Time with Alexis and Max

Jeff wasn't able to come because he had to work Monday (bah) but the rest of us enjoyed a wonderful sleepover in Buffalo at the new home of Auntie Alexis and Uncle Max. Max led the boys on an energetic snowball fight and then taught them how to use his electric cello. Theo tried it first and was very good but Mama didn't get the camera out to take pictures or video until it was Beckett's turn. Alexis and Max also proved to be excellent Monopoly and Clue players. Also readers. Also, there was a LOT of eating.

Weekend in Buffalo

The big boys had a superintendent's conference day Monday so we took the chance to visit Auntie Alexis, Uncle Max and "the baby!" Mary Kate, aka MK in Buffalo. Sunday we met them at the Buffalo Zoo and enjoyed having the zoo almost to ourselves. We especially enjoyed the animals that we don't have at the Syracuse Zoo--gorillas, polar bears, zebras, and buffalo. The indoor rainforest area was especially cool, and we even got to watch an anaconda eat a rabbit underwater (Auntie Alexis opted out).

Your moment of zen

Breathe in, breathe out. I suspect I will be posting a lot of these in the three years and eleven months to come.

Preston's SIX

We have been getting some serious P-Man time in! Monday night we celebrated Preston's birthday proper with a delicious dinner and cake with P-Man and Sara. Then Saturday T&B enjoyed Preston's kid birthday party at a kid gym. Sunday we enjoyed the warm weather at a playground.

Women's March in Seneca Falls

As much as I wanted to be in Washington DC for the march, I also couldn't bear to engage with the fact that he who shall not be named was actually going to be the president of our great country. So I delayed making plans to go to DC and turned down invitations to accompany friends, and suddenly it was inauguration day and President Obama actually left the White House (I have heard; I cannot bear to watch video confirmation). So I finally took my head out of my butt and called up my friend Heidi and asked her if I could go with her to the Seneca Falls march. The organizers expected 300-400 people and instead several thousand people showed up to pay homage to our foremothers who fought for the end of slavery and women's suffrage and civil rights and respect for our Mother Earth. It was beautiful and calming and energizing all at once.

Beckett and Theo helped me with my signs, which were happily reused from Jeff's campaign. Heidi brought her daughter Lyla and our friend Leah joined us at the last minute.

Reed developmental update: 20 months

Reed is an absolute delight, the easiest kid I can imagine and so much fun. He loves all his brothers' toys and mostly entertains himself throughout the day. He eats many more foods than his brothers, and he eats a larger quantity of most things and has much more enthusiasm while he's eating. He loves taking baths with Theo and Beckett but when they get too rowdy he can get himself out of the bath to get dried off. His happiest moments come when his brothers play with him, or at least let him join in their games to the extent he can. He goes to sleep when we put him in his crib, and sometimes he even leads us up to his bedroom, grabs his blanket and pacifier, and says NAP or ROCK and then I rock him and read a story and cuddle and then put him down to go to sleep. He wakes up happy and often hangs out in his crib just rolling around and sucking on his pacifier for a while after he wakes up. His favorite books at the moment are Runaway Bunny; Five Little Monkeys Bake a Birthday Cake; Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb; the Nice Book; The Little Mouse, the Big Hungry Bear, and the Red Ripe Strawberry; and all the Eric Carle books. He speaks in two- and three-word sentences and I feel like we can understand what he wants and he can understand what we are saying most of the time. My favorite Reed quote of late is from the other day, when I was home with him on a weekday, and I heard him calling for me after he woke up from his nap. He almost never wakes up crying or cries to get our attention. He just yells "Mama! Mama!" and waits for me to come. So the other day I came him, he beamed, stood up, and asked to nurse ("nuh-nuh, please!"). We sat down and he started nursing for a minute or so and then stopped. He smiled, looking up at me, and said "LUCKY". I often say to the kids how lucky we are for so many things, to eat yummy food, or to sleep in nice warm beds, or to have so many people who love them, or have all these toys to play with. And I guess Reed is starting to catch on, too!