Moriarty has drastically cut his hair. First he told us he wanted to be able to put K’nex swords into the back neck of his shirts, which it was blocking. Totally understandable! Then he added he was sick of people thinking he was a girl. Also understandable. So we got it cut. The hair stylist sucked (my fault for picking a cheap place) and there’s this side swatch of hair like a half faux hawk? It just adds to his charm. He likes to mix bold patterns with other bold patterns (great pic in gallery). I made the kids custom hoodies with fabric scraps that are wildly color blocked and he’s wearing that a lot lately too. He had his 7th birthday and it went really well. He invited old friends and new school friends. They all brought bikes and as of this spring he can ride a bike! He’s still building confidence but it’s all there. He wanted a Minecraft cake for his birthday so he and I designed one together and I did most of the construction. He finished 1st grade this week and is noticeably older and more mature than a year ago. He can read now and has more complex arguments for why he should get what he wants. :)
Both children are getting more charming. Their personalities are definitely diverging, at least for now. She has the ability to tune out his loudness, sometimes. I’m not there yet. So, onto funny stuff they’ve said or done. Lorelei comes to visit when I’m getting ready in the morning. We often snuggle in my hidey hole, she watches me get ready, then we gather my stuff and go get breakfast. Last week she was wearing my shoes (a big thing right now). She said to me “Don’t forget your shoes. They are on my feet”. Lorelei’s language has exploded, again. At dinner recently we were having corn on the cob. She told Pip she wanted a new corn. He asked what was wrong with it and she replied, “it’s missing corn here and here! (the places she’d already eaten it)”. Later we were planning our zoo trip and I said, “we’re going to the zoo”. She replied, “but I can’t drive. When I get bigger and bigger I can drive”. She got a black eye from some play accident and we put an ice pack on it. I said, you could tell people, “you should see the other guy”. She looked up, handed me the ice pack, and said “give this to the other guy”. So empathetic and kind. So unaware of cliches.
Moriarty’s showing more sophistication and creativity. He was insulting Pip the other day and said “You’re Pip Don’t-Know-Any-Science Lafleur”. That had us both rolling on the floor. Another day he picked up a french fry and made it slowly soar into his mouth. He said, it’s like if they launched french fries in space and I ate them and didn’t need a helmet…ok. He’s gotten really into Minecraft. He and Pip play a lot. He talks about it all the time, plays Minecraft music (pop songs parodies). But he’s also obsessed with Kung Fu because we watched Kung Fu Panda. So he makes K’nex swords and mixes in Kung Fu, attacks pillows and mattresses, and occasionally his sister. We’re trying hard to lock that down. He likes to use white board markers to draw power symbols and protective gear. They definitely make each other angry and fight, but they also adore each other.
Lorelei turned 3. We had a simple party at our house and the cousins came over. Sofia is her favorite person in the world so she was thrilled. The night before her birthday Pip filled up dozens of blue and silver balloons w/ our compressed air tank. He filled their room with balloons. We went to the zoo and she took a special liking to a goat in the petting zoo. She hugged it and rested her head on it. OMG. We also got to do the up close rhino exhibit and feed the rhino lettuce leaves. She’s in the stage where she wants to do exactly what I do, and it’s amazing. She’s so free spirited, silly, and just plain cute. We have told her many times that she’s like Cindy Loo Hoo who was no more than 2.
I’m sure I missed a lot of little stuff because it’s been so long, but when they’re not screaming and making me want to crawl behind the couch, it’s pretty incredible to watch them grow up.
Pics here, password “mal”