Niles 731 days old

Fast forward 731 days and you have a 2-year-old that is everything that anyone could ever ask for.  Happy 2nd birthday 'Yote'.

Testosterone and Ben is 3

The boys continue to enjoy life and show their testosterone levels; putting each other in buckets, burying each other in sand, jumping off rocks, wrestling in bed, dismantling large cardboard boxes, and growing older.  It was our neighbor Ben's birthday and the boys had a blast celebrating with Ben and Cory.  Time flies when you are having fun.

Quick Pics

At least Grandma is surprised!

To the secret fort...

Westmorland Park Secret Fort

Pecking Order

Niles loves the carousel

Primates at the zoo

Easter 2012 Grandmas Inc.

The Easter Bunny was directed to make his stops at the Grandma's residences this year, and he certainly made two little boys happy.  I tried my best to put together a shorter edit....the raw footage was an amazing 42 minutes and 32 seconds and I got it down to a couple of minutes.  Enjoy.

Punk mom

Just to add to the pre-spring break insanity, my school has dress-up "spirit days" the Thursday and Friday before spring break. This year Thursday was "Would you still be my friend if I looked like this?" day. Always looking for a teachable moment in the absurd, I decided to unleash my inner punk and challenge the kids' stereotypes of what a punk might think, despite her outer appearance. My students were more challenged to think of me as an anarchist than my own children (no surprise). Jonas and Niles didn't have too much reaction to my new look. Jonas asked why I didn't color all my hair orange, "because it would look cooler". Niles just asked me to go outside with him and tried to climb my fishnets when I got home. Perhaps if I looked more like a "soccer mom" I'd get a reaction out of them.

Normal breakfast of graham crackers while revving up to The Ramones.

 Normal after school anarchy.

Normal dinner to the incantations of Patti Smith. 

Jonas must be burning the candle at both ends.

Preschool Players Presents: Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars

Jonas and his 'actor' library friends have been hard at work the last 3 weeks preparing a top secret show.  We could not get one peep out of him as to what the performance would be about.  The show received rave reviews by the standing-room-packed-house attendance.  Support your local library.

At the after party, after everyone else had left....

still at the after party....

we would leave within the hour!

2012 Maple Syrup Festival

Jonas and Sara took a little mom and son time to revisit the past at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center.  Jonas loves the chapter called 'Sugar Snow' in the book Little House in the Big Woods.  It takes place in western WI and tells the story of the Ingalls' family tapping, harvesting, preparing, and celebrating the maple syrup harvest.  Jonas got to do many of the things that the European and Scandinavian setters had done, including playing corn darts, hand-drilling the hole for the maple syrup tap, eat and see a plethora of maple syrup goodies, and do some writing with the quill of a turkey feather.  Obviously with he ridiculously warm weather we have been having the maple syrup production was miniscule compared to a normal weather cycle.

Drumming for Hope 2012 Madison

I had to put this one in because it has been summer weather and its not even spring.  Lets break some more records.

We got a chance to head to the Goodman Community Center to go to the African Youth Outreach's 'Drumming for Hope' fest.  After pulling Jonas away from the arcade car game (he had to stretch to reach the pedals) the kids picked out some unique facial paint designs, tried out some drums, danced to the drums, and played outside a bit.  It was a great event and one that we will make an annual tradition.  The goal's of the project are great, and there is a lot of evidence that these education programs help save lives.  Its just a matter of not blocking and limiting access to knowledge, something that has throughout history left people on the short-end of knowledge resulting in shorter and less healthy lives for those without the access to education.  I hope our legislators can learn from the progress that these advocacy groups like AYO to not limit citizens access to education and health services so that people may live healthier and happier lives.  By the way, Jonas really got a chance to get his groove on, he certainly has had a lot of practice during the many dance sessions we have at home.