An inexplicably mustachioed Finnster got wistful realizing that our present-stash had been fully depleted. (And boy, the poor guy cried today while Mom-O started packing away the Christmas decorations.)
Author: The Nack Daddy
In today’s little gallery, you can see the covetous Finnster admiring some red velvet cake; the guys building Lincoln Logs with Grandpa; goosestepping Henry being “Dr. Bucketfoot;” the guys enjoying “Emergency kit” puzzles from Auntie Laura; and more.
We’ve had a spectacular Christmas week with the boys, from making our traditional Red Velvet Cake (and licking the beater!), to opening and playing with new toys.
Santa delivered exactly what the boys asked for – Thomas engines, trucks, and more Legos. Needless to say, there have been many derailments, traffic jams, pile-ups, and modified vehicles. For instance, Tow Mater was turned into a Christmas tree-trimming truck! The guys also scored a set of Lincoln Logs, and are keen on learning how to build a top-notch log cabin (following the lead of their resident expert, Grandpa). Here’s our first little gallery of the Christmas proceedings.
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Merry Christmas!
From our family to you & yours, we wish you great peace & love.
John and I went out to the mall a few days ago to wrap up our Christmas shopping for each other. I really wanted to get him his own elaborate Lego kit, because there are not many things John loves more than Legos (me, the kids, and his camera, to be exact). I was gun shy, though, because I didn’t want to get him a gift that he couldn’t really enjoy with the kids, because they’re still a bit too small to manipulate and build with all those tiny pieces (or so I thought!).
So, I left the Lego store empty-handed. Turns out John had also visited the store, and was drooling over a model Chinook helicopter. “Or as Henry likes to call them,” notes Finny, “‘hello-copters.'” He too walked away empty-handed, and a little bit heartbroken, for the same reason as me. As we talked more about it, we both reached the same conclusion, which was that he should go back and get that darn helicopter kit and see if it was something Finny would be able to enjoy alongside him. Worst case scenario, Finny wouldn’t enjoy it, but John would still be left with a Lego helicopter! (Henry, surprisingly, is a fan of the instruction booklets, a.k.a. “constructions.”)
I think the pictures in our little gallery will tell you everything you need to know. I remarked to John that seeing the joy on his face while observing the two of them build the chopper was the true gift. I got to see one of his dreams of fatherhood come true.
Back in April Henry became a bit obsessed with the subject of Thomas (the Tank Engine) and the seaside. How great, then, that we discovered that Thomas was coming to our very own seaside! The four of us cruised over to Santa Cruz where we met Sir Topham Hatt & even Santa and his elves! G-Man was predictably standoffish, but Finny warmed right up and delivered his wish list. Afterwards we had a ball riding the huge boardwalk carousel & playing on the train tables. Here’s our little gallery, plus a very brief clip:
In this year’s Christmas decorating, we’ve been ably assisted by two very enthusiastic “manger arrangers.” Check out our garland-slingin’, sleigh-bell-ringin’, elf-hat-flingin’ amigos in action.
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T.A.L.B.
I fondly remember my dad delighting me with bedtime stories, devising ever more elaborate tales of “Mrs. Mootsy” the rabbit, our colorful neighbors the Mosers, and more. We never recorded or transcribed any of them, of course, so the details are lost to history.
Finny & I carry on the tradition via something we’ve dubbed “T.A.L.B.,” short for “Talk A Little Bit.” This nightly ritual started as a recap of the day, but Finn quickly morphed it into a chance to get a bonus (and custom-made) story. Over the last year+ we’ve covered an insane amount of ground (War and Peace? short & simple compared!). Lately the stories have centered on Mr. Elefante (the elephant who lives in an apartment in the bathroom wall) and his friend Rooster, plus the neighbor cats (Tuxie & Samantha) and their endless attempts to turn Rooster into a delicious “chicken sandwich.” Putting posterity way ahead of dignity, here’s just one little slice of the story. Click the little gray arrow to play:
[audio:http://www.jnack.com/choons/TALB.mp3|titles=TALB]If for some reason that doesn’t work (e.g. you’re on an iPhone), here’s the direct link to the audio file.
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Oddly appropriate
Q. What’s possibly our most fitting Yiddish word ever?
A. “Naches” (pronounced “NAKH-es”), meaning “Emotional gratification or pride, especially taken vicariously at the achievement of one’s children.”
We might have to rename the blog “Micronaxx & Meganaches.” L’chaim! 🙂
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Henry & the Menacing Ladies
Our friend Maria once gave us Tickle Monster plus a pair of “tickle mitts.” On her recent visit, though, bare hands–with an assist from Henry’s “Bushy-Tailed Menace”–got the job done:
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The Rough House!
I have such fond childhood memories of partying with my Murray cousins, roughhousing on air mattresses (which we pretended were giant butt cheeks–don’t ask) and so much more. I was therefore especially delighted to get our lads partying with Sarah Murray, her friend Chernoh, and little Patrick Mahoney (Liz’s son). We all worked up a real sweat “brutalizing” the guys, turning Patrick & Finn into burritos, and trading aerial attacks (Crocs, Thomas hat, slipcovers–you name it). Here’s a little taste:
Later, back at Grandma & Grandpa Nack’s, the guys climbed the staircase and said, “We want to fire stuff down, like we did at Chernoh’s house!” Here’s to many happy returns.
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Squeasel attack!
During her recent visit, our friend Maria told us about her backyard being overrun by “squeasels” (squirrels & weasels). Finn got into showing off the squeasels in his shirt–then going after Maria’s. Check it out:
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Making icy lemonade
The bad: Getting stuck stuck on a frozen tarmac in Germany.
The good: Opportunity to make a video for the lads! 🙂
Now, please be forewarned that the following clip is going to be totally uninteresting to anyone over the age of 4 or so. I share it, though, just as an example of the experiences one can now capture & share while away from the fam. I love that I can shoot footage of ships in the Hamburg harbor, or of myself skiing, or whatever, then share it so that Margot can show the guys over breakfast. “These are the days of miracles and wonder,” sang Paul Simon; I couldn’t agree more.
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St. Henry & the Dragon
I’d hardly call G-Man a bold kid. He’s the guy who, for example, fears that house cats are going to eat the PJs off him. This explains my surprise & delight when he spied Danny the Dragon walking around Happy Hollow, cried “Danny!,” hopped down from my arms, and chased down the big green guy. Go Hen go! Check it out:
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Sweet Baby J
During our Galena trip we were delighted to meet our new niece/cousin Jenna Nack. Here’s a gallery of her hanging out with the Micronaxx plus various Murray cousins.
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The “Nein” Sign
“That sign means ‘No Coyotes’,” declares Finn. “And ‘No Fries’!” adds G-Man. 🙂
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Hen Cousteau
Dubuque’s National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium gave G-Man some face time with quite the startling face:
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Get in my mouth, butterflies!
From today’s visit to the Santa Cruz butterfly sanctuary, pure Goonie-being-Goonie, as unprompted as it is bizarre and endearing :-):
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Farm boys, giant toys
What–if this is even possible–is better than playing with a fleet of toy farm vehicles? How about playing with the real vehicles?
On Sunday Uncle Ted escorted us to visit his friend Tommy Moser’s farm. Our guys were delighted to explore a couple of big tractors (turns out Finn’s an Allis-Chalmers man) plus a truly massive combine. Our visit to the chicken coop yielded a bucket of eggs we’ve been enjoying every day since, and Henry got a little freaked out regarding “mad cows” (as in “angry,” not as in “Bovine spongiform encephalopathy”!).
Here’s a gallery of photos, plus a video showing the egg-grabbing good times:
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18-Wheelin’ with Uncle Ted!
Breaker breaker 1-9, this here’s Rubber Duck and… well, I’ve already exhausted about 90% of my CB/trucker lingo. In any case, we really put the “N” in “TNT” (Ted Nack Trucking) yesterday: the boys & I spent the day on Uncle Ted’s big rig, traveling through Iowa to collect a trailer & then heading on to “The World’s Largest Truck Stop.” Here’s a little gallery of photos. I’ve also boiled our 7-hour adventure down to two minutes:
As a little bonus, here’s how Henry & I passed a few miles on Uncle Ted’s sleeper. I’d apologize for the jiggly camera work, but even this doesn’t capture quite how loud & shaky it is inside a truck!