'Tar Hero

A few weeks ago during a mundane trip to our local Best Buy, Benjamin had a life-changing experience. No, he didn't kiss a girl for the first time or see the Virgin Mary on a piece of toast. That was the day he saw his first electric guitar.
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The shopping excursion started out routinely enough. I browsed the CDs, Vince shopped the video games, and the kids tagged along. But then Benjamin grew restless and wandered off. Soon, he found himself walking-- no, found himself pulled towards the music section where he beheld row after gleaming row of shiny new guitars.
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As he walked beneath the guitars, he solemnly intoned the color of each one: "Yellow 'tar. Back 'tar. White 'tar. Wed 'tar. Boo 'tar."
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He also ran his little fingers over the dials and switches of the practice amps....
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...and tried stomping on a pedal board.
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Later on at home, he wielded his own plastic toy guitar with a new sense of reverence. I thought I also detected a hint of longing for the fine instruments he'd seen earlier, but I'm sure that it's only a matter of time before he has one of his own.
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After all, being a rock star runs in the family!

Benjamin's Booby Bear

For the art project during class yesterday, the kids made teddy bear puppets. They were given paper sacks and brown construction paper for the body, yellow construction paper for the face, and a brown pom pom for the nose. Each child also received red circle stickers to be used as eyes. Benjamin decided to use his red circles in a different way, though, and instead he-- Well, why don't you take a look for yourself.
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I guess that seeing me nurse his sister has really been making an impression!

Calliope Turns Two (Months)!

It's hard to believe that it's already been two months since Calliope was born. It seems like just the other day I was the size of a whale with swollen ankles and just one child to chase after. Now, I've lost my whale-esque proportions, but it's mainly because I've got two rugrats keeping me busy - so busy that I often forget to eat. Thanks, kids! No really... THANKS.
.Calliope's two-month birthday meant a trip to the doctor's office for her two-month checkup, but not before first taking a trip to the blood draw center for a routine check of her levels. And if getting blood drawn wasn't bad enough, she received her first round of vaccinations once she got to the ped's office.
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Yeah, Calliope wasn't too happy about that, either.

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Unfortunately, the results of her blood test that morning were less than perfect, so more tears were shed a few days later when her blood had to be drawn again to determine whether or not a transfusion would be necessary.
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Isn't it cute how the warmer on her arm matches her hoodie? Hey, I was just trying to see the bright side of things that morning!

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Luckily, the results of this test were better, so no transfusion necessary - WHEW! We'll be repeating the tests again in a few days, so cross fingers and toes!

Flip Book Fun

Step 1. Print the above image onto cardstock or other stiff, heavyweight paper.

Step 2. Cut out each individual image of Calliope.

Step 3. Stack images together, keeping them in original order (top to bottom, left to right).

Step 4. Staple the stack on the left side to make a little booklet.

Step 5. Flip through the book quickly to see Calliope's facial expression change.

Step 6. Ask yourself what kind of person thinks a crying baby is cute.