Ty-Isms

This guy. 3 1/2 (not to be mistaken with a mere 3, as he’s quick to let you know).

He never stops thinking, moving or getting messy. While every good parent looks at their child and says, “how did we get so lucky?” Ty is the type you look at and say, “how did this guy come from us?”

This morning on the way to preschool, Marco was slipping out of his car seat to pet Frankie. The following dialogue ensued:

Ty: “You better stay in your seat, Marco. Santa’s watching.”
Marco: “Mom, does Santa watch us all year? I thought it was only Christmas time?”
Me: “He watches you all year, but he only brings presents on Christmas.”
Ty: “Except on Tuesdays. Santa doesn’t bring presents on Tuesdays.”
Me: “Why not Tuesdays, Ty?”
Ty: “Because a lot of people are sick on Tuesdays.”

Yep. Makes perfect sense.

He also told me tonight his favorite teacher is Ms. Zoe because she has the best hair, and the prettiest girl in his class is Cece because she gives him the best hugs. Something tells me he’ll be breaking a heart or two in high school.

Christmas…

Here’s a little glimpse of Christmas break in our house.

It included the 6-minute photoshoot I impulsively threw together so we’d have something to put on a Christmas card this year. The branch sticking out of Ty’s head wasn’t ideal, but the two smiles on their faces completely outweighed its awkwardness.

The sweetest thing under our tree came with big, bright eyes and crazy, dark hair.

And, of course, the gifts.

Marco wanted a new chess set more than anything in the world, and Santa was happy to deliver. In fact, one night he asked me what I thought the coolest thing ever invented was. Being completely practical, I told him it had to be the internet. His reply, “But, that’s boring.” (oh dear son, if only you knew what life was like BEFORE such a thing existed…and don’t even get me started on the short-lived greatness of Napster).

So I asked what he thought the coolest thing ever invented was. With one hundred percent certainty, he announced,”It’s chess and checkers.”

Ty’s big wish was for a Wubble Bubble Ball. He got two, and for the 6 minutes that each one lasted before popping, he was as happy as a boy can be.

Another busy, crazy, heart-warming holiday season in the books!

 

Capturing…

My parents recently decided they needed to go through their old slides. Every few nights, the two of them sit in their basement, set up the projector screen, and click through each image one-by-one. If it’s a photo worth keeping, they put it in a pile to be made into a photograph. If it’s not (apparently my dad took a lot of “architectural” shots back in the day), it gets thrown out. They told me they had 21 carousels that had been collecting dust and needed to be sorted through. They made it through 15 before getting to a photo of me.

Being the youngest of four, I suppose it’s to be expected. But, hearing this served as a little bit of inspiration. Now that I’m all grown up, I love taking pictures of my own kids. A small portion of those pictures get saved on Facebook and Instagram. But whenever I scroll through photos on my computer or a memory card, I realize there are so, so many that are getting forgotten.

After a little thought, I decided the best way to preserve these memories – without going overboard via social media – was to blog again. My goal is to have this one serve as a photo album of memories for our kids, without the dust or the darkness.

So, here it is. Two Boys & A Bow.