Three and a Half

He absolutely refused to take a picture with his moose. I took this one while he was taking a break from playing in the gym. With sunglasses on, natch.

It occurred to me over the weekend that I should do a half birthday post for Christopher, since I usually do a Clare update on her half birthday. Well, he is now three and a half. And as any kid will tell you, once you reach that "and a half" stage of the year, it is a big deal. (Whenever we get together with a group of friends, the kids all immediately compare ages and whoever is the oldest is pretty lucky. Maybe adults should do that, but the opposite would be true, right?) Anyway, I think Christopher is pretty great. I might be biased.

He loves cuddling, still. We spend many afternoons curled up on the couch watching baking shows, at his request. I am planning to start doing some baking with him weekly as well.

He is funny and sweet. When we were at my parents' house last weekend, our good family friend Ruth came over. She had lost her voice, and he kept giving her crackers dipped in cheese. "This will make you feel better," he solemnly told her.

He can, of course, be whiny and throw tantrums, but he gets over it pretty fast. He is easily distracted, and if he is ignored he gives up. He is also still very attached to his blankie (which is now two blankies because it ripped in half) and his thumb.

Christopher and Clare love to play together, although it usually ends in a fight. Ah, siblings. I love watching them have fun together. They also enjoy inventing jokes and alternate lyrics to songs, usually involving the words poop and pee. Sigh.

His other favorite things include the playground, dinosaurs, "Peppa Pig", reading books, playing with cars and trucks, making pancakes with Daddy, singing, music class, eating fruit and his cousin Josie. Dislikes include tickling, picking up toys and getting dressed by himself. (That will happen before he goes to college, right?)

I've been interviewing Clare on her half birthdays, so I thought I should do the same for Christopher. For some reason he insisted on talking in baby talk and not using his normal voice, but it took so many attempts to get him to do even this that I gave up.

Bits and Pieces: March

So March went by, and I forgot to write on this blog. I just remembered today that I should do an end of the month post.

We had Clare's conference with her teacher. She is doing very well academically, but needs to work on keeping her work space clean. This came as no surprise to me. She is a little hoarder at home. I knew right away which desk was hers, even without a name tag. She and the other kindergarten girls are also having problems getting along, apparently. Clare claims she is completely innocent in this, but her teacher says otherwise. We have been talking a lot about respecting other people's opinions since the conference.

I went on a field trip with Clare's class to Dodge Nature Center. I had never been there before. It is a beautiful place. We learned about making maple syrup, and tasted sap from the trees and the maple syrup they make there. I loved riding the bus with Clare. It was also fun to see her friends in person.  I hope to be able to do more of these types of trips once Christopher starts school. It is hard for me to get away right now, with two little ones to watch.

Clare has started playing Minecraft. I still only vaguely understand what it is, but she connects to our friends' server and plays with her buddies James and Simon. She is also reading a lot. I am thrilled that she shares my love of reading and she is doing very well reading on her own.

Christopher has been being three. He throws a lot of tantrums. Luckily, he gives up quickly. He has started writing some letters and recognizes his name when it is written down.  He also knows how to spell one word. Unfortunately, that word is poop.

We were at the park on Saturday, and he climbed (with help) onto a large rock. I was hovering, ready to help him jump down. He refused my help, saying, "I am big and I am brave!" Then he flexed his biceps. It was pretty hilarious.

The kids had a few birthday parties this month, but other than that we haven't had much scheduled on the weekends. My dad came to visit for a few days while my mom was in Europe. The kids were thrilled to see him. I was also happy.

I've been going to a weekly trivia night with friends. It is really just an excuse to drink beer, but it has been fun. I also booked a trip to Sonoma for September with my college friends. It should be wonderful.

Clare has Spring Break this week. Wish me luck.

Clare in traditional Hmong dress at the Multicultural Fair at her school.

Christopher coloring a South Korean flag at the Multicultural Fair. He was distressed that his didn't match the example.

He wasn't sure what to think about the Sesame Street show we ran into at MOA. Later, he was disappointed that Cookie Monster "didn't show up."

Christopher wanted a ponytail, like his big sister.

Clare made a closed sign for her door. Lovely.

My two Irish kiddos on St. Patrick's Day.

Clare and I have had a weekly Starbucks date after her swimming lesson. I love having one on one time with her.

Clare looking for sap at the Dodge Nature Center.

Ice cream with Baba at Snuffy's.