Life in the Burbs

You can’t stay awake at the dinner table.

Sam and Nate got their first taste of wearing real costumes on Tuesday when Fun Shop had a semi-Halloween party. When it came to the boys actually wearing their costumes, my expectations were pretty low. When we have “piloted” the costumes at home, Nate would only keep his on for a couple of minutes. Well, all the distractions at Fun Shop must have been the answer because he tolerated his costume for about 45 minutes. He finally got a little agitated at the tail following him everywhere. Sam wore his costume until the end, when I finally took it off before we had to clean up. You didn’t hear this from me, but word is the boys ranked near the top in cuteness. Just sayin’. We would like to send a huge shout out to GiGi who made the costumes for the boys. They will be treasured forever. Here are some pics and video of the event.

The Stare Down

Sam and Nate have started climbing and standing on EVERYTHING! The table in their room. The train table. The couch. The rocking chairs. And yes, their rocking horses (giraffes, actually). Here they are re-enacting the final scene from Dead Poets Society. You probably won’t be surprised when I say Nate fell off his giraffe about 10 seconds after I took this photo. His response? Touchdown!

We don’t watch a lot of television at our house. In fact, there are weeks when we will not turn on the TV at all during the evenings. This doesn’t include the occasional video for the boys, but overall we aren’t big TV people. However, once Saturday and Sunday roll around, I like to watch football. Last week, while we were watching a football game, Sam, Nate and I were playing with their little UVA football. They would throw the ball and I would shout “Touchdown!” Well, this has now become Nate’s favorite word. When we get home from a walk or running errands: Touchdown! When I finish changing his diaper: Touchdown! When he’s done eating his lunch: Touchdown! I think you get the point. You can hear it for yourself right here:

 Touchdown! [0:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

We had a great time playing, working and relaxing today in the cool fall weather. We started off the day by going to the Old Capitol Farmer’s Market in downtown Springfield. We bought some organic lettuce and turnip greens. After a yummy lunch and a nap, we went for a walk on our street, then we played outside while Gina made dinner. I decided to clean up some weeds that had been sitting in the grass for a few days, and Sam and Nate wanted to help. We then had a delicious dinner, took a bath and did the night-night routine. The boys are now sound asleep, and Gina and I can’t quit talking about how blessed we are. One thing that is becoming clear to me is that this is autumn in so many ways. Gina and I spent some time today going through toys the boys don’t really play with anymore, and we came across their sandals from this summer. They were sitting out when the boys woke up, and they wanted to put them them on … over their socks (in honor of Uncle Joe … just kidding bro!). I remarked to Gina that they would probably never wear their little orange and blue UVA sandals again, which reminded me that when we bought them they were so big they barely clung to the boys’ feet. I think we will probably keep the sandals just to look at from time to time, but it won’t be long before this fall, and this time in the boys’ lives, is just a memory. I’m thankful to God for blogs and digital cameras and sandals and every other thing that serve as a reminder that every instance of “today” and “now” are what we use to write the stories that will last us a lifetime.

I recently noticed when the boys were outside the other day that they were playing with that most ancient of toys: sticks. Sam was waving his around like a sword or a flag, while Nate enjoyed putting his through the holes in our patio table. Sam also tried to jam his stick into Nate’s eye, but Gina was there to intervene. Thank goodness for moms!

On Monday, we went to the local ice arena to skate with the boys. Since they have been walking less than a year, we weren’t about to put them in skates. So, I rigged up a couple of laundry baskets with rope, and we pulled the boys around the rink. It was a lot of fun for the boys and a great workout for Gina and I. We were also among a handful of parents who actually skated on the ice. Most of them just wore their sneakers or snow boots, but I actually felt much more stable on the skates. After watching a special on 60 Minutes about concussions the night before, I wasn’t taking any chances. Here are some pics and video of the event.

Sam, Nate and Ella are all really into trains right now. I ‘m not sure why that is, but they all love playing with, riding and reading about trains. This gave me a great idea. When Granny and Granddad were in Springfield visiting last week, they brought the boys some books, one of which was The Little Train, by Lois Lenski. Well, that book has quickly risen the best-seller list in our house and currently sits at number one. Sam loves to say “Choo Choo” while someone is reading it to him. As a way to share our favorite book with Ella, I made it into a digital book using PowerPoint and iSpring (a PPT plugin for converting slideshows into Flash movies).  I used an audio clip of Sam to help you know when to turn the pages. It’s pretty darn cute. You can see the final product below.

Another October, another chance to cheer for the Red Sox as they make a big push toward the WS. This year will be a challenge for them, but as always it will be fun to follow. Sam is demonstrating here that his loyalty is in the right place. When Nate’s not wearing a cornucopia, he’s wearing a Broncos hat.

This past weekend Granny and Granddad came to Springfield to visit us. We had a really good time, showing them around our new town and doing some fun things together. On Sunday, we started off with a driving tour of downtown Springfield so Granny and Granddad could see the Illinois State Capitol, the Old Capitol building, the Lincoln home, and the Governor’s mansion. We then went to the Dublin Pub for lunch, and everyone tried the famous Horseshoe. If you don’t know what a horseshoe is, it’s a Springfield specialty where they stack Texas toast, meat (usually hamburger) and fries, all of which is covered with white cheese sauce. I have now had three Horseshoes, and I have yet to be disappointed.

After lunch, we went to Washington Park to hear the Carillon concert and walk around the rose gardens. The weather was beautiful, and this was a great way to work off the massive amount of calories we had just consumed. We also got to go inside the botanical garden and see many different, unique plants.

Later that day, while the boys played with Granny and Gina, Don and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the Broncos play the Cowboys. The game looked like it might go to the Cowboys early on, but the Broncos stayed tough and walked away with a victory. Despite the outcome, we had a nice time and were able to have good conversation while we watched the game. I’ve already told Gina I might make Buffalo Wild Wings a regular Sunday stop … just kidding.

On Monday, Granny and Granddad went to see the Lincoln Museum and Library, while Gina stayed home with the boys. I got to go to work … yay. Everyone came to my office later that day and we walked around campus for a little while before picking up pizza from Monical’s. After a huge meal and a movie, we all went to bed and slept through a very loud thunderstorm.

Granny and Granddad left this morning to head back to Texas, and we got back to business as usual. We had a great time with our first visitors, and we can’t wait for them to come back again. Here are some pictures of our adventures.