It’s the end of another year in this crazy thing-we-have-going and here is the wrap up:

the year:

We started out the year deciding it was best for us to change houses. Overpaying for rent is only cute for so long, after all. And right on Easter morning we found ourselves in a new home.

 

Right before the move, we hosted my brother and his girlfriend for their spring break. They thoroughly toured London, and spent a day in Paris. It was so great to see them!

And oh, ya, Bear turned THREE and STARTED NURSERY!

 

 

 

Our new garden has featured lots of wildlife for us to enjoy; including lots of birds, cats, squirrels, and even a few foxes (that had to be removed). But when the animals aren’t using our garden, it gets a lot of play from us.

No matter the weather. And mostly for a lot of wrestling matches..

 

After the move, we turned our attention to three things – that frankly – we’ve really dropped the ball on, with the kids. Swimming, biking, and piano lessons. With no major travel plans in the mix this year, we finally focused on these activities.

We bought a bike for Harry, and he learned how to ride it! We signed up for a gym and took the kids swimming every week, and we bought a digital piano (with generous help from Grandma Janice) and began Harry on lessons.

(I unfortunately don’t have any pictures of us swimming because they don’t allow cameras in the pool house. Sad face.)

 

In May and June, Harry and Finn have birthdays. Harry split his birthday party with a classmate at the trampoline park. And Finn split his birthday party with two classmates at a community center gymnasium (on one of the hottest days of the year!).

 

 

Inbetween their birthdays, Rich and I took a little trip to Corfu, Greece.

And it was AMAZING.

This year I finally feel us coming out of the baby-zone fog that we’ve been in for so long. The diapers, the baby food, the bottles, the night wakes. Slowly, we’re getting rid of things like bibs, burb cloths, and a diaper genie. We’re not using our high chair as much or the stroller or the baby gate. We don’t have our ears up to the baby monitor constantly – even spent a few nights with it OFF (on accident). We don’t have to leave detailed instructions and time tables for sitters when we leave them with the kids.

I mean, we still have a two-year-old, and we are still in the baby-zone technically – but all I’m saying is that I see and feel the shift coming. And it is a THING OF BEAUTY PEOPLE. Something we are definitely completely ready for. We’ve done it thoroughly and completely….. and for us – we’re ready to “get out of the pool” and totally “dry off.”

We’re not only ready for the next season, we are excited and looking forward to it.

Speaking of the next season, we celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary.

 

ANYWAY – near the end of the school year the boys each have the British traditional “Sports Day.” It’s so fun and cute. Even the parents participate a little bit.

 

 

And just like that, the school year was over. And on the last day we celebrated with donuts! On the first day of summer break, the boys ran around the house like silly little boys.

Then it was Viv’s birthday. And then lots of family took turns visiting. Mom and I took day trips to the Cotswolds and Brussels. And Rich, Harry, and Finn, along with Rich’s family, took a few days visit to Edinburgh, Scotland.

 

 

 

We also took a few really fun family outings in and around London:

quite a few visits to HAMPTON COURT PALACE –

 

 

a few visits to KEW GARDENS (Royal Botanical Garden), where we were gifted a membership from Erika and family!:

 

the DIANA MEMORIAL PLAYGROUND, at Kensington Palace:

 

the LONDON ZOO

 

And then of course, our everyday-type visits to the local parks, walking around our neighborhood, and visiting the Natural History Museum.

 

 

Just as quickly as it blew in, summer was over.

And then, of course, the boys went back to school.

 

 

When the boys started school, Viv decided it was a good time to try potty training. It’s slow going, but positive. And she’s steadily doing very well.

 

And not normally a big deal, but Theo was really REALLY struggling with ‘going number 2’ on the big potty. Months and months and months went by and he made no progress. And then one day, he just decided he was ready.

And it was one of the best days of my life.

 

And Finn lost some teeth. Which also isn’t normally a ‘big deal.’ But shortly after loosing a couple teeth he took a really hard fall on the stairs and slammed teeth first onto an upper stair. It was seriously one of the goriest things I’ve ever seen. The lower picture, is a few days in, so the bruising is less than the initial day. The dentist assured us that as long as nothing was cracked or hanging that he was fine. And they confirmed that his adult teeth have no damage underneath. But, I think (we) Finn got lucky on this one… because had those teeth been adult teeth, this fall would’ve knocked his front teeth out. And on adult teeth, obviously once they’re gone, they’re gone. Instead, he got lucky and just further loosened the teeth that were already loose.

 

School Pics. Finn’s face.

 

 

And HALLOWEEN. Halloween always creeps up on me. Erika texted me a picture of her boy’s costumes mid-October and I was like ‘Crap, I forgot about Halloween and costumes.’ But we did alright, I think.

 

 

In November, we had house guests – Hollee and Jon, and then Isaac came back. So fun.

And we went and visited Santa, and Viv shocked us by being totally fine with it.

 

We decorated. And then a string of lights went out on the tree. So, we undecorated and redecorated the tree.

 

 

And then Grandma Janice came!

 

And we went back to Kew Gardens for their “Christmas at Kew” event which features singing trees and light shows. The kids didn’t care that it was cold, wet, and muddy.

Finn, especially, had the bestest time ever.

 

 

Christmas cookies, of course.

 

 

And then church on Christmas Eve.

 

 

 

 

And Christmas morning.

 

Right after Christmas, Grandma Susie and Aunt Patty came!

We went to our local theater for the British traditional Pantomime show. This year it was “Jack and the Beanstalk.” We then ventured to the city center for dinner at Rainforest Cafe, a visit to Kingdom of Sweets, and to see the Christmas light displays. And Finn insisted on wearing his Meerkat shirt OVER his adorable sweater. And I just wasn’t willing to fight the battle that day.

 

Then with a little leftover Christmas magic, we were able to score three tickets to the hottest show on the planet.

Also Aunt Patty and I went to Westminster Abbey.

 

Then, the three of us visited Kensington Palace and had afternoon tea there. We followed that by briefly browsing around Harrods.

AND THAT takes us to New Years Eve.

…Where we were all promptly in bed by 10.

Because we are party animals.

 

Then there’s just the regular everyday….

 

 

 

And Theo and Viv’s year-long favorite pasttime… NOT playing with toys.

Just turning the living room in to a soft-play area.

 

Lastly, after much discussion, our 2017 birthday donations went to PreEmptive Love.

 

the babies:

 

Harry

Harry is awesome. He’s smart and thoughtful. A great helper. He’s grown (literally) and matured a great deal this year. Typical to his type-A-ness, he continues to thrive with “rules” and “structure” and he also continues to do very well in school. He’s a perfectionist and an over-achiever. And he puts a great deal of pressure on himself – on everything from swimming to math to piano. We’re always working on his resilience when he’s frustrated and this year he has made improvements.

Change is still a little hard for him. When something is new or different, he is initially resistant. Even small things like wanting to switch his favorite animal from a fox to a tiger. But overall, he’s doing very well.

At school, he’s an absolute math whizz – able to solve three digit addition problems in his head within seconds (ex. 365 + 738). He also SHOCKED us and his teacher, by asking to give a power point presentation to his class. I guess a few of the other kids had done this on occasion.  Not as part of a project, just an independent power point presentation. So he made one. At home. All about sea life. He spent an entire day working on it, and then confidently asked me to email it to his teacher. I was nervous and hesitant for him, but did as he asked. And a few days later, he told me that he gave the presentation to the class and that it went really well. He was nervous at first, but felt fine after he got started. Just wow!

His confidence has grown, socially, as well. He seems comfortable with his friends and asserting himself with strangers. Making better eye contact and speaking more clearly to others. We also signed both boys up for Rugby. And although Finn openly dislikes it, Harry really enjoys it. And he has asked several times for us to help him be “faster and stronger” and to help him practice rugby. Up until now, he’s been very lukewarm with any sort of sports. He did a round of tennis lessons this summer. He was a positive participant, but his interest quickly fizzled. But, with Rugby he really enjoys himself and wants to continue. We are shocked. When I asked if he wanted to sign up for next term, he was like “Of course I do.”

This has been the year of the Pokemon for Harry. He is absolutely obsessed. He told me in early November “Mom, I’ve thought about it. The only thing I want for Christmas is Pokemon cards. That’s it. My whole Christmas, all Pokemon cards.”

Me “Are you sure??”    Him “Yes, tell everyone.”

His sweetness is so cute too, sometimes. He still loves and cherishes each of his siblings. And he is just the best and most supportive and patient brother to all of them. He loves and dotes on Vivi all the time. He’s so thoughtful and worried about them. One time, both Harry and Theo had cuts on their face. Harry says “I want Theo’s cut to heal before mine.”

And we love his perspective on money. When we told him we bought a lottery ticket and explained to him the whole deal, I asked him what he would do with the money if we won. He says “First I think we could get a new chair. Then maybe some decorations for the walls and maybe a shelf in my room. Then some Pokemon cards and then some Pokemon figures on my birthday.”

He loves and excels at games of all kinds. He can even handle most adult board games. Recent favorites include Blokus, Monopoly, checkers, Kingdominos, Exploding Kittens, and Love Letter.

He has also really taken to his piano lessons. Although understanding rhythm has been a challenge, the structure and counting of music makes sense to him. The logic of it suits his brain, and he’s learning almost effortlessly. A big part of it is his teacher. He loves her and I over hear him talking his head off during their lessons. Telling her everything about his life – including his bunk bed, our plans for the day, how mom and dad went to Corfu and bought him a notebook, daddy’s work schedule, the monster disco, invertebrates, and anything else that enters his little brain.

 

 

Finn

 

Or as we call him, Captain Underpants. This year, Finn has continued his wardrobe habits. And there’s really only so much we can do about it. Most days – underpants it is.

He’s sunny and happy and silly. With a true sense of humor that makes us laugh all the time. He’s also incredibly stubborn and sometimes insensitive.

He’s incredibly observant, with a memory like no other. Harry was given a “Simon” toy for Christmas. And Harry – like a normal person – took several tries, most of the day, and worked up to remembering a sequence of 19. Pretty damn good if you ask me. So, finally Finn steps up. And on his first try gets a 20. For real.

Like Harry (and their father), he excels at Math. He can quickly add sums in his head.

Conversation I had with Finn walking home from the park, after working with Harry on riding a bike.

Finn “Mom, I want to ride in one of those baby seats on the bike.”

Me “hahaha, Finn you’re way too big for that. We just need to get another bike and you can learn to ride it. And if we all want to ride together, we’d need to get a bike for mom and dad, plus two baby seats, one for Theo and one for Viv.’

Finn “How much is an adult bike?” Me “Probably $150”

Finn “How much is a kid bike?” Me “$80”

Finn “How much is a baby seat?” Me “oh, probably $100”

Finn “We need two baby seats, two adult bikes, and one more kid bike. So for everything we need it would cost $580”

Just that fast.

Changing his favorite color this year, took much thought and consideration. He was nervous about it, but told me that he’d like to change his favorite color from red to silver. But then had a panic and changed it from silver to blue.

He has built on his love for all things animal and earth. I often find him reading from his animal encyclopedia on his own. Or find it open in his room, because he was reading it. At Kew Gardens he runs amuck with excitement wanting to read every plaque and every scientific name of every tree and plant. Same at the Natural History Museum – which he basically has memorized. And during our zoo visit, he said “I just LOVE it here at the zoo.” “I’m just SO happy here mom.” He literally cries if he sees us squish an ant or a fly.  I wonder if he’ll become vegan sometime soon. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit. For Christmas, we got him an Ant Farm, and it just lit him up. He most definitely considers the ants his pets.

He likes to test out what he learns in school. Asking to repeat experiments that he’s done at school and quizzing me on French. His teacher tells us that he excels, but that she doesn’t always know if he’s paying attention. But when she talks to him or sees his work, it’s clear that he’s understanding everything.

One time I wrote “You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” on the the kitchen chalk board and he couldn’t stand it. Probing me and begging me to change it. “Mom, it needs to be You ARE.”  And I said, “Well, it’s just a different way to say it. It’s grammatically incorrect, but it’s charming that it’s an incorrect on purpose. It still has meaning.”  He thinks about it, still frustrated, and says, “Ok, then, WHO is you?”

Me “Fine. Just change it, smarty.”

He became OBSESSED with wanting to go to swim school. I could sort of put him off for a few days. But of course, he got smart on me. He started with “Can I go to swim school, mom? Can we go swimming?” To which I could answer “Um, ya, maybe, let me look around” and then started asking “Mom, WHEN are we going swimming?” And then he started making arbitrary deadlines, “Mom, in three more days we’re going swimming!!” We did buckle down and sign up for a gym with a pool so that we could start trying to teach him to swim. He loves it and is full of enthusiasm even when he struggles.

He took the same approach when he randomly decided he wanted to make gummy bears. He asked me one day “Mom, can we make gummy bears?” And I said “I don’t know, I have no idea where to start on that.” And he says back “Well, I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Again began asking “When we could make gummy bears” and sure enough I had to figure it out.

And he began wanting to try all kinds of new food, which was awesome. Requesting to try hot chocolate, and guacamole, and tea, and salmon, and tzatziki, and smoothies, and RIBS (his favorite), to name a few.

His sense of humor is real. He can understand most of Rich’s little dad jokes that go over Harry’s head, and recalling inside jokes between us. A few minutes after Rich told him the “What’s black and white and red all over” joke, Finn came back with his own:

“What is brown and yellow and green all over?”      “What?”          “A sick giraffe” hahaha.

 

 

 

Theo

Theo’s main stepping stones this year were starting nursery (half days M-F), and potty training. He’s learning how to make friends, and blossoming more into his vibrant little self. He’s sweet. So sweet. And fun and loving. Silly and musically inclined. And he loves his brothers and his sister so much. He began referring to Harry and Finn as “his boys” and to Viv as “his girl.” Saying things like “”Sorry Vivi, I gotta go play with my boys” “Daddy! Don’t scare my girl!” and “Hey let’s go to the zoo with you and mommy and my boys and my girl.” And most days, at school pick up, he greets me with “Love you mom.”

He alternates between playing with the big boys and playing with Viv. And seems to enjoy both equally and effortlessly. I have a feeling this will be his life. Although, he’s been increasing his time playing with Finn, while Harry is starting to a have a few separate interests, Theo and Finn have bonded a lot over their general silliness and love of video games. And more recently….. Theo’s “new found love” of wearing only his underwear. The big boys taught Theo how to play all of the video and computer games that they play. And he can totally hang with them! It’s crazy. They love to include him when they can.

He began attempting to drop his nap. He got into a pattern of not wanting to lay in his bed for nap time, so I let him lay on the couch for a while. Where he would fall asleep without fail everyday. At the end of the year, he takes one to two naps a week.

In late spring he FINALLY quit banging his head in bed. We moved him to the big boys’ room in a big boy bed and he stopped almost overnight. Partly because he didn’t have a crib side to bang on, I assume. When he gets upset or sick, he’ll still – even now – sit up and rock back and forth or get on all fours and rock back and forth. But, overall he’s doing great.

When he would rock in his crib, it was always a steady banging beat. And now, he sings more than either of the other boys ever did combined. Randomly, one day, he just started singing “Baa Baa Black Sheep” and pretending to strum a guitar along with himself in perfect rhythm. So, I think it’s related and natural for him.

Also natural for him, is kicking a soccer ball and riding his balance bike. He’s an instant whizz. In addition to something that comes natural for him, is a love of guns/weapons. I mean, seriously, obviously I certainly don’t promote violence or guns. We don’t have any anymore, and the other boys don’t even have any gun toys. But as if he’s born to do it, Theo fashions guns from everything – mostly legos. And his most treasured toy this summer was his bubble gun. And when it broke (because damn bubble guns always break) he says “Mom, I was thinking daddy could take me to the bubble gun store and get a NEW BUBBLE GUN!!!” For Christmas, I found a little play gun set with holsters. Needless to say – he loves them.

He is slowly but surely coming out of his eating funk. This time last year, I could barely get him to eat anything that wasn’t tan or brown, and he was losing weight. And now he eats several different fruits and vegetables, and will at least try something if I really ask. He’s learned to love oatmeal again, and spaghetti, and Japanese noodles, and fried rice, and ribs, and salsa, and hummus, and carrots/apples/sweet potatoes/bananas/grapes/peas/corn and hamburgers, and lots of other foods I never would’ve thought he’d work back up to.

The evolution of their eating habits is such a frustrating and tricky thing. But I find that patience (even though it’s pull-your-hair-out-annoying) is really the only thing that works. And nothing has made Rich and I happier than to see him enjoying food again.

His teachers tell me he does well in school, especially in Math. Weird, huh? But at home – following his brothers – he loves a good puzzle. I mean, just really loves to do puzzles. If he gets to pick which toy he wants to play with, he asks to pull the puzzles down. I would be interested to see the correlations between doing puzzles and being good at math. Because I haven’t been able to stop my boys from wanting to do puzzles. Right around age 2/3/4, all three of the boys asked to do puzzles everyday. And now, they excel at math. Got to be related…. maybe? Not sure. But Theo – as if it’s required of him – loves and wants to do a puzzle ALL THE TIME.

 

 

Viv

Princess of the house. And not because we treat her that way, but because she has decided that it is so. She calls herself princess and our house a castle… all on her own.

She’s loves girly necklaces and bracelets, and everything pretty, pink, and sparkly. She, however, is not soft or gentle. While she may be shy when you first meet her, once she gets comfortable around you, she’s happy to be your boss. She’s tremendously loud, and there is no quieting her. No matter at home or in public. She rarely just talks. She mostly yells or cries for communication. She’s a tiny tyrant or a tiny storm. Uncontrollable, loud, and demanding.

And she already knows how to use her voice to manipulate her brothers. When I’d put the baby pool out in the garden, as soon as she saw me filling it up, she’d run outside – usually with clothes on, and get in the pool. And then she’d stand her ground and screech at the boys when they tried to get in the pool. Yelling “ME!” or “MINE!” She cries and asks them to bring her things. And they do. If I won’t give into her wishes, she’ll run to one of them to solve it.

She knows how it works.

When she’s not busy bossing us around, she’s incredibly sweet and silly. And just absolutely melts our hearts. She coos over all of her clothes and accessories, and her princess shows and movies, and her little playhouses and dolls and stuffed animals, and ponies and unicorns and tea sets. She has a bunch of Beanie Boos that she calls her ‘friends’ that she leaves in her crib. And she has a little stuffed doll she named “Daisy.” She loves to play with her Bitty Babies and push them around in the stroller. She loves it all. She loves for me to do her hair, get dressed and then admire herself in the mirror. She loves to call her self ‘cute!’ and ‘prettiful!’

She relishes if she gets to “help” me in the kitchen. Just absolutely loves it. And towards the end of the year, during certain times in the day, I’ve started letting her join the boys upstairs for playtime (without me to supervise), and she just thinks she is SO COOL.

She’s gone through a few weird phases, but for the most part she’s a great eater. And she’s not afraid to make a mess, still in some situations (like Oatmeal) preferring to use her hands to eat instead of her spoon.

She’s also not one little bit afraid to get dirty outside. In fact, if the boys are outside – she will be too. And she’ll be tromping around, picking up bugs right with them. In fact, she happily caught a snail in the garden and then proceeded to stick her finger into the snail. Totally grossing me out, along with all three boys.

I started having to give her ‘time outs’ for various infractions – mostly hitting Theo, when she didn’t get her way. She’s a little young for a time out, in my opinion. So I wasn’t sure if it would work. But it did and she has quite a few time outs depending on the day. She just likes to do as she pleases – which isn’t always the best.

 

In search of a little break, and little bit of outside social interaction for Viv, she started going to a Nanny one day a week for the morning. And she’s made a little friend of her own, named Charlotte. They have the cutest little friendship, and it’s fun to see her excited about something outside of the house and her brothers.

 

She loves to climb. All around. She has no fear, and it’s terrifying… but she does have great balance. Crazy girl.

Her major love of the year was her scooter. After enough practice in the house, she’s really mastered it. And, she just goes and she LOVES it. It’s practically a part of her.

Most recently, often dressing up at Hero Princess:

kid words:

“I can spell Lion: a  s  q  t  a.  And I can spell Lemur: l  d  s  t  r  e. ”  (proudly smiling) Theo

“Vivi just has a twinkle in her eye.” Harry

“Viv is so cute I just want to punch her!” Harry

“I’m cute.” Viv

(while Harry is at tennis lesson)  “I hope Harry’s having fun.” Finn

“Mom, do you want me to carry the backpack?” Finn

“Mom. Theo and me are best buds.” Finn

“Mom. You’re such a newb.” Finn

Me, after being out “Theo have you been a good boy or a bad boy?” (half kidding)

“Both.” Theo

 

“You want to go to the potty mommy?” Theo

“Oh yes, I do” Me

“Great! Then you can go to school and get presents!” Theo

 

“It’s not a mess, it’s a party!” Finn

 

“Let’s high five! yes!” (slap) Finn and Theo

“Let’s face five!”

“Ah, no guys. Don’t do that.” Me

 

(watching descendants with Harry) “Wow, those are some good dancers.” Me

“Of course they’re good dancers, they’re pirates.” Harry

 

“Mom, are you gonna clean up the stuff on the counter. I like it better when it’s clean.” Harry

 

“I tagged someone today in rugby” Harry

“Oh ya? Awesome!” Me

“Ya… he was running right at me. And I was worried that my team might think it                   was weird if I didn’t tag him. So I did…. it’s part of the rules.” – Harry

 

“This shirt is SO COOL MOM! I LOVE IT!!!” Theo (about a Captain America shirt)

“This meerkat shirt makes me really happy” Finn

“I spy with my little eye something that is beautiful… you mom!” Finn

“YESSS!! I’ve always wanted a cookie jar SO BAD. And now we have one!! We have a cookie jar!!!” Finn

“I want to move because I just really like putting all of our things in boxes.” Harry

“Packing-up is my middle name.” Harry

“I want to clean up so that uncle Isaac thinks we have a nice house.” Harry

“Mom, do you want to hear a really loud fart?” Harry

“I belong to you, mom.” Theo

 

“Finn, at school, the teacher says you don’t ever raise your hand. But I think that you know the answer and you just don’t raise your hand because you’re too shy. Is that right… Is there ever a time when you don’t know the answer?” Me.

“Never.” Finn “There’s never a time when I don’t know it.”

 

(hands me a Minecraft toy) “You love it, don’t you.” Theo

 

(Theo licking the table) “What are you doing??” Me

“Something delicious.” Theo

 

“Mom, I’ve thought about it for a long time, and it makes me a little sad… but I’ve decided to switch my favorite animal from a fox to a tiger.” Harry

 

“Mom, why are you sad?” Finn

“Oh, I’m not sad. I’m just very tired. We’ve had a long fun day at the zoo and now                 daddy had to run into work which means I have to get all of you home, fed,                           bathed, and in bed by myself. And i’m just tired right now, that’s all.” Me

“Well….. maybe you shouldn’t have had so many kids.” Finn

 

“Mom, I gotta get my shoes on. Go outside with my boys and my girl. I love them all. Yep. That’s true.” Theo

(Finn says he never wants to get married) “FINN. If you see a girl and you think she’s beautiful and she sees you and she thinks you’re handsome then you’re gonna get married. There’s nothing you can do about it.” Harry

(Verbatim string of words from Harry, with no prompts or responses from me, riding the bus home from shopping) “I always buy the best gifts. We always try to do the right thing. I’m a great friend. Our family, we always make it in time – we always make it to the bus.”

“I’m so big now. This watch just makes me feel like a high schooler.” Harry

 

“I broke my necklace..” Me

           “Oh no! I loved that necklace!” Finn

 

(shopping in Lush, shouts) “Everything in here smells disgusting!!” Finn

(reading animal encyclopedia) “Elephants eat grass and roots and leaves.” (eye roll)                        “Everybody knows that.” Finn

“I’m ready for a cell phone mom. One of my own. I can call daddy. I’m ready for it. I am. I’m ready.” Harry

“I’ve got all the funkiest moves.” Finn

“These flags have a good and beautiful design.” Finn

“This muffin is attractive to me.” Finn

“Daddy is at work… just using his fixers.” Theo

 

(I gave Harry a bag of M&M’s after a successful trip to the store, on the bus home)

“How many can I have?” Harry

“As many as you want. It’s your bag to share with Finn.” Me

“How many are we gonna have!?!” Finn

“Well…. we don’t want to be unhealthy… so I was thinking 3.” Harry

“Ok, ya. I was thinking 5.” Finn

“Ok, yes. 5 will be okay.” Harry

“Yes!!” Both

 

“What if me and Jerome were walking down the street and a thousand girls were behind us?? In love with us??!! Haahaha” Harry

(Looking at his class picture) “Look at me…. I’m so smart and handsome.” Harry

 

“Mom. Does the water we drink come from the sewer?” Finn

“ahhhh, no.” Me

“OH, WHEW!” Finn

 

“If you’re going to play rough, then you’re going to get hurt. And when you get hurt, you just have to deal with it.” Harry to Theo

“You’re my favorite mom.” Theo

(when Erika and Jake were here) “There’s two mommies AND two daddies here. I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!” Theo

“I’m proud of you mom.”Theo

“I’m not hungry because while all the other boys were playing tag rugby, I was eating all the sandwiches.” Finn

 

“We should look back at our Christmas list, and cross off the things that we already got from Grandma. C’mon Finn” Harry

“Na, I’ll just look at my toys to remember what I got” Finn

 

“I’m so happy just demolishing all these ribs.” Finn

 

“How’s your day going?” Harry

“No where.” Theo

 

Birthday Interviews

Harry –

1. Now that you’re 8 what’s different? I’m smarter.
2. How tall are you? um… really tall.
3. What are you really good at? Coloring and drawing!
4. What’s your favorite thing to do? Play Nintendo 2DS!
5. what’s your favorite thing to eat? Hot dog
6. Favorite friend? Thierry
7. What do you want to be when you grow up? Lego builder
8. What does daddy do at work? Works in a big office doing computers.
9. What do you like best about mom and dad? I like best that mom is kind and creative and good at cooking. And dad is kind, and he’s also creative, and he’s fun. And he’s funny.
10. How strong is dad? Super strong, like strong as an elephant.
11. What’s mom’s favorite thing to do? um…. cook. because she’s really good at it
12. What’s your favorite thing about Finn, Theo, and Vivian? I like Vivi because she’s cute and she’s funny. Theo is creative and funny and nice. The only thing I like about Finn is that he’s funny.
13. What do you think of girls? um… I don’t know. I think they’re cool and smart.
14. If you could have a super power, what would it be? Super strength, because then I could punch villains and jump high to kill villains.
15. What’s the best thing that happened to you this year? Having 22 pounds (GBP). And going to Daniel’s party.
16. Where do you want to go on vacation? something where a paradise was… ah, California!
17. Are you going to get married someday? um, actually I think I am. Because I think I’m handsome. And you do too.
18. How do you make cookies? Mostly, um, I forgot the first bit, but I know the end. What you do last, so mostly you get the cookies out of the oven. No – first you, oh now I remember. You have this dough, and you add chocolate chips and you mix it together in a bowl in a mixer. Then you put it on a plate in the oven. Then you get it out, it’s cooked and you use this thing that makes them into circles. And then you put them back in the oven and they are flat.
19. Can you tell me a joke? Ah… no.
20. What do you think of God and Jesus? I love them.

 

Finn –

1. Now that you’re 6, what’s different? I’m taller.
2. How tall are you? This tall – points to measuring chart.
3. What’s your favorite thing to eat? PIZZA!
4. Favorite friend? Yusef… since he was my first one.
5. What do you want to be when you grow up? A zoo keeper.
6. What does daddy do at work? He works on the computer.
7. What do you like best about mom and dad? Mom is nice because you make breakfast for us. And dad is nice because he plays games with us.
8. How strong is dad? Really really strong!
9. What’s mom’s favorite thing to do? To eat breakfast.
10. What’s your favorite thing about Harry, Theo, and Vivian? ummm.. Vivi’s cute. Theo’s kind. Harry is smart because he tells me everything he knows.
11. What do you think of girls? They’re beautiful.
12. If you could have a super power what would it be? Flying and laser eyes.
13. What’s the best thing that happened to you this year? Swimming in the swimming pool at swimming lessons.
14. Where do you want to go on vacation? Japan!
15. Are you going to get married someday? Nope! I’m going to live with you.
16. How do you make cookies? Um.. I don’t know. I like snowman cookies.
17. Can you tell me a joke? Why was the pteradactyl in the toilet? (why?) Because the P was silent. hahahahaha
18. What do you think of God and Jesus? They’re AWESOME and smart and good.

 

Theo –

1. How tall are you? 3
2. Now that you’re three, what’s different? I’m three.
3. What’s your favorite food? um… carrots
4. Who is your favorite friend? ahhh.. Joe.
5. What do you want to be when you grow up? ah, 4. ah, 100.
6. What does daddy do at work? He builds.
7. What do you like best about mom and dad? I like best a kiss from mommy, I like a kiss from daddy.
8. How strong is dad? 180.
9. What’s mom’s favorite thing to do? Build on the legos.
10. What your favorite thing about Harry, Finn, and Viv? A kiss from Harry. A kiss from Finn. A kiss from Vivi. Hahahaha
11. What do you think of girls? hum…. a kiss?
12. If you could have a super power, what would it be? Ah, a super man.
13. What’s the best thing that happened to you this year? I fall down.
14. Where do you want to go on vacation? Trains.
15. Are you going to get married someday? I did.
16. How do you make cookies? French Fries.
17. Can you tell me a joke? Yes! Do you want to hear a construction joke? (yes) I’m still working on it. hehehe.
18. What do you think of God and Jesus? That you want to give them a kiss and when I give them a kiss they give Vivi a kiss.

 

Mom Fails

Keeping the bathroom clean…. because boys. A plumber came to re-caulk the bathtub. He bends over and touches some liquid around the toilet and says “Now, is the toilet leaking?”

Me – “Ah, no. Wash your hands. I have three boys. Sorry.”

Forgot about Theo’s fundraiser. I was in Greece. He made a parfait to “sell” and I didn’t tell Grandma she’d need to buy one.

After the move, found condoms in the Pokemon cards.

Finn went to school and couldn’t get his new PE shoes on bc they still had the paper in them.

Accidentally packed Theo’s shirt for Finn to change into after morning rugby. And when I picked him up from school he was wearing Theo’s tiny shirt.

Took Finn to Harry’s piano lesson, where he suddenly needed to poop. And the only toilet is right next to his lesson room – which is within earshot. Harry couldn’t stop laughing and was also super embarrassed from Finn’s pooping sounds in front of his teacher.

Accidentally bought two shampoos instead of one shampoo and one conditioner. Put one of the shampoo bottles in the cabinet for later. Used the shampoo and bought new conditioner. Used them both, needed more. Incorrectly *remembered* that I had extra “conditioner” in the cabinet, so I bought shampoo, thinking I would now have a shampoo and a conditioner. When I got home realized I was wrong, and once again had two shampoos.

Long story but the words “Fu*k slime” came out of Finn’s mouth.

Ruined an entire batch of lentil soup by adding sugar.

Added spiced peanuts to my huge batch of trail mix for the kids, instead of regular salted peanuts. Had to dump out the entire batch and pick out the peanuts.

Set dry oats on fire in microwave.

 

and… *special edition* Dad fails:

Rich decided to go through the volunteer training class at school so that he would be able to volunteer on field trips. When they asked for his children’s classes and teachers, he proceeded to write Theo – Reception, Finn – 2D, and Harry 4S. All three of which are incorrect. He said the writing “reception” was just a total fluke that he didn’t realize until afterward. He knows the Theo’s not in Reception, but in Nursery. And he got the big boys’ year group right, but just the wrong teacher initial letter, which is totally understandable. It’s just frustrating, and slightly hilarious to get all three completely wrong.

Ordered the wrong bunk bed. Once put together, it was non-returnable. Put it together before he realized it was the wrong one. Had to order a second bunk bed and sell the first… for a third of the price.

 

The words “what does ‘eat a D’ mean??” came out of Harry.

Again long story, but all Rich on that one.

….. too funny not to add, love you honey.

 

 

 

OKAY! That’s it. 2017 locked up and in the books.

 

Goodbye, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, Good Night.

To you, to you. To you and you and you.