Yesterday was a big day. It was Oliver’s class’s last day at the zoo as well as the school’s mascot unveiling and their Mardi Gras parade.
The kids (dressed as animals for the parade later that day) gave presentations about things they’d learned in the last four weeks at the zoo. Oliver discussed endangered animals and something else. Reptiles?
Oliver pontificating on endangered animals.
After the presentations, we went to the zoo auditorium to watch the movie they make at the end of their 4 week session. Looks impressive up on the big screen, eh?
The drama!!!It’s a French film, so obviously subtitled.
After the film, there was a potluck and then we headed to school for the big mascot unveiling and the parade.
The kids had voted for which mascot they wanted, and so there was much excitement in the air as they unveiled…
What’s in the box?
Let’s open it up!
It’s the…
Loup Garou!
So here’s the problem with the kids going to a French school. Now I’m going to have to say “Loup Garou” a bunch of times over the next eleven years. Maybe can we agree the non-French-speaking amongst us can just call him the Werewolf?
In any case, he was pretty awesome. Very Teen Wolf.
The kids were really excited. Hey, has anyone seen Mr. Chip? Oh, just wondering.
In their quest to make movies as goofy as Uncle Evan, Miles and Linus filmed a story about Sonic and some other hedgehogs. It’s kind of violent, but at least the actors are stuffed, so they don’t get hurt too badly. I’ll admit, the plot goes over my head a little bit, maybe I’m just not sophisticated enough.
I’m trying to get as many views on this video as possible, just to give the boys a little thrill. So grab the closest kid and watch this piece of movie history (and a tour of my messy house, thanks boys.)
After the appointment, Linus told me he really had a great time. I asked Linus later why he enjoyed the visit so much, and at first he answered, “because we got to leave school for a while.” But I’d like to think it was also because he’s interested in science. Or maybe because we have a wonderful pediatrician. Who knows.
I’m surprised at how little the boys grew. Just like I posted in last year’s update, I really expected that they’d have grown more than two inches. Everyone says how tall they’ve gotten, but only two inches? That doesn’t seem like a lot.
On the other hand, their weights only went up by a few pounds at most, so maybe they just look lankier. (It takes them a year to put on two pounds. I can do it in like two weeks. /brag.)
Anyway, no complaints. Everyone’s healthy. The doctor gave me a few suggestions on dealing with anxiety and pickiness, but she wasn’t concerned. All normal stuff.
Just booked George a ticket to the UK for this summer! Yeah, I’m going with him, but I used frequent flier miles for his ticket, and I’m just kind of keeping an eye on ticket prices for a few days before I book mine. There’s plenty of availability on all of the flights, but egads they’re pricey. I remember back in the olden days when a round trip ticket was under $800. I mean, yeah, it was more than a decade ago, but still.
We’re going to be spending half of our time in the Lake District in the outrageously picturesque village (is it a village? Or a town? I’m going to call it a village no matter what) of Keswick. I mean, come on…
The rest of the time will be spent in London. I cannot wait to go back. Just want to wander the streets and soak it all in. And find a bottle of Winter Pimm’s. I wonder if that will be impossible in June? Hmm.
Speaking of travel, I’m going to Las Vegas for a few days at the end of February for Kristina’s 40th. Woo hoo!
In other news…um, no other news, really. Here are some pictures I took with my phone yesterday.
Bike training.
Pretty leaves
Me ‘n’ baby Jasper
Monkeys.
Monkey
Monkey
Oh yeah, baby Jasper. I took some pictures of him for my friend Megan, even though I’m a little mad at him for being born two days late (is it too much to ask that he be born on my birthday? Ann Frances cooperated but nooooo he had to have is OWN birthday.) But he’s cute so I’ll forgive him.
I’m just going to post this one of him. Mardi Gras baby!
Oh yeah, one more thing. Today, January 20 is not only marks seven years since the boys’ due date, but also 40 since mine. Random.
Last night I took the boys to see the Marvel Universe Live! show. When I was offered the tickets (because, disclaimer: I was given the tickets, but all opinions are mine in this post), I wasn’t sure the boys would be too into it, since they’d largely left their superhero phase behind. (I mean, despite the fact that Oliver was Hulk for Halloween last year.)
But when I told them two days prior to the show that we were going, they pretty much lost their shit. They were so excited. That excitement didn’t wear off, either, as you can see.
Before the show, we were given access to a special pre-party for bloggers where the boys got to take photos in the superheroes’ gear. Pretty cool.
We also got to load up on snacks and stay out of the cold for a while, which was nice.
After the pre-party, we got our seats and I very reluctantly paid a fortune for popcorn and cotton candy. It kills me to think of it, but at least my tickets were free. But still. How do these people sleep at night? Okay. Get over it, Pam.
The show itself was actually very cool. The special effects were great (there was real fire!) and the boys were literally on the edge of their seats. I wish I could have gotten a picture of that. I have to say, Spiderman was my favorite – he was a gymnast or something, and was really fun to watch.
Ironman!
Totally engrossed.
Me Hulk.
The show.
As soon as the show was over, the boys were begging to go again. So if your kids are into superheroes at all and this show is coming to your area, I would definitely recommend it.
This morning, the boys and I were sitting on the sofa, and somehow we got on the subject of why I started taking monthly pictures of them, and after looking through all 84 of the previous photos, I think they finally started to get it a little bit. It was pretty sweet, actually.
It may have made them a tiny bit more cooperative for this month’s pic, especially after I explained how difficult the younger years were. They may have felt a smidgen of remorse. Or something.
New Year’s Eve…do you say the year that just passed or the one coming up? I guess it’s the one coming up. One of those things that always confuses me but I’ve never actually just figured out once and for all. Okay, so let’s say it’s New Year’s Eve 2015 (but Eve is in 2014, that’s why I get confused, but it’s the eve of 2015, so yeah. Confusion.) Since the boys were born, most years the boys have spent the night at Granny and Grandpa’s so George and I could go to the pub.
9:26 pm, Froot Loop snack.
And the year after that, they had their tubes in/adenoids out on New Year’s Eve, so that was a quiet night in.
Except the year they were a month old. Or maybe we did go out – I think my mom came to stay that night. That time is a bit of a blur.
But ever since then, we’ve gone to a friend’s house or the pub or done something. But since I leave for Barcelona in a few days, I told George he could go to the pub and I would stay home with the boys. No problem. I’d finish the book I was reading, have a little wine, go to bed early and wake up refreshed in 2015.
10:37 pm, Oliver and Miles going strong.
Except…I opened my big mouth and asked the boys if they wanted to stay up til midnight. Linus and Miles were gung-ho, but Oliver noted that on previous attempts to stay up late, his eyes would just close because he got tired. Heh.
So, we stayed up. At around their usual bedtime (8:30ish) they started getting a little sleepy. Hours yet to go, but they were determined.
Now, I know what you’re thinking…why not just put on that Netflix countdown at 9:00? Well, we live close to the river and you can actually see the fireworks from our front porch, so I’d actually told them they could see the fireworks at midnight.
Which also makes it impossible for me (a light sleeper) to be asleep at midnight anyway. So. Midnight it is.
The boys played video games, we watched some TV, I put on a movie, and I gave a late snack of sugary cereal.
At around 10:45, Miles and Linus waved the white flag. They went to lay down in their beds, but with the lights on so I could wake them at midnight. I humored them, but I knew that they would be impossible to budge later on.
10:59 pm: out like a light
Miles, asleep.
Indeed, when I went back at around 11:45, they briefly opened their eyes and told me they’d rather sleep than watch the fireworks. Alrighty then!
Oliver, though, the one who thought his eyelids would fail him, was still full of good cheer when we watched the ball drop on Times Square at midnight.
Oliver is the last triplet standing!
My New Year’s kiss
We went out on the front porch, where, through the trees, we could see the big display that the city puts on over the river. After all that anticipation, though, Oliver was too cold to stay outside more than a few minutes. Ha ha!
Linus and Miles woke up this morning rather perturbed at me for missing the fireworks. Ha! I told them we’d get some sparklers today and light them tonight for our own mini display.
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