Kai + Skyler are twins!

Kai has just discovered the beauty of wearing jeans. It has been a long strange trip in terms of pants for Kai. He is really picky and refuses to wear underwear, so most of the time rough materials are discarded for the softer fabric of sweats. This was not cutting it so amidst much protest we cajoled Kai into trying on jeans. After a few tries he agrees--they rock!

So the other day we went to buy Kai jeans at Macy's and he talked Skyler into buying a pair so they could be "twins". It took me a few days to get Skyler's jeans washed since they sent us home with the alarm thingy still attached--finally Devon and Kai sawed it off against my protests that I was going to bring them back to the store. Turns out their plan was faster and more effective. Done. So this morning Kai woke up and asked if I had washed Skyler's jeans--elated to hear my affirmative answer, they went about trying to figure out the rest of the outfit that would make them twins. Their first choice shirts were not available--somewhere in the glut of laundry we always have going. They found a replacement and then spent much time deliberating the choice of belts and their disappointment that they did not have matching shoes. The morning was so exciting amidst the enactment and anticipation of really being twins.

I had to document this moment--how long can it last? It was so adorable!

Strange Happenings!

Skyler: Well Skyler is still sick. He had a high fever and then it was gone. Then it returned. Gone. Returned. Out of school. In school. Seeming better, but now left without any resiliency and really grouchy! Whatever he had really hit him hard! It was slow coming on and has lingered on what seems like forever...

Kai: Three days ago while engaged in a school activity Kai was engaged in journaling about nature. They were free writing about what they saw as they sat quietly alone in a cozy spot they each picked out near a stream. Kai was interested in oat or wheat grass--not sure the exact variety but all the same. As we were leaving the site Kai and friends picked some of this unnamed grass and proceeded to eat it. Something in the back of my mama brain said--maybe not the best idea. But I quickly quieted those voices and rationalized that it was all in the name of experimentation. I went home. Kai stayed at school. Grandma picked him up and took him to gymnastics--2 hr workout [1 of the three he does each week]--and then off to Ethiopian for dinner. Next morning he says that his throat feels a bit dry. When the flashlight hits his throat all I can see is a piece of that grass sticking out completely horizontally struck in the side of his throat pointing to his tonsils. Tears fill my eyes. "What is wrong, Mama?" Kai wants to know. I get him to stay put, go immediately to the bathroom, sterilize the tweezers, grab a emery board and head back still brandishing my flashlight. What is a mama to do? I think I understand how parents lift cars when they need to--in my mind that invader needed to be out of Kai's throat RIGHT NOW!!! I told him what was going on. Said if he could not sit still and let me do minor surgery on him I would need to get him to the doctor and proceeded to use the nail file to hold his tongue down and reached in as far as I could--I could only barely hold on to the tweezers and grabbed that grass seed and pulled. It came out! I could not believe it. It worked. I saved him! Oh my god, maybe that was a job for the doctor was the next thing that came to mind. I just never thought about it--I wanted it out! It is out. All is good. I do not think Kai will eat grass again for a really long time.

Kai + Skyler + Devon: Long ways back!

Hannah just sent this cute photo to us of Kai + Skyler + Devon [Skyler is about 1 1/2 + Kai is about 3 1/3--just after returning from New Zealand] waiting for me at the Mother's Day 9K. Devon and I looked at this one and we could not believe that Skyler was ever so small. It is truly amazing how quickly time passes. Thanks, Hannah, for the great memory!

Sick Skyler

Well Skyler has now spent many days being sick--high temp., low energy, ups and downs, generally needing his mama--I regularly hear, "Mama, I need you." He has nourished himself with honey-lemon tea, eggs and finally tonight some Thai food. Went to bed much easier tonight. Poor guy!

For entertainment today--since Kai only played for three hours with Hank, our neighbor kid--the kids tried their hands at hoola hooping. Kai was able to manage 3 at a time for a few rounds. Skyler was stuck on one, but valiantly tried two.

Ended the day with a picnic of Thai food on the lawn delivered to our door. The day was spectacular and so it was worth braving Elliot trying to steel our food while we ate to wring out the last of the deliciously warm days of fall.

Hiking at the Black Cat Farm--Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Kelsey was living with us for a few days while his parents were in NYC cooking. Well it was our Tuesday hike day and so I cajoled them into going on an "adventure walk." Kai had a break down about going, but in the end he got behind the idea. The adventure was to Kelsey's family farm: Black Cat Farm. Kelsey showed us all the veggies and gave us the general tour and then we made our way across fields to find a bike path just meandering alongside a stream and we walked it until we found fun trees to climb and swings to swing on. It was a blast! Thanks to Mariah we actually have documentation of the day.

Kai + Skyler

This is my ]irst attempt to document Kai + Skyler's escapades. Kai is in second grade--7 1/2 and Skyler is in kindergarten--5, almost 6 years old. Today Kai was picked up from school by his friend Caleb's parents and went to Caleb's 8th birthday party where they played hard at Gateway Park. After almost 4 hours of partying Kai announced that he wanted to have a sleepover. I broached the subject with a friend of Kais' mom from the party and off I went with Jack Baugh in the car where we headed to our house to pick up sleepover essentials before both kids climbed in Kim's [Jack's mom] car and they sped off to the town on Eldora in the mountains above Boulder[very brave of them as this is Jack's first sleepover--at his house]. Before the leaving Jack spent some large amount of time in the chicken coop where he opened the metal trash can where their food resides and tried to figure out how many chickens he can fit in the barrel at once. Poor chickens!

Skyler was ecstatic to spend the day at kinder in the morning and then take his new friend Somi home to play for a few hours. After this we headed over to a sample sale [Smartwool] for over an hour--he was perfect the whole time! Then over to Kai's birthday party where he hung on me a lot, eat food, played with some of the kids and headed home with Kai and Jack in the car to await his friend Oscar's arrival at our house for his sleepover at our abode [his first sleepover away from family]. So far they have played outside on the trampoline and inside with legos. They love playing together!