Fuzzy Love

Playing Hooky

Once in a while, Mark takes a random vacation day in the middle of the week and we all go do something fun. Yesterday was one of those days. We usually go to one of those places that are god-awful crowded on the weekends but manageable during the week, like the museum. The kids and I have been there a few times lately and Liam was dying to show Mark the dinosaurs. Plus it gave us all a chance to visit the Planetarium; even though the shows are only about twenty minutes long, I've never been too excited about taking two kids by myself, and without popcorn even.

But let me tell you, the Planetarium has changed since the last time I visited one, sometime in the mumblecougheightiesmumple. What I remember is something like Lite-Brite, but this show was pretty much a computer-generated IMAX* on a curved screen. Very dramatic; Liam was completely mesmerized. Olivia, not so much. She was pretty wiggly until we snuck some forbidden pretzels into her. You do what you gotta do, right? Anyway, Liam has now got the Planetarium on his "must see" list for museum visits. Good stuff.

Then, by five o'clock, we were all in our pajamas on the sofa. We had a popcorn dinner and watched a movie. Not a bad day, all 'round.

While we watched the movie, I seamed up Kite.

I thought it would be too big, but it's right on for Spring. I'm really happy with it. And the most fun: picking out ribbon! Joann's has little five-packs that matched the pink Cotton-Ease perfectly. I figured it couldn't hurt to have extra - I imagine the ribbon will take a beating. And Olivia loves it, thankfully. She actually jumped up and down when it was time to put it on this morning. Oh my sweet baby girl, do you think you will always do that for my hand knits? And once she had it on: "Mommy, it's umphy!"

* The movie did talk about the extinction of the dinosaurs, which greatly concerned Liam, and we talked about that for a while afterwards. "But some of the dinosaurs made it, right Mommy?" Poor kid; I hadn't meant to get into that quite yet. Like I said, I was picturing more of a Lite-Brite show.

My Feet Still Ache

First up, Olivia chose her outfit today. That's a shirt that declares "I want candy" and a tutu, of course.

Now, don't say anything, but Liam still wears a pull-up at night. No big deal, actually; he's only four, and sometimes he makes it and sometimes he doesn't. So, in the interest of discovery - can he do it if he tries? - we created a star chart to aim for ten nights with a dry pull-up.

It took a while.

I actually intended to purchase actual star stickers, but Liam created a star all by himself on the first day and I realized (silly me) that they weren't necessary. Oh, and you can see that Olivia got a hold of the chart one day, along with a red marker.

Ultimately he did make ten nights and got to pick the something special. I told him he could plan an outing or pick out a small toy or choose a special lunch. I'm very pleased that he went with an outing.

To see dinosaurs!

We actually covered almost every square foot of the museum, even the dim and deserted American Indian corridors. Liam was quiet adamant that he'd never set foot in the place before (he certainly HAS) and didn't want to leave. We did miss the newly-opened Gold exhibit (swamped with class trips) and we didn't spend a whole lotta time around the mummies (didn't need that discussion), but the highlight was definitely the dinosaurs. And the running around and the pushing of buttons.

And lunch, honestly: chocolate milk and jello (and a sandwich, but only after the first two were gone).

It was quite entertaining to watch Olivia try to slurp up her dropped jello, although it was difficult to communicate why she was not allowed to slurp it up from the seat of the cafeteria chair.

It was a very fun day. An all-day-on-our-feet day, during which Olivia did not nap but went to bed early. Nice.

Then yesterday the four of us spent the day at the Colorado Garden & Home Show. Another all-day-on-our-feet day, during which Olivia did not nap. This is what is called pushing our luck. Olivia has been a complete and utter terror ever since and has just gone down for her nap even though it is only eleven.

The home show itself was mildly productive. Liam did decide that he'd like a play set, trampoline, AND a playhouse in our new backyard (poor boy; if he ends up with even one of those I'll be very surprised), and we did learn more about xeriscaping, so it was worth the trip.

The point of all this (what? an actual point?) is that the whole family is spending today at home, quietly, and mostly on the sofa. For me, that means knitting. Now, it's been a while since I actually finished something; before Christmas, in fact. That was this, which has been up on Ravelry for a while, but hasn't been mentioned here yet:

My first Clapotis! It turns out I am not the last knitter in the world to make one after all. And I'm not sure what took me so damn long, as this is one of the more versatile things I've knitted. As for the specs: I followed the instructions exactly as written, but used four skeins of Koigu in a color I couldn't resist and size 8 (5mm) needles. The size was nearly dead on. I didn't bother with all those stitch markers, but simply purled the  to-be-dropped stitches instead (one thing about waiting until almost all the knitters in the free world have tried something is there are lots of tips and tricks out there).

I loved this project. It isn't too hard, but it isn't too boring either, and the stitch drops are highly satisfying. The blue one was a gift and I am making another one now, which is also a gift. Again with the Koigu, but in mostly black this time. So soon I'll be making a third, because I ought to keep one, right?

One last thing: with all our busy-ness (and my general lack of love for the job), we're a smidge bit behind on laundry right now. Yesterday, while he was trying to get dressed, I overheard Liam talking to his father:

Liam: Daddy! Daaaaadddyyyyyyyy!
Mark: Yes, Liam?
Liam: My underwear disappeared!!! It's gone!!! [Long pause] But the drawer's still here...

Lots to Report; Lots of Pictures

The last week has been quite event-filled around here. First, Connor arrived last Wednesday night. He's eleven, and not really into the same toddler/preschooler activities that we are so accustomed to, so it was a bit of a challenge (and a compromise) to keep everyone entertained. I hope he had as good a time as he tells me he did.

Note: the kid's from Florida and wore a coat the whole time.

Connor is really in to magic, and not simple little coins-from-behind-ears tricks either. He loves Criss Angel-type stuff and repeatedly confounded us with things like putting a nickel into a closed soda can and moving around the images on a real dollar bill (he proudly told anyone that would listen that he was committing fraud). So we made sure to pay a visit to the Wizard's Chest, a toy store with a serious magic section.

We also took a tour of a real-life candy factory. Now Willie Wonka's it ain't, but candy is candy and it was interesting to watch how it is made by hand.

We went to Hammond's Candy Factory in the north part of Denver, where we met up with a group of friends, watched a video, took the rather short tour, and were deposited in the gift shop.

It was a great gift shop.

[Connor's parents: if you are wondering how your child managed to blow all his spending money and have virtually nothing to show for it, now you know. I'm sorry. But it was damn good candy. I hope at least a little of it makes it home to you.]

Anyway, the time flew and soon it was Connor's grandmother's turn to have him, so we dropped him off on Saturday night.

Then we missed him.

And then it was Father's Day. Now, Mark didn't end up with his very own gnome (isn't one enough for any household?), but he did get this:

His very own giant mug from the pottery place (the blue one). It has Olivia's print on one side and Liam's on the other. By the way, that beautiful blue paint job was NOT cleverly designed to look like it was done by a little kid; apparently there is some technique to all this that I do not yet understand.

The yellow mug in the background was my gift from Liam two years ago (while midly-pregnant with Olivia). Let me tell you, knowing that Mark spent a long time in a highly breakable place just to capture a two-year-old's hand print on a mug for me...well, it has to be one of my favorite gifts of all time. And so Mark deserved one of his own.

He also got some other treats as well, of course, including little notes from Liam on what he loves best about Daddy like "When he puts me up side down." And then we spent the morning at a farmer's market/street fair, had a somewhat peaceful lunch at a little cafe (as peaceful as it gets with the kiddos), and he got lots of meat and a beer for dinner. What more could he want? You know, since he has us, of course.

So Happy Father's Day again honey. Life is so good with you in it.

Snow. Must. Melt.

Clearly, we are going a little stir crazy. It's really not the snow's fault, but the temperatures in the twenties that are keeping us inside. For the last few days Liam has only gotten to play outside for a few minutes each time we head to the car, but that's obviously not enough: he needs to run.

I was talking to my Dad on the phone yesterday while both kids had melt downs (my favorite is when they're both crying at the same time) and he suggested I stuff them in their snow suits and toss them in the backyard. Of course we have three feet of snow back there and Liam is only three-and-a-half feet tall, but whatever.

Last time I put Liam out in the snow-filled backyard he crawled to his slide (about a forty foot walk), cleaned it off, lost a mitten, went down the slide anyway, and then stood there yelling for me to come get him. Sure, it tired him out, but it's not my favorite way to do that. But it's been a looong time since my dad had little kids (and I don't think he was the one in charge even then).

So today we're off to the suburban mom's last resort for tiring out her kids on a cold winter's day: MacDonald's Play Place. I know; it's horrible. And it's going to be packed.

 

Zoolights and Breaking News

Just before ten this morning, Mark popped down to the lobby of his building for a Starbucks and a trip to the bank  and found it chock full of police officers, HAZMAT teams, and television reporters. He wanted to leave the building to run the bank errand, but he asked one person, half joking, "If I leave the building, will I be able to get back in?" and got a stern, "I don't know." as a reply. Apparently he did get back in, since I didn't get any more phone calls from him, although one of the local news stations is reporting that the building was evacuated (but only one station).

Okay, there's an update before I can even post this. It was nothing (of course). Mark's back, hard at work.

Anyway, last night we all went to the Denver zoo to see the Zoolights. It was beautiful. We didn't go last year (since Olivia was so small), and they've really expanded since then. The trees are completely covered and animals made from lights are all over the place.

Liam raced around and I was sure we'd loose him in the dark. Fortunately we were there with friends Hadar and Liza and their kids Isaac and Lia, so Liam didn't really venture far from us (most of the time). Olivia, on the other hand, either rode in our wagon (covered with blankets and tended-to by Isaac, who is a born care-giver) or toddled around saying, "Oooooooo!"

We didn't see many real animals, but those we did see were quality. Light elephant:

Real elephant:

Oh, and you know that song that has dogs barking Jingle Bells? The zoo was playing Christmas carols (say, I Saw Three Ships) screeched by monkeys. It was lovely.

Hallowe'en Parties

I am having much more fun celebrating Hallowe'en as an adult than I ever did as a kid. Of course, the end of October is usually downright cold in eastern Canada; every year we hoped and dreamed that we wouldn't have to cover our costumes with our winter coats, but we always did. Plus there wasn't nearly the hype then around the day that there is now. It has been such a busy weekend that my legs are aching from about the knees down, both kids are wiped out, and I'm betting the whole household will be in bed by nine.

Yesterday we attended one of those sponsored trick-or-treating events that seem to be popping up everywhere. Although I wouldn't call it loads of fun (since it was essentially just a long line), Liam did enjoy getting the bulk of the candy he'll get this year and had lots of practice saying "Fank you!" Of course every piece of candy came with a coupon, but both kids also got a new toothbrush from a local dentist. Why did we bother? Well, a few reasons:

1. I love their costumes (and Liam loves his costume) and want both kids to live in those costumes for a few days.
2. We really only trick-or-treat at the houses of people we know and I thought it would be nice if Liam got more than ten pieces of candy this year (and when I say Liam, I mean Liam and Mark and I).
3. I like seeing all the costumes and we'll probably only get about twenty kids at our door this year, half of which will be teenagers dressed in their regular clothes.

Then last night we went to a party given by some friends. They had tons of beer and food and bubbling "witch's brew" punch and a bouncy castle in their garage. And I seriously think Mark and I were the only two people there not in costume. So now, of course, I think we need costumes, even though that hadn't really occurred to me until we arrived at that party yesterday. Patterns will go on sale this week, and I might remember to pick a few up. Then we'll see if I ever get around to making any.

Today we went to Boo at the Zoo. It had a wild west theme, hence the straw roping. Since it was such a nice day (about 70 degrees), half the state turned up and it was tough to move, especially while towing two kids in a wagon. And yes, Mark made his annual comment: "Wow, this place is a zoo." But we did manage to briefly run into some friends before the crowds whisked them away again (here's Liam with Emma).

It was too crowded to see much of the animals, and the lines were too long to get much candy, and everywhere Olivia went we heard comments like, "Oh, it's Big Bird!" and "Look at the little chicken!" (for the record, she's a duckling). But there weren't many other cowboys, and Liam was feeling fine. Most costumes, as usual, were of  the Disney princess/Power Ranger types (especially Tinkerbell, usually over a white turtleneck).

We did see a boy dressed as the sun with all the planets in orbit around him, a very tall Napoleon, an inflatable Fat Bastard, and Elizabeth I (complete with jewels). And a pirate in a wheelchair who transformed the chair into a giant ship. Unfortunately it seems that most creativity goes toward making the seven-on-up boys look as gory as possible (can't wait for that phase). And I include ourselves in that un-creative group, since, after all, Olivia's costume was off the rack and a cowboy (even a very handsome one) doesn't exactly surprise anyone. We are even going to try for a little gore on Tuesday when Mark has to get dressed up for work. (Don't worry; I'll take pictures of that too.) Still, it's disappointing.

All the same, all the costume-assembling and party-attending is a great deal of fun. Good thing we're enjoying it, since there are two more solid days  of parties before it's all over.

The Pumpkin Festival

While Olivia and I were away, Mark and Liam, along with Mark's parents, went to a nearby Pumpkin Festival. I'm sorry we missed it, not only because it would have been another opportunity to put Olivia in her duckling costume, which she is bloody adorable in. And they didn't even carve the pumpkins, which I would have been thrilled to have missed. But they did pick out a couple of big orange beauts, right off the ground, which are still sitting uncarved on the kitchen counter (where they are likely to remain, unless we get a burst of creativity and energy next weekend). Liam also chose a bunch of those funky green and yellow gourds, which add to our ambiance of thanksgiving.

Mark and Liam partook of the hayride (I'm guessing there were a lot of hayrides scheduled, since Mark and Liam had the hay to themselves) and Liam was thrilled to ride a donkey led by a  local prospector.

Until he fell off.

 

Freedom from Worries and Rides in a Car

Okay, not free from all worries, but with Mark starting his new job on Monday, today was family fun day. We headed downtown to the Children's Museum of Denver; a fantastic place we used to visit all the time, but had sort of forgotten about since Olivia arrived.

And it's a shame, since Liam is now old enough to enjoy the "big kid" activities and Olivia is happy crawling around pretty much anywhere, although the "little kid" stuff was obviously her favorite.

Of course the day couldn't have been all fun. Unfortunately, we ended up at The Old Spaghetti Factory, a place I remember loving as a child even though it really isn't very good (but back then I also liked my sauce from a can).

A bonus: it is in a very pretty old building and we got to sit in a trolley car to eat. Really. But they were also very slow to serve us and, although Liam loved being in the "twain," the excitement could only last so long. Olivia, meanwhile, spent the whole meal trying to distribute our cutlery as widely as possible.

So it was nice to get to the museum and have such a great time. It's hard not to, actually, since they seem to have thought of and provided for everything a small child could possibly want to do.

Including building things. Get this: there's an assembly area where kids (and their parents) can build cars, boats, and the like out of what is essentially garbage. Liam selected the materials,

used the saw for a few minutes (although a saw was not required for his project),

then took off to play with trains

while Mark made a boat.

Nice job, Mark! Usually it's me who ends up a bit obsessed with finishing a project Liam's lost all interest in.

They also have a pretend store with shelves full of wooden and plastic "food" and a cash register on which Liam managed to wrangle a turn as cashier. They have a little basketball court. A real fire truck. And they have an anthill. What museum is complete without a kid-sized anthill?

Yup, that's Liam in that ant suit.

So a good time was had by all. The only real flash of temper was when we left and Liam suddenly realized we were headed for the car (as if we could go a whole day in peace and tranquility).

At Least We Got Out of the House

There are some days when we are "on" as parents. There are the happy days on which we pack a picnic lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, 100% juice juice boxes, and goldfish on the side (with cut-up grapes and cantaloupe and little crackers for the babies) and walk to the park, where the kiddos run and jump and play in the fresh air until they tire and begin clamoring for the food. And then there are days like today. Perfectly warm and sunny days, but days on which the kids are wild and crazy and we are lazy. I'm not proud of it, but on those days we sometimes end up here:

MacDonald's Play Place. <Sigh>

We can drive right up to the door, order a meal for all of us for under eight bucks, and pretty much ignore the kids until they start clamoring for the miniature ice creams. So today was one of those days.

Which reminds me of a funny story. Mark took Liam and Olivia to MacDonald's last week for lunch. He wasn't aware of the golden rule: before a child goes in the tunnels, that child must go to the potty. After all, Liam doesn't give us much notice at the best of times and sometimes it can be a long trip down from the top of that play place.

A little while later, Olivia was strapped into a high chair and covered with drool and lunch when Liam came running up. He announced an urgent need to go to the bathroom and Mark, knowing how close it must be, told Liam to, "Go!" Well, there is another golden rule of parenting: don't send your children anywhere that you cannot retrieve them. This is, apparently, a lesson that must be learned through experience. Mark told Liam to go into the women's washroom.

In Mark's defense, Liam goes to the washroom all by himself at home. And Mark was thinking that the women's washroom was a safer place than the men's (and I would agree). But he wasn't thinking that Liam might possibly run into trouble and would pretty much be out of luck. Which, of course, Liam did and Liam was.

It was the damn button on his shorts.  Liam can't undo buttons quickly. Long story short: Liam ended up in a puddle in the bathroom, removed his wet clothes, and wouldn't come out. Thank god for a kindly lady that found Mark and then helped Liam into new clothes (right now we're always packing a spare).

So today's play place experience was a bit less dramatic. But still, I'm not proud.

The Scottish Festival

Last Sunday we all went to the Scottish Festival. We try to go every year, if only because it is one of those rare places where people are excited to hear that I'm from Nova Scotia. Each clan has a tent, plus there's caber tossing, sheep hearding, haggis, dogs of  the British Isles, and Scottish dancing.

Upon arrival, Liam was presented with a "Passport to the Clans," or a little blank book in which he could collect stamps and stickers. That kept him busy for about half an hour, since many of the stamps and stickers were given with candy.

Although it sort of felt like we were in the company of the same sorts of people that recreate the Civil War or perhaps even Trekkies (a thought that James strongly contested), it was lots of fun and I even found myself looking for a kilt for Liam.

Liam's favorite part, by far, was the "Dogs of the British Isles," especially these unfortunately named rat terriers.

Cute little dogs, aren't they? Those aren't puppies either. No one seemed to mind that we hung out with those dogs for about half an hour. Liam wanted to bring one home so badly, begging, "Just one, Mommy, pweeeeeeese?" Breaking my heart, I swear, but no dogs right now, thank you very much.

Near the end of our day (had to go home for naps, of course), there was a parade and we got to hear bagpipe music. That was the best part for me, bagpipes being a rare thing around here. Olivia liked it too.