weekend.

October: This year's costume: all of the costumes.

Honestly, the details on this one are hazy. We went to a Halloween party at a friend's house, and they decided they wanted to wear as much dress-up clothing as possible. At this point, I think he may have already shed several superhero accessories. It's all a bit of a blur.

October, part 2: Because what could go wrong?

Again, making/creating. It's a big part of our kids' lives. That said, "Hey, let's let the the 3 year old drills holes into a pumpkin while I hold it" may not have been my smartest idea.

November: The first time in G2's life it's been cold enough to wear a winter jacket while Christmas tree hunting.

Seriously. I think we could've gone searching for a tree in shorts in 2014 and 2015. But we had a cold snap in 2016, so it actually felt like we were doing a Christmasy thing.

December: Two hours of snow tubing, i.e., G2 literally stayed in that tube for two hours.

He might flinch at thunder, but this kid is as much a daredevil as his sister when it comes to rides/experiences. He just doesn't like to exert himself any more than necessary, hence me dragging him up a hill, attaching him to a lift, dragging him up another hill, pushing him down a tube track, and then starting the whole process over again.

January: Give him a head with hair; short, close-cropped hair.

Believe it or not, G2 actually got a little shaggy this past winter. Of course, then we planned a trip to Florida, and I had to cut it all off so he wouldn't sweat all over the place. The best part is that I found a picture of Ryan Reynolds and told the Kids Kuts stylist to make his hair look like that. Because my son is the spitting image of Ryan Reynolds.

February: I take pictures of my kids when they sleep. It's not creepy at all.

One more piece of tiny G2 fell away last month as we took away the toddler bed and moved him to a twin. Specifically, the lower level of a bunk bed he shares with LG. I don't long for younger days. I don't want to turn back the clock. But there's something about these milestones that's simultaneously joyous and bittersweet. But also, I like getting rid of stuff. So bye-bye, toddler bed!

March: Happy Birthday to a little guy who is way better at video games at 4 than I was. 

Just look at that face. In so many ways the same as it was a year ago, and yet, time marches ever forward.

Confessions of a 3-Year-Old Genius (Self-Proclaimed)

Two half days, three full days, two stories of G2 interacting with his teachers.

I went to Back-to-School night for G2's new preschool, and after all the other parents left, I had a few minutes to talk with his teacher. First words out of her mouth, "I gotta tell ya, your son has made my personal Facebook wall more than any other kid so far." After assuring me she never mentions his name, she related these stories.

Sitting next to his teacher at lunch, G2 turns to her and says:

You know, sometimes, people stand next to people who are sitting. And the people who are standing look taller than the people who are sitting down. But the people who are sitting are taller, but you don't know that because they're sitting down.

I added the emphasis there, but based on his teacher's retelling, he sounded like he was pulling the lid off the greatest conspiracy of our time.

During play-doh time, they have the following exchange:

G2: Some people say 'wooder' and some people say 'WAH-ter.' Mom and Dad say 'WAH-ter,' and tell me I should say 'WAH-ter,' but I'm going to say 'wooder.'
Teacher: I used to say 'wooder' when I was little, but then I got older and I decided I should say 'WAH-ter' instead.
G2: Yeah. I'm just going to keep saying 'wooder.'
Teacher: You're a pretty smart kid.
G2: Yes, I'm good at finding things. I'm good at building things. ... I'm a genius.

My son: Thinker of great thoughts, finder of things, genius.

LG Episode VI: Return of the Blog

Around LG's 4th birthday, it occurred to me that these 12-month retrospectives would get a little boring. After all, once she hit four years old, she wasn't going to look appreciably different over the space of 12 months. And it's true, she's not massively taller or older looking at six than she was at five. That being said, she did so many different things this year, had so many first experiences that letting go of this tradition now would be a shame.

September 2015: Monster cupcakes, I think. Our cake design skills are haphazard at best.

Fall 2015 was all about monsters. Halloween 2015 was a riff on Young Frankenstein (he said as if he actually planned it that way). At the moment, her brother is king of the monsters (self-proclaimed), but that's probably a reaction to LG's monsterrific influence.

October 2015: Detail-oriented pumpkin painting

Year five could be a lot of things, the Year of Theatre, the Year of Reading, the Year of School (I'm getting ahead of myself). But one thing it most definitely was? The Year of Keeping Hair Out of Her Face. This is an ongoing challenge, coupled as it is with Not Getting Paint in Her Hair, or Not Getting Food in Her Hair, or Not Getting Her Hair in Her Mouth.

November 2015: Tall enough to do things now

Kids are often concerned with being "big" enough. We were at Dorney Park several weeks ago, and LG's 47-inch stature is just a smidge too short to get on a lot of great rollercoasters, much to her irritation. That said, all through the year she measured her height against what she could easily grasp and climb at the various playgrounds we frequent. As the year went on, she went from being able to jump and grab hold of bars and rings, to trucking across a set of monkey bars with ease.

December 2015: Suddenly, she's 10 years old (and wearing cat ears for some reason)

Putting aside for a moment that we searched for a Christmas tree in 80-degree weather (climate change is real, ya'll), let's take in this photo for a minute. Where did my chipmunk-cheeked daughter go? Where did that graceful neck come from? I don't lament the steadfast forward march of time, but there are moments when I'd like to hit the pause button for a few days.

January 2016: Games, we play games, we play an absurd number of games

As I noted last year, the games obsession continues. We made it our mission over the summer to get her more into video games, with some success. Greater strides were made in the realm of table-top gaming. We live in a great time for table-top games for all ages, and our house is reaping the benefits. Hey, That's My Fish!, featured here, is easy to play, even if the strategy is a little bit harder to grasp. Lately, we've enjoyed Too Many Monkeys!, Draw 4: Dig for Dinos, and Ratatat-Cat.

February 2016: "It's Valentine's Day! I need a fun headband!"

Kudos to Hollie for throwing this headband together on the morning of Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, our collective craftiness has perhaps set unrealistic expectations for how quickly we can throw together a creative outfit. But every once in a while, expectations meet reality in a way that actually works out.

March 2016: Yes, this is the only face that adequately shows off her missing tooth.

Since she started school in September of last year, she's been letting us know every time a member of her class loses a tooth. I suspect part of the anticipation she experienced had less to do with the hole in her smile, and more to do with the tooth fairy about which she'd heard so much. For the record, the tooth fairy did visit, replacing her carefully illustrated envelope with a dollar coin meticulously wrapped in a dollar bill folded into a heart. At least, I hear that's what the tooth fairy did, because she had already unwrapped the money and was reveling in her newfound wealth when we got her out of bed that morning.

April 2016: Warm December, cold April. We'll just flip the seasons from here on out.

After a year or two of begging, we signed LG up for soccer this Spring. It was... fine? Honestly, between unreliable coaches and weather that kept canceling games, it was a rough first crack at the beautiful game. But she did score a goal! And that officially ties my record for number of goals scored in a soccer career.

May 2016: An important first.

The photo above represents a significant achievement, for it is the first time LG didn't grab the picture hole with both hands and shove her head through it. She almost looks natural.

June 2016: Hula day? Tropical Day? Who knows day.

We're the family that pays attention to special days on the school calendar. That means we're one of two families who regularly send their kid to school dressed up like something goofy. And LG couldn't be happier.

July 2016: Two important milestones

"Hey, Hollie, let's play that Pokemon GO I'd heard so much about. Seems like fun." And thus we never stopped chasing the dragon (whose name is Charizard, or Dragonite, and we don't have either of them). The picture on the left was taken on our very first family Pokehunt. How significant is this? Check out the picture at the bottom of this post.

Arguably more important, July marked LG's completion of her 30th chapter book. Seriously, chapter books in Kindergarten. I can't speak to how common this is, but on a scale from 1 to 10, LG's reading ability at the end of the school year was easily an 11. She continues to amaze.

August 2016: A star is born. Or maybe a ham. Yeah, it's a ham.

LG went to theatre camp this summer, and it's fair to say she loved it. Honestly, it's a program which is entirely premised on the idea that she stands in front of a large group of people who are forced to watch her sing and dance. This is literally her reason for being. I don't know if she'll stick with it, and it doesn't matter to me if she does, but the joy with which she belts out the lyrics to the lead characters' songs (rather than the ensemble of which she was a part), tells me we might be at this for a while.

September 2016: I mean, right?

So that brings us to the day before her 6th birthday, rocking a custom Charmander dress, wearing five rubber band bracelets/anklets/chokers she made herself, striking a pose in a mister at the Philadelphia Zoo. If that doesn't sum up the glory of her sixth year, I don't know what does.

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.

Halloween 2015: We're all mad here.

Ask a kid what they want to be for Halloween every day of the week, and you're likely to get a different answer each time. After last year's sibling costume, LG had various ideas for a followup. Astronaut and alien, spider and fly, World War 1 Flying Ace and Red Baron. Then, we were listening to "Monster Mash" by Bobby 'Boris' Pickett sometime over the summer (like you do), and LG suddenly announced that she was going to be a Mad Scientist, and we never looked back.

G2, on the other hand, had a different answer every time until we pinned him down to something in September. And what grand idea did this 2-and-a-half-year-old boy have? Super hero? Ninja? Octonaut? Nope. He told Hollie he wanted to be a moth. Far be it from us to deny a child the costume of his dreams, so we dutifully looked up moth wings on Etsy. When we couldn't find what we wanted there (namely, anything other than a set of glitter luna moth wings for $75), we decided to make our own.

Since the children weren't accessorized with one another, we figured we were going to need to dress up. My costume was easy; with a lab coat and butterfly net, I'd be an entomologist. Hollie was going to be a little harder, but LG came through with another brilliant idea while they were searching the aisles of our local pop-up Halloween store. They'd get as many animal ears, tails, snouts and gloves as they could, and Hollie would be LG's mad science creation.

At the last minute, I decided I was LG's assistant, seeking out the rare and cunning moth boy. And thus, a family costume was born.

"That's a nice story, Matt," I hear you saying to yourself, "but I'm here for pretty much one reason. Where's the sloppy Photoshoppy?"

Your patience will be rewarded, dear reader.

Yes, she's huge, but you try covering up Gene Wilder and his hair with a 5 year old.

I like to think her hair was equally inspired by Frederick Fronkensteen and Sweeney Todd.

Hide your sweater, hide your blankets, cuz these moths are eating everything up in here.
(This joke is funny, but Hollie would like to add a scientific editorial note.
The larva of these toddler moths would eat your sweaters.
Enjoy the rest of the post.)

But the best is yet to come. Inspired by last year's Annie poster, I figured I needed to get the whole family into a single image.

"Matt," I hear you say, "Who is 1974's Teri Garr?"
No one. Because you don't mess with 1974 Teri Garr.

 Happy Halloween, everyone! See you next year!

Tap Dancing and Horrible Dreams

A conversation with LG following a particularly vigorous tap dance.

LG: Does this look like tap dancing?

Me: Yeah, it looks pretty good. It looks like what I remember my pretend tap dancing looking like when I was your age.

LG: Did you take tap dancing lessons?

Me: I did not.

LG: Why not?

Me: I guess I figured that my pretend dancing looked pretty good. Why did I need the real thing?

LG: Can I take tap dancing lessons?

Me: We'll look into it.

LG: Good. Because if I don't take lessons, I'll never achieve my dream.

Me: Your dream?

LG: Of being a tap dancing rock star!

Me: Well, that's... umm...

LG: What?

Me: I was going to say "untapped market," but I didn't think you'd get the pun.

LG: I don't know what a pun is, but that's pretty funny.

A brief conversation with G2 upon waking him from his nap.

Me: Time to wake up!

G2: I had a good dream. And there was a squid, and it was (makes horrible snorting sound).

Me: Ummm.... that seems like an odd sound for a squid to make.

G2: It was snoring! And there was a bear, and it was (horrible snorting sound)! And there was a mouse, and it was (horrible snorting sound)! And there was a lion, and it was (horrible snorting sound)!

Me: So a squid and a bear and a mouse and a lion were all snoring, and this was a good dream?

G2: Yes. (long pause, then a harsh whisper) And the squid had a face.

Me: One of these days we're going to have to explain the difference between dreams and nightmares.

The Pope: A Conversation with My Daughter

Presented without commentary, just know that it made me laugh.

LG: Why does mom need to work late tonight?
Me: Because a lot of people are in town to see Pope Francis, and they might want to come to the museum.
LG: Why do people want to see Pope Francis?
Me: He's the leader of the Catholic Church, and a lot of folks think that's pretty important.
LG: I want to go see Pope Francis.
Me: We're not members of the Catholic Church, so although it's neat that he's here, it's not really important to us, at least not as important as it is to Catholics.
LG: Did he bring his kids?
Me: Who? The Pope?
LG: Yeah. Did he bring his kids?
Me: He doesn't have any kids. He doesn't have a wife or partner.
LG: He doesn't have a wife? Why not?
Me: He's not allowed. He's a priest.
LG: What's a priest?
Me: It's like a teacher in the church.
LG: Teachers can get married. My teacher is MRS. MacAdams. She's MRS., and that means she's married.
Me: Yes, it does, and teachers are allowed to get married. Most people can get married if they want to, but the Catholic Church says that priests can't get married. Nuns can't either.
LG: What's a nun?
Me: A woman who has devoted her life to the Church.

....(long pause)....

LG: But what if a Pope and nun love each other very much?