Ah, yes…
November 27, 2008 at 6:43 pm | In cute kids, food, holiday cheer, life | 5 CommentsI’ve just finished putting away the Thanksgiving leftovers and am sitting here, enjoying a cup of coffee and the last couple of bites of Ezra’s pumpkin pie. I must say that I’m quite tickled with myself. The ginormous bird was roasted to juicy perfection. The stuffing, cooked in the crockpot with the turkey’s wingtips and tail, was delightfully deletable. The gravy, made with giblet broth (but no giblets) and turkey drippings, was velvety and flavorful. The green salad was cool and crisp, a perfect complement the savory warmth of the other dishes. All in all, it was probably the best Thanksgiving meal I’ve ever made. Sadly, there are no pictures. The entire meal had been consumed before it occurred to me to document it in photographic posterity. Oh well.
There’s another reason today is a special day. Today is Isaac’s 7th birthday.

How is it even possible? I can’t believe he’s seven already! Isaac had a pretty good year. He learned how to tie his shoes this year, and how to ride a bicycle (skipping over training wheels entirely). He has really started getting a handle on reading and math and we earned that, for Isaac, the number zero is really really red, the color of fire, and that the larger a number is, the greener it is.
Anyhow, happy Thanksgiving to all my bloggy buddies and long distance friends. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! (And a happy birthday if today also happens to be your birthday, hah!)
Sleep happens!
November 11, 2008 at 8:30 am | In cute kids, life | 3 CommentsEven if you don’t want it to. Don’t fight it!
How I made a Batman Costume
October 31, 2008 at 8:30 am | In cute kids | 5 CommentsTags: halloween costume
Ezra decided at the last possible minute that he would really prefer to be Batman instead Darth Vader for Halloween this year. I searched the local costume shops for a little boy sized Batman costume to no avail, and eventually decided to haul out the ol’ Kenmore.
Three years or so ago, I made a bat costume for Isaac following instructions for a bog coat I found online. Isaac still wears the now infamous bat costume on occasion so I figured it would translate very well into a BatMAN costume for Ezra. Here’s my story.
Step 1: Gather Tools and Materials
Software: Anti-Pill fleece in yellow, black and aluminum (gray)

Hardware: Generic sewing accoutrement

(restorative beverage optional but highly recommended)
Step 2: Cut and sew the gray fleece according to the instructions found here.

Step 3: Break for lunch

(Leftover roast chicken, rice and root veggies (the 3 R’s!!) sprinkled with nutmeg and pecans. Not pictured: pumpkin bread for dessert. Yum.)
Step 4: Make a Batman Logo and render it in fleece.

Essentially, I made an applique.
Step 5: From the black fleece, cut out a cape and hood. Attach to collar of jacket.

Step 6: Torture your child by stuffing him into his Halloween costume against his will.

(a side note, the shiner is because Ezra took a header into the footrest of our Poang chair)
Step 7: Scream (silently) and pray for the strength and patience to survive the remaining years of mothering very young children.
7 Random Things
June 19, 2008 at 7:00 am | In cute kids, meme | 4 CommentsTags: ABCalong
I kind of fell down on my commitment to the ABC along, but I thought that in all fairness, I should do an “I” post.
I is for Isaac

7 Random things about Isaac
1. Isaac will be 7 in November.
2. He has one brown eye and one blue eye (hereditary heterochromia).
3. He won’t let me cut his hair (or take him to get his hair cut).
4. He loves to play Lego Star Wars on the Xbox.
5. His favorite color is purple.
6. His best friend is Josh.
7. He talks. A lot. Sometimes Often, we can’t shut him up.
From the Trenches (of Motherhood), Act II
May 12, 2008 at 8:57 pm | In cute kids, off topic | 4 CommentsTags: from the trenches
Here’s an actual conversation I had with the boys after narrowly avoiding being attacked mauled to death by a stupid, aggressive dog (one of these) that lives near us.
Me: Isaac, I want you guys to say away from that dog. That’s a dangerous dog and I don’t want you guys to get bitten.
Isaac: Yeah, that dog is really mean. His eyes were really big and he was barking and growling!
Me: That’s right, he was going to bite you. Stay away. You hear me Ezra?
Ezra: I’m going to eat that doggie!
Me (laughing): What? You’re gonna eat him?!
Ezra: Yeah, he’s really yummy! (rubbing his belly) My favorite!
Me: Alrighty then.
*scene*
Right now…
April 1, 2008 at 9:21 pm | In cute kids | No Comments…at this exact moment, a thunderstorm is passing over our home. The kids, still not in bed, are standing next to me on my chair, looking out the window, watching the rain and lightening. Here is what my youngest said to me when I explained to him that it’s only the weather:
it’s nothing afraid.
no robots.
no ghosts.
no monsters.
Exactly. Now, time for bed.
E is for…
March 14, 2008 at 7:33 am | In cute kids | 6 CommentsTags: ABCalong
Ezra, my second-born.

Ezra (still) can’t say cracker. He can’t say banana, either (he says “booya”).
He also has a great sense of humor. One day, after a recent snow storm, he and I were driving home from the market (Isaac had stayed home with daddy) and he was talking to me about what he wanted to do when we got home.
He said, “I make snowball, mommy.”
“Oh?” I replied.
“Yeah! I throw it!”
“Yeah, you can throw a snowball,” I said.
“I throw it at Isaac’s face!”
Yep, E is for Ezra. :-)
B is for…
January 28, 2008 at 6:38 pm | In cute kids | 6 CommentsTags: ABCalong
Update 1/29: once again, I anticipate the buzz.
Barf. No pictures, though.
I had the strangest fantasy last night about getting the boys to bed early so I could spend some quality time with Mt. Washmore and, eventually, my knitting. I was able to get some knitting done, but not under any circumstances I would have chosen.
By some miracle, I had gotten the boys settled down and into bed by a quarter of eight (a whole hour earlier than normal) and, as I lay nursing EZ-E to sleep I entertained myself by making a mental list of all the things I hoped to accomplish once they were both asleep. Ezra was just about to drift off to sleep when I heard that sound–mothers of small children know that sound well–from Isaac up in the top bunk. Before I could react, Isaac leaned over the side of the top bunk and vomited over the edge– like a cabin boy without his sea legs. I was able to duck under the far side of the bed with Ezra while Isaac vomited again. And again. And… Well, you get the idea.
We were finally able to get him out of bed and into the bathroom where he stayed for the next two hours, vomiting endlessly while I stripped the beds and Mr. Interrupted got them into the washer. By 11:30, Isaac had started vomiting blood, so I bundled him up and handed him the plastic wastebasket from the bathroom, and we headed out the door to the ER where he was poked and prodded and pumped full of fluids and anti-nausea meds. The poor little guy was so dehydrated and exhausted that he fell asleep as soon as the meds took effect. I was able to knit while he slept. At 1:30-ish, he was deemed suitably hydrated and had stopped puking his guts out, so we were discharged.
When we got home, I was rather tired myself and snuggled down with EZ-E in the only clean bed to sleep, while Mr. Interrupted and Isaac slept in the living room. It was just about 2 am when I drifted off to sleep.
Then, I heard that sound again. Only this time it was Ezra. According to the clock, it was 2:30 am. Ezra threw up every ten minutes for the next two and a half hours. By that time I was so delirious with exhaustion that I decided to take Ezra to the ER just in case. It was 4:30 am. Luckily, Ezra was not as sick as Isaac and was still hydrated enough that the PA recommended we just go home and try to get some sleep. Great idea, only while she was explaining this to me, I started throwing up, too.
*sigh*
I got some rest and am feeling much better now. I guess there is a severe norovirus going around–the worst since 2002–which has actually closed hospitals in the UK. I hope you don’t get this bug. It’s a meanie.
B also happens to be for Boys, of which I have two. Ezra is feeling lots better today, but Isaac is still sick. Here’s a photo of them from happier times. :-)

My 2-year-old’s hilarious speech impediment
January 10, 2008 at 7:59 pm | In cute kids | 8 CommentsWhat I am about to share with you is the absolute truth. I am not exaggerating or making it up. I swear to God I am not kidding about this.
Ezra cannot say cracker properly. I’m okay with this as he is only 2, and it really does make for some interesting kitchen chatter. Also, it causes us adults to collapse on the floor into fits of giggles every time he asks for a cracker. So, here I am sitting here at my computer, checking email, etc. and Mr. Interrupted is in the kitchen, feeding the wolves children their after dinner snack. Ezra enthusiastically cheerfully chimes in with his vote: “I want f*ckers! I want cheese and f*ckers!”
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