Henry ambles past an unintended (?) dribble-painting in Oakland last Saturday:
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The New Western Canon
Finn’s recently taken an interest in “writing books,” his at-school technique of stapling together a few sheets of paper, then scribbling down some random marks. The other night he took me on a tour of his oeuvre:
“This one,” he said, pointing at a blob-covered set of sheets, “is called ‘Donde Estan Los Dots?’ And this one”—a bunch of lines—”is called ‘Donde Esta El Sharp Thing?’ And this one,” he said with great pride, pointing at yet more randomness, “is called ‘The Terrifying Pig That Split Me In Half With A Cross-Tie.'” I’ll admit, I did not see that last bit coming. 🙂
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The Hen Crows At Midnight
As I left my cab & ascended the stairs at 9pm tonight, I was shocked to see a little face peering out at me:
To my surprise, Henry didn’t come out to see me. I entered his room & found him behind the blinds, coolly maintaining his vigil.
“Hi, buddy. Er, what are you doing?”
“I’m just looking out my window. I’m watching some cats.”
“Oh, okay…”
“And some bikes. One went by before you got home.”
“Gotcha, gotcha… So, are you going to get some sleep at some point?”
“No, I already got some.”
Henry Nack: Keepin’ His Own Counsel Since 2009 🙂
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Catching up with Charles
Never before has a kid been so excited about going to the dentist! For several days leading up to his appointment last week, Finny had been anxiously awaiting the trip to Dr. Vandi’s office. He loves seeing his buddy Charles, one of Dr. Vandi’s hygienists. And Charles loves visiting with Finny just as much!
Charles is originally from Ghana, and on Finny’s previous visit, he told Finny that lions (and other exotic animals) live in the wild there, just wandering around on the plains. Needless to say, Finny was beside himself. He told Charles all about his constant companion/blankie buddy Leo, and asked all kinds of questions about Ghana – which Charles was only too happy to answer. Charles was also very obliging and let Finny examine all the dental implements he’d be using that day – the little water jet, suction tube, and motorized tooth cleaner. He showed Finny how everything worked and let him press some of the buttons and pedals.
At the end of the last appointment, Charles promised he would either bring Ghanian currency or stamps to Finny’s next visit. And last Tuesday was the day! As promised, Charles was there bearing Ghanian stamps to show Finny, and once again let Finny examine the various tools around the dental chair. He even let Finny wear his special glasses with a little headlight! And Charles got to meet the infamous Leo. Here’s a little gallery of photos.
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A Chilly Gaze
I see you, suckas. 🙂
Nothing, it seems, brings out our boys’ inner hambone like a trip to Barber Tom’s (well, that plus the sugar rush from a fistful of suckers). I snapped this shot of Hen while getting my own ears lowered:
Previous silliness:
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Walk This Way
“It’s not amazing that adults make children,” I’ve heard it said, “so much as that children make adults.”
Today I took the lads to Santa Cruz for some good times at the beach boardwalk. They were generally great, but just trying to keep them around & unflattened by crowds can get wearying. Their “predictably irrational” approach to walking—endless weaving & start-stops, seemingly perfectly coordinated to be out of sync with each other—inevitably grinds on a parent’s nerves.
Thus after 4+ hours we found ourselves leaving Marianne’s Ice Cream shop, and I could see the light at the end of the tunnel—or more specifically, the door to the child-securing implements in the Ocho. As I towed Henry towards the door, Finn kept jerking in front of me, causing my cow-catching hand to keep grazing his head to urge him forward. Cue the following conversation (in front of some biker chicks):
Finn: “Dad-O! I hate it when you poke me like that! Just all, blah blah with your hand!”
Me: “I know, dude, but why can’t you guys just walk like a normal person?? Just head out in a direction and keep going.”
Finn: “But I like to walk like this! [proceeds to demonstrate weaving, pausing, etc. in front of me]”
Me: “I know!! And see, it just really wears out a grown-up, and—”
Finn: “But that’s just The Life Of The Kid!!”
…at which point, the biker chicks started cracking up, and so did I.
“You know, Finny,” I told him, “I’ve never been a dad before, and you guys have never been kids before, so we kind of have to teach each other patience, okay?” Okay, he said. I think we’ve got ourselves a deal.
Happy Halloween from the Micronaxx! The boys loved sporting the excellent Thomas & Mummy costumes Mom-O created (with slight assists from Dad-O), both at preschool & while trick-or-treating. Young engineer Hen did become kind of a train wreck at school (kids touching his fragile costume, etc.), but both guys were sugar-fueled champs as I led them in neighborhood candy-gathering. (No set of stairs is too daunting to haul one’s train costume up, as long as there’s that sweet, sweet lucre at the top.) Here are some shots from the occasion, plus a video below.
Man, I should work as a sheep in a pumpkin patch petting zoo: I sure know how to get fleeced! ;-p Actually I had a ball taking the lads to nearby Spina Farms Sunday while Margot was in class. We rode the little train, climbed aboard ponies, and jostled around in a hay wagon with our pals the Wiggii. Sure, the proprietors know how to soak you for a few bucks, but it sure buys a lot of tot-delight.
Here’s a little gallery from the proceedings, plus a couple of clips:
The boys have had a bat-tastic week: Nanny Yvonne bestowed these super-fun bat shirts on Finny & Henry the other day, and at “Bats at the Library” in SF, our pal Reen set them up with new wing’d amigos “Leobat” & “Olliebat”! (<--seen here adorning the boys' heads) Thanks so much, guys!
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Sushi Power!
“Tofu… the Proud… the Micronaxx!”
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Headless Henry
From the other room I heard a voice announce, “I have no head! It’s lost in a basket.” What with Finn’s recent interest in decapitation, I was a tad nervous. Upon investigating, this is what I found. 🙂
Carving pumpkins just wasn’t at the top of my & Margot’s to-do lists this year, but Finn could hardly have been more interested. He kept brining up the subject, even grumping loudly that we were trying to get off the hook for doing it. Last night he was in a fog following a long car ride, but when Mom-O said we could do some carving, he immediately re-energized & ran to get his smock.
Here’s the amazing part: A kid who, to my chagrin, can barely draw a straight line walked right up to his pumpkin, grabbed a marker, and drew a perfect, complex eye (a circle with a pupil mounted on one side). Oh man, I thought, he’s gonna get good at drawing after all!! Ah, but pride goeth: right afterwards he said “Now I’m gonna draw a second eye!,” then drew a tiny circle, after which he rendered the “nose” as a series of abstract lines. But still… it’s a start & I’ll take it!
Here are just a few pics:
The boys had a ball joining a phalanx of little pals in picking apples & running around Moss Landing yesterday. Here’s a little gallery, which for fun you can compare to last year’s somewhat drier outing to the same orchard. (Henry looks so much older now!)
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“J’Accuse!”: Honey Badger Edition
Man, were little Henry’s patience & self-control put to the test on Sunday. Birthday girl Charlotte’s parents had laid out a beautiful spread of cupcakes & other sweets just at eye level for wandering tots. Again & again Henry would walk past the table, cast a covetous eye, and ask, “Mom-O, Dad-O, is it time for cupcakes now??” To his credit, though, he restrained himself for several hours while other birthday activities unfolded.
Until, that is, he saw little Hazel Wiggin (aka the fierce Honey Badger) giving herself a mustache & wisdom spot with a cupcake. The Wiggins needed to head out early, so Hazel got to enjoy a cupcake early. I captured G-Man’s response to catching her red- (er, white-)handed. 🙂
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Whoopie Cushion Adventures
Because, you know, our little sons were insufficiently interested in bodily functions… ;-p
This all transpired at little Charlotte Henshall’s 4th birthday party yesterday. Finny observed, “Look, Dad-O, there’s a picture of a geyser on the bag!”
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Riding the Lunapillar
We had a ball taking the lads to the Take Flight for Kids shindig a tiny nearby airport today. Amidst all the bouncy-house horseplay & “Angry Tiger” launching (think Angry Birds, but with stuffed tigers in a real slingshot), one highlight was riding on “mutant vehicle” The Lunapillar:
As in, “Ladies Love Cool Finnegan.” 🙂
On Friday preschool pals Magdalena & “Cosita” decided it was time to sandwich-hug our big guy. This shot happened to catch the moment as he transitioned from good-natured smile to fixing me with a gaze of “Get me out of here, Dad-O!”
- Español:
- Breathless Finn runs in sounding like he’s cracked the secret to cold fusion: “Dad-O, there’s even a Spanish word for ‘Spanish’! It’s ‘Spañol!”
- “El cerdo!” says Finn out of the blue.
“Yeah, and what’s el cerdo?” I ask.
“A pig who speaks Spanish!” - Finn wonders about our friend’s “Ram jeep.” “What’s a ‘Durango’? Maybe it means ‘ram’ in Spanish.”
- Gluteus Minimus:
- Lego time spontaneously turns political: “Dad-O, this is Obama. ‘Come here, Romney, gimme your butt cheeks to kick!'” (Unprompted by me!)
- “Dad-O, what was that shadow?” asks Henry. “Well, was it itching its butt?” asks Finn. “‘Cause then it was me.”
- “Henry!!” yells Finn. “If you don’t stop that, I’ll kick your butt! [pause] Dad-O, kick his butt!!” (I’m just hired muscle.)
- Questionable parenting:
- I probably shouldn’t have told Finn to “get out of my junk.” He now lowers his head & runs yelling, “I’m aiming for your *junk*!!”
- I confront stick-wielding Finn: “Were you aiming for my head??” “No,” he says sheepishly. “I was aiming for your crotch.” (That’s not better!)
Every man must face his fears—and for a small man hair-washing is a big one. We’ve been bribing Henry to stay cool & calm for quite some time now, sometimes with mixed results. The other day we plied him with a couple of blue M&Ms. He was delighted to get them—so much so that he held onto them a bit long, smearing his face & chest like Mel Gibson in Braveheart. Behold:
