Slippers Part 2

J's working late tonight, so the picture of the boys in their slippers will have to wait (wah!).  I took some of just Zach tonight.

Watching Sesame in my pajamas and slippers

Notice my crossed legs?

Just kicking back...

Side view

Standing, front view.  Kills me!

New Brother

Just as I was filling the bathtub tonight for the boy's bath (their favorite time of day), Gabe rubbed Zach's back and said, "Mom, I love my new brother."  Too funny.  Guess after 18 months, Zach still feels "new" to Gabe.  I love those sweet moments.

Slippers

Pulled these slippers out of Zach's closet yesterday and realized that I bought J the exact same pair for Christmas!  J put the slippers on over Zach's one-piece pajamas this morning.  He looked super cute (and we referred to him as Bootsie).  I know; we're dorks. 

Wearing my slippers and talking on the phone to Auntie Auntie

Seriously!  How cute are those feet?

Ha what??  The cuteness factor kills me.

When J gets home tonight we're going to take a picture of both boys in their matching slippers!

Herding Cats

I'm still amazed at how much effort it takes to get these two little boys out the door (especially in the winter).  Zach's so curious that once he has his sneakers on, he's off exploring the mud room before I can even get the next layer on.  Getting them to cooperate and get to the car usually feels like herding cats.  I cannot imagine what it would be like if I had a third child. 

As we were leaving the house this morning for a playdate, Gabe, who'd already said good-bye to Dalva (the woman who cleans the house) several times, poked his head back into the house to scream, "we won't forget you, Dalva."  Gabe loves having people in the house - family, friends, repair men, etc.

Cautious Gabe

As I was driving down to the concert this afternoon, I remembered something Gabe used to say to me when I was driving.  If I rested one hand in my lap or on the armrest, Gabe would tell me to put two hands on the wheel when driving!  He wasn't even three years old when he'd say this!  I truly think that being cautious is a huge part of Gabe's personality.  God love him.

Now that I'm thinking about Gabe in the car, I remember when Gabe was about 2 years old and we were stuck in traffic one day.  Gabe said, "okay cars, move please." This was before he was really talking in sentences.  I got such a huge kick out of that statement at the time.  Now, when we sit in traffic Gabe tells me to beep my horn.  Like his parents, he doesn't have much patience (nor does Zach).  God help us.

The "Orshestra"

Today Gabe and I met my mom at Thayer Academy to see the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra perform a concert for kids.  As we were backing out of the driveway, Gabe informed me that when he was in the car yesterday with Daddy and Zach, Daddy crashed the car into a sign (the sign right there across the street).  He said, "Mom, it was terrible.  It was horrible."  I immediately called J to find out why he didn't tell me that he hit a sign with my car.  According to J, when he was backing out of the driveway today, he lightly bumped one of our ginormous snowbanks at the end of the driveway.  Mystery solved.  Gabe's not dramatic, or anything....  Remind you of anyone?

Anyway, on to the orchestra (or "orshestra", as Gabe calls it).  I wasn't sure how a 3.5-year-old would enjoy the concert, but I must say that he did pretty well.  He was a GREAT clapper.  The faster, more energetic songs seemed to grab his attention more than others.  He wasn't crazy about the 20-minute-long Green Eggs & Ham musical interpretation; he turned to me at one point and asked if it was over, yet. 

After the concert, Gabe got to touch some of the instruments, including playing the cello.  When we were getting into the car to go home, my mom and her friend yelled good-bye from across the parking lot.  In response, Gabe yelled, "Bye Ni Ni, bye Friend. Good to see you."  Good times.

A picture of the handsome guy before the concert

"Ta Da" (Notice Daddy in the background)

Gabe & Ni Ni in their seats

The orchestra

Playing the cello!

Drumming with the tuba

Big Brother to Little Brother

Gabe & Zach were playing with the train table in the playroom this morning, while J and I were doing stuff in the kitchen.  We both heard Gabe say to Zach, "have you lost your little mind?"  A few minutes later, I heard him say to Zach, "do you hear me, are you listening to my ear?"

Too funny

Today was a great Saturday!  J took the boys out for breakfast early this morning and then gave me a break by taking them to a play place a little later.  I went to a bookstore and read a book for over 2 hours.  It was wonderful.  Thank you, my love!!

This afternoon, I took Gabe grocery shopping.  As soon as we pulled up to the store, Gabe stated that he wanted Daddy.  When J's home on the weekends, Gabe's all about his dad.  It's super sweet.  Before we left the house, J told Gabe that if he was good at the store, Mommy would buy him a candy bar.  J rewarded Gabe with Rollos last weekend (which Gabe loves), and this time J suggested that Gabe try a Milky Way, claiming that it was similar to a Rollo.  I told Gabe that he should try a Twix bar, but J insisted that the Miky Way was the way to go.

I ended up buying a bag of mini Milky Ways and a bag of mini Twix bars.  First, I gave Gabe the Milky Way.  When I pulled out the Twix for him to try, he was so excited to get two chocolates, that he said with a huge smile on his face, "Mom, you're killing me!"  Seriously?  How funny is he? 

In the end, Gabe said that he liked the Milky Way better, but I think it's because it's Daddy's favorite.

Paci Love

This has happened one too many times, and we're screwed.  Zach was eating dinner tonight.  He actually ate his chicken and stars tonight (phew!).  He ate most of his fruit.  Things were going great.  I went to get him a cereal bar and he started to fuss.  Apparently he didn't want the cereal bar.  So, I defrosted a chocolate muffin top (who wouldn't want to eat a chocolate muffin top for dinner?), and he picked at it.  He was pointing towards the pantry, so I got the sense that he wanted something different.  You never know with this guy.  So, I got out the organic fish crackers and he ate a few.  He was still fussing and pointing towards the pantry, but I was done offering food options, so I started to clean him up.  As I was cleaning him off, he took his paci out of his mouth and started eating the crackers (huh?).  After he gets down from his highchair, he starts toward the pantry, and then I see it.  I see what he wanted.  There was another paci on the counter by the pantry and he wants it.  He often needs a paci in his mouth and one in his hand; preferably one in each hand.  When we try to wean him from this paci (and we should have done this a long time ago), we are totally screwed.  He's obsessed with his pacis!!!

Watching Sesame and rubbing my cheek with my extra paci

Holding my beloved extra paci

Rubbing my cheek again

Lightly pressing the paci into my cheek

My Bones

Gabe's been talking about his bones lately.  He says that his bones are inside his body.  (He's so smart.).  So, just now I was tickling Gabe and he said, "Don't tickle my bones.  Leave my bones alone."  Funny kid.

It's Friday!

Another week is winding down.  We went to a playdate at our friend, Noah W.'s, house this morning.  We saw Zoe, Will, and Jack there.  Gabe and Zach enjoyed playing with Noah's train table and piano.  Zach loved pushing Noah's stroller and grocery cart around the house; he screamed when he hit a wall or a threshold.  That boy needs some patience!!  When it was time to go home, and I told Gabe that he had two minutes to play, he replied with a statement that he's been using a lot lately, which I find pretty funny.  He said, "30 seconds (I want 30 seconds to play.).  30 seconds is a lot of minutes, mom."

Here are some pictures from the playdate:

Zach pushing the grocery cart with Jack in the background

Zoe wanted her picture taken

Gabe playing at the train table and picking his lip (sorry, Gabe.  Mommy taught you a very bad habit.)

Playing in Noah's playroom

Zach pushing the double stroller

Getting stuck at the wall

Zoe on the rocking horse

Stuck again

Hiding in the corner (we'd just played hide and seek)

Gabe & Will loved playing the piano

Gabe loved it when Noah got too rough with the piano and his mom took him off

Zach joins the fun

Zach was having so much fun

There's Noah and his Mommy at the piano

Zoe on the sit and spin

When we got home from the playdate, I took some pictures of the boys in front of the snowbanks.  I've never seen snowbanks so high.  And we're supposed to get more snow tomorrow!

The bank is taller than Zach

That's the snow at the end of our driveway!

Snow Day

Gabe's second day of school was cancelled today because we had another huge storm last night. We got another foot of snow - there's 3 feet of snow out there!  So, Gabe, Zach, and I spent the day inside (gah), watching Wall-E, playing hide and seek, and then pretty much going stir crazy.  Zach got into the pantry again and ate through a box of Shake 'n Bake.  Even though J snow-blowed us out this morning, the sidewalk plow came by and snowed us right back in.  I tried to shovel us out, but it was so heavy and I'm so done with shoveling that I gave up.  J will have to snow blow again when he gets home tonight. Sorry, hun. 

The snow piled up higher than our kitchen window

Henry's tracks in the snow

You'd think we have a mouse in the house

Zachie Mouse

Having lunch

Lunch time!

No idea what he's angry about

Gabe was trying not to pose for the camera

No idea what was going on here, either

Making funny faces

Not posing