Grant and Will

We've gotten lots of comments about Will looking like Grant. You be the judge:

Grant - Week 1




Will - Week 1



Grant - Week 4



Will - Week 4

Ho Ho Ho

Last night we had our daycare's Christmas Party. Wow! Julie, the daycare "leader" (as Grant calls her), outdid herself and had Santa come in. (Plus she gave out great gifts - individualized calenders of each kid, ornaments made by the kids and personalized towels for each kid.)

Grant went right up to him to introduce himself:

We also got a peek at how honest Grant is. When Santa asked if he'd been good, he replied, "Yes. But sometimes I'm bad."

He then went on to ask for a big motorcycle for Christmas (see approximate sizing, below). One that "I can ride and keep outside so it won't break." I think we're in some trouble here as a motorcycle wasn't on my list for him.

The newest addition to the daycare crew:

(P.S. Will asked for world peace.)

The party was a total hit with Grant. He cried when it was time to go and cried, again, when we got home and realized he did not come home with his motorcycle.

Activities for Kids

I just got a book for Grant (and Will) called "The Siblings Busy Book" by Lisa Hanson and Heather Kempskie. It has all sorts of activities for kids of all ages. Its nice because it breaks down each activity with infant, toddler, pre-schooler, and school-age appropriate projects.

Happy playing!

The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting

Another interesting article in Time... or at least I thought so.

• It made me feel better that Grant is not (yet) in any extracurricular activities or pre-school.
• It reminded me that we all survived in a much un-safer world when we were growing up.
• It made me appreciate that he does get such a kick out of running, playing baseball with us, helping with chores, etc.
• It made me resolve to try to keep our lives sane and not to over-do it as the boys do get older.
• Overall, it made me sigh in relief that we're doing pretty darn good.

The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting

My favorite perspective from the article is on page 2. "... the odds of being kidnapped and killed by a stranger are about 1 in 1.5 million. When parents confront you with "how can you let him go to the store alone?," she suggests countering with "how can you let him visit your relatives?" (some 80% of kids who are molested are victims of friends or relatives.) Or ride in the car with you? (More than 420,000 kids were injured in motor vehiclaes last year.) ... "

I spy ...

Troy reading a book! It is a miracle.

I bought him the new Andre Agassi bio, "Open" and he has not put it down. It is the first book he has read since we've been together. He reads magazines and newspapers but not books. When asked, he advised it is because it reads like a magazine story. Two steps forward, one backward.

Anyhoo, he reminds me of me ... back when I had time to read.

(Note: the book is getting excellent reviews and is #1 on the New York Times best-seller list.)

My boys

P.S.

I'm seriously NOT digging the upload picture feature on this tool. It always adds my pics at the top of the post and then I can't copy/paste my text around them. Grrr. (no wonder I have high BP.) I'm sure I'm just missing something (which is an even bigger factor in my BP, since usually I know everything - ha!). Any how-to tips appreciated!