The Magic Number

Well, fourteen has become the magic number for Connor. And I have to say, I am quite proud. But I thought it would be fun, before I reveal its significance, for you to guess why 14 is of any importance. So, let's hear it! Click on the comments link and guess away! I will look forward to seeing if anyone can guess correctly.

P.S. I can't offer any prizes, but I will offer you my complete and utter admiration if you guess correctly. And I'll even make a big deal of you right here on this very blog.

P.P.S. No restrictions apply. In other words, you can guess as many times as your little heart desires. :)

I Am Blessed

Tonight at dinner, I sneezed. And my precious 23 month-old son looked right at me and said, "Bess you." And then my heart swelled.

When It Pours? Dinosaurs!

It has been really raining since Connor woke us up this morning. So, we decided a trip to the Delaware Museum of Natural History was in order (a.k.a. "the dinosaur museum"). Cameron was especially excited to go since we will be having the boys' birthday party there. Enjoy your own mini-tour:

While we all enjoyed the museum, Connor was especially excited to see Daddy driving back to the entrance pick us up. (He obviously didn't realize that meant it was nap time.)

March Madness

Wasn't it just a few posts ago that we were playing in the snow? Well, we aren't complaining, because we are loving this sudden spurt of nice weather. What does that silly groundhog know, anyway? It sure feels like spring to us.

(Shhh...just don't tell the boys that the weather reports say it will be winter again in a few days.)

He Holds the Key

So...did anyone notice on my Valentine's post that I said what a great Valentine's Day the boys had? There's a -- now that it's over -- funny story behind that.

I must preface any further comments by stating that I have the world's greatest husband. No, seriously. I do. I know that other women may think theirs is the greatest, but it's really no contest. He cooks, he cleans, he changes diapers, but he does much, much more. He is a great role model for our children, he is completely loving in every way, and he is probably the most thoughtful married man on the planet. Want proof? Last year for Christmas, one of my gifts was a phone number. I was told to call this number, and after my repeated threats to the contrary, I finally succumbed to the pressure. When I called and identified myself as I was instructed, the most wonderful voice came over the line. It was my first grade teacher, Mrs. Cochran, who I loved and idolized and who I wanted to be since I was six years old. We had kept in touch until I was in sixth grade, and then she moved away, and we lost contact. Eric heard me talk about her and how I wished I knew where she was, and he tracked her down. She lives in Florida, we had a wonderful conversation, and now I am back in touch with a wonderful woman who had always been an inspiration to me. That's just one of a million examples, but I think I have made my point.

So, when you are spending your life with someone who is reliably wonderful in so many ways, you don't expect things like this to happen ... on Valentine's Day.

Eric decided he wanted to leave a little early that morning, even though we usually leave around the same time. And guess what? I was running late (it's shocking, I know). So I said my goodbyes to him and the boys and rushed around the house by myself to finish getting ready to leave. A few minutes later, with my coat on and briefcase over my arm, I'm in a panic. Where in the world are my keys??? I always put them by the door, and they weren't there. I have all of my keys on one ring so that I won't lose them -- car keys, house keys, school keys. So, I dumped my purse, checked all of my pockets, looked behind all of the furniture, and they were nowhere. I called Eric's cell in complete stress mode, begging him to think where I could have put them. By this point, I looked at the clock and realized I will probably never make my forty minute ride to school in time. That's when the tears come. I don't have a regular job where I can call and say I'll be ten minutes late. If I am late, there are twenty-five kids waiting outside of my classroom who are counting on me. I am beyond upset, I am crying and screaming at myself for being so stupid, and all I can think to do is call Eric back a second time, whose job is a forty minute commute in the opposite direction to Philly. When he answers, he tells me he's so sorry. My keys are in his coat pocket, also commuting to Philly. (But in his defense, he was on his way home to bring them to me when I called.)

So, when these appeared at school after having arrived late with a substitute covering my homeroom, I was less than thrilled, even though they were a very "me" arrangement.

Maybe it was a good thing that we didn't have a babysitter for Valentine's Day after all, in light of all of that. But like all happily married couples, we talked it out, and he admitted that I am always right (just kidding; the gift certificate for a massage at my favorite salon and spa didn't hurt, either). And luckily, my mother-in-law came down last weekend to spend some quality "Gemma-time" with the boys so that we could make up for the previous weekend and have a do-over for Valentine's Day at a great restaurant.

It was an evening out that we both truly needed, as hard as I find it to leave the boys. And guess what? The only key that Eric had of mine this time was the one he had all along ... the key to my heart.

(You saw that one coming, right? Okay, you can stop the fake gagging noises now. I know it's terribly corny, but it's still completely true.)

Access Denied

62%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

I use my thirty minute duty-free lunchtime at work to wind down from the constant chaos. I get a little work done and then catch up on my emails and visit my favorite sites, which of course, include various blogs. I have been doing this for over a year now. Until yesterday. Yesterday, I brought my protein bar and water bottle over to my computer, checked my email, and then went to check my blog. Guess what? "Access Denied." Excuse me? I tried a few other blogs. "Access Denied. Access Denied. Access Denied." Apparently, our district web filter no longer allows "blogging/personal sites." Which is even more frustrating when you consider that, in August, I had a three hour inservice on the instructional possibilities of .... wait for it ... blogging.

No Business Like Snow Business

We had a snow day on Friday (our first all school year), so Eric and I bundled up the boys and took them outside before he had to head off to work. This was Connor's first time actually playing in the snow! The snow quickly turned into rain, so we tried to accomplish as much snow fun as possible into our venture outside.

So happy to be in the snow!

What do I do now?

Big Brother shows Little Brother how to play in the snow.

Daddy makes a snowball for Connor.

Seriously, guys, what do I do now?

I'll show you! Throw it at the tree!

That was cool!

How many angels do you see in this picture?

Peek-a-boo!

That was fun!

Now, let's go inside for some hot chocolate.

Shave and a Haircut, Two Bits

The boys got much-needed haircuts last week. Okay, so they didn't get a shave (thank goodness they aren't growing up that quickly!), but they did do a great job with the clippers. The only time Connor cried was when the stylist broke out the hair dryer; he preferred to have wet hair in the chilly outdoors. Oh, and it did cost a little more than two bits, but in comparison to Mommy's haircut and color yesterday, it practically seems that inexpensive.

Brotherly Love

The boys had a great Valentine's Day; they got some adorable cards from their grandparents and friends (in the pictures, Connor is holding a car we made from Cameron's card from Pop Pop and Grandma), and they enjoyed their gifts from Mommy and Daddy, too. Cameron beamed while telling me the details of his preschool party (he got to eat two chocolate doughnuts!) and Connor was a hoot kissing and hugging his new Valentine's Day bear. Here they are showing their love:

Cameron is wearing the Valentine's Day crown he made at school in the above video. And Connor is just learning to say "I love you" (can you see my heart swelling?). Their shirts may not be legible, but they both say "heart breaker." And it's true; I love them so much, sometimes it practically breaks my heart!

Disclaimer: For some reason, I feel the need to add that our dining room does not always have boxes stacked in the corner. We recently had to have an entirely new drainage system installed in our house, and we are in the midst of rearranging our storage space. There. Now I feel better. :)

Have a Heart

Today I woke up with the same massive headache I went to bed with last night, four of my students cried to me in four separate classes about four separate problems, I got pelted in the face with freezing rain while trying to put my children in their car seats, my husband was stuck on the turnpike for three and a half hours and barely got home in time to kiss the boys goodnight, and our cat peed on the carpet ... again. And do you know what makes it all okay? This does:

Over the River and Through the Woods ...

We went up to see the boys' paternal grandparents this weekend, otherwise known as Gemma and Pop. We had a very relaxing and fun time looking at the snow out the windows and playing with the boys by the warm fireplace. Okay, so maybe they didn't like to pose for pictures, but trust me, a fun time was had by all.

Cameron enjoyed spinning jacks and learning how to play the game with Gemma (as did Connor with Pop, not pictured below),

And Connor enjoyed looking at and feeding the fish with Gemma. (In case you are wondering, yes, his shirt does say "Babe Magnet.")

Gemma's wonderful best friend, Margie, brought identical low-rider cars for both of the boys for Valentine's Day. They were a huge hit! They raced them up and down in the kitchen floor together for a large part of the evening. (Margie and Gemma later joked that we could leave them at Gemma and Pop's house "accidentally" if we wanted. The cars, that is, not the boys, of course!)

We had a yummy home-cooked meal, watched the races with Pop, and Cameron even helped Pop feed the deer (his favorite job at their house in the woods). Thanks for a nice visit, Gemma and Pop!

Brace Yourself

Here is the first picture of Cameron with his brand new leg braces and sneakers (extra wide width). He has been such a trooper about wearing them; he is anxious to be able to show them off at school, too. Inspired by the spaceship design on the braces, he deemed himself a new superhero, "Space Leg Brace," during playtime with Daddy today. In case you were wondering, his super powers include super strong stomping skills and the ability to shoot spaghetti sauce from his fingers.

New Poll

Don't forget to vote in my new poll at the bottom left of this page. I was inspired by our time at the movies with the boys to wonder which children's movies our friends and family like best. You can vote for more than one film if you can't narrow it down to just one favorite! And be sure to comment here if your favorite recent children's film isn't on my list.