Woe-Mans

Anders: "We not bad guys Bram. We woe-mans."

Me: "You are what?"

Anders: "We womens."

Me: "You are men."

Well, one day they both will be anyway. He had no idea what the word meant. 

Anders' - Age 4

Favorites:

Food: Chicken Primavera

Song: I Am A Child of God, I Belong To The Church (We do listen to more than just church songs)

Color: Green and Red

Friend: Samuel, William and Benjamin (brothers)

Animal: Elephant and Giraffe

Toy: Rescue Ship/Trains

Activity: Go to Recre-o-fun and Samuel's House

Show: Animal Mechanicals 

Movie: Monster's University

Treat: chocolate pudding and gummy candy

"Mommy, I just said too many things. There were so many words I said. Do some more words all the way to the bottom. Down, down, down." -Anders 

Hippos Are Hilarious

Funniest Stories from our Zoo Trip for Anders' Birthday:

Hippos. Enough said.

We were watching the otters and baboons in an enclosed area. The otters were being really playful and swimming close to the glass for us to watch them. As I turned, Bram launched himself away from the glass where he was leaning in to watch a baboon with a blue bum who was also close to the glass. The baboon had slammed both of its hands against the glass towards Bram. Bram reacted like it had actually hit him as he stumbled over himself to get away,

We were taking a picture with a gorilla statue. Bram was a little wary of it, but still brave enough to stand for a picture. But when it suddenly made a reverberating noise when Anders hit it from behind, Bram was OUT OF THERE faster than I thought was possible for him.

Anders stumbled to hurry and see the giraffes and took out Bram who was just in front of him. It was quite a shock to Bram who didn't have any warning. Anders redeemed himself later when Bram almost dove into concrete head first. Anders saw that he was falling and reached out to catch him, and was able to dramatically slow his fall and stop any injury.

They had an exhibit where you can pet sting rays, and pay to feed them. Anders was interested in feeding the sting rays, so David helped him. They all swarmed toward him and freaked him out, so he dropped the fish onto the back of one of them. They all flapped excitedly to get the fish and splashed David, Anders and Bram in the face. It was hilarious. 

Anders got to ride on a camel with David. Bram was ready for his turn when they finished. Unfortunately, Bram was not tall enough to go. So David simulated a camel ride with Bram on his shoulders. Definitely filmed that one for posterity. 

The boys also got to run back and forth with a jaguar, who happened to be pacing on the other side of the glass. They were giggling with glee as I contemplated how horrific that scene would be in any other circumstance. 

Bram LOVED seeing the giraffes. He kept asking to go ride on them. 

Anders loved riding the monorail, and our train just happened to be GREEN.

7 Years into Eternity

We celebrated our seven year anniversary today! We had a lazy morning where David and I surprised eachother with love letters.

Then we took the kids to the recre-o-fun to play! We had a blast. David and I played so hard with the boys we were all sweating up a storm before we left.

Then we grabbed Five Guys for lunch and went to see X-Men in the theaters. 

On the drive home from the movie, Anders says, "That was so fun going to the movies. We should go all the times. Mom, you should say, "let's go to the movies" and then we can to to the movie theater."

David and I then had a quiet, three-course dinner (made by David) at home without the kids. They were over at Anders' best friend's house. David really felt the love this anniversary because it absolutely killed me to leave Astrid for the hour and a half, but I did it anyway! Astrid ended up sleeping the entire time. 

It was the perfect anniversary for us this year, since we can't do much with an almost 4-month-old in tow. I am more in love with my man today than I could have even imagined I could be. And to think that the life we started together seven years ago, could lead to the beautiful life we enjoy together today! It is great when you can see that you are living your happily ever after. 

Fatherhood

"I can say whatever I want around my kids because they cannot register the frequency of my voice." - Delivery Man

We were watching the movie tonight and David totally related to the lawyer friend of the main character. It was hilarious as the lawyer would tell his kids to do something or not do something and they completely did whatever they wanted anyway. The quote above is David's fatherhood experience to date. Hopefully it will improve as they age. 

Kid Treats to Mommy

I was reading stories to the boys on my bed tonight and all of the sudden Bram said, "Open your mouth. Open your mouth. Open your mouth."

I stopped reading as he shoved his fingers towards my mouth, and I noticed that two of his fingers were pinched together holding something.

I asked him what he was holding as I pried his fingers open. It was a very large, very green booger. And he was trying to put it in my MOUTH. Yum!

Dog Episode

Camrose (our dog) has to sleep in the bathroom at night because our neighbours leave at 5 a.m. every morning and Camrose goes wild by the front door, making quite the racket. 

There is a coil door stopper on the back of the bathroom door. Camrose figured out that it was a great way to let David know when she wanted to get out of the bathroom. So for the past several days, she would paw at the spring coil for a few minutes, then wait, paw again, then wait. 

Subsequently, she was driving David CRAZY with how loud she could get the spring to be. David would storm into the bathroom and tell her to stop, but right after he would close the door she would start up again. 

I think the phrase, "There is no reasoning with a two-year-old," is also true of dogs. 

Daddy Saves Our Lives

David has been "saving" the boys one bug at a time. With the weather changes, the boys have been finding bugs around the house and scream for Daddy to come kill them. Each time they thank him profusely and insist, "Dad, you saved my LIFE!"

Saying the Darndest Things

Summer have red and summer don't have red. -Anders

I am gonna tell you a question. - Anders

The first one built his house with cheese. The next one built his house out of cardboard. The last one built his house of bricks. -Anders

Watch me do. - Bram

You're supposed to be not doing that. - Anders

Anders had mucus stuck in his throat making his voice sound funny, so I told him to cough. He obeyed and then looked at me. I told him to say something and he looked confused and then said, "hello?"

 

I was tickling Anders and Bram says, "Don't tickle MY Anders." I tell him that Anders is "MY Anders" and then ask Anders if he is mine or Bram's. He says he is mine AND Bram's. I repeat to Bram that Anders is "MY Anders" and Bram in exasperation exclaims, "But he's just my friend!

We were looking at pictures of waterfalls and their was one with a frozen waterfall that had a big gaping hole in it. Bram says to me, "I don't know what's inside that hole. Maybe it's a bad guy hiding inside it."

The flying airplane tree

Anders created the following:

He called it a flying airplane tree. It is the only one in existence...

Window Waving

We try to wave from the front window every morning when David leaves to walk to the bus stop. We were waiting at the window this morning and this was the conversation the boys had:

Anders: "Where is dad? I don't see him."

Bram: "I sink [think] he is jumping in pulluls [puddles]."

Anders: "Oh, there he is! HE IS CARRYING HIS LUNCH!" (He was holding a Tupperware container with cupcakes).

We have huge puddles in the alleyway on the side of our apartment, which was why Bram suggested that was what was taking David so long to get to the front.

Circles

Bram was building a circle out of wooden train tracks and tells me all about it:

"I build circle all by myself. It not....it working! I not lilull [little] anymore. I bigger." As he holds up his hands he focuses in on his fingers and states, "My fingers aren't short."