Tuesday, April 24, 2007

My Modest Mouse


"Go ahead, boy. I'll have your shirt ironed in just a second," I hear Mommy telling him through the monitor.

"Noooo, Mommy. I don't want to go," he protests.

"Why not, son? What's wrong. Mama has your leche ready," she coaxes.

"But Mommy, I'm just in my t-shirt," he explains.

"So?"

"I don't want Mama to see me until I'm dressed," he says.

"Ohhhh. It's alright, boy," she says through a cheek-to-cheek grin, "Just explain to Mama that I'm ironing your shirt."

So he comes into the living room and peeks around the corner into the kitchen with his hands crossed over his chest.

"Here's your leche, son," I say, holding out his sippy cup, but he won't budge.

"What's wrong, papa? Come on in and get your milk," I say, "so I can see your new t-shirt."

He shakes his head and just refuses to come in, so I have to promise him that I'll look away while he steps in to retrieve his milk, and won't look at him until he's fully dressed. Which I do.

And when Mommy's done with his shirt, he swaggers into the kitchen and does a couple of little GQ turns on the rug to show off his new (and freshly ironed) polo, and then marches his little peacock tail back into the living room.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

FELICITOS, GRANDPA DONNIE!!!

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY,
HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, BIRTHDAY, GRANDPA DONNIE!! WE LOVE AND MISS YOU TERRIBLY!!! COME SEE US ALREADY, WOULD YA???

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

ZIPPADEEDOO...WHOA, THERE!

On the way into school yesterday morning we all happen to be in a particularly unusual collective good mood and start a round of "Zip-a-dee Do-dah."

As with most things vocal, they begin to belt it out at the top of their lungs:

"Zipadee Do Dah!

Zipadee Ay!"

[and here's where it gets good...]

"My Ho, My Ho


Wonderful Day!!!"
[Hmmm...now how to correct this one without having to explain why...]

Monday, April 09, 2007

UNDERNEATH IT ALL...

One of the multitude of gifts they received for their birthday was this very cute little croquet set. [Seriously? you say.] Yeah, we thought the same thing. But the kids really seemed to take to the experience -- oh, for about 10 minutes. Which, really, when you translate that into toddler time is like 3 hours!!!!

But anyway...Saia, inherently cursed with her anal retentive attention to detail by both nature and nurture, just loved the whole bit. She helped me tear open the package, read the directions, and set up the course. We matched the little tunnel thing-a-ma-gigs to the color coordinated mallet and ball, and we even measured the distance to the winning pin from each lane. And then she proceeded to repeat my every instruction to both her brother and her Mommy AS SHE PLAYED (the little multitasker!), and much to their collective annoyance.

Chago, on the other side of the coin...immediately shot his ball across the lawn and into the street, stepped on 2 of the 4 tunnels, sent the head of his mallet flying across the driveway, and screamed that it wasn't fair that Saia always won when, of course, she did.

So, here I am, always mindful of being politically correct, always trying my best to be diplomatic, always determined to see the black, white and grey of every possible situation, in what I always thought to be my grandest social experiment -- that is, raising these two children in exactly the same way, with the exact same set of rules, with no gender biases, no social norms imposed, no pinks for her and blues for him, allowing them to ultimately be who they choose to be bywhatever means and in whatever manner they choose to express it -- and all I can really say is "OH MY GOD, HE'S SUCH A DAMN BOY!!!!!!"

Thursday, April 05, 2007

WE'RE A TOP 100 MOM BLOG!!!

Yay! We've just received an award for being a Mother's Day Central Top 100 Mom Blog.

How cool is that?!?!

Now, if I can just get my rear back into gear and posting regularly again, maybe the threatening emails will stop, too. ;)