1. Grandma Great gets Isaac laughing hysterically for the first time (I missed it).
2. Ari performs "Rudolf" at the family talent show accompanied by Uncle Pause.
3-4. The kids with Santa Pause and El.
In the weeks preceding Christmas whenever anyone asked Ari what he wanted for Christmas he always had the same reply "a diesel train for Mom". When asked "why" he would respond "so Mom can play trains with me". So Guess what Santa brought me? Yep, my very own diesel train. I owe you one Ari!
Here's Ari with his Christmas loot at our pre-Christmas Christmas (we opened gifts before we left for St.George). Ari's laundry list of gifts included Bob the Builder duplos, Toby the train, a head lamp and his very own sleeping bag. He later got a karaoke machine from Gump and Gump and some wooden food from Papa and Nonie. Isaac got some duplos as well (which Ari will borrow until he's old enough to play with them) and a stuffed giraffe thingy. He got some clothes from Papa and Nonie and blanket from Gump and Gump. They got hooked up!
As I mentioned before Joe and I got money from our parents. We had intended to take a trip to the Red Woods over the break but the weather never cooperated so we will have to save it for a later date, later this month, over spring break or maybe even in the summer. We will make it eventually. We ended up staying in St.G for almost 2 weeks. More on that later...
The Wilsons, EL Elf, and Santa Pause.Ari loves Isaac, but he also genuinely loves to tease him. Sometimes all it takes is for Isaac to see Ari coming towards him and he get's this look on his face like "oh no, save me." Luckily Ari hasn't tried to launch him out of the bouncer lately, but he's found plenty other ways of pestering.
Exhibit A:
I was taking this photo (below) of Isaac doing some tummy time; eventually Ari joined us and I snapped a few photos of both of them. We were wrapping things up when all the sudden BAM Ari sat on Isaac and started saying "thump a thump a thump" as I clicked photo 3 I yelled "Ari, get off your brother!" Don't worry, no babies were harmed.
While many proud parents are buying their children their first pair of skis this winter, we got Ari his first snow shovel. It's the perfect chore, "diggering snow", and quite frankly I think he enjoys it more than he would skiing. The shovel is Ari sized, which he loves, and due to the fact that he has sequential tendencies he's actually really good at it. In the second photo Ari is shoveling snow in the neighbors driveway, no doubt trying to impress his best friend Coco who's watching from her living room window. Yep, he's a mans man.
Ari's crazy. No matter the weather he still likes to get in his daily trip around the block. Last week his bike got stuck in the snow so we have officially resorted to the sled. I was pulling him around the block and wearing Isaac (pictured in some of his layers above) and I was still freezing! It took some coaxing to get Ari to come into the house, when we finally made it back in I noticed why I was so cold (photo to the right). Pretty sure I should get some sort of mother of the year award.
Photo 1: Post nap time. Photo 2: The best shot I can get of Isaac smiling (his face turns inquisitive when he sees the camera). Photo 3: Big brother. Photo 4: The kids.
I realized it's high time I start writing down some of the strange things Ari says. I have Ariisms written down in random places scattered all around the house. Time to compile. Enjoy a glimpse into Ari's world...
Ari while watching (in awe) some road working machinery.
I wish I could do that. When I grow bigger I'm gonna vroom that digger.
Me: Ari, can I try your new bed?
Ari: But your too big, it's only for little kids.
Me: But I'm not too big
Ari: Ya you are cuz see your too tall, your this tall (arm up above his head) your taller than an airplane.
Me: Wow, I'm pretty big.
Ari: Ya, you are.
Joe and Ari were laying in Ari's bed one morning. Ari was staring at the wall then suddenly turned over and said:
Ari: Dad, what are you going to be for Christmas?
Joe: What do you mean?
Ari: You could be a spaceship, I'm gonna be a tractor.
Joe: I don't think you dress up for Christmas.
Ari: But you can.
Ari: Where are my bones?
Me: They are in your body, your skin's covering them up.
Ari: (looks at his skin for a minute) Oh. Good job skin covering up my bones (walks off).
Some phrases Ari has used in association with oranges.
But I don't like the smell or the eat of oranges.
Ohhh get that thing out of here (makes a horrible face) it's very stinky.
Barry: Ari, where does milk come from?
Ari: Cows
Barry: How do they get it out?
Ari: You squeeze it out of his pooper thing
Ari: I got something on my finger (shows me some tiny red speck of something)
Me: What is it?
Ari: I think it's from Zikities brain.
Me: It is!
Ari: Ya from right there (points to Isaac's tummy) it's his brain, it's in his tummy.
Me: Well, how did you get brain on your finger?
Ari: Just from his tummy.
Most Common Phrases Used by Ari:
Sorry I beed naughty to you.
I didn't to mean too.
But I can't do it, cuz see I'm very small.
But it's very scary for me.
Burgerhams = Hamburgers
And we won't even mention all the inappropriate times he's brought up some issue he's having with his "penis" (church, store, business calls etc.).
Our neighbors Dad noticed this while cruising down our street on GoogleEarth. Pictured here is me, K-So and Ari a few houses up the block. A little freaky to know that someone was driving by taking pictures and we landed on the internet... Not that you would know it was us; we just know because who else has a dog, a kid who always pushes an empty stroller and laps the block at least once a day.
I have curly hair, so I decided it's high time I accept my inner curl. I tried accepting my inner curl with long hair, but usually thought I looked more like Michael Bolten than I wanted too. SO I decided to try my inner curl with short hair. I'm loving the short hair again but I'm not so sure how long I will be able to keep this curl thing up. Curly hair, despite it being the way your hair is naturally, is pretty high maintenance. You have to wash it more frequently, put goo in it, AND after wearing a beanie your inner curl looks more like your inner matted homeless woman frizz. I wish I would have taken a photo when I got back from the salon, those hair people can really get some big hair going. I looked like a dishwater blond Marylin Monroe who'd just been struck by lightening.
We'll see how far this curly hair thing goes...pictured here is a self portrait of the wavy version; much smaller volume I assure you.
We are officially festivatized. The other day we put up the tree and we started listening to Christmas songs before Halloween. Ari was great help decorating the tree; he felt it would be better if we put all the balls in one spot instead of scattered around the tree (as seen in the first photo). Whatever works, luckily I scattered mine a bit.
Upon review of this blog I see that it paints quite a rosy Beaver Cleaver Family sort of picture. So I thought it was high time we had a good old fashion meltdown story.
The situation started last night about 8:00 when Ari went to bed. We did the usual routine, milk, book, bathroom, brush teeth, prayers, book, book, goodnight. Joe and I were sitting in the living room trying to accomplish something when we hear Ari 1/2 awake and moaning "my feet are sliding off the bed." Joe comes in and assures him his feet are in fact NOT sliding off the bed, he's in the middle of the bed and perfectly fine. After some moaning and groaning he seems to have given up on the idea and is dozing off to sleep. Nope. A few minutes later "my feet are sliding off the bed," we go in there, sure enough his feet are still on the bed. This goes on for the next few hours, there was NO convincing him that it was all in his head. Ari's reaction to his feet sliding goes from a mere mention of his feet to all out screaming bloody murder. Our responce to his feet situation goes from kind caring and patient, to threatening to cut off his feet. And meaning it.
10:00 rolls around, buy this time quite frankly we have had it. It had been a long day anyway and this was not helping. Ari's in his room with Joe and he's crying in a severely overtired state "I want to get up, I want to get up." I calmly say "fine, get up" ok, so I didn't say it calmly at all, and it was accompanied by a death stare. The death stare did not phase him, he comes strolling out of this room all chipper charlie "hi guys." Oooooh you know when your really mad and the person who's been making your life miserable all the sudden turns chipper, which really just makes you madder...ya.
Anyway, after some calming down and some discussion with Ari we decided that maybe, like me, Ari has restless leg syndrome (known in my family when we were kids as tickley leg syndrome). Every night before I fall asleep I have to soak my feet in hot water so that they don't twitch and ache and feel like they they want to run away. So, we gave the feet soaking a try. I taught Ari the finer points of feet soaking and at 11:00 he was excited to go back to bed now that his problem was solved... 11:05... "my feet are sliding off " (followed by tantrum). WHAT! We tried a bed on the floor, they "slid off." Joe tipped his mattress up, they "slid off"...on and on and on.
I have to admit I don't know the rest of the story. At 11:45 Isaac woke up and I feel asleep watching him go back to sleep and listening to Ari scream.
All I know is that today was not a good day. Ari and I were both sleep deprived and Isaac soon followed suit when Ari kept waking him up from his naps. Joe came home early, to which Ari just might owe his life.
I know, I feel bad for the kid too. I tried to remain patient really I did. I have no clue what's wrong with his feet, but it's apparently pretty traumatizing; for all of us.
Below: Ari soaking his feet. I know, he looks so innocent.
We spent Thanksgiving Day with Joe's Family. These were about all the photos I took. I know, I'm a failure. I also filmed a bit of the pre jam session jam session, also known as the kid jam Session. Check out Ari on the "companio"; he's got skills!
We were going over the Christmas Story last night with Ari (drove by the house on the hill with the manger scene). We were explaining that there was a lady named Mary, she was going to have a baby, there was no room in the hotels so she had to go to a barn, she had baby Jesus, angels, bright start, shepherds etc... He was listening very intently while starting out the car window; then I got to the part about how the wise-men came bringing presents Ari perked right up. He pops his head up and says "presents! And he opened them. And it was a car. And and and he went vroom vroom vroomy vroom, and he played with his car and he was sooo happy..." I hated to break it to him that no one gave Jesus a toy car, but I felt the need to explain he only got gold and perfumy type things.
I continued with the story explaining that all these people came to see Jesus because they had been waiting for him to be born because he was very special... At the end of the story I thought I would do a little evaluation to see what Ari had retained. I asked Ari "so why did people come from far far away to see baby Jesus" to which Ari replied "because he had presents".
I don't know how to get away from the whole presents thing; I don't want to raise a little ultra Christmas consumer. I try to talk to Ari about simple things he can GIVE people for Christmas or what nice things we can DO or MAKE for people but I don't think I'm getting through on that point either. Allow we to share another conversation I had with Ari after presenting him with the aforementioned ideas. It went something like this:
Me: So what are some nice things we can do for people at Christmas time.
Ari: Ummm. We can open presents.
Me: Not for us, for other people, what can we do for someone else to make them happy.
Ari: Well, we could just open some presents.
Me: Well, we don't need to give presents, we can just do nice things. What's something nice we can do.
Ari: I know! We can open presents for them.
Me: I have an idea, we could help someone rake their leaves...etc...
Ari: Oooor weeeee cooooould open some presents.
Me: Well if you want to GIVE presents whats something we can give someone else?
Ari: Ummmm. I just want to open presents.
Maybe my approach is all wrong.
I suppose it's a good thing we have the rest of the year to work on refining our childrens giving skills.
Ari's not so much into huts, he's more of a mouse cave kind of guy; or maybe it's actually a "mouse clap" cave? Anyway, this is one of many variations of the mouse cave. He typically sits in here, drinks milk, eats snacks, looks at books and talks about how he's a cute little bitty baby mouse.
This particular day he kept himself entertained for over an hour. I kept fighting the urge to feel like I needed to go in there and entertain him; he was doing such a fine job on his own I tried to keep my distance. Eventually he yelled "Mom, will you come read me Mister Seahorse" an hour later we were still reading books in the mouse cave.
