Lions and Tigers, and Kindergarten, Oh My!

Yesterday, Anne and I signed Ben up for kindergarten.  He won't be starting for six months but just writing his name on an official piece of paper was nerve-wracking.  I was sweating as I listened to the principal describe expectations and heard Ben's possible future teacher explain a typical day.  This may seem like a fairly normal reaction to a major life-change but I teach in the building where all of this is going on.  The principal is my boss and the teacher who spoke has been a colleague of mine longer than Ben has been alive.  As I looked over the list of things that Ben should know before he begins his grand adventure, I was relieved to see that he knew how to do everything on the list, tying his shoes and zipping a coat by himself were the only things on the list he has not done yet.  I also thought about the maturing Ben has been going through these past few months.  Fits have been replaced with questions and understanding.  He is finally taking charge of situations, especially with his brother.  He has become a kid looking like a school-age little boy just in a few weeks.  Anne says she will be very upset when ben's first day occurs.  I will be thinking of the daycare money I will be saving!

Been a While

As the title of this post explains, it has been a while.  Life has been moving pretty fast the last few weeks and we have been trying to catch up.  The three snowdays in a row were some of the craziest days in a long time.  Neither Ben nor Jack seem to be very good at handling the life of a shut-in.  We tried playing games, I got out a tent, but nothing worked.  They both wanted to play right next to each other and apparently drive the other one nutty.  They succeeded in driving everyone nutty.  Ben and I tried to watch Moster House but he felt it was too scary.  Ironically, he then asked for a book on Monster House.  I found a used copy of the art and making of the movie and ordered it, thinking I would just add it to our piles.  Little did I know that he would fall in love with it and become extrememly interested in the process of making the movie.  He now looks over the book in his bed, often using a flashlight to "read" after lights out.

Happier and warmer times!

Jack, on the other hand, has continued his assault on the world of usual sleeping.  In one particular night, he was out of bed quietly draining his Desitin into the small crack in the top of his baby gate.  When I came up to check on him, he had pulled out a hundred wipes and was attempting to clean up the mess.  I scolded him, cleaned everything up and put him to bed.  A half-hour later, I found him in the middle of his room, his jammies half off as he attempted to change his own diaper.  That was a long night.

Back to the Future

For some reason, I felt like watching Back to the Future this past summer, thought it would be harmless, and never anticipated the obsession that would follow.  Ben immediately took to the movie and when he found out that there were three films, he went completely out of his mind.  When he saw that they give ample time to a train resuce in Part III, he nearly had to be hospitalized.  He watched all three films throughout the second half of the summer.  As I rewatched them with him, I noticed that there was more language than I had recalled, but talked to him about some of the bad words and asked him to please not call anyone "butthead."  He abliged and we have been enjoying the movies since.  When I saw that a DeLorean car was available, I ordered it for him.  He loved it.  He loved it so much that it's in my "to fix" drawer while missing several pieces.  Also, Ben has all three movie posters hanging over his bed and I laugh whenever I look up into his room, as I back the car out of the driveway, and see those posters hanging in a five-year-old's room.  One night, while tucking Ben into bed, he looked at me, laughed and said, "Dad, are you telling me this sucker is nuclear."  I laughed until I had tears in my eyes. 

All we need is matching calculator watches.  GREAT SCOTT!

Ben has been caught at daycare re-enacting the train scene that climaxes the third film and Jack informed me, just tonight, out of the clear blue that Back to the Future II is his favorite.  When Ben explained that the train is in Back to the Future III, Jack changed his vote.  This past Christmas, we took our love of the Back to the Future films to a whole new level.  When Ben's Grandparents bought him an orange puffy vest, I made the comment that it looked like Marty McFly's "life preserver."  Ben readily agreed.  As the weeks at home, following the holidays, wore on, I decided I had to have a similar vest.  So now Ben and I can dress up like Marty McFly any time we wish.  What are you looking at butthead?

Even though Jack's vest isn't authentic, we still let him play with us.  We just call him Einstein.

The Lego Man Ruins Christmas

Christmas has always been a fun day - but, only in my mind.  I seem to forget each year, just what it is really like.  First, there is the pre-dawn wakeup call.  Then, there is the opening of presents that requires me to instantly de-box and put together whatever has been opened before any more boxes are opened.  Then, there is the waged war over every little toy that both boys feel must be taken or not shared.  This year, Santa was smart and compassionate and brought mostly doubled gifts - Zuzu pets, remote control fire trucks, Leap Frog Computers.  One difference was a talking garbage truck for Jack and a Lego set for Ben.  Anne and I were pleased that there should not be much to fight over.  We were quickly disappointed because they quickly picked the smallest item of all to fight over - a single Lego man.  They fought so intensely and for such an extended period of time that I finally took it away and put them into seperate rooms - just to hear some peace and quiet.

Small and unsuspecting, this Lego man can influence the success of any major holiday.

This, of course, has not been the only time a Lego person has caused issues.  Just this week, the green alien Lego thing from our Toy Stoy Pizza Planet truck caused issues with Jack, who simlpy wanted the alien to sit.  The problem is that the alien won't sit, his legs are stationary.  Unfortunately, Jack was unconvinced when I told him and he was very upset, several times a day.  Now, the alien is in our Important Basket until it learns to sit.

The alien that would NOT sit down!

Geese, Class, and More Bedtime Antics

Anne takes the boys to their daycare every morning and because I get off work much earlier than her, I pick them up.  On the way home, every day, we pass by a field that houses a huge gaggle of geese and most days, the a few sections take off to start flying toward their nightly nesting grounds.  This is when the racing begins.  As soon as the boys see the geese take off, I must then pretend to race them home, with the constant threat that our van might be swarmed and taken over by the flying geese.  Much like the flying monkeys in Wizard of Oz.  So for the next ten miles, I must make racing noises while I shift the invisible shifter of our very automatic transmission van.  When we come to a turn, I must make skidding tire sounds as both boys yell and scream in excitement.  Its a ridiculous exercise that is now a daily routine. 

The boys in June on their way to Florida.  Just picture them with winter coats now.

As part of our daily routine, Ben asks me if I have class at night.  He is referring to my second job teaching English night classes.  When I answer yes, he celebrates.  When I tell him that I do not have class, he gets upset and pouts.  This used to hurt my feelings considerably until we found out that Ben was happy to have me gone because it meant a dinner he liked: mac and cheese, hot dogs, or grilled cheese.  When I was home, an actual meal would often be attempted and he cared little for "fancy" meals like meatloaf, chicken, or beef.  Now I feel better about myself, but Anne is hurt that he doesn't care for her meals and would rather eat junk.

Finally, the bedtime routine for Jack is unchanged.  Last night, he came down several times, once while naked and carrying his pajamas.  He also comes down and when he gets caught, immediately says, "I'm crying."  Translation: I"m already pretty upset about my mistake, don't holler at me.  This bedtime routine might be the reason for my shortened life expectancy.

Jack and the Fear of Bedtime

We lucked out with Ben - he was a good sleeper and when it came time to move from a crib to his big-boy bed, he answered the call by refusing to get out of it until we came to get him.  He did this for more than a year and even after he would get out on his own he never abused that right.  He now sleeps in, compared to the daily 5:30 to 6:00 wake-up call of his brother. 

Ben is not exactly excited to go to bed but stays there nonetheless.



Jack is obviously mapping out some grand escape from bed - which includes a train and a dump truck.

 Jack, on the other hand, has not taken kindly to his new freedom and spends sometimes hours getting out of bed, coming downstairs, running back up the stairs and generally making bedtime a low-grade nightmare every night.  We decided to gate him in and he threw the tantrum of all tantrums, yelling, (we think) cursing, and finally throwing himself up against the gate like the Velociraptors of Jurassic Park.  And then he discoved that no matter how high we set the gate, he could climb over it.  What he refers to as his "fence" is nothing more than a small roadblock for him to overcome on each grand adventure.  Last night, I actually witnessed him clear his fence like a deer clears a roadside barricade.  He was so mad last night that he decided to strip down to his diaper and threw his pajamas into the hall as a protest of our detestable behavior.  What I wouldn't give to get into bed and stay there for at least a week.  Boys.

Welcome to the World of the Redheads

If you had told me, five years ago, that I would spend my life answering questions about my kids having red hair, I would have laughed and immediately suspected my wife of foul play.  But, it happened and now I live with a certain notoriety around our home base as we attract the attention of most people we run into in public.  The greeters at Wal-Mart know them so well that when I walk into the store alone, I get asked where my boys are.  When we go into Best Buy, some of the checkers get annoyed when I don't go into their line.  When I take the boys to school, the teachers actually act like they are glad to see them.  And when we go to the haircut place, they suddenly need to go to lunch or on break.  We are not the best when we get our haircut.

Ben, 5, and Jack, 2, are two characters and when combined with their goofy father and exhausted mother, Anne, we have a good time.  This is our story.  Enjoy!