Flo Rida - Third time for Griff

We took Griff and Vera to Orlando for the week before Christmas.  It was awesome.  Here's some highlights:

• Swimming in the pools at the Hilton Grand Vacations, International Drive.  There was one big one and one smaller one.  I like to take him "waterskiing", where he stands on my kneecaps and I pull him around the pool by his oustretched arms, walking backwards on the bottom myself.
• Four trips to Sea World.  The longest one was about 4 hours.  We still have to work around nap time for both Griff and Vera.
• He rode the shamu roller coaster (its a kiddie coaster) twice - once with Mom and once with me. 
• Best dolphin show we've seen to date (Our second and third time seeing it)
• Puke.  For the first two days, he was pretty sick and barely eating.  Upshot:  he's really good at identifying when he's about to throw up now, and made it to the toilet most times.
• Breakfast with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto, and Goofy at the Contemporary Resort at Disney World.  This was our third trip to Orlando with Griff, and he has yet to actually enter any of the parks there.
• New crocs (lego style) for when he outgrows his current ones.  Also new Jibbits - Tigger from Winnie the pooh and spongebob pirate.
• Sharing a room with Vera.  When she wasn't sleeping well, we watched on the monitor as he climbed out of his king sized bed and went to give her a hug over the pack-and-play wall.  "Its okay Vera."
• Snuggling to sleep with Mom.  And Snuggling to sleep with Dad.  When sickness and insomnia got the best of our two-bedroom suite, we just swapped roommates and Griff slept with either Vicki or I.

Funny Stuff Griff Said

Today in class for a snack we had clam crackers  (he meant oyster crackers).

Dad, what's that thing on you that has you on it?  (it was my corporate ID, still clipped to my belt)
---Its an ID card I use to get in and out of my office, like a key
Why don't you take it off and not use it to get into your office and then you can stay home all day with me?

Do you know why we can smell things from far away mom?
---Its because of particles, right?  (Thinking of Sid the Science Kid)
No Mom, they're minicules (he got it confused with molecules).

16, 384

Griff and I have been reading "one grain of rice", a story that aunt kate gave him about a peasant indian girl who outsmarts a raja by asking for one grain of rice, then two the second day, doubling each day for a month.

Griff has been asking repeat doubling questions:

"What does one and one make dad?"
"What does two and two make?"
Etc. Etc.

Tonight we got to 16,384.  It took me a second to do the adding, and Griffin said the full number "eight thousand one hundred and ninety-two" twice with no prompting.  I'm raising a nerd.  A curious adorable nerd.  And I love it.

Funny Stuff Griff Says

"Dad, I like your red sox shirt.  I like the Red Sox.  I like the Patriots too.  I also like watching hockey games.  I am going to be a hockey player when I grow up.  Did you know hockey and golf are the same thing?  Because in both of them you have a club and hit a puck or a ball.  In golf you have a golf club and in hockey you have a hockey club."

"We should go kayaking more.  You know why?  Because, do you know what kayak guys get to have for a snack?  Ice cream sandwiches."

"When I grow up, I want to be an ancient dinosaur bone discoverer.  Or a super hero."

"It's okay Vera. I'm here."

Said Griff after she started crying when Dad left the room.  He gave her a hug too.  He's a really good big brother.

Griff's Parental Feedback

I took Griff out for frozen yogurt last night.   Between bites I asked if there was anything mom and I could do to be better parents.  He thought for a second, swallowed a big bite of brownie flavored froyo, and said,

"Maybe more higs and kisses would be good"

Swimming on a Monday

We (all four of us) went to the ymca for family open swim last night.  From 5 to 6 pm.  It was Vicki's idea and it was a good one since I am travelling for work the next three days.  Griff enthusiastically swam up to me and said "dad can we play Simba and Raffiki?"  Anytime little man.  Anytime.

Turning a Bad Day Good

Vicki and I lose our tempers with Griff sometimes.  Sometimes he's just crazy.  Sometimes, like saturday morning, he starts off whiny and it just gets worse.

Vicki woke up early and thought it would be nice to  take Griff to Starbucks for a little mommy/son time.  His clothes weren't laid out so he had to get some from the dresser and that set it off.  He wanted the shirt that was in the laundry.  He didn't want to get dressed.  He didn't want to go to Starbucks.  Well, so he said in his whiniest voice, which is a pet peeve for both Vicki and I.  After some threats to leave without him, Vicki left without him (good move sweet angel!).  I got out of bed and tried to be calm.  He finally got dressed and cleaned up his trains so that he could come down for breakfast....45 minutes after Vicki went in there.  I thought i was going to keep it together.  Three whiny comments into breakfast, I did not.  "But I don't want honey bunches of oats" (total BS - he loves them).  Now it was time for me to follow through on my anti-whining threat.  Upstairs with screaming kid on shoulders.  Place him in bed.  Walk away.  It was a new record in frustrated parenting.  Both of us in under an hour.

We turned it around.  After Vicki left for girls day out, he went for another time out.  I told him (amongst other things in a very two-way, very grown up conversation about his motivations) to think about what we were going to do to turn the day around when his time out was over.  When I came back five minutes later, he was more calm and said "Daddy can we build a fort please?"

So we did.  Big time.  It was the best one we've ever made.  I set it up so that we could watch TV in there, but we never did.  Music lesson on his keyboard.  Puzzle.   A long game of SpotIt.  We ate lunch in there.  And Vera and I hung out in there for a few hours while Griff was napping.  Success.

Bear Wearing Underwear

This was the adorable craft Griff made at library story hour this week.  Yep, it's a bear wearing underwear.

Home Depot Kids Workshop Project #1: A Tall Wooden Ship

What an awesome new Dad-Griff Saturday activity... approx once a month, the Home Depot offers an ingenious and totally adorable kids' workshop (for free!..though of course we walked out of the Depot with $100+ worth of paint and supplies).  T & G worked together to glue, hammer (there was lots of hammering), and paint a wooden ship.  Griff got a bright orange kid-sized Depot apron with his name on it, and then received a pin for completing his project.  What an awesome morning. Tom was totally in heaven working and teaching his little man to use tools. Griff loved it too.

Heart Melt at the Library

The kids and I went to story/craft hour at the library yesterday to see Miss Alicia, who in Griff's eyes, ties for #1 best/favorite book reader ever, along with Dad, who is our household reigning champ. Part way through the stories, Vera got super wiggly in her stroller, so I sat her down next to her brother on her own carpet square with all the big kids. Griffin immediately put his arm around her and cuddled her a bit while they listened together. It was so cute and endearing.

Show And Tell: Letter C Week

Griffin had show and tell at school last week.  It was "Letter C" week, and with just a little prompting, Griffin came up with the idea of telling his class about his Cousin Cameron from Connecticut.  I printed a few pictures for him to bring in... so cute.  I love how at the young age of 3.75, he is learning to speak in front of an audience.  It's also so adorable that he is sharing about his little cousin. Awww.

Letter A:  Griff and I made "an alien out of aluminum foil, who ate apples".
Letter B:  Griff brought in a stuffed bear named Davis.
Letter D: (today) A dinosaur, "a ceratosaurus who is orange on top and yellow on the bottom".

Backfired.

It's this kind of morning. Tom is away until Friday. Is still still only Wednesday? After Griff was allowed to squeeze 2 spoonfuls of honey into his oatmeal, he pushed away his breakfast staying that he couldn't taste the honey because I didn't let him mix it in. (For the record, I did let him, and instead of mixing it in, he ate it.  Also for the record,  I already pre mixed a little honey in as I anticipated this exact scenario happening and yet it still somehow backfired.) Darn 3 year olds.

Halloween Costumes

Earlier today Griff wrapped himself into a large blanket.  He said it was his ghost hot dog costume.  Super spooky. 

Right now he is wearing an infant lobster costume while eating goldfish and watching an episode of Curious George.

Art from School

Our little "artist" Griffin drew this at school today.  He said it was "a whale jumping out is the water". It's abstract.

Heart Melter

Griff and I were in the car after a mid day swim lesson - he was tired and we were both quiet. 

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking Dad?"

"I don't know Griff, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking of Vera."

LOL

Tom just said, "Griff doesn't want to go to the hardware store because he is watching Sophia the First."  

Crocs Upgrade

Griff hooked me up with some jibits for my (subtle) yellow crocs.  He and mom got some new ones so i inherited his older goofy one and a brand new Luke Skywalker to go with his Yoda.

Sunday breakfast magic

"Daddy you know what?  This tastes a m a z i n g!"  said Griff about rice krispies with banana slices on top. 

And then a few minutes later:
"Daddy you know what what?  This tastes so good i can't stop eating it"

and then a few minutes after that:  "i suppose I'm full"

Nice to Vera

Griffin "earned" a new stuffed animal hippo for Vera tonight.  The good deed that put Vicki and I over the top was that he took Vera's clothes into her room and put them in her laundry baseket and then without being asked also went back and got her dirty diaper, then put it in the diaper genie.  Earlier in the day, when Vera dropped the apple she was eating in the orchard, Griff reached up to her (she was in the backpack on my back) and gave her a new apple.  A small one.  Perfect for fitting in her hand.  What a guy.

Ohhhhh Dear....

Griff just said,  "I changed your vagina into a penis, now you have a penis, and I changed Vera's vagina into a penis too. Wierd. Haha."

Ohhhh my. So there's that. 

Picture People Family Pictures

We had these family pictures taken earlier today... 9-28-13, Griffin is 3.75 years old (wow), Vera is 1, Mom is 31, and Dad is almost 32.  See Vera's blog post for her 1st birthday "cake bashing" pictures.

Aquarium Adventure with Gpa Victor

We did it!  Gpa Victor and I successfully made it to the Aquarium and back today with the kids.  A few of the highlights: Vera's expression seeing her first sea lions (the ones in the outside tank by the ticket booths), Griffin with Gpa watching the penguins (reminded me of my parents taking my brother and I to the same aquarium when we were little), learning about the Skate fish (cousin of the sting ray but sans stinger), watching Myrtle the giant 85 yr old, 530 lb sea turtle eat her lunch (she ate protein gels, shrimp, fish, brussel sprouts, lettuce, and broccoli), not seeing any sharks in the main tank (all Griff wanted to see was the sharks, but they are temporarily out while they treat the water for parasites), but then seeing a picture of a great white on the side of a beverage machine outside the aquarium and Griffin thinking it was "soooo amazing", Griffin saying that a green piece of coral looked like a giant mint chocolate ice cream (it did!), and Griffin saying "that's ahhhhmazing" every time a huge fish went by in the big tank (Vera would get excited too and growl).  What was Griffin's favorite thing he saw at the Aquarium? ("the scuba divers").- classic Griffin.

After the Aquarium, we took a nice stroll outside and had PB&J sandwiches and snacks near the "jumping fountains" on the Greenway, followed by an amazing ride on the Carousel.  Griff rode on the lobstah and Vera rode on the owl. We popped into the Crocs store in Faneuil Hall to get some jibbits for Griff and Dad (Griff chose Luke Skywalker for Dad and got Yoda for himself), and we found the only pair of teeny tiny fuzzy blue crocs for Vera (her first pair, and they match Griffin's). 

Awesome day.  We really missed Dad, but it was really special to have the time with Gpa.  I'm excited to do another repeat adventure into the city on a day Dad is at work in Boston (he's in Allentown this week), so he can come have lunch with us and we can do another Aquarium adventure together!

Puts Himself to Bed

Griff did the whole process himself last night.  The three things I was still involved in were filling the bath tub, getting his toothbrush and toothpaste down from the high medicine cabinet, and reading to him.

He single handedly went up stairs, got undressed and in the bath, scrubbed himself (including washing his own hair!), got out of the tub, brushed his teeth, peed,put his dirty clothes away, picked out pajamas, got dressed, picked out a book, and climbed in bed. 

Its very gratifying,  time saving, and nostalgia inducing.  He grows up so fast.

Elvis

Griffin's current favorite song to listen to in the car is "Rock Around the Clock" by Elvis.  It's on a little kid compilation CD.  Griff is obsessed with "the song about time", and he asks me to play it over and over and over... 

Growing Juice

Today Griffin said he wanted a big brother.  I said, "But Griffin, remember that if Mom has a baby from her belly it would be really little?"  He responded, "Mom, we could give him some growing juice to make him really big... or we could use magic."  Love the 3 year old mind.

Sunday Dinner Tear Jerker

If I can raise Griffin to be just a few things, those things are:  Grateful.  Positive.  Considerate.  Hardworking.

Sunday at dinner, I asked him:  "Griffin, what's something you're really grateful for?  That you really appreciate having in your life?"  I figured he might say "cupcakes" or "dinosaurs" or "birthday parties".  Nope.

"I really like having my baby sister."

___

Growth Spurt?!

It's 5pm. At 3pm Griffin ate 2 big cups of cantelope and at 4:40 was begging for food. He just ate about 10 baby carrots with hummus (which he would never normally do),  half a large avocado, and 8 dino nuggets (he usually eats 3-4). Crazzzy.

Drammmma!

Griffin has a tendency to overreact and he is bit dramatic sometimes.  I wonder where he gets this? (Like father, like son)

I just snapped this picture of him after he was fooling around on Vera's high chair and stepped off funny. I showed him the picture and he didn't like that I was laughing.  He said, "Mom,  I didn't want you to take that picture.  Die that picture,
Mommy. "

Stinky Man

We're at Grandpa Victor's house this weekend.  In the car on the way back from Dim Sum Griffin said "Grandpa Victor can't go to school because the teacher would kick him out and say 'you're a stinky man!' "

Captain O'merica

Griff:  Dad, When I grow up I want to be a superhero.

Me:  Oh really?  Cool!  What would your superhero name be?

Griff:  Captain America.  I would have a blue suit.

Me:  That sounds great.  Go for it buddy.

Griff:  Except Captain America has an “A” on his head, so I would have a different letter on my head.

(pause)

Me:  What letter would you have?

Griff:  “O”

Griffin's Beach Spa and Ice Cream Shop

Devereux Beach...it's a beautiful august morning with the kids.

Starbucks Breakfast

A little quality time with Griff this morning at Starbucks. Croissant, frozen yogurt tube, grapes, cheerios, games, coloring book... and egg sandwich and soy vanilla latte for me. It's a good morning already.

Bribery Works: New Foods Griff Has Tried

A friend and I were commenting on how raising kids is full of bribery.  I feel like not a day goes by where I don't use it.  In the past few weeks, we have been offering delicious mid-dinner desserts to Griffin if he tries a large bite of a new food.  Here are the things he bravely tasted (and liked mostly..):

1. scallops 
2. breaded cod (we were having fish tacos)
3. mango
4. orange peppers (he loves these now)
5. orzo salad (with red onion, peas, and celery)
6. broccoli spinach stromboli

7. Chickpeas

...and the food adventure continues.

A color pattern

Griff colored a pattern in the brachiosaurus, his current favorite dinosaur.

TV Fort

Griff is watching an episode of Jake and the Neverland Pirates from his own homemade couch-fort.

Random Interview

M: Griffin, how old are you?

G: Four. 

M: Really?

G: Five, I'm five.  I'm five, Mom.

M: Ok. (He's really 3 and a half.) Who's your favorite super hero?

G: The Incredible Hulk, and Spidey, and Captain America... and... Flash,.. and...Superman and the other guys.  I like all of them.  I really do.

M: What's your favorite part about school?

G: Playing with Charlie Max, cause Charlie Max goes to school with me. (This is not true- Charlie Max goes to a different school.)

M: Who are your friends at school?

G: Sebastian, Wyla, Amelia, TJ, and.. ummm and maybe that's all the friends I have?  Oh I know, Jet.  Jet is my friend, Mom.

M: Where do you live, Griffin?

G: In Massachusetts.  and I live in Marblehead.

M: What's your favorite TV show?

G: Sid the Science Kid and Octonauts and Henry Hugglemonster.

M: What sports do you play?

G: Basketball, cause I like to play basketball.

M: What's your favorite snack?

G: Um, my favorite cereal is Honey Bunches and Rice Crispies.  Hey Mom, if I mixed cereal and honey bunches and rice crispies, I would love it.  Ok. Rest time.  It's rest time, Momma.  It's 23 right now.

Blast Off!

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1...blast off!

Legos

Legos in our house are usually a Griff and Dad thing,  but Mom is stepping in this morning for some awesome Creator rocket ship building. Almost done....

Nightly Pee Time

We wake Griff up to pee every night about 10:30 or whenever we go to bed.  He's usually nearly asleep through the whole process of me carrying him out of bed and to the bathroom and back.  Rag doll style, he leans his head on my shoulder and lets his arms just droop.  I love it. 

AND tonight he was pretty awake.  On the toilet he said:  "Dad, if I was a grownup like you I would sleep in your big bed.  But I'm not so I sleep in MY bed."

Boat Bingo with Dad

Griff and Tom are cutting out boat bingo cards from griff's High Five magazine, getting ready to play...

Super Hero Abs

Among other things about Super Heros, Griffin things they are strong because they have little bumps on their stomachs.  We can only assume he means their abdominal muscles as portrayed on his super-man shirt.

"I drink milk so I can be strong like Super man and have bumps on my belly."

He's got Super hero t-shirts and tons of super hero underwear.  The boys at school all pretend they are batman or flash or the hulk etc. every morning.  He wears super hero tattoos, band-aids, and stickers.  I fueled the fire by getting him some justice league socks.

There are worse things to be addicted to.  And he's never actually seen these guys on TV or movies or even real comic books.  At least, not at our house....

Wednesday Matching Batman Shirts

Wednesday playdates with Charlie Max, Martha, and Luisa have become part of our summer routine, and they are a total saving grace for me.  The boys have gotten amazingly good at entertaining each other, whether it's while riding bikes/scooters, playing in the yard, or their new favorite activity- playing "babies" (Griffin's stuffed animal hippo and frog are their designated "babies" and they tote them around the house in pretend cribs, change their diapers, read them books, put them down for naps etc..).  Meanwhile, Luisa and Vera intermittently nap and nurse, while Martha and I get some quiet-er time to eat, catch up, and help each other maintain what's left of our sleep deprived sanity. It's awesome. 

Here are pictures of Charlie Max and Griff in their matching Batman shirts from this past Wednesday.  The boys were bouncing off the walls, all riled up, when attempting to pose for these pictures, hence, nothing is in focus.. I tried telling them to "freeze!", which is what they were attempting to do in the last picture...