Fewer secrets

In the past, if one wanted to say something to one's spouse, one could merely obfuscate a little and the boys would be none the wiser.
For example, one could say "remember the firstborn is going to the doctor tomorrow" and Mathias wouldn't know we were talking about him and HIS doctors appointment.
One could ask "do you think we should go for I-C-E C-R-E-A-M after dinner" without spoiling the surprise for little listeners.
Now Mathias' ears perk up whenever he hears anyone spelling something. Both because it is the challenge of finding out what it means and perhaps knowing that if words are being spelled it must be something interesting. And he knows he's the firstborn.... We need more obscure words.

Age appropriate travel

Now that he is a big boy, Johan decided that riding around on a trike like some kind of toddler would no longer do. He rather promptly made the switch after having had the big bike since Christmas that this was the time. And off he went never to look back. 

4 years today

It's election season (shouldn't surprise anyone) and Reagan's question "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" gets banted around a lot. 

I'm writing this on Johan's birthday. He was born just before midnight. So at this exact point four years ago Ericka was in labor and we were driving to the hospital in Waconia. At this very moment we were probably 20 minutes from the hospital with four minutes between contractions. 

This morning we celebrated Johan's fourth birthday and he got to open his gifts.  One of the favorite things he received was an umbrella from Aunt B (with a keen finger on the pulse of what's popular, it had Toy Story characters on it). Johan was sad that there was no rain in today's forecast. But we brought out the water sprinkler and it got a test drive. It seems when brother holds the water sprinkler and sprays you with it directly, the umbrella was a bit small. When the rain comes from above it should be just fine though. Both boys came into the house completely soaked after the equipment testing...

Reflecting on the night four years ago and fast forwarding to today... Are we better off than we were four years ago? Yes, we are.  

The party

Yesterday, Johan and a half dozen friends celebrated his fourth birthday (one day early) at a nearby park.  If it looks familiar that's because it was the same spot as we used for the 3-year festivities...  This year, Johan is a bit obsessed with all things Toy Story and that was reflected in the cake, decorations, gifts, etc. The kids played on the nearby playground, munched on hot dogs, and ate cake.  We lucked out with the weather and it was a gorgeous day for the event. 

Johan was thrilled that Grandpa Charlie came for a visit. 

First day!

On the first day of school, Mathias was up early and ready to go. He went to daycare for about a half hour before the school bus took him to school. 

He came back reporting that it was a fun first day and he was eager to go back for more. That's probably a good thing since he'll be going back to school for another ten-fifteen years or so. 

Ready?

Tomorrow's the big day!  The end of an era and the beginning of a new one.

Turns out Kindergarten 2012 is nothing like how I spent the year before starting first grade...  When I was in first grade in the seventies we spent much of the year going over the letters of the alphabet. Now kids are expected to finish Kindergarten reading - perhaps not War and Peace, but reading something. Going into it Mathias has been working on his reading skills with his trusty friend.

Ready? Yes, he is. 

 

The last hurrah of summer

As the last family activity before Kindergarten, Mathias wanted us to go to Peppermint Twist for ice cream.  How do you argue with that!? Doesn't hurt that this Labor Day came with fabulous weather to cheer everyone up!

Camping

We went camping over the Labor Day weekend. We didn't travel very far (it's safer that way in case you need to run home in the middle of the night).  The boys did great. They slept like logs both nights. 

Camping isn't unlike any other day of the year. The boys spent much of their time playing with cars.  But they also went swimming. We grilled hot dogs and made S'mores. Saturday night there was a program at the camp ground where the kids got to meet an owl. Well... meet isn't exactly the right word. But the speaker held about an hour long presentation of owls (and managed to hold most kids' attention) and brought a Barred Owl with him to show.