Glimmers

Glimmers.

Of my father's smile in Ben. 

Of brothers who can stand each other from time to time. 

Of hope in our monotonous days.

 

A Difference of Opinion

Use all fingers and your face as a sauce reserve. 

Do not acknowledge that forks and knives exist. 

Carefully cut meat from the bone and never let a sauce touch your face. 

Boys!

Boys: still making weapons of everything they encounter. 

Happy Birthday Boys!

Perhaps  today, we'll get you to put those down and smile together for us.

We officially have teenagers!

It's Scary Movie Season

 

The boys and I found ourselves alone one Friday evening a week or so ago.

We three started watching the original Halloween in separate places.

We wound up like this, reminding me of weekends with four toddlers many moons ago.

 

I'll do anything for something that might resemble a hug from them these days.

Boys

I plead with them to stop being ridiculous.

Come on, I said.  20  years from now, when you are getting married and we're showing pictures of the family and your brother is your Best Man, we need some proof that you have always loved one another....

Never mind, you are clearly too busy pinching each other.

 

Twenty years and we have loved one another.

Even if we can't be counted on to recall the actual date of the anniversary.

 

Lately

We've been making sure they don't stand right next to each other.

Summer will be over soon and we'll hopefully have other things to concentrate so hard upon. 

Happy Birthday Boys!

2005--you were already inseparable.

 

A year later we had 4-month-olds and it was easy to keep you in the same place.

 

And then you were one, and we were all exhausted and conked out together.

 

And at two, discovering together.

 

At three, still clutching the same toys together.

 

At four, your daddy was out of the country and you stuck close to each other that year.

 

At five, we had so many adventures.

 

At six, swim team together.

 

At seven, you were losing the same teeth at the same time.

 

At eight, we couldn't get you off a shared iPad.  Maybe that was cheating to keep you together.

 

At nine, even though in competition, we found you always together.

 

At ten, man I could even get you to smile together.

 

And here you were on the eve of 11.

 

Eleven years, and I adore that it didn't take much time to find you both together in any of the files I searched today.  Ben you are quiet and reserved, and you want time alone.  And Nicholas, you have never lost your fire or your desire to be at the center of everything all at once.  Yet, somehow the different personalities compliment. We wish you a very happy birthday brothers.

Brothers

Help you put on socks when your arm is broken.

Even if Ben may have been milking it a bit.

Boys!

Go outside if you are going to fight.

 

"okay."

 

That is indeed a wooden sword about as long as he is in his hand. 

Uncharacteristic to Me

I asked whether one belonged to one boy and one to another?

 

Why yes, mother.

 

On the left: Nicholas

On the right: Ben

Double Digits for our Double Boys

 

Was it really a decade ago now that you were zero?

 

 

Happy Number 10 Boys. 

You amaze us, every day.

This is always amazing to me when I run across it.

It wasn't even a scary sort of Goosebumps evening we were watching.

 

But then I run across this from time to time, and melt at the three of them there watching White Christmas instead of Red Dawn for change.

 

Next I'm going to try The Sound of Music

Happy Eighth Birthday Boys!

Birthday Breakfast at 8--Chocolate Chip Pancakes as fast as you can, so you can get to gift unwrapping....

It was a long day, but I somehow managed an acceptable Nutcracker cake for Ben. He was pleased anyway.

I don't even know what the hardest he could put together leggo thing was that Nicholas asked for on his cake, but I gave it a go.

Lighting your own candles on your cake at eight, makes the messy cake decorating disappear...

And I hear the cake was good too! I don't like chocolate cake; I have three boys who love and request chocolate cake.

Ben turned 10 I think this year.

Birthdays Past: Time Zero

One

Two

Three

And Three

Four

Five

Six

And seven