New Year's Eve 2016

Another year down!

The morning started with to-do lists, cleaning, and eagle cams.

Carrie baked! She had left over tempered chocolate, so we started to dip everything we could find. Tortilla chips, peanut butter crackers, rice krispie treats...

Carrie needed a nap, so I 'cooked' dinner (a la sandwich fixings from Wegmans).

At 5:00 PM, the festivities started!

The boys had a blast.

We put the Minion movie on for Eli when we (the adults) were ready to sit down.

It was a big hit.

The older boys protested, but stayed enthralled. Eli wandered some.

Easy night, good company.

Dylan goes to bed earlier than Shane. He was pretty wiped, so his family headed out early. Shane, Carrie, and I watched an animated ball drop on Netflix. Shane hasn't figured out the 'stay up late' bit yet. I'm not about to tell him either!

Happy New Year, all.

Strung Out for a Visit

Shane is one of the neediest kids. I can't ignore him for 5 minutes without him saying, "Daddy, won't you play with me?" 

However, there are three magical times he will play on his own: Right before a poop, "You need to clean this up," and "It's almost time to go."

Today, I said, "It's almost time to go see Uncle Patrick."

You know what? I let it happen. It was creative. He was entertained. I got to drink coffee and read. All things I can live with (Bonus: the cats were enthralled).

Eventually, we drove up the mountain. We got to see our first flurries of the season!

We went out to lunch and Shane got electronics for 'dessert.'

Shane tried to argue electronics weren't 'dessert,' but jeopardized his case by almost eating the remote.

Shelby wanted to take a nap before work, so Patrick, Shane, and I walked around downtown.

Wind. I didn't factor in wind and wind chill. We took refuge in a local coffee shop, read books, and played on phones.

Now, there is an epic side story. The last time we visited, we spotted a party type game made by a local. Group consensus: "Nope."

Weeks later, someone Patrick and I knew posted a video on Facebook. I didn't watch it, but I immediately recognized the game, laughed, and took a screenshot. I texted it Patrick's way to share the mirth.

THE NEXT DAY, Patrick texted me back. "I delivered thai food to the creators and they gave me a copy."

Shelby refused to let him open it until Shane arrived!

HAHAHA! I love it!

Maybe I'll try and inflict the game on Nana the next time she visits. I bet that'd be hilarious. It's the perfect kind of game to do that with, too (It may even convert me to a believer). In the meantime, I know what I'll grab if I ever want to make a zombie or reaver costume.

We finished the day with some Go Fish and Hearthstone. Another vacation day well spent!

Richmond Christmas

Holidays are great for catching up! Shane and I visited Kim and Ryan after wrestling practice Thursday.

First thing he asked for: Banana bread. I don't know if he had banana bread last time and somehow remembered it or if he saw or smelled it. He's a clever kid.

Shane certainly remember the cats.

And the Legos.

Ryan returned home while we were upstairs. He snuck up to surprise Shane. The cats snuck up thereafter (They were more social/tolerant with Shane).

Somehow, I forgot: Aunt Kim likes to wrap presents.

Shane loves to unwrap presents.

I hope Shane fully appreciates how lucky he is to have so many generous people in his life. I doubt he does now, but maybe when he's older. I claimed a Pez candy dispenser from his gift pile and he was despondent. I did it, at first, to rile him a little bit. A quick joke. An opportunity to learn to let little things slide. Then, because he overreacted, I claimed it as a tip for driving.

Shane wanted it back so badly he wanted to trade me a toy dinosaur. I took the trade.

Either Shane was strategic and figured he'd still get to play with the dinosaur, or he's ruled by the moment (or at least his stomach).

Ryan gave Shane some shooting lessons later. We need to get some Nerf guns.

Duck and cover, kitties!

I was down 9-8 in Foosball to Kim and Shane when Ryan stepped in to help. We tied it up and then I let him try for the final point while I photographed.

Shane 'only likes to win.'

We headed out to Chic Fil A for dinner before Shane and I headed back home. Have I mentioned I love Chic Fil A? Shane played and the adults got to talk.

There are too few vacation days. It's a joy to spend them well.

Handsome or Cute?

From Carrie last week:

At Taekwando, all of the kids were lined up on the wall. The head master posed each one a question.

"A-Ha! Are you handsome or cute!?" (Pronounced 'key-yoot!')

"Handsome!" a little boy answered.

"Cute!" a little girl replied.

And so on, until he got to Shane.

Shane paused. He smirked. "I'm CUTE!"

Ask him now and he replies the same. Carrie's been laughing and enjoying it for the past week.

A Tale of Two Shanes: Contradictory Cleverness

I was proud of Shane. He figured out how to unwrap and open a box, use a screwdriver, and correctly fit batteries into a light-up minion.

He asked me to help earlier, and I said, "If you want to do it, figure it out." Kids need chances to muddle through things. Shane looked pretty smart to me.

Then, Shane tried to shove so much chicken in his mouth at dinner he said he couldn't swallow. He was very upset when I told him he couldn't have dessert unless he finished. Spitting it in the trash can was not an option.

Fifteen minutes of whining later, Shane decided he had to spit the food into his hand and take smaller bites to manage it.

Wrestling and Dylan Day

Carrie went back to work and I went back to coaching. Shane got to hang out.

Then, we met Dylan and Eli after lunch!

It was unseasonably warm.......and wet.

Once the kids hit the first puddle there was nothing to do, but shrug and hope the mess wasn't too bad.

Eli jumped on this sign. I quickly informed Krista.

We split up so that Eli could nap, but met up again later at Dylan and Eli's house. There's been a lot of construction since our last visit (Was it really that long ago?).

The boys immediately found Angry Birds.

The adults had other ideas.

We ditched the electronics and all went for a trail walk.

Stop 1: The vine swing.

I might have climbed a tree.

We walked on logs, ran down paths, and checked out the remains of a truck.

The boys found a hole they really, really, really wanted to stick their heads, hands, and whatever else they could find down it. They imagined/wanted their to be a snake in there, so badly they believed it.

All interest in reaching the water tower at the top was lost.

We stopped for a snack and listened to the boys talk about snakes instead.

On the way home, the boys collected fallen pine needle paint brushes. Krista set up the paints. Dylan decided he preferred to use his hands.

We left shortly after 5:00 PM, so that Shane could attend his wrestling practice. We've attempted to come out 4 of the last 5 times. It's only worked out twice....and this was not one of them. Practice was cancelled. We weren't the only ones to not get the notice.

However, we found a new old friend. Matthew recognized Shane from pre-school. He was in the other room. The boys played in the parking lot for fifteen minutes. Next time, they may end up as partners.

It made the trip a success in my book, practice or not.