Boys weekend

Mandy decided to get away to Colorado for a well-deserved break last weekend, so it was just me and the boys. To allow it, we had to break in a new babysitter on Friday, a friend of our regular. She showed up at 7 AM, and by the time I got home Friday night, she looked ready for a drink. In the understatement of the year, she told me “They’re an active couple of boys.”

Noah had been up since 5:30 that morning, an hour and a half earlier than normal, and had no nap. Elliot, sleeping only 15 minutes later than Noah, and having only a short nap, was also in a fine state. After I finally got them to bed, I sat on the couch and turned on the TV - first time in a long time. I got to sit there and watch a John Wayne movie rather than having to explain how my day went. I missed Mandy, sorta.

The next morning, Noah woke up at 4:30 and wanted me to sleep with him. I got him to sleep, then E woke up at 5:30, and rather than wake up Noah, I sat in his room watching Wonder Pets with him. Every so often, he would ask, “Are you going to work?” No, I’m yours today. “Do you want to come to my house and play?” Sure. We read a few books, and he chattered away, telling me his philosophy on life, I guess.

Noah finally got up, and asked me the question he asks about 5 of 7 days a week - “Is it the weekend?” I told him it was, and we could make pancakes, but we were out of pancake mix. He decided we should ride bikes to the store to get some. We got some groceries, stopped for some coffee, and turned toward home with a full-on storm headed our way. The sky was black as we rolled back into the driveway, and we fixed pancakes just as the skies opened up. Noah proclaimed, yet again, that I was the best pancake maker in the world, “even better than IHOP”. He ate three of them, then claimed he had to lay down because his tummy hurt.

We hung around the house for awhile playing blocks and puzzles, then bought a birthday present for one of Noah’s friends and headed to Waldo Pizza for a birthday party. Both boys had fun, and when we finally left it was way past Elliot’s naptime. I tried to put E asleep, but he wasn’t having any of it. He talked away for a long time, and pretty soon I could here him jumping up and down. I finally went back up, fixed up what he destroyed, and put him back to bed.

After he woke up, we went to the park. Elliot spent most of his time either in the sand, or on his bike, or both. Occasionally he would stop to beg for food from a family that was having a picnic nearby. It was smoking hot, and humid, but they both played like crazy. I was sitting on a rock, watching them play when Noah brought me a dandelion and told me to make a wish. I said, “My wish is for you to have a long and happy life.” He looked at me kind of funny and as he turned and walked away, I heard him say, “I would’ve wished for cookies.”

Pretty uneventful evening. We all got up early the next morning, starting with Elliot. I tried to bring him in to bed with me, hoping he would go back to sleep, but he just kept yelling in my face, “Don’t close your eyes, Daddy!” and trying to pull my head off the pillow. When you put it that way, I guess I don’t really have a choice.

After an active morning, and low on sleep, I put both boys down early. I rocked Elliot to sleep,and I fell asleep in the process. I used to do this all the time with Noah, because that was the only way we could get him to sleep, but it’s a very rare treat with Elliot, at least for me. He likes his momma, who does it more often, and normally just likes me to put him in his crib. I was half tempted to yell, “Don’t close your eyes, Elliot” in his face like he did to me, but that would have punished us both.

I got Noah down for a nap too - another rarity - and Mandy came home soon after. I think the boys had a good time having my undivided attention for a couple of days, but they missed her. I know I was glad to see her, and realized how much work her days must be.

Given his recklessness lately, this helmet is probably a good idea even when he's not riding

Coming down the slide. 

Trying to find apples - tart, unripe apples.  He thinks they're delicious.

Chasing each other in the sand

He learned riding on sand is different than riding on concrete.

"Gumping" into the sand

Terrorizing the playground some more

Another day at the Hill

Noah and I took advantage of the recent snow dump by hitting Suicide Hill again. Elliot was sick, so unfortunately he and Mandy didn't get to join us.  Even though temperatures had warmed, it was still cold, but Noah was really primed to enjoy it today. 

This time I told Noah he was going to have to haul his own butt up the hill rather than riding on my shoulders, or being hauled up on the sled.  It really is a big hill, especially if you make it down to the very bottom as Noah did most times.  I would walk up the hill with him to make sure he wasn't taken out by an errant sledder (which is more of a hazard than crashing), but he was making it up under his own power. 

Uncle Todd and cousin Dylan joined us after awhile, and Noah was glad to see them.  He insisted on going with, or next to Dylan on each trip.  At one point they decided to go down a steeper section, and after a few runs, Noah launched off one of the many bumps on the hillside, landing on his cheek and bloodying his mouth. He shed a few tears until I started laughing and told him his sled looked like Santa's sleigh as it flew into the air.  He finally calmed down and joined me in laughing.  True to Suicide Hill's form, we weren't the only casualty - a few feet from where he landed, it looked like someone had gutted a deer in the snow, with blood everywhere.  It didn't deter too many though.  As long as we didn't get the distances Uncle Steve got, we were ok.  

Speeding downhill

Looking back uphill

Running uphill

He was having a great time

Near miss

Starting from the very top

Lots of people, young and old, catch air on this hill

Cousin Dylan arrives

Uncle Todd gives Noah a hand

Dylan heading downhill

Uncle Todd heading down.  Watch out for the little girl!

Noah and Dylan - Noah riding shotgun

Noah and Dylan - Dylan riding shotgun.  Look at the joy on that face

Post sledding homemade hot chocolate

They didn't get enough of the snow, and went back out to play after dinner

Elliot wanted to play too, despite having a bug

Irritated that his car is stuck

I think he had been trying to eat the snow

Bye bye!

Slip, slidin' away

Our second taste of snow arrived yesterday, a nice winter snowstorm that dropped about seven or eight inches.  My Pilates class (yes, Pilates - a story for another time) was called off, so after work I met Mandy out for dinner while the kids were with a sitter.  It was a quiet night at the nearby Mexican restaurant, given the heavily falling snow, so Mandy and I got a chance to catch up on all the things we'd been missed during our busy  week.

After dinner we drove around for a half hour or so, just enjoying the beauty of the snow coming down and trying to avoid the drivers who, apparently, were from Florida and had never driven on snow before.  It would be work in just a little while, but for now it was quiet and scenic, like driving through a snow globe that had been shaken up. 

 We got the boys put to bed at a decent hour, and while Mandy got started on making a cake for Elliot's birthday today, I spent a couple hours shoveling off the driveway and sidewalk.  I was a little surprised at how much snow had already accumulated, and how quickly my work was being covered up.  I finished late, and didn't get wound down until after 11:00.  By 4:30 AM, the snow had quit falling, and in lieu of a morning workout, I re-shoveled last night's work.  Mandy left for the YMCA at 5:30, but while they had managed to clear their parking lot, the city hadn't managed to clear the side street that led to it and she got stuck in the snow.  She managed to dig out and come home.

It looked like a good day to go sledding - the weather was in the low 20s, but clear and sunny.  Noah's been sledding once this year, but not to Suicide Hill, and not with dear old dad, so after a half day of work, I came home and we got ready to go.

Noah was a little nervous at first, and we shared the same sled on that first trip down the hill.  It was the only time we did so.  After that, he insisted on going alone, and wanted me to go down right behind him.  Somehow, he managed to make it down much faster and much farther than I ever did.  Suicide Hill is a big hill, and after the first walk back up the hill, we both felt overdressed, even in the 20-degree weather.   Noah tried to cop out and ride my sled as I pulled it back up the hill, but I made him walk.  I did carry him up on my shoulders a couple of times that day, but that is hard work. 

After a while, we broke for a snack back in the van, then resumed our fun on the hill.  Most schools were closed today, and we weren't the only ones with this idea.  The hill was crowded, but not so crowded as to be out of control as it has at times in the past.  At those times, walking back up the hill can be more dangerous than sledding down, as you dodge missiles coming at you from all different directions.

There are several sections of Suicide Hill, some more adventurous than others.  In one particular section, there is a natural bump of the ground that drops sharply before flattening out for a few feet, then dropping sharply again.  Covered in snow, it makes a deadly efficient ramp; if you hit it just right, you pick up speed from the already-steep hill, flatten out, then launch into the air.  I usually try to avoid that bump, and it's the site of many a winter train-wreck (including a few of our own).   This is easier said than done, as the slope of the hill at the particular spot where we like to start at the top tends to drain right into this section if you don't actively steer away from it.

Somehow, Noah managed to hit this ramp perfectly, four times in a row, and each time he launched farther and farther into the air.  It kind of scared me the first couple of times, but he absolutely loved it.  When I finally caught up to him down the hill, he was so excited and said "Daddy, did you see me on that big jump?!?!"   The last time, he probably flew five or six feet in the air, but landed perfectly and managed to hang on for the remaining 40 yards or so of the ride.  He didn't want to quit, but with Elliot's birthday party tonight I didn't want him to get over-tired (too late?) and I was running out of steam from all the walks back up the hill.

We went for a bite to eat, then home.  Driving back, I got a nice little compliment from otherwise quiet back seat - "Daddy, I had fun sledding with you today."

I think Noah is jealous of how that little girl next to him is getting up the hill.  This year, I made him walk back up the hill (most of the time)

 Making it those last few, steep feet

 Poor guy - it's hard to grab the sled with those mittens

 Uncle Steve, you may remember that pole just over Noah's left shoulder...

 He liked taking bites of the snow

 Having a great time

 Noah made it all the way to this picnic table, and decided it was a good place to rest