Month: March 2012

Categories
Miscellaneous

Small Boys, Big Superpowers

Finny and Henry may not be card-carrying members of the Justice League, but they do have some freakish superpowers.

First, Henry:

  • Infantile super-strength: This is where it all started. For a little baby, his pushing and kicking strength was unbelievable! I got more than a few fat lips from that guy!
  • Choco-location: His uncanny ability to locate chocolate that has not been mentioned nor seen (by him) before
  • “There’s another one after this:” His innate knowledge that the (previously-unseen) video we’re watching will be ending within a few minutes, followed by him presumptively talking about the show we’ll watch next

Now Finny:

  • The Sandman: If Finn gets anywhere near sand (beach, sandbox, the park) he is somehow able to sequester enormous amounts of it in his clothing and then lay down a fine layer of grit ALL OVER the house. And this is AFTER we shake his shoes and clothes out before we walk in the door!
  • The Drunken Master: Finn is able to walk mere millimeters in front of you AT ALL TIMES, thereby preventing you from freely moving about. Regardless of whether he knows your final destination, he somehow manages to be completely in your way the entire time you’re trying to get somewhere.
Categories
Babyslang Transient Witticisms

Transient Witticisms: Food, Music, & More

  • “You don’t have to hold my hand, Finny,” I say.
    “I want to!,” he protests. “There’s a lot of people here & I don’t want to get captured!”
  • “Dad-O, do you see what I’m doing?” asks Finn. “I’m getting my muscles a little bit stronger & heavier so I can do special techniques!”
  • Music
    • I told the kids I’m visiting a guy named Stu today. “A Boy Named Stu??” asked Finn.
    • “Dad-O, when I’m older we’ll get a dog who *won’t* chew kids’ toys, and we’ll name him Paul Simon!”
    • “Pumped-Up Kicks?” Finn says incredulously. “I thought Kix were cereal.”
    • Listening to “Another One Bites The Dust.” Finn: “That Freddie Markery is a weird guy, Dad-O. ‘Hangin’ on the edge of your sink’?”
  • Chow:
    • I’ve raised a 4yo son who, in the middle of McDonald’s & out of the blue, yells “Captain Sullenberger? Captain Cheeseburger!!” I rule. 🙂
    • “When it’s your birthday, do you have to eat real food, or can you just eat cake?” asks a hopeful, birthday-eve Finn.
    • The boys brandish curly straws.
      Henry: “This is my sales tool!”
      Me: “Your… what??”
      Finn: “Yeah, they help managers!”
      (No idea, I swear!)
    • The lads are debating anatomy over breakfast:
      F: “Elephants are meat.”
      H: “Noo!”
      F: “*You’re* meat!”
      H: “But my *bones* are not meat!!”
  • Neighbor kids invite us to their treehouse. “It’s our secret lavatory!” Boy I hope that’s not true.
  • We’re playing pirates out back. “You make me peel potatoes, Dad-O,” says Finn. “I’m your galley sleeve!”
Categories
Videos

Presenting “Truck Show Firemen Everywhere”

The boys love watching homemade YouTube videos where kids show off their Lego collections. For weeks Finn’s been talking about creating “Truck Show Firemen Everywhere” (being very insistent about the specific title)–and now we’ve done it!

So, without further ado, please meet Jim, Nonsense, Sweaty, their “vehicle-shaped” vehicle, and more!

Categories
Photos

Two Scamps, One Lamp

What makes Henry’s bunk beds even more fun at bedtime? A clip-on lamp that lets us read stories in bed! Click for a larger version.

Categories
Videos

A Beach Boardwalk Blast

How does a solo-flying Dad-O manage the Micronaxx? By stuffing them onto rides for some seaside “super-dizzying”! Check out Sunday on the Boardwalk with our friends the Wiggii:

As for the choppers, hens aren’t really known for flying high, are they?

Categories
Photos St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Pat’s!

Henry Seamus, I’m so proud: when Dad-O, forgetting the date, inadvertently dressed the G-Man in a “London, England” t-shirt, the wee Irishman promptly puked all over it. Aww, shucks. 🙂

The Green Beings & I were glad to spend a bit of the day helping friend Harper Hogarty ring in her third birthday, with Finno ensconced in his cool new “Finn” ballcap (a birthday gift from his Liggett GPs). Here’s a handful of photos from the day. (See also St. Patrick’s gone by.)

Categories
Photos

Lego Agonistes

“The amazing thing about parenthood,” I’ve heard it said, “isn’t that adults make children, but that children make adults.” How true that is as I watch our lads slowly tear apart the beautiful, beautiful Lego kits they’ve gotten. Remember that awesome Lego helicopter from Christmas? Now, through the magic of sharing with one’s brother, the chopper’s chopped:

I know it’s all part of the process, and I couldn’t be happier to see Finn creating new vehicles daily. (Some kids just play with assembled Legos as if they were simply regular vehicles–just really fragile ones.) Still… oh, kids, it’s hard on old dad–but I’m growing up. 🙂

Categories
Babyslang Transient Witticisms

Transient Witticisms: Hen-speak

  • Henry’s jealous of Finn’s March birthday.
    H: “I don’t want July! I want a different month!”
    Me: “Like what?”
    H: “Um… San Francisco!”
  • Henry sees the globe on Continental planes: “Those are raccoon airplanes. They have stripey tails!”
  • Hen channels his mom: Rolling on the floor he says, “My back is hurting. I’m doing exercises.” And then, “My back wants truck videos!”
  • Henry’s learning “sorry.”
    H: “Sorry I puked all over, Dad-O.”
    Me: “Oh, you don’t have to be sorry, bud.”
    H: “Sorry I apologized.”
  • “What are *these*, Dad-O?” asks Henry, fingering my forehead wrinkles. Been asking myself that, son.
  • On speakerphone the conf. call system says, “Press the pound key.”
    “Press the palm tree!” grins Henry. “Robot lady said it!”
  • “It’s not Christmas anymore, Mad Birds,” declares Henry. “Take off your party helmets!“
Categories
Miscellaneous

Patrick Number Nein

Oddly enough, both Margot & work with German dudes named Patrick, and we’ve had them over for dinner during recent visits. Finn (logically enough, I suppose) asked, “Is our cousin Patrick a German?” This made me devise a little back-and-forth that delights Finn to no end:


  • Finn (character): “Patrick, are you a German?”
  • Patrick (in cartoonishly thick, Col. Klink accent): “Nooo, I am not! Nein nein nein!”
  • Finn, in disbelief: “W-wait, you said ‘nein’; you are German!”
  • Patrick: “Nooo, I am American! Moin moin!”
  • Finn: “Wait, you said ‘moin,’ too! You’re German!!”
  • Patrick: “Nooo! I ride with Auntie Laura in an Abschleppwagen.”
  • Finn: “What?? Auntie Laura drives a mouse van [minivan], not an abschleppwagen–you crazy German!”

…and so on. 🙂

Categories
Photos Videos

“Time for *Jim* to have a turn!”

My folks & the guys had a literal ball–or three–playing together in the back yard. After scoring a few big bouncy balls at Walgreens, my mom regaled the boys with tales of her illustrious basketball career, and the boys showed off their antics with the “Long Arm” (basically walking together while holding a stick, ending with a pratfall from Finn). We were charmed that the big guy picked up on my parents having actual names besides “Grandma/Grandpa,” and he started cheekily prefacing every toss to Grandpa by saying, “Time for Jim to have a turn!”

Here’s a little gallery of photos, plus a short clip:

Categories
Birthdays Photos

Finny’s Fourth!

We feel so happy & lucky to have gotten to celebrate the Finnster’s Fourth with so many excellent pals (both large & small), and with my folks who trekked all the way from Illinois. We couldn’t have asked for more gorgeous weather–72 with not a cloud in the sky (rather different from last year’s slightly shivery fun). Everyone seemed to enjoy packing away greasy pizza & Margot’s brilliant fire truck cake before taking a whack at the piñata. Thankfully neighborhood “big kids” Dom & Charlotte were able to liberate the candy at last.

Thanks so much to everyone for coming out and partying with us! Here’s a little gallery from the festivities.

Categories
Birthdays Milestones Photos

“Finnegan Nack, Now with Cuatro!”

Happy B-day to our Fantastic Four-Year-Old!! We’ve had a great day celebrating the Finnster’s cumpleaños with his Nack grandparents, and we can’t wait to dive into tomorrow’s party, piñata, and fire truck cake. He was so excited about his Lego birthday present that he literally spun out of control, doing a donut by the couch! 😀 We’ll share more photos and videos soon; for now, here’s that moment of ecstasy (click it for larger):