Life is better in flip-flops

 

Today is one of those days where I feel so tired, so sluggish, I have to psych myself up just to get a glass of water from the kitchen. (Internal struggle: How thirsty are you? Because once you drink the water, you’ll only have to get up AGAIN after that to use the bathroom.)

Thankfully, now that the boys are older and sleeping through the night (Adam slept until 11 a.m. on Sunday! A new record for him!), these tired days are few and far between, but they still hit me every now and then like a ton of bricks. [I should clarify, Ben still gets up every.single.night and comes into our room, where he asks for water, a dry pull-up, and to sleep on our floor, usually around 2 a.m. Aaron sleeps through it. I get the water, change his wet pull-up, get him dry pajamas, and make a bed for him on the floor. I can usually fall back asleep, unless I’m worried about something, and then I’m up for awhile trying to quiet the nagging thoughts in my mind.]

Anyhow, on days like this I miss the old luxury of being lazy after work. Instead of going home and lounging on the couch, I’ll rush to school to get the boys, then grab something quick for dinner, then rush to the ball field, then rush home for baths and bed. Rush, rush, rush.  

I was talking to my friend Kirsten recently about parents with multiple kids in activities, basically wondering how they juggle working full-time with the constant rushing after work. They make it seem so easy. Are they just programmed differently than we are? Aaron coaches both Ben and Adam’s ball teams, so I’m the picker-upper/dinner-feeder/dropper-offer/bringer-homer on Mondays and Tuesdays, and that’s just two days a week. What about the parents who have kids in daily practices? Or seven-hour-a-day weekend tournaments? What about the parents with kids who have piano lessons on Mondays, soccer on Tuesdays, dance on Wednesdays, swimming lessons on Thursdays? Do they simply say goodbye (for now) to precious free time? Isn’t everyone just exhausted by Friday? Why are today’s kids so over-scheduled? We weren’t in a million activities when we were younger, and we turned out ok. (I think.) So when did it become normal for our kids to become hyper-involved? Will they lose the skill of filling their free time with their own imagination and creativity?

And while we were on the topic of our childhood—and how we stayed entertained during the summer—we reminisced about the arts and crafts wagon. I had no idea that more than one city had an arts and crafts wagon in the 80s, but apparently they did, since I grew up in a St. Paul suburb and Kirsten grew up in Minneapolis. I remember walking over to the park with my brother, paying whatever the fee was (50 cents? A few dollars?), finding an empty spot on the bench of that big blue wagon—sort of resembling a modern-day food truck with benches on each side—and spending hours with my neighbors and the city staff making art projects (I vaguely remember pipe cleaners, glue, and construction paper) and playing games. I loved it. *Warning: I’m going to sound old now.

sigh

The good old days.

June came and went with sunshine and then rain, rain, and more rain. It also brought Ben’s first t-ball game (he's more interested in the 50 cent gold chains in the rec center vending machine than in actually playing ball), Adam’s first baseball game (it's fun to watch him because he's really into it this year), and the surprise three-week-early birth of our friends’ Kyle and Rachel’s son Francis (Frank) Bruce [only three days after we threw them a baby shower!]

Sweet, tiny baby

June also brought a Friday evening wedding at 413 on Wacouta for my sister-in-law April’s best friend. Aaron's immediate family was all invited, and since we hadn’t been to a ceremony and reception since 2011, I—a SUCKER for a good wedding—was very excited. Aaron and I spent a lot of time explaining to the kids what a wedding is, and the terms “maid of honor” (April) and “ring bearer” (Logan) and “husband” and “wife” and “bride” and “groom” – and made sure to explain that if two girls or two boys love one another they can get married, too. The ceremony was blissfully short and sweet, and after a long break between dinner and the dance (including a long fight with Adam about the importance of wearing his shoes), a fun, young band took the stage. In order to get more people on the dance floor, the lead singer joked that there would be a dance contest, which immediately transformed Adam from a reserved kid into a crazy, sweaty dancing machine. Lesson learned = in order to get Adam to participate in anything, just add the word "contest" and the competitive side of his personality kicks in and he's 100 percent THERE, whether it means reading the most books in his kindergarten class (205) or dancing like we have never seen him dance (the reception). Watching him was the highlight of the night for us. When the band took a break, I told the lead singer that Adam really believed there was a contest, and that's why he was dancing his little heart out, so the singer made it a point to announce Adam as the dance contest winner. His prize? High-fives from the band. "I didn't get a trophy," he said afterwards. "But two people complimented my dance moves." We took video, and despite the bad lighting, you can see Adam in his green shirt, dancing in front of the band, a look of sheer determination on his face as he frantically bobs up and down to the beat. That kid was on a mission to WIN.

Our fun-loving godchild & beautiful SIL, "I'm so fancy ..."

End of the night. I danced, too. Ben was ready for bed.

He worked hard for his dance contest winner title.

Ben also turned four in June. 

New birthday donut tradition. Yeah, we go all out.

His actual birthday was the same day as the wedding, so we pushed it back to Sunday. The weather was beautiful and there was a great turnout, complete with an appearance by Batman (aka Jeremy, the best "uncle" EVER - man do we owe him favors for that one!), who delivered a Batmobile in a head-to-toe Batman costume. Even in costume and with a disguised voice, Jeremy didn’t fool Ben. 

"Wasn't that SO COOL that Batman came to your party to drop off your Batmobile?!" I asked Ben right after Batman disappeared.

“Can I tell you something, Mom?” Ben asked in front of all the guests. “That wasn’t Batman. That was JEREMY!”

Best present ever

Other June happenings: we celebrated Aaron's birthday at a get-together at his mom's house, celebrated Father’s Day in Forest Lake, had a multi-family all-weekend garage sale that was probably more work than it was worth (yes, ok, we’ll take 25 cents for that), visited Minnehaha Falls a day after President Obama was there, where everyone but Adam enjoyed fish tacos from Sea Salt Eatery, and helped two of our little friends celebrate their birthdays at Edinborough Park, after watching Uncle Jeremy compete in the City of Lakes Tri-Loppet. 

Minnehaha Falls

It's really cool when your uncles own chickens

Brotherly love

Uncle Jeremy's biggest (smallest?) fans

July is better told in photos. (Fourth of July/cabin photos courtesy of my friend Holly & her awesome photography skills.) 

My dad caught a 51-inch muskie. So proud.

Water fun at preschool

The Almighty ORBIT! At Holly & Kevin's cabin north of Green Bay

TOO BRIGHT! Cannot open my eyes all the way. NEED SUNGLASSES STAT.

Small-town parade = lots o' candy

God's country

Smoke bomb boys (happy Fourth!)

The water was as mucky as it looks, but the company was superb

Adam hardly swam at all; Ben didn't get out of the water.

We tried to stand on the Orbit after having a few drinks, and we all fell down. Were we tipsy or was the Orbit?

Good idea. Let's kneel instead.

Autumn in July

That FLASH! Too bright!

Adam couldn't part with his bag of parade candy, even when going for a walk.

At the water ski show

Some of my college girls

Adam + Quinn = two peas in a pod

Ben got soaking wet. He loved every second.

Ahh, summer.

Three amigos reunited.

East Side summer fun

The glamorous life of a coach

Good times at Teddy Bear Park, Stillwater (followed by ice cream at Leo's Malt Shop).

Hello, Summer

Forest Lake

Franconia Sculpture Park - cool place!

Three kids on a rooftop 

Nerd alert

Nerds II

Nerds III (can you find the photobombers?!)

It took me about six tries to get this shot.

Adam and Logan, cousins/friends

Ooh! I like these SOM-MORRAS!

Slumber party at Auntie April's house

You sure you want him to drive?

Dinner at Chilkoot in Stillwater with my string sisters

Adam's teacher sent this to me and I almost started crying.

Hiking at Interstate State Park, Taylors Falls

Preparing for baseball and t-ball ... counting down the days until the season starts.

I Wanna Go, To, the Kalahari ...

After this WINTERNITY, we're all so grateful for the sunshine and snowmelt. It was 70 today. It hasn't been this warm since October. I saw women wearing sandals! I saw people without coats! I saw pasty white bare skin all over the place and it was LOVELY. I think back to a year ago and the snowstorm that hit April 10 (I remember the date because it was Josh and April's birthday and I was out on the Luxury Home Tour roadtrip, trying to navigate around the city while giant snowflakes made the roads a wet, slippery nightmare) and how everyone was SO FED UP with winter and how we couldn't handle ONE MORE SECOND of snow. And when I think about the way I felt last winter, it doesn't seem even a fraction of how I feel after THIS winter, when it seemed like Mother Nature was punishing Minnesota with ridiculous temps and snow, snow, and more snow. (And yes, I said "after" this winter, because for my sanity I have to believe that last week's ridiculous snowstorm has got to be the last of winter weather for another season.) We just want to be WARM again. Is that so wrong?

At the beginning of the month, we went to the Kalahari with our good friends from Green Bay for a much-anticipated vacation. We made the mistake of going over the waterpark's spring break timeframe rather than off-peak, when we have traditionally gone. (Their spring break is actually a six-week timeframe when you count all the people traveling from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois and the different spring breaks from state to state.) Going during spring break doubled the rates and the lines for the waterslides, but we still had a blast, mainly because of our travel companions. We just get along SO WELL with Holly and Kevin, and our kids get along so well with their four kids, and Kevin and Aaron have the same interests, and Holly and I have the same interests ... including bargain shopping, drinking margaritas and/or Spotted Cow, sleeping in (Aaron and Kevin got up at 6 a.m. to work out. Um, no thank you) and trying to learn to love—or at least tolerate—running. I can sit and talk to her about anything and I know we'll be on the same page (minus some political stuff, but I think we'd even agree on a lot of those points). We have the same sense of humor, the same parenting 'style,' the same outlook on life. When we're on vacation with them, everything is just so easy. No drama. No petty complaints. No uncomfortable silences or awkward moments.

When I was sitting poolside with Holly, it dawned on me that this was the first year I was able to thoroughly relax, enjoy a cocktail, and have a non-distracted adult conversation while the kids splashed and slid and swam (and later rode rides and climbed walls and played mini golf and chased one another in the massive playland structure) all the live-long day. There is such freedom in having your kids at (mostly) self-sufficient ages. We made both boys wear life jackets, they're older and understand the rules better, and we know how responsible the older girls are, all factors in giving us peace of mind. Two years ago, I was constantly shadowing Ben in the waterpark so that he wouldn't drown or hurt himself or wander away or get abducted. [Is this an irrational fear of all parents when your child isn't within your line of vision?] I still have to keep my eye on him, just not quite as closely now that he's older and more independent. He always knew to come back to where we were sitting. He never tried to wander away. And Adam basically shadowed one of the older kids the entire time we were there, so I never really worried about him. It was nice, too, that Ben is tall enough now to ride certain rides with us, so no one was left out (still not old or tall enough for laser tag. Hopefully next year.)

This is such a fun tradition because the boys are so happy, kind of how I imagine kids are at Disneyworld. Ben was like a little wind-up toy, going, going, going, and smiling, smiling, smiling all the time. He couldn't get enough of the kiddie area in the waterpark and must have gone down the kid-sized waterslides 500 times. Adam's favorite waterpark feature was the hot tub (like his mama ... although I did go down a few waterslides, too). His favorite amusement park feature was an interactive game we played on our last day there, where we wore 3D glasses and shot skeletons. (It was my favorite game, too.) Adam cried hard when it was time to leave. He was heartbroken to be saying goodbye to our friends (we won't see them again until the Fourth of July). He moped the whole ride back, and just looked so depressed and dejected whenever I turned around that I almost felt like crying, too. "I know that it's hard when our friends live far away," I said. "I feel sad every time I say goodbye to Tonya." But—I told him—the good part about having friends who live far away is that you make the most of the time you have together, you don't take that time for granted. You cherish it. "And there will always be a next time," I said. "Looking forward to the next time will help you feel better about saying goodbye."
I may get a big fat parenting F in a lot of subjects, but I like to think I know a thing or two about keeping in touch with friends.

There's one goofball in every family.

His first ride of many.

Super proud of Adam for overcoming his fear of heights on this ropes course!

No border battle here (yet).

Ben on the mini ropes course. He loved it.

Trio of beauties.

Check out the 6 and 7 year-olds on the end, stylin' in those 3D glasses. (I took this photo of the screen outside the theater.)

500 ticket winner!!!

Last day, still all smiles.

Waiting in line for the go-karts. Hooray for vacation!

School is going well for Adam, he has a lot of friends (boys and girls), he's still obsessed with sports, and he still loves playing games on his Kindle and on my Facebook page (Candy Crush! Pet Rescue! Farm Heroes!), but the same challenges continue to be challenges. I'm relieved that he seems to be doing better with eating his lunch, but his anxiety is still pretty high. Maybe it's just wired in him to worry about every little thing ("MOM! They said on the news that a POLICE OFFICER GOT SHOT! No one told me that POLICE OFFICERS CAN GET SHOT!!"), but I have to think there's a way to help him cope with deviations from his regular routine (to avoid the dreaded meltdown), and ways to help him process information so it doesn't send him in a tizzy. I finally contacted the school psychologist after my parents went to have lunch with him and he cried uncontrollably for 45 minutes after they left (prompting a call from his teacher, who said he immediately calmed down when she told him he needed to join his class again for math — when I asked him why he was so sad, he said "I thought they were going to stay all day, like you and Dad did on Valentine's Day"), and the psychologist and I had a nice chat about helping Adam feel more in control of situations.
The poor kid throws up anywhere from two to four times a month, never has a fever, never feels sick ... it seems to happen most regularly on Mondays after the weekend, which makes me think it's anxiety-related, but who knows. (Anxious about what, though? Going to school? Eating lunch?) Since the start of the school year, Aaron or I have had to pick up Adam four times now from school because he threw up. He goes to school feeling perfectly fine and WHAM! suddenly he's lying in the nurse's office and I'm getting a call on my cell phone from "school nurse." Once the call came after he hit his head in gym class—a "bump" that was so inconsequential that the gym teacher didn't even send him to the nurse—but he freaked everyone out about the possibility of a concussion when he threw up in class a few hours later. I kind of assumed it was Adam's regular throw-up routine, but the nurse was so concerned about a minor brain injury that she basically insisted I bring him to urgent care, so I did ... (even though he was chatting away just fine in the backseat, wanted McDonald's for dinner, blah-blah-blah) and the urgent care doc did a full lineup of neurology tests and then proceeded to tell me that he "passed with flying colors." I'm glad I brought him in—better to be safe than sorry—but am NOT glad about the $200 bill. That's just the thing with Adam throwing up so regularly, I don't know if it's ever something more than what it has been. I don't want to assume everything is anxiety-related when he could be dealing with something more serious. I  made a doctor's appointment for him next week to have some bloodwork done (and have his allergies re-tested). I wouldn't be surprised if some of his old allergies, the ones we thought he outgrew, were making him sick again. (Eggs? Cow's milk protein?) I just want him to feel better. It's such a helpless feeling to not be able to help your child (your small, frail, sensitive and sweet child who would give you the moon if he could).

Ben's main complaint about school is that he doesn't have any friends. He usually says this in the morning, and usually he says it through tears. (He cries about a lot of things in the morning. One time he told Aaron he didn't even know why he was crying, he just was.) I asked his teacher because it's such a heartbreaking statement—not to have any friends—and she reassured me that he's friends with a lot of kids. It's that age, she said, when two kids will be friends one day and one kid will be left out, then two different kids will be friends the next day. (Can't they all just be friends?!) Lately he's been talking about his little Spanish buddy Isael (Ees-eye-ell), who looks "just like Diego." They even hugged one another a few days ago. Ben has made room in his heart for not only Isael, but also the Ninja Turtles. He still believes, though, that Batman is real and wants to be Bruce Wayne someday. He also calls the remote the "gremote," claims Katy Perry is his girlfriend, and tells me every day that I'm pretty, even if I'm a hot mess. (which is more often than not) He sleeps on our floor just about every night. He loves wrestling with Adam, playing hockey or basketball, making maps, and watching TV. 

This will be the first summer that the boys aren't in daycare, and part of me is really sad about that. Summer should be a break in your regular routine, thus the term "summer BREAK." It should be all about the ice cream truck and lazy afternoons and swimming at the beach and running around barefoot and PLAYING. It's more structured at preschool than it was at daycare. Plus I know Ben misses Mary and his friends, and I think he'd fit in effortlessly if we asked her to take us back (who knows if she even would, though?) ... and I know Adam would fall right back into place with Sam and Zander ... but I also like that they have this new preschool routine, and I don't receive negative progress reports at the end of a long work day, and the hours are much more flexible. Mainly, though, I would hate to disrupt Adam's "groove" because I know how he struggles with change. Thankfully my mom has agreed to watch the kids once a week, whenever it works best, and has even vowed to take them to beach on a regular basis. I'm happy about that.

I'm looking forward to birthday fiestas this month (the twins turn 30! my dear friend Karla hits the last of her 30s! Pete is 40-something! Broder is four!), Aaron and I celebrating our nine-year anniversary with dinner at Salut, then it's Easter with both sides of the family, and the last two weeks consist of overdue dinners with old friends. (Old as in I've-known-them-a-long-time, not old as in elderly.)

In Defense of Food

Last Friday, Aaron and I volunteered at Adam's school. Of all the times I've celebrated Valentine's Day in elementary school, high school, college, in my 20s, and now, this one was the most memorable. (An anti-Valentine's Day party in college was a close second, complete with beheaded Cupids, an all-black dress code, and arriving with a same-sex date.) Who knew volunteering at an elementary school could be so romantic? ;)

We thought it was important to observe Adam in his school environment—particularly in the lunchroom—after receiving a phone call and an email from Adam's teacher that he wasn't eating lunch, and Friday worked out for both of us to take a vacation day.
I felt like a giant going through the lunch line with a bunch of five and six-year-olds, even though most of what I remember from my own elementary school days seemed the same (minus the new "enter your number" system of paying, everything is electronic these days. We had plain old lunch tickets). The lunch lady was a grandma-type who wore a hairnet and seemed sweet but stern "Only one cookie, honey," the presentation of the lunch looked about the same (fruit, veggie, main dish, treat), and the brown fold-up lunch tables seemed mostly unchanged from the 80s. I guess that's one type of furniture that has stood the test of time. 
I'm fairly certain we didn't have a salad bar option until middle school—maybe it's more for the teachers?—and I know we didn't have to eat lunch in our winter gear, like Adam's classmates. The students go from lunch straight to outside, so they eat with boots, hats, coats, scarves, and snowpants on.
Lunch was pizza on Friday (one of Adam's favorite lunch options) so he actually ate ok, although we had to prompt him a little to drink his milk and eat his pears. I noticed, too, that he didn't touch his cookie. (What kid doesn't eat cookies?)
It was so much fun to sit with him and his little friends. The way the other kids were staring at us, we kind of felt like local celebrities. You could tell Adam was proud to have us there, although I couldn't tell if he was annoyed when one of his friends—Hailey—took a liking to Aaron, asking him questions, laughing extra hard at his jokes, and basically monopolizing the conversation. She decided she was going to be Aaron's shadow from that point on. (I got the impression that her mom was a single mom, based on a few of the comments she made and then a few of the things her mom said when I met her later on.) Might I add it was a back-to-the-50s themed day, and Hailey was wearing bright red lipstick, had a scarf in her side ponytail, and was wearing a poodle skirt, which made her even more adorable. (You could tell she felt very grown up.)
We stayed for recess, when the kids had free time to play outside. Adam was unofficially the "captain" of one of the soccer teams. What? Adam? The captain?
"Do the other kids always ask you if they can play? Are you kind of in charge at recess?" I asked.
"No, not usually," he said with a shrug. "I think they were asking me to play because you and Dad are here."
After watching the kids burn off energy for 20 minutes? 30 minutes? A horn sounded and just-like-that all the kids dropped whatever they were doing and immediately got into line to go back inside. Talk about a conditioned response!
The class did a "wiggle break" once they were back in the room to the Tootie Ta dance (Google it if you have little ones), then the teacher set up four stations and she had the kids form four separate groups so they could rotate from station to station. One station was about math — counting candy hearts, one was an art station, where the kids "painted" with bingo dobbers around heart outlines, one was reading, and one was writing basic words in a very short story about Valentine's Day. I took the art station, Aaron took math, and the teacher took the other two. With 22 kids in the class, I'm not sure how she would have done it all without our help, although I'm sure she has a good system by now. Boo to budget cuts and getting rid of helpful teacher's aides!! It was fun to help out and feel useful in the process, great to see Adam in his class environment, and nice to meet some of his friends.
After the class activity, the kindergarteners walked down to the gym where they did a series of dances, including the Cupid Shuffle and the Cha-Cha Slide!

I only took one picture, because he clearly wasn't happy about this one.

After the dance, Aaron and I met with the school nurse and talked to her about Adam's poor lunchroom eating habits. He won't eat cold lunch because "no one eats cold lunch," he will only eat certain hot lunch meals, and some days nothing at all, not even one bite and she suggested having him come to her office every day after lunch to go over what he ate that particular day.
"What's a good reward for him?" she asked while peering over her bifocals.
"Chipotle!" Aaron and I answered in unison.
"Ok, so if he gets a certain number of stars for eating a few bites of his lunch, I'll tell him he can go to Chipotle. We can try it, anyhow."
I wasn't totally sold on the idea, but it sounded like a start. (I still thought there may be a deeper psychological reason and assumed we'd be making an appointment with the school psychologist.)
The "eat-your-lunch-then-bring-your-tray-to-the-nurse" method seems to be working. We're on Day #4 of the new system, and he's had three positive progress reports. He respects authority, so I think the fact that he's being held accountable by someone other than us is working in our favor. I have nothing but gratitude for that kind woman, who is taking time out of her day to record what Adam eats. Yesterday, he didn't eat any of his spaghetti and meatballs, and nurse Jan was able to convince him to take a few bites of meatballs or he wouldn't get a sticker. And he did! Adam even said his friend Cadence has been encouraging him to eat during lunch so he doesn't have to eat in the nurse's office while everyone is outside during recess.

I REALLY hope this works long-term.

In other news, swimming lessons are going well, even though I miss our lazy Saturday mornings. As soon as Ben turns four, he'll be on his own in the water, which will be kind of weird for Aaron and I. It will be the first time since Adam was born that one of us doesn't need to swim with a child.
Oh, the luxury of getting a kid dressed after swimming without having to hurry and get yourself dressed, too!

Ben isn't cold. He just ate a blue sucker. (Valentine's Day treat)

We just did our taxes, and with our returns, we'll be going to the Kalahari again (the boys can't wait) and getting new carpet upstairs. Yes, folks, "I guess this is growing up."

Kirsten returned from maternity leave and within the same week, my friend Anna gave her notice. ENOUGH ALREADY! I hate that so many of my close friends have left the company ...  loyal friends who understood the nuts and bolts of our industry ... friends whose professional opinions I respect ... friends who I knew I could trust and count on during a work crisis (or personal one!) ... friends who made me laugh and shared intimate details of their lives with me and made work more fun just by their presence. (Thankfully there are still a few key players remaining.) I've seen a lot of people come and go in my nine years at the magazine, and I know certain people will stay in my life even after we are no longer coworkers. [Just like in past jobs!] Still, it's hard saying goodbye, especially when our marketing department was like a tight-knit little family for so many years.
Two of my friends were recruited, which I take as a good sign—the economy is doing better. And some staff turnover can be a blessing in disguise, to get new blood and energy in here. I'm already starting to bond with one of the new girls, who is only 23. I love her excitement, her innocence, her positive attitude. And through everything, this experience has definitely brought my boss and I closer together.

Right now my mom is in San Diego with three of her cousins, the first time she's taken a solo trip without my dad. I'm so proud of her. And envious. Right now it's a snowglobe outside my window (9 to 12 inches of snow predicted tonight!) and she's all "Let's just sit in the pool and relax ..."

Heavenly.

Ben is mostly potty trained now (still a few accidents during nap, and he wears a pull-up at night because he sleeps so hard), he still drinks a TON of milk, and he's still attached to Blankie. I don't know how we'll ever break him of the habit. He's only allowed to take it out at nap time during preschool, and as soon as I pick him up, he grabs it from his locker and deeply inhales. It's amazing how comforted he is by a simple blue baby blanket. If we ever lose his blanket, we're in trouble.

He also loves to make "tickets" in school (when I pick him up, his backpack is filled with pieces of paper), roll up pieces of paper and call it his "maps," write his name, and create abstract paintings. His Batman obsession is cooling down considerably. We no longer have to fight him in the morning over his outfits, which is nice. (Yes, he does own shirts other than Batman shirts!) He's more into sports now because of Adam (he has to do whatever his brother does), and likes to shoot baskets after preschool, play hockey in our kitchen, and play basketball in our living room (we have a small basket attached to the back of our porch door).

I realized recently that Aaron and Adam STAND the same way in front of the TV when an intense game is on. They walk the same way. They have the same expressions. They even answer certain questions the same way. Sometimes it freaks me out just how similar they are. Right now, Adam is all about watching the Olympics. He gets really excited when we win a medal, high-fiving whoever is nearby and chanting "USA! USA!" He has gym class once a week and it's always his favorite day. (Coincidentally, his gym teacher came up to us after the school dance and said she loves having Adam and Michael, his best friend, in her class because they're polite and respectful and most of all, COORDINATED. Apparently not many kindergarteners are. Who knew?!)
Adam once told me that the best part of his day is the 20 minutes I let him and Ben shoot baskets in the preschool gym after I pick them up from preschool, so it's become part of our routine. I usually sit on a rocking chair and watch. Pure joy.

Just ONE MORE BASKET, please?!?

It was tough to get them to stop shooting baskets to pose for this shot.

March will bring more dinners (including a belated birthday dinner with my high school girls), more work events (Food and Wine), a vacation (the Kalahari), a mixed-emotion dinner/night out downtown (my niece April is turning 21!), family birthday parties, and more snow. It's one of the longest months of the year, and we will ALL be excited to turn the calendar to April and (hopefully) welcome spring with open arms.