In the Milky Way

I make a daily case for always having a camera on me. These were taken during a very quick trip to Milky Way Farm in Chester Springs. The place is great. You can go eat homemade ice cream, then get super close to real animals. If it gets better than that, these kids don't know it. So with bellies full, they walk from stinky animal to stinky animal while we feverishly try to capture cool moments before they run away to the next thing. It was around 7:30pm, so the light was really nice.

<---When I broke out my camera(phone), there were only two calves checking Vincent out. The black one must've stuck its head out at the very last second and it totally makes it.

This one (below) is the real Vincent and Pete. Anticipating the arrival of a friendly sheep that 2 seconds later they will both jump back away from, fearing a lick.

That's all I got for now. Stay tuned for photos of giant trucks and a related story that will make my male readers cringe. Only minor injuries, of course.

Laying Down the Law

Let me preface this by saying the boys are usually good. We have our days, as all families do, but they're good kids. That said, the following is an entire voicemail, left for me by my beloved wife today that I thought bore transcription. Rose - don't hate me.

9/1/09

3:22 PM, a very calm and rational-sounding wife:

"Hey babe, it's me. I'm in the middle of a bit of a standoff here...sooo.... I am not going to be cleaning up the family room. I told the boys ten times they had to do it (Ed. note - Clean up after themselves.) so ummm.. they're not allowed to do anything tonight until that room gets cleaned up. I mean, I'm gonna be here for the next hour then I think you need to be the one to make them do it (Ed. note - She was meeting a friend for dinner - a rare treat) but if not, I think you have to be the one to enforce it...because...I just....I can't do anything other than ask a million billion times and punish and...we're already not getting a DVD from the library this week and so...that's it. If they would rather play than clean up the mess than that's fine but they have to clean it up tonight when you get home. Ok? Ok - love you."

Ah parenthood. I learned later that Pete had squeezed toothpaste all over his feet today as well. Wish I had a picture of that, actually.

Dear stay-at-home parents - you rule.

Fudgsicle Soup

The boys cracked each other up tonight making some "fudgsicle soup." It started innocently enough, with the boys...well...eating fudgsicles. Then Vincent rubs it on his nose to get a laugh, Pete follows suit and the next thing you know, it's in both of their hair, on their clothes and bowls are swinging all over the table.

Meanwhile, instead of stopping it, Daddy's reaching for the camera to put the episode on his blog because it's hilarious. I only wish I could've captured Peter laughing at his hardest. You get a bit of it here but there was a point when he couldn't catch his breath.

Ah to be young and sugared.

The OC

It's taken us a couple of weeks to go through our photos from Ocean City. Well, we've done it and here they are. I'll save commentary for my captions below.

Pete and I had an early morning one day on the beach. Early enough that I didn't think I needed to change him out of his PJs. I was wrong.

Speaking of mornings, here they are feeding some intense seagulls.

I have a tattoo. Whatevs.

Love this one. Grampa and Uncle Joe trying to get the kite to work with Vincent looking on intently.

I'm Caroline. I like Cheese Doodles. This is how I eat them.

Look closely and you'll see yours truly playing backseat police helicopter driver.

The seagull feeding morning. On watch.

Love this one. Blankie & Paci making an appearance with Mommy.

Blurry buddies.

I have a thing for taking pictures of shoes. Why?

The Karate Kid.

Vincent wore this through the entire first two days. On the beach and everything. Super Why.

With Auntie Kate. And Super Why.

The Experiment Begins

I came home yesterday to a dismantled crib and Vincent saying, "Pete's new bed is ready!"

Rosalie and I have been saying he needs his own bed for weeks now. He wakes up multiple times in the night bonking into the top or the sides. His pacifier (yep - still has it) falls out. He's two. It's time. So we were gifted a hand-me-down full-sized bed from our good friends Erick & Ellen and my wife took it upon herself to make it happen yesterday. By herself with two kids no less. She's a superhero. My only contribution was bringing the mattress upstairs.

Our plan, as it has been all along, was to put Peter's bed directly next to Vincent's. Meaning, no space between them. That way, Vincent can climb into Pete's bed if he wants and vice versa. Leaving Mommy & Daddy happily rested and content for all times.

Night 1 - not so much.

Not that we expected that but there was indeed some screaming involved. Pete wasn't used to it so he was crying. His crying woke Vincent up and made him cry. Both wanted us to stay with them. To their credit (and ours) though, we made them deal with it. We tucked them both back in, sat for a couple of minutes, then left. And it seemed to work. Part of that could have been how incredibly exhausted they both were (Vincent woke up around 6:15 to see me off to work) but we're proud of them. Let's see how Night 2 goes.

Oh - I know I've used the word, "experiment" in the title, implying that if this doesn't "work" we'll somehow change the plan or abandon it.

That would be an incorrect use of the word. It's going to work. Right?

Photos of the Moment

Have there been more fireflies this summer? Maybe they're just more of a focus now that the boys are old enough to watch and catch 'em. The photo of Pete is blurry but I just love that dusky quality. He's trying his damndest to catch one. Just like Grampa below, who may have stepped in something while putting said firefly in a jar.

Vincent's Photo Journal

A few weeks back, Vincent pushed and prodded me to use the camera. He wanted to take pictures of the backyard. I gave him a handful of rules (hold it with two hands, keep the cord around your wrist, etc.) and he was off.

I have to say, he took some really nice shots for a four year old. There are 30 or so and they really form a nice collection piece. Here are some highlights. Ansel Adams over here.