Year: 2008

A friend came over to see the kids today - his name is Ely. Does he look like Carter's twin, or what? Same hair, same eyes, same nose - and the same disposition. He is about the sweetest, happiest little boy I've ever met.

A couple of weeks ago, we went to a children's museum that Lori used to go to when she was teaching preschool. It's called The Met. Inside, they've got lots of interactive exhibits that Sean and Carter both went crazy for. They had a child-sized fire truck complete with fire coats, hats, boots, and hoses. They had a sand pit with buried "dinosaur bones" for the kids to discover. They also had a pretend resturaunt and a pretend dentist's office. They kids had an amazing time - I suspect we'll be returning sometime soon.

A few weeks ago, Lori took the kids to a place called Party Playland. It's a lot like that place we used to go to in Texas called Pump It Up - it's full of inflatables. As expected, they had a blast.

Last night, about fifteen minutes before bed, Sean jumps up from where he was lying on the floor and says "I need to look in the mirror!" So I take him into the bathroom and he lifts himself up onto the counter so that he can see himself. He strokes his upper lip and says, "nope - no mustache!" Then ten minutes later while I was helping him into his pajamas, he said to me "daddy, can you see my mustache?" And then again, while I was tucking him into his blankets and giving him a kiss, he asked again - "daddy, do I have a mustache yet?" I have no idea what put this idea is his head, but isn't it adorable?

The kids saw a kid on TV doing competitive cup stacking, and they have been doing it themselves ever since. Sean is getting pretty good at it, as you can see. He does a great job, and is so intense about it. It has to all be perfect, or he starts over.

Last weekend, Sean was running laps around the house. On one pass, he bumped his sister on the way by, and knocked her flat on her butt. So we asked him to stop, come back, and tell Carter that he was sorry for knocking her down. So he comes up to her, gives her a hug, and says "I'm sorry I knocked you up, sister." Lori and I just looked at each other and busted out laughing. Then we told him to say "knocked down", not "knocked up", as the difference is quite substantial.

The other day, Carter found Sean's pirate costume from last Halloween, and she insisted that we put it on her. Doesn't she look so sweet? They've been watching a show called "The Wiggles" lately, and there is a character on that show called "Captain Feathersword", the friendly pirate. So both of the kids have been obsessed with pirates lately.

A few days ago, we decided (based on his pediatrician's recommendation) to go cold turkey on daytime diapers with Sean. After all the resistance he's been giving us over the last couple of months, I expected a disaster. But we told him he was too big for diapers, and that he was responsible for his own potty training at this point. We told him that we weren't going to remind him to go anymore, and that if he had an accident he would have to clean it up himself. And guess what? He's been 4 days now with no daytime diaper, and he hasn't had a single accident. It's been good for him in more ways than one - he's so incredibly proud of himself, and it gives him a new sense of responsibility. I only wish we'd tried this sooner.