Happy Valentine's Day!

Sometimes Henry gets ideas for art projects in his head, and he talks about them for weeks.  He's been talking about making little people like this for a few weeks, and finally we found an opportunity - Valentine's Day!  

 He made a personalized portrait for every kid in his class, and the three teachers.  He worked diligently for two nights on it.  I'm so proud of him, and I think his classmates will be thrilled!  And I'm pretty pleased that I didn't have to spend any money on this year's Valentines!

Ellis, who doesn't enjoy drawing or coloring at all (hopefully someday!), opted for the cut-and-paste method.  I thought his Valentines turned out pretty cute as well.

This year, we have started my new favorite Valentine's Day tradition (stolen from Christina): Each kid gets a new book as a Valentine's Day present!  The boys were thrilled with the surprise and wanted to open them first thing in the morning.

 Ellis got the Lives of the Musicians, Lives of the Writers, and Lives of the Artists series that he has loved from the library.  Turns out that Sam is crazy about them as well!

 

Sam got this little series, because he is so into singing right now.  It has fun songs - many that he knows, and many that I'm glad my kids will get to learn.  We just read them, and while I think the illustrations are somewhat lacking, I'm really excited about having these.

 Henry got this little journal - something totally new for him.  It has a question a day, and space to write a response - a different response each year for three years.  I got this because his teacher recommended doing something like this, because Henry has a hard time answering questions that aren't fact-based.  I think it will be a fun activity for the two of us to do after the little ones are in bed.

Oh, and I had to include a picture of these birthday cards the boys made for me.  All on their own, they came downstairs while I was still in bed and made them.  So sweet!

And Henry's card almost survived the destruction of Sam before I found it!

Happy Heart Day, everyone!

The weekend of everything getting canceled . . . almost

This past weekend turned out to be pretty crazy for us!  The blizzard that hit our area was predicted to be record-breaking in snow accumulation and severity.  

 While the storm wasn't supposed to get bad until Friday night, our school officials went ahead and canceled school on Friday.  So Henry was home, which is actually a great thing for me, because Ellis is much happier when Henry is here (above, he is reading Ellis all the names of the characters in their Star Wars Encyclopedia).  Hours of fun, right there!

Meanwhile, Ben was interviewing in London, and the very important airport people decided to cancel all flights arriving after noon on Friday.  Ben's flight was scheduled to arrive at 12:40.  So he was stuck in London.  Which means I was stuck at home to face the blizzard alone with the boys (after flying solo all week) while Ben got an extra long tour of London.

A little after noon, we got a knock on our door.  Our amazing friend Cale Brown had shown up with a Wii in his hands.  He said, "I heard Henry and Ellis might want to borrow this?"  Um, he was heaven sent!  Turned our downer weekend into a party for these thrilled-beyond-belief boys.

 

And then the storm hit.  By 9:00pm, the snow on the side of the house was already up to the top of my rain boots (12-13 inches).  It came hard, fast, and windy!

At this point, I started wondering things like, "Am I hard-core enough to live in New Hampshire?" and "Would we really want to deal with international flights as a family of five?" and "Do you think I could pass as a snow goddess?"  Shortly after that, the power went out.  And then my cell phone gave it's last warning before it was about to die!  I had forgotten to charge it!  And what if the power was out for days?  What should I do about communication, heat, food, etc.?  This is when I really really wanted Ben to be home.

I put some milk out on the porch, just in case.  It stayed pretty cold, I guess!  But thankfully, we had power again by 5:30am.  Such a blessing!

 And we were completely buried in snow!

It took a long time for my neighbor and me to dig our cars out of this snow.  I have always been the one to happily stay inside with the kids while Ben did the shoveling (making hot cocoa for him, of course).  This was my first time having to take on the shoveling alone (alone, but with a very strong, fast-working upstairs neighbor Alex who put me to shame, and who probably wished Ben was here as much as I did!).  Again, the Wii came in handy while I was outside shoveling for hours.

Ben's flight was re-scheduled to come in at 1:00pm.  And then it was rescheduled again to come in at 4:30pm.  I was excited because we had planned a birthday/Valentine's date for Saturday night, and it looked like he was going to make it just in time!  Finally, at 4:45, Ben called to tell me that his plane had landed.  In Detroit.
I may or may not have eaten about 40 peanut M&Ms after hanging up the phone with him.  I was SO ready for him to be home.

Fina-fina-finally, Ben walked in the door on Sunday morning at 11:30!  I had already given up on hoping that he was ever coming home.  So seeing him was like something out of a dream.   He was scheduled to leave again for his next interview the next day around noon, so we had about 24 hours together.  Church was canceled too, so we had the whole afternoon to spend time as a family.

We went for a walk to check out how the neighborhood was faring in the aftermath of the storm.

Kind of a lot of snow everywhere.  25 inches, all in one night!

We had a little birthday party for me, and I insisted on a family photo.  Pretty good for a timed shot, hey?  If I had known it would be this good, I might have done it before pajama time.  :)

 The next morning, school was canceled again, so all five of us got to go out for breakfast.  Yum!  And then Ben bought me flowers (picked out by me - my favorite!) and then he left for his next trip.

 

I have some amazing friends who know what I like.  Thanks, Jamie and Christy, for a perfect lunch, delicious cupcakes, and great company! 

They even sang to me.  Can you believe I'm already 31?  Just for the record, my favorite cupcake was the chocolate mint oreo one (yes, I shared them).  Um, yeah.  It didn't take long for chocolate to grow on me.  I'm trying to remember that one year ago, I felt like I had finally gained enough self-control to welcome chocolate back into my life.  What I'm learning is that chocolate has a power of its own . . .

Singing Onstage

Twice in the past year, I have taken the boys to see plays at our local children's theater.  They have LOVED it, and have been downright inspired.  Ellis and Henry still sing the songs from "Oliver" all the time, and whatever chance they get, they practice their own little performances.  If I had to predict, I would guess that if any of them turn out to be a real performer someday, it will be Ellis.  He seems to get such a quiet thrill from the very thought of getting on a stage to put on a show.

Enjoy these musical productions by Ellis,

Henry,

Sam,

and yes, me.  I guess I'm just as eager as the boys to get onstage and perform!  There is something exhilarating about it, I will say.

National Portrait Galllery

We love having family in Washington, D.C.!  The 9+ hour drive might scare us away from visiting, but knowing we have family (Ben's sisters, Katie and Kara) to stay with and play with always gets us back there!

We went for a week around New Year's and had a grand time with The Bairds and Ludlows, as well as Ben's parents, who flew out because they can't miss a good party.  And of course, I took almost zero pictures of the family doing normal family things -- even though that is the real reason we went to Virginia.  Our boys were in heaven getting to spend time with their cousins (and let's not forget to mention their cousins' Wii), and we loved our time with family as well.

Every time we visit, we like to do one or two things in D.C. -- we're checking them off our list gradually.  Ben and I visited the Library of Congress, which was stunning and inspiring.  And to please Ellis, we took a trip to . . . 

The National Portrait Gallery!  They had portraits of a lot of famous people that Ellis likes (Georgia O'Keefe, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King . . .)

But the Hall of Presidents was his favorite (of course).

Can you tell that he's pleased as punch?

This is his classic proud-and-pleased-but-doesn't-want-to-show-it face.

Ellis quietly took in the thrill of the gallery, talking about presidents and wanting to see more and more.  We had to laugh because (aside from the Clinton portrait above), most of the portraits look identical to the flashcards we have at home . . . so seeing these pictures was nothing new.  But they were REAL PAINTINGS.  Which is awesome.  Of course.  I'm just glad my 4-year-old can appreciate that.

The best part, however, was watching Sam get in on the action.  Just being around Ellis has taught Sam a love for the presidents, so he was ecstatic about all of them.  I loved hearing his little baby voice calling out, "Wincon!" (Lincoln), "Waygan!" (Reagan), and "Nicken!" (Nixon).  I think Sam probably knew 2/3 of their names, which came as a shock to me (and the museum guard standing nearby).  Let's not forget that Sam's  favorite is OBAMA!!!  He insisted on checking out this "Obama Show" from the library last week . . . and he has insisted on watching it several times.  I just love seeing how excited he gets about it:

Insta-January 2013

 This is why we are in Virginia right now #cousinbondingtime

 Michael comes to the table whenever I feed Sam.  He grabs his bib and is ready to be fed!  No wonder is is twice Sam's size (but 3 months younger).

 Family dodge ball.  Ben has a helpful sidekick.  

 Dodge ball spectators and babysitters!

 Washington D.C.  Ready for our tour of the Library of Congress, across the street from the Capital.

 "They are never alone that are accompanied with noble thoughts."  #libraryofcongress

 While Ellis had his indulgent moment with the presidents, I had mine with the poets.  Portrait Gallery is a pretty cool place!  #eatingpoetry #markstrand 

 I want to be a possessed McDonald's worker when I grow up.  #pleasetouchmuseum #philly #wedreambig

 A chorus of three entitled children screaming because they can't agree on which DVD to watch in the car.  #heavenhelpus #endofvacationblues #firstworldproblems

 Three reading logs to turn in tomorrow.  Henry missed 4 extra days of school for our extended Christmas vacation.  Then yesterday, he had only been in school a few hours when the school nurse called to tell me he was sick.  2 more days off! #schoolcrampsourstyle

 "And I don't even have to use the Number Line Hotel!  I can just use my fingers!"

 Look at me!  On stage!  I got to sing in Amy Kyle's student voice recital tonight.  I am learning SO much from Amy and am loving the opportunity to improve.  Plus, singing on a stage is one of my secret fantasies.  #marypoppins #practicallyperfect #beingmrsbanks 

Ellis and the girls.  It is goal-setting week at Joy School, and this picture was their group goal.  Ellis' personal goal is to learn to do his own snap and zipper after potty time.

Meet Frosty.  Normally, playing in the snow is Ben's "job."  Probably, having Ben gone is good for me in some ways.  #steppingitup #firstsnowmanofmotherhood

Sometimes it's worth it to let them throw three baskets of clean clothes down the stairs.  #thirtyminutesfreechildcare  

Turns out Kool-Aid is a really good food coloring for homemade play-dough.  Makes it smell so yummy!  A little too tempting for Sam though.  Good thing it's all edible ingredients!  (Is glitter edible?)

And now, Dad is back in our lives for 36 hours.  Three boys couldn't be happier!   

 Date night.  Aren't we romantic?  #iceskating #kendallsquare

 Dropping him off at South Station for his next round of interviews.  This week: Dartmouth, NYU, and Columbia.  2 down, 10 to go!

 This is the boy who fell off the church gymnasium stage while his dad was asking his mom to please watch him so he wouldn't' fall off the stage.  It was a pretty long fall.  Luckily, he hit his forehead on a cabinet on the way down.  #daredevilboy #responsibleparents

This sight made me smile. #samo 

 Time to bring out the old super glue!  #winterhands #fingercracks #thingsmymothertaughtme

 The time has come for my children to start eating their cereal with milk.  Prior to this challenge, Henry hadn't had a sip of milk (without chocolate in it) since he was 15 months old.  Six years later, I realized that the acceptance of milk isn't going to come without tears.  

 And yes, there have been tears every day.  #icandohardthings

 Ellis has very little interest in drawing or coloring.  We're trying to practice basic shapes.  Can you tell which ice cream cone is his?  #finemotorskills

Welcome home, Dad!  #camehomeatmidnight #homeforoneblessedday #beforeheleavesagain

 This one just came out of his room after 20 minutes in bed to announce, "Dad, I remember the Jedi that survived the Great Jedi Purge!" #thinkingtime #nerdsraisingnerds #bultarswan

And when someone else is paying, Ben gets to take a taxi to the airport or train station, while Sam takes a long nap, right on schedule.  #lifeisgood #thankyouyale

Sauteed vegetables atop a bed of mashed cauliflower.  Something I could never get away with making for dinner if Ben was home!  #veggiecleanse