Floam Infestation

Aidan rolling out his Floam-cake...

...which became this menacing bug

Not to be left out of the picture taking, Kellen sat for this photo (he sits and says cheese whenever I get the camera out). Yes, he carries the Wii controller around all day.

The Loquacious Toddler

As previously mentioned Kellen’s communication skills are decidedly advancing. He’s the little echo in our house repeating absolutely everything that he hears. He likes to repeat the words that get smiles from the rest of us like chanting “Cubbies, Cubbies, Cubbies!” when I’m watching the game. That was especially fun last night when he had no interest in sleeping and I was trying to get him to snooze on me while I watched the Cubs dismantle their chief opposition in the race for the division title for the third straight day sending the Brewers four games back in the standings…but I digress.

We continue to work on cool things like counting to 10 and our ABCs. We’re getting pretty close on the counting sometimes getting all the way to 10 missing only two or three numbers. There are many more holes in his ABCs but he’s got the cadence down. While he’s coloring he likes to identify the crayon colors and I’m helping him distinguish between blue, red, green, etc (thank you to Crayola for labeling these things for us colorblind folks). He’ll get stuck on a color calling everything blue or green for a time but it’s cool that he remembers the names nonetheless.

Kellen now makes specific menu requests when hungry which is fun until he asks for hot dogs at breakfast time or waffles for dinner. He also requests milk about a dozen times a day and will make the call for cheese at random moments. Most often asking for a snack starts with him smiling at you to break down your defenses and saying “bites” in a song like voice. He is starting to get a bit miffed when his requests are denied and we have the occasional showing of an angry streak when he’s not getting his way. We are working to curb these little outbursts.

He’s also a very enthusiastic waver. It’s hard to explain the underhand, scooped wrist, reverse “Hola” that he gives from across the room but it’s certainly unique. There are many variations to the wave. Especially humorous are the times when he’s sitting on you or next to you and feels the need to salute you at close range. I try not to take offense when his wave is accompanied by a “bye, bye dada.”

UPDATE: I forgot to mention Kellen's head nod which I find very amusing. When he asks for something (as he just asked to color) and I seek confirmation, he gives a very deliberate nod. It looks kind of like that kid who always dosed off during films in school. You know, the slow neck wobble and head sway ends with their forehead heading rapidly south towards the desk but they catch themselves loosing control and try to over correct right as they reach the bottom?

UPDATE 2: ...and I love it when he fist bumps me and yells "Boo-dah!" (boo-yah).

Travumentaries Flashback: "Welcome to My Technicolor World"

By mentioning my colorblindedness (not sure that's a word), I've opened myself up for questioning from those who were unaware that I live my life with such a crippling disadvantage (did that sound dramatic enough?).

Here's a posting from my former website that explains the adventures and frustrations faced by those of us who confuse our black and navy socks. The dialogue tends to begin this way...

“So everything is black and white…or is it all gray?”

Here we go again. I’ve just let someone else in on my little secret. Yes, I have a confession to make. It’s a serious affliction, or so everyone seems to think. A topic that seems to fascinate others much more than it does me anymore.

“Or are all the colors swirled together?”

No, my world is not as it was in old black and white films, nor is it a psychedelic haze. And the game that’s sure to follow has grown quite old.

“What color is my shirt…what color is that…”

So I now default to the following article. It is simply the best resource I’ve found to explain to others a phenomenon that brings about such interesting conversation.

Yes, I’m colorblind. No it’s not as exciting as you may think…or is it?

YELLOW SKIES, BLUE TREES?

A fellow fourth grader broke the news to me after she saw my effort on a class assignment involving scissors and construction paper. "You cut out a purple bluebird," she said. There was no reproach in her voice, just a certain puzzlement. Her observation opened my eyes-not that my eyes particularly help-to the fact that I am colorblind. In the 36 years since, I've been trying to understand what that means. I'm still not sure I do.

My research hasn't been overly scientific. I know colorblindness is almost always a genetic condition, affecting males far more often than females. It has to do with color receptors, called cones, in the retina. There's some question as to whether the problem exists in the cones themselves, or the brain's ability to process the signals the cones send.

That debate I leave to others. I'm more concerned with the practical effects, such as: how can I tell when the hamburgers I'm grilling are done? Some of my past dinner guests can attest to the difficulty I've had making that determination.

On the positive side, there's a certain conversational value in the condition. When I confess my colorblindness (it often has a way of coming up), people at first assume my world resembles a Mathew Brady photograph or a 1930s movie, pre-Ted Turner. I explain to them the failing of the word itself. Total colorblindness is exceedingly rare. People who suffer from it usually have a host of other problems as well, including extreme sensitivity to light and poor visual acuity. Those of us with a simple color-vision deficiency face much more mundane problems: If I wear this shirt with these pants, will people stare? Or, worse, laugh?

Early on, I learned the hazards of shopping alone for clothes, when I bought a blue shirt that turned out to be-yes-purple. Even dressing myself is hazardous. I've mistaken green shirts for gray, brown pants for green. And I'm hopeless with ties. I never wear one unless it's been cleared for use by someone I trust.

Fortunately, some clothing makers include the color of their garments on price tags. Unfortunately, those colors tend to be listed in terms such as raisin, sesame, citron, salmon, shrimp, celery, saffron, wheat and maize. It doesn't help to tell me my clothes are the color of a fruit, grain, seasoning or water creature when I don't know what color any of them is, either.

Because the most common form of colorblindness involves distinguishing red and green, people logically assume it involves only those two hues. That is the type I have, but the problem is not as simple as it sounds. Sometimes I can tell red from green. Sometimes I can't. It depends on how intense the colors are, how much light is available, how far away I am from the objects in question. I can always tell a red traffic signal from a green one, for instance. I can't tell a lone red signal from a yellow one. At night, from a distance, I can't tell a green signal from the glow of a street light. My confusion can make for some adventurous driving.

Other nonassertive colors can be troublesome, too. When I bought my house a few years back, I assumed the living-room walls were some variation of a neutral white tone. A visitor told me they were, in fact, quite pink-that I was more or less living inside a bottle of Pepto-Bismol. I called a painter who recommended something he called eggshell. I took his advice.

That sort of thing is a source of great amusement for my color-visioned friends. When they learn my world is not completely black and white, they get a kick out of pointing to various items and asking what color I think they are. When I say I don't know, they almost invariably ask: "Well, what color does it look like?"

It's hard to explain that the color they see simply isn't on my list of options. They seem to prefer to think that I see all the right colors but in the wrong places. That life for me, and those similarly afflicted, is a psychedelic planet of yellow skies, blue trees and orange oceans. I admit, I sometimes wonder myself whether other people see a completely different world.

Usually my problem is of little consequence. Like not knowing whether I've picked up a spearmint or cinnamon gum ball until I put it into my mouth. Or having to ask a store clerk what, precisely, is meant by a tag that says a jacket is "bark."

Of course, my career options have been limited by my condition. Fashion designer or interior decorator were never on the list. And in the case of war, where it might be of real importance to differentiate the people in green uniforms from those in brown or gray, I would not be your man.

There have been certain drawbacks in my job as newspaper reporter. When it comes to painting a picture in words, my palette is limited. There are no comparative allusions to sunsets in my work, no evocations of azure or magenta. No one has ever described my writing as colorful.

At least two purported cures exist. One involves a red-orange contact lens, worn only on one eye. A Japanese clinic claims results with treatments involving electrodes at specific points a sort of electric acupuncture. I haven't personally investigated either, partly because I'm not sure my brain could handle a world without color confusion.
Besides, I wonder how much real need there is to be able to perceive jute or ocher.

Over the years I've considered petitioning the federal government to include colorblindness among the legally recognized disabilities, but I suspect we lack collective political clout. I've also made some passing effort to form an association-a League for the Color-Vision Impaired, say. Unlike left-handers, however, we seem disinclined to rally round our deviation from the norm. Thus there's no ready source of information about how many presidents, or military heroes, or rock singers have been colorblind.

Based on the law of averages, though, there must have been some. We are everywhere, trying to cope, trying to blend in. Usually we succeed. Until someone spots our purple bluebirds. Then the jig is up.

Joe Rogers; Newsweek, New York; Nov 30, 1998; Vol. 132, Iss. 22; pg. 14, 1 pgs

Countdown to Gameday (39 Days)

Thanks to the wonders of eBay my seat is reserved at Jack Trice Stadium the night before my birthday at 1/4 face value.

I'm not sure who was more excited about winning the auction...me, Aidan or Kellen. Despite Kellen's celebratory dancing he may be a little young to be tagging along to a night game (though he is a multi-game Wrigley Field veteran). Aidan will definitely be getting his first taste of the Iowa State Cyclone experience which was my main reason for seeking out the tickets.

Now if we could just score such a fortunate deal for the Cubs this weekend.

Go Cyclones!

Completely Random Memory from Out of Nowhere 2

This story came up again over the weekend. I am still in absolute disbelief as to what I witnessed several months ago.

I'll admit my multitasking sometimes finds its way into the car. I try to keep distractions to a minimum and save any diversionary acts until I reach stoplights and such but when we travel long distances I have indeed mastered the act of McDonald's-ing while on the open road.

One Sunday in Chicago on our way back from church I saw someone eating while driving and could not believe my eyes. She was not at a stoplight but in fact navigating a not-so-straight stretch of road while eating...spaghetti. On a plate. With a fork (not that there are many variations on how to eat spaghetti).

Who chooses spaghetti as an appropriate "while driving" food? I have never eaten spaghetti in a moving vehicle even as a passenger. Certainly I would never choose such an entree as a driver. Eating spaghetti away from the table seems to require the use of both hands (got to hold the plate too, right?). Was she steering with her knees? Is there a common automobile with an autopilot feature? I watch enough TV to have seen the commercial touting autopilot and your chance to finally eat that plate of spaghetti you've been craving on the fly as you've been hoping desperately to do for so long.

I'm going to bank that memory in the "Now I've Seen it All" file.

Sweet (Used to Be) Home Chicago

What do you do for an encore after a big family weekend? How about a trip back to the Windy City?

Rachel’s got some business to tend to in Chicago next weekend and we decided we’d all tag along. The boys will have a chance to visit their friends at daycare and we hope to see a few friendly faces during our stay. It will be fun to head back to our former home of eight years for a few days.

I scoped out the possibility of Cubs tickets for the trip but it looks like the team’s success is driving the asking price to slightly irresponsible levels. The online auction prices had me wondering if I could schedule a quick surgery for some kind of organ donation (you’ve got to cover the cost somehow) but it looks like we might choose to spend our dollars on more reasonably priced entertainment options.

Weekend Wrap

It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen three movies in the theater in such a short span of time (about 4 ½ years to be somewhat precise). I added the new Batman flick Friday to recent viewings of Kung Fu Panda and the newest Indiana Jones movie. It’s nice to have parents who are willing kid sitters after driving several hours to see us. The Dark Knight was part of a double date with sister Allison and Steve on Friday night.

Allison and Steve took Aidan miniature golfing on Saturday after lunch and ice cream. Aidan loves his ice cream but told me miniature golf topped his vanilla and Oreo dessert.


Last evening we engaged in the always epic Phase 10 marathon. How serious do the Deurs take their cards? We’ve got a travelling trophy for the reigning champion and some specific regulations on just when and how the trophy can change hands. These late night card games have taken place from San Diego to New Jersey and several mostly Midwestern states in between. Allison got to bring the hardware east today after closing the game somewhere around 1:00 this morning. Phase 10 allows us to snack, partake in a few adult beverages and see if we can break each other’s concentration with giggle induced distractions.

My Family Gives Me Heartburn…

…and I mean that in the nicest way possible.

I’m not sure what it is about family that makes you want to eat…and eat…and eat…but I woke up from my nap after everyone headed for home feeling the effects of the massive food intake of the weekend. Thank you Zantac for putting out the five alarm fire in my chest!

I’m not sure if it was the plate-sized steak from last night or maybe the four, dollar bags of Twizzlers (thank you Cub Foods) but it all caught up to me today. The good news is I shouldn’t have to eat anything else until Wednesday.

Helping Hands

We honesty don’t intend for every family visit to turn into house project weekend but it is nice to have willing hands to help tackle a things on the to-do list.

I was happy to have assistance from dad (o.k. he did all the work) swapping out the dishwasher and with everyone keeping eyes on the boys and lending their aid we were able to significantly knock down our list of things needing attention.

Who knew standing around watching water could be so intriguing? We tried out the sprinkler system making sure everything was in working order (the dried out lawn will be very thankful). Anticipating where the sprinkler heads would pop up every ten minutes was legitimate entertainment for the men as the hiding places of all the sprinkler heads was revealed.

Aidan was very enthusiastic trying to get close but not too close to the water (his wet shirt showed he wasn’t trying that hard) and he was quite thrilled to discover he had not one but 30 sprinklers to play in. Then again I’m not sure he’ll be out there between 10:00 pm and 7:00 am on odd numbered days to enjoy the water show but it was fun to test and discover nonetheless.

$2 Worth of Wet

I thought after our trip to the pool I was done getting wet for the day. Turns out Grammie hit the dollar store before coming north and brought two water sticks with her...an uninhibited aqua assault ensued.

Water turned Aidan into an wild man even charging through my pinpoint squirting to his chest (I had to protect my mother). Kellen was not as fond of stray streams but did enjoy messing with the wands and water when safety was called.

Aidan-kin Skywalker

Kellen-Wan Kenobi

They've discovered the Fountain of Youth...

... and no one is safe!

Shh..don't tell Grammie I'm in the bucket.


Ooh...I'm feeling a bit damp.

Water Warriors

Splish, Splash

We’ve been preparing ourselves all week for the staggered arrival of (Deur) family visitors. That means cleaning and thoughts of menu preparation for the resident adults and Aidan trying to curb his excitement a bit as he anxiously counted down the days. This morning Aidan decided he needed to sneak in some Mario Kart practice so he could adequately embarrass the four adults who are likely not prepared for his impressive Wii wheeling skills. I’m sure we’ll find the time for a little bit of that.

Grammie is now here, sister Allison and her special friend Steve are coming in tomorrow and Papa D rolls in late Friday night. The arrival of additional adult supervision this afternoon allowed Aidan and me to hit the community pool for an hour. He was easily the youngest swimmer and I was a good 15 years older than the general crowd. Thankfully I wore my conservative one-piece bathing suit being out aged only by three moms in the bleachers and the queen of life guards who had me by a few rounds of the calendar. We kept to ourselves in the shallow waters and did some low impact floating, practiced our arm strokes and kicks and jumped off the side a few times.

I was hoping to give Aidan a jump or two off the diving board but the older kids were swarming the area. It would have been fun to show Aidan his dad still has some bounce in his boarding skills but I felt it best to leave that for another day (though I could have easily out maneuvered the young poolers…not that I’m was feeling the need to compensate for my age…though it would have been cool to one-up a 12 year old’s cannonball with a back flip…but again, I wasn’t feeling that old).

We’re back home hanging out and playing games. There should be plenty of fun to report over the weekend…stay tuned.

VIDEO: There's a Horse in the Backyard?

Kellen loves to peer out of the window especially when the neighbor's dog is out. I'm not certain where the horse he claims is back there is hiding but it seemed like a good opportunity to quiz him on his animal sounds.

We're still working on his ABCs and he's getting pretty good at counting with me to ten.

Magna Puppy

Kellen drew this on the Magna Doodle and told me it was a puppy.

AIDAN'S PHOTOS: Around the House

Aidan was toting his camera around the house today so I asked him if we could look at the pictures together and put them up for viewing.

Dada the Dish Washing Pirate! I had a feeling I was being goofed. The eye patch is not prescription so with my poor eyes I like to wear it just East of my nose.

Aidan's indoor soccer ball. We do enjoy playing a match or two every day in the basement.

The boys' shower curtain...not sure what else to say about that.

I forgot how much entertainment can be provided by a single balloon. Our trip out for dinner last weekend provided us with everything we needed to play the old keep-the-balloon-in-the-air-for-as-long-as-you-can game. Apparently our orange friend needed to rest on the couch.

Little brother...

...reading...

...and attacking Elmo with a hockey stick.

And why not a self portrait...or two.

I saw him trying to take a video of Kellen with the feather he likes to tickle people with but Kellen went into tickle attack mode and apparently the button never got pushed. Imagine yourself watching a very shaky, scream filled clip with me laughing in the background.

Just So You Know…

…just because it didn’t rain last night doesn’t mean the slides are not wet.

…nothing is more refreshing in the morning than filling your shorts with dew.

…if you don’t mind a wet bottom you really can slide much faster on a wet slide.

I always intend to grab an old towel or a paper towel before heading to the park just in case there’s moisture or gack on the slides. The problem is I tend to remember that I was going to do that after I get there.

We like to hit the park early (7:00/8:00 in the morning) to avoid the heat. It’s also easier for me to identify the location of my children among the slides, swings and woodchips when there aren’t 20 other kids running among the slides, swings and woodchips.

We’re not anti-social, it’s just more manageable that way for the park chaperone when he’s flying solo and out numbered 2:1. Also, when the weather calls for sweaty child warmth, nothing beats spending an hour at the park in a cool morning breeze and having the whole day ahead of you for additional recreation in a more temperature controlled environment.

Our Little Photographer

The pictures below were taken with Aidan's digital camera (a Christmas gift from my sister). It takes pictures, videos and has video games loaded on it so...he loves it.

At my cousin's wedding reception we used the feature shown to turn pictures of unsuspecting family members (sincere apologies to my grandmother) into hilarious spoofs. Equally as entertaining were the strange photos of people's knees the Aidan took not holding the camera steady through the flash.

I've been meaning to post some of his pictures but he tends to delete them accidentally or let the batteries run dry.

We'll see if we can get some of his personal pictures up here from time to time. Until then, enjoy the Faces of Aidan.

PHOTOS: Faces of Aidan

Simple Pleasures

Today the simple things in life filled young Kellen with much joy and amazement. After letting him experiment with a spoon yesterday I decided a fork might be the easier eating utensil to master. I'm not sure why we waited so long to introduce him to these things but he's never had more fun eating waffles (breakfast) or chicken (dinner). At dinner he would carefully stab a piece of chicken, manipulate the fork in a complex acrobatic upwards spiral to his mouth and complete the task with euphoric giggling once each bite was complete. Never has there been a more satisfied Applebee's patron.

We had to hit the grocery store for a few quick items after dinner and Rachel decided we could do with a smaller cart capacity. To Aidan's excitement she suggested the kiddie car cart for the first time ever (Aidan's done it with grandparents once). I couldn't let Kellen go without the opportunity to help navigate the cart through the aisles. I'm quite certain we didn't sneak up on anyone with the boys laughing and punching the squeaky horns. The fact that I kept banging into things probably blew our cover too (I was certainly not used to the extra length of the jazzed up cart).

It was something like this. Very snazzy.

Finally, we took a short walk upon returning home. Kellen and I decided we all should head toward the lot a few blocks away from our house where horses sometimes roam (it's fenced in and just off the residential lots...we don't have stray horses running wild). We hit the jackpot as six horses were enjoying the cooler air of the evening and some peace and quite. Kellen was wide eyed and open jawed. He commenced neighing at the horses (it's quite boisterous and smile inducing) until they all decided to turn in for the night. They'll be back and so will we.

Dolphins Report: Part Two

Tonight was the finale! Aidan was much more comfortable in and around the water this week. I even saw him smiling a time or two when the other boys were getting a bit splashy rather than clutching the side of the pool in fear of a wet face.

The water was still chilly so he chose to wear his t-shirt during his lessons. I'm not sure how much it helped but he seemed comfortable with the idea and went four days in a row with no bathroom breaks.

This Monday Aidan and the kids were told that the floaties had disappeared (a mystery to me as I saw them all in a giant rolling trash can next to the pool). I guess that's a nice way to tell the little swimmers they are going without.

Much of Week Two was a repeat of Week One sans the previously mentioned floaties. One new twist was a giant raft that they floated half of the kids around in while the other half were practicing a variety of things. The highlight for me was seeing Aidan go off the diving board tonight. I snuck the video camera into the swimming/Kellen's entertainment bag every day this week so I was prepared all four nights and finally got to document the plunge today.

A confident Week Two Dolphin

A mini-plunge off the side of the pool.

Four boys on a raft.

Taking the plunge (twice)!

After the final lesson we treated Aidan with ice cream to celebrate his accomplishment. Kellen got in on the act spooning for himself for the first time.

Kellen scoops and blesses himself with the ice cream before eating.

Random Picture of Two Boys in a Laundry Basket

Kellen Speak

It’s getting easier and easier to communicate with Kellen.

What does he want to do? “Shoes on” or “Out” = play outside. “Book” = reading. “Down” = play downstairs.

What does he want to eat or drink? He says “crackers”, “fruit snacks”, “cheese”, “Kix”, “Cheerios”…and of course “applesauce” (with much enthusiasm). “Milk” = milk. “Wa-wa” or “Juice” (because he hears Aidan ask for juice and he doesn’t know what’s in the cup) = water.

We’re laying the framework for the A-B-C’s. He has the cadence down and hits many of the “E” sounding letters. His L-M-N-O-P is a bit garbled but recognizable. We’re working on that with a singing stuffed puppy and the “Curious George ABCs” book.

He says “book” when he’s not sure what it’s called but specifies “Up Above” (his favorite part of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”), “I See” which is “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” and an almost recognizable, “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!” for “Five Little Monkeys”.

I’m happy to say that the classic parental quick sniff is no longer needed as he will cough if he’s dirtied his diaper when I ask him if he stinks. I think I mentioned previously that has stemmed from Aidan coughing every time I asked him if Kellen smelled.

Kellen likes to dance or spin and chant “Tubby, tubby, tubby!” when I tell him it’s time to wash up for the evening and that has spawned a dad pleasing “Cubbies, cubbies, cubbies!” when Aidan and I prompt him to celebrate our favorite baseball team.

Morning Artwork

Aidan cranked out the family picture below after five do-overs. He was trying to get everything just right in the early going and wasn't quite producing something to his liking. The final product seems significantly less detailed than some of his earlier efforts and for the first time he decided we'd all just be the same color. I think he ultimately decided if he finished I'd let him end his art session and have a snack.

Here I am in one of the earlier editions. I generally do not wear my single lense scuba goggles around the house but I am indeed wearing them this morning. Of course those are my glasses.

Kellen was also letting his creative juices flow. I asked Aidan what Kellen's masterpiece was and he said it was nothing. After being prompted to use his imagination he concluded that we were in fact looking at a thunderstorm. I agree.

Kellen's "Thunderstorm", 2008

Freedom!

Our main level is up the stairs from our entry way so we’ve been protecting young Kellen from a fall with a gate at the top of the stairs. He’s actually pretty good on the stairs (when he remembers to sit and scooch) but with he and Aidan running around we’re trying to avoid a collision that ends with an uncomfortable bounce and roll.

Yesterday we noticed the gate was messing with the paint on the wall so this morning I decided I’d watch him carefully and leave the gate down.

He immediately spied his opening and turned to me and smiled. He plopped down at the peak of the stairs, looked back at me one more time and uttered, “scooch”. He then navigated the decent with ease pausing to look back occasionally as if to say, “I can’t believe I’m getting away with this!” I gave him a few minutes before following him down to let him enjoy this important milestone toward big boy status.

I’ve now got two kids on two different levels of the house adding a stairmaster workout element to my monitoring responsibilities. Now I just need to convince them that they really do want to play on the same level at the same time.

Dolphins Report: Part One

We’re halfway through our first round of swimming lessons. Aidan continues to be very enthusiastic about the experience at home and a little trepidacious at the pool. I can imagine entering a giant pool with seven unfamiliar classmates and three strangers as instructors can make a four-year old with just two previous pool experiences a bit uncertain.

Here’s what we’ve learned so far…

1. The pool at the local middle school is filled with cold water.

2. Cold water has the same impact on children’s bladders as it does on adults.

On Monday Aidan needed to break once during the 30 minute session to visit the locker room with his mother (the lady’s locker room is on the closer side of the pool). Tuesday, once. Wednesday, twice while Rachel was out on business so I walked him to the opposite side of the aquatic center with Kellen in one arm. Slippery tile + shivering boy clutching one hand + hearty child in opposite arm = one super cautious father.

Today brought the epic first launch from the diving board and I’m sorry to say I missed it. Rachel’s away next Monday and Tuesday as well so she flew solo tonight while Kellen and I played at home. From the report I got the first jump went well and the second had him dipping farther into the H-2-O than he was comfortable with. Rachel said he freaked out. Aidan said he freaked out but he was all excited about it once he got home (of course she did console him with ice cream).

Next week is round two. I’m hoping to witness a freak-out-less diving board session. Perhaps I can sneak the camera and/or video camera in next week in case the opportunity for visual documentation presents itself. The kid looks great in his floaties and we’re already talking about him and me making an outing to the pool to swim on our own after he’s passed the Dolphins.

Brothers

4th of July Blog-tacular

I imagine Aidan will be buzzing from this past holiday weekend for quite a while. There was a lot of fun to be had over five days in Iowa with two sets of grandparents.

We arrived in Pella on Thursday and kicked things off quickly highlighted by snacking on some s’mores around the fire pit. He also got to play “pool table” which is always on his wish list.

On the Fourth he got to go fishing, ride a pony, catch a frog, splash around in Grammie’s pool, eat Bomb Pops and catch fireflies before watching the town fireworks display.

Saturday was family picture day and a little makeup had Kellen looking like he never kissed the bathtub with his eye. We headed to Sully that afternoon and flew his new kite, swung on the tree swing, roasted some hotdogs over an open fire and ate some more s’mores.

Kellen’s most uttered word of the weekend was “shoes”, as in “put on my shoes and let’s get back outside.” He also circled the yard Saturday following a stray cat, peaking under things saying “I see you.”

Aidan had plenty of homemade ice cream on Sunday (and some for desert after breakfast this morning). We also visited friends in Ames on the way back to Minnesota. Aidan and Kellen got to play on Bella’s monstrous backyard play set and met her new baby brother Cole.

We returned tonight for Aidan’s first session of swimming lessons.

PHOTOS: 4th of July

VIDEOS: Fishing, Frogs and Flying a Kite

We spent an hour trying to catch fish on Friday morning. I think the last clip speaks to our success (or lack thereof).

Aidan assumes the frog pose and waits for a web-footed friend to hop his way.

A relaxing afternoon of kite flying...except for the trees.

Tough Guy

We have family pictures scheduled for Friday so I've been especially careful in making sure Kellen does not add more bumps and scratches to his noggin. Yesterday morning he dove off the couch and got a good scratch on his forehead. That's easily treated with a little antibiotic cream. The one from last night might not be so easy...

How fast does he climb? In the time it took me to comb Aidan's hair after his bath (three or four strokes of the comb), Kellen snuck past me, climbed Aidan's teeth brushing/hand washing stool and head butted the bath tub.

The protruding bump above his eye is darker but actually less topographically dramatic than it was last night. He doesn't love having ice on it. Let's hope the swell subsides before Friday morning.

Pillow Free Zone

Kellen now feels pillows are better off on the floor than on the couch. He likes to leave his mark wherever he's been like unloading the cupboards and drawers in the kitchen. Yesterday he emptied his cup drawer and inserted himself when the camera wasn't available.

Comfortable now Kellen?