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!
“Tofu… the Proud… the Micronaxx!”
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!)
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. 🙂
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!”
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:Â
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!”
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:
The other night during T.A.L.B., Finn reminded me that we like our stories to involve policemen rappelling down from helicopters. “Can we talk about the whittle boards?” he asked. I was kind of baffled, and he attempted to clarify: “Yeah, you know, whittle boards. Whittle boards, like this!” and began flapping his wings. Ah, Little Birds! He said, “Now every time I want to hear about whittle boards, I’ll just flap like this!” You’ve got a deal, son. 🙂
