Our friend Corinne (or Lindy as she's also called by pretty much everyone but us), is writing a new food blog. If you like food, recipes and people with several names who write about such things, go check out http://www.kismetmess.blogspot.com/.
Christmas present from Santa Mom-Mom & Grampa. A badass air hockey table. Next thing I know, the boys will go all Kelly Leek on me.It's funny what kids hang onto. This song by the Avett Brothers, for instance. I got into it a few months ago and started playing it while we were out and about, thinking the boys might like it. To my surprise, they started requesting it. I can see why. It's sweet and simple and above all - very clear. The sentences are short and kid-friendly. The production is simple with heavy emphasis on the voices and piano.
What I didn't expect was them to sit and listen to it in rapt attention all the way through. It's a five minute song. It's also rather melancholy. Still, I have a theory on why they paid so much attention.
First, I told them early on that the singers were brothers. You know, easily relatable to their lives. Two brothers who grew up playing music together. Vincent started asking which brother was singing which part. I showed him the video so he could put faces to the voices. Now he keeps a running play-by-play whenever we listen to it. ("That's the brother with the long hair who plays piano, not the brother with the beard who plays the drums.")
There's also significance to the song's use of Brooklyn. Though they've never been there, the boys know it pretty well. A couple of their favorite books take place there - Sara Varon's Chicken and Cat Clean Up and Mo Willems' Knuffle Bunny. We also have good friends who live there that the boys chat with every now and then, who also send cool presents - including one of the aforementioned books. And finally, whenever we visit cousins Joe, Rachel & John, we drive past parts of Brooklyn, including Coney Island. They've come about as close as a 5 and 2 1/2 year old can come without actually visiting, so in their own way, they must find comfort in the song's chorus.
Finally, I can't say how awesome it feels to see my kids enjoying music. It's one thing to see them dancing along to Yo Gabba Gabba (kind of awesome in its own right). It's another thing altogether to share a song. Especially an unexpected one.
January can be tough. Long days. Short nights. Cold. And I think it's actually 65 days long as opposed to 31. That's just been passed, I believe.
Giving you what you came here for - photos. No words, just pitcherz.
Hot. Chocolate. is. no. joke.
This is my cousin and she's awesome.
Why not wear a Santa outfit while decorating cookies? It's Christmas dagnabbit.
Christmas morning brought with it our new favorite obsession - Star Wars. This one was inevitable. And of all of the obsessions so far, this one is by far the best.
But this train obsession is quite great as well. I mean, who doesn't like trains?
Christmas at home followed by Christmas at Mom-Mom & Grampa's followed by battling your own mother. That's what the holidays are all about. 
Shortly thereafter, the debut of our new family band - Grampa on hot vocals, Kyle on the skins and Vincent on low-slung guitar. Full disclosure: this was the first time I ever played Rock Band. I'm old. And yeah, we destroyed it.
A foot of snow, highs of 8 degrees and winter's glistening splendor = a week in Vermont!
I'm ready to ice skate! ARE YOU!? 
Wait a second. This is ice. These are blades that are the width of a pencil and I just learned to walk about 20 months ago. Logically, this doesn't compute. 
This guy took to it immediately. He was literally running across the ice, pushing these milk crates. I mean - skatin' ain't easy people!
Chillin' before the next run. I was waiting for him to take a swig of a water bottle like a goalie. 
Ah - solid ground.
There really is no better way to wind down than to count and organize some antique Star Wars figures. 
