Travel Edition, Volume 1

Update re: The Barber Shop Duo. I mentioned that the kids' hair was wet during the hair cutting episode? We found out last week, that the product used to wet it was…Windex. OMG.

On an unrelated note, the "note" below is from Greyson to Sara.  His words and letters may not be in order but gratitude is there. Can you figure out the puzzle?  First person to solve it gets a prize!

I titled this post the travel edition because Mike and I have a fair amount coming up and for all of the craziness that comes with it, we're looking forward to some fun in there too.  I’m leaving for Beijing on Sunday where I’ll spend 5 days before flying onto Hyderabad for a few days. Let me say it again, “leaving…on Sunday. At 1:00pm. DURING THE NFC CHAMPIONSHIP. Shoot me now. I can’t believe I’m missing Packers/Bears. UGH.

Beijing is going to be a great experience. I’ll be there just prior to Chinese New Year which I understand is a very big deal. We have time set aside to see The Great Wall so pictures will be posted at some point. From Beijing I fly to India for a few days. Hyderabad. I don’t know what’s there but it’s 85 and sunny and I’m Vitamin D deprived.

GREY*isms*

• G: “I wanna go to China with you!”
• Me: “You do? Why"?”
• G: “Because there’s Chinese food there”

Mike and I leave for my company’s annual Cancun trip on February 8th. My mom, sister and Alayna are flying in to watch the boys. I know they’re all giddy with excitement and I’m looking forward to spending a day with them before we go. It’s Jen and Alayna’s first visit to Seattle so there will be no shortage of sight seeing and fun while we’re away. 
The week after that, I’m back to Ireland for a few days of meetings. We both have some short trips in March and April and then in May we’re heading to Cabo with the Mullens from our old neighborhood.  In July we’ll be home sweet home for the 4th.

GREY*isms*

• G: “Mom, you should go to Argentina”
• G: “Mom, if we were going to drive to Wisconsin, that would take hours”
• Me: “Grey, how about we go to Italy together?”  
• G: “ Is there toys there?”

Graham, with his bottom teeth and 2 eye teeth, could have joined a coven of vampires for the past 2 months but his 5th tooth, front left, finally popped out a couple of weeks ago. I regret that I didn't get a picture of my little blood sucker. It was funny (and a little creepy).  He's attempting to run these days and as you can see in the video, working hard to keep up with his brother.

And, finally, just a few fun pics from our pre-dinner hour tonight.  I usually take pictures of the boys before I go on a trip so I can show my colleagues the latest and greatest.  It will give me something to talk about with my Chinese and Indian counterparts.  Loving your children is a universal language that everyone understands.

GO PACK!

Barber Shop Duo

In 2009, I blogged about a time that Greyson cut his hair. It was fairly insignificant; a little chop to the bangs and some kudos to him for putting the scissors back where he found them.

On Sunday, after a very fun but long Saturday night hosting my office holiday party, we found the boys on the floor in our bathroom.  Graham’s hair was wet and cut at the crown of his head. Insignificant for the most part; it almost looked like Grey knew what he was doing.  Grey’s hair, also wet, was a ridiculous mess of chops on the top, sides and back of his head.  Random snips, some of them large, like he was attempting to sculpt something.

Now I know almost every parent goes through the “rite of passage” of a child cutting their hair, or their sibling’s hair, or a Barbie doll. But when your husband thinks you’re upstairs with the kids and you think your husband is upstairs with the kids and then you realize that in fact, you’re both downstairs watching the Packer game oblivious to the whereabouts of the kids…well, a momentary panic sets in given how quiet it was.

This is what we walked into…

And this is what “that” looks like…

The pictures unfortunately do not capture what can only be described as “clumps” missing from the very top and back of his head.  He’s worried about how long it’s going to take to grow back.  He should be more worried about whether we let him leave the house again.  Thankfully Graham walked away unscathed.  Did I reprimand myself for leaving the scissors on the counter in the bathroom well within reach of a 4 year old?  Why would I do that?

On a positive note, Greyson drew the following portraits of us using a fun template that my mom got him for Christmas.  He drew Graham as well but for some reason we can’t find it. Maybe Graham threw it away since the hair wasn’t quite right.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

‘Twas the first day of the new year and all through our house, toys were scattered on every floor; enough to hide a large mouse, or a family of rats, or shit, a full-grown Bengal tiger and her cubs.

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We woke up in our own home on Christmas morning for the first time since 1996 (and it wasn’t “our” home then, it was our respective parent’s homes well before we were married).  We enjoyed the pace, the chaos of wrapping paper and musical toys, ball pits and forts, the fresh baked croissants from Williams Sonoma (wow). But we sincerely missed the familiarity of Christmas Eve at my parent’s house and Christmas Day at Mike’s. Every meal fit for a king.  The bonds between the cousins.  Snow.  The jury is out on next year. We’ll see.

I bought a sucker for Greyson’s stocking from my new favorite store, Metropolitan Market (Met Market to the locals)…

Later that day…no wonder the thing cost $4.99!

We celebrated New Year’s Eve at Suncadia in Cle-Elum, WA; the heart of the Cascade Mountains, with our friends, the Herrera’s and their 2 boys.  Hot chocolate, wine and plenty of food.  Lots and lots of snow and sunshine.  It was gorgeous and relaxing and we will definitely go back.  Mike surprised me with a massage and facial at the spa. It was an amazing treat.

Greyson had the best *isms over our holiday break but I was too busy playing to write them down.  I’m sorry about that, because they were really good and my memory is worse than Graham’s poopy diapers.

Graham, BTW, is a full-fledged walking toddler. He prefers to walk and he’s good at it and he’s RIDICULOUSLY cute.  I have videos, lots of ‘em, and I plan to post at some point.  But it takes a long time and I’m watching a movie with Mike.  G’night.  And Happy 2011.  Blessings on us all.