Look, Ma! One hand!

One could argue that what truly separates humans from animals is the fine-motor skills needed to operate a pair of scissors. After all, you never see a chimp carefully trimming a bonsai tree! You never see an orangutan clipping a coupons off a bearer bond!

Now that Mathias has joined the ranks of the one-handed paper cutters, it is his favorite ting to do. For the last few evenings, before Mathias goes to bed, we each take a pair of scissors and together cut a sheet of paper into small pieces. It's fun - you should try it!

Language School

Ericka was peeking over the boys' shoulder, so to speak, when Mathias was using a picture book to teach Johan words. It's hard to say if the teacher or the student was more enthusiastic!

Ever forward!

Trying to keep up with a pair of always-in-motion boys is an fast moving journey. Activities blend into other activities as dinner-time moves into bath-time which goes directly into story-time which slides right into bed-time... And in a few short hours the carousel starts again with breakfast! If you don't pay attention days come and go - as do the months and the seasons. Before you know it another year is over and all you have to show for it is the memories you made along the way.

From time to time we make an effort to stop, stand back, and admire where we are and how far we have traveled together. 1652 days have come and gone since Mathias' humble beginning. It is a good milestone for reflecting on how much our children mean in our lives. It is also the grim milestone that meters out the life span of the great-uncle that the boys will never meet.

Before having children it is hard to envision that a person can establish such a presence, in such a short time, that when he is gone he leaves a void large enough to gobble up the very lives of the people around him. Now, having children, it is the type of things we never - ever - think about.

Here's to Tomas!

Kids bowling 2010

One of Mathias' friends turned 4 over the weekend. The birthday party was held at a bowling alley. I wondered beforehand how four-year-olds would fare using rather heavy bowling balls... But the game has evolved since the last time I played! In addition to the bumpers that keep balls out of the gutters, they now have nifty little ramps for kids to use. You put the ball on the ramp, aim, and let if go! Everybody had a blast.

Mathias scored a 98 in his first game ever!

Introductory entomology

Mathias found a caterpillar in the garden and wanted to keep it a an 'animal friend'. So we set him up with a glass jar with holes punched in the lid, some grass, and - voila! - there's a very small homemade terrarium. We are not sure how to interpret this, but he named the caterpillar Mamma.

The next morning it was clear that Mamma wasn't doing so well... It might have been the wrong kind of grass, or the air holes were too small, or something. For a brief moment we though he was dead and I told Mathias the bad news. In hindsight, that was the dumbest thing I've said in months! No four-year-old wants to hear that! But luckily Mamma started moving again, albeit slowly. In a desperate move we convinced Mathias that Mamma was probably missing his own mamma. And we really should release him back in the garden to go find her. Said and done: in a tearful good-bye ceremony Mamma went back to live amongst the flowers to search for his own mother. Many tears were shed over the prospect of a deceased caterpillar.

We may need to postpone the introduction to fishing!

Partying like short people

Over the weekend, Johan had five of his closest friends over for a birthday party. It was a half dozen boys with a combined age of about 12. Each had at least one chaperon to keep them out of trouble. Of course, a good time was had by all. We loaded the little cherubs up with sugar and sent them home for "nap time"...

Cupcakes!

And just like that - practically in a flash - it has been two years since Johan was born! Happy birthday to our bundle of.... energy, stubbornness, and mischief!

Everyone should have a spokesperson

With Johan's second birthday practically around the corner we note that his vocabulary is not as developed as his brother's was at that age. Although if you take a closer look you might wonder why he would need words. A conversation around the dinner table goes something like this:

Johan: da-da!

Mathias: Mamma, Johan wants more milk!

Johan's glass is topped off with milk and dinner continues.

Johan: a-da!

Mathias: Mamma, Johan is all done!

Johan is lifed out of his chair.

Johan: da-daa!

Mathias: Mamma, Johan wants his book!

And so the conversation goes with Johan articulating various tweaks on da-da and his brother usually helps him get what he needs. Having your own vocabulary is way overrated. I'm trying this approach at work tomorrow.