Earlier this month, we embarked on our bi-annual trip to visit Daddy's parents, Grandma Jane and Grandpa Mel. The day dawned early and not so bright (since morning for us hit around 4am in order to make it to the airport on time). After we got the car packed, we tried to gently nestle the kids in their seats hoping they'd sleep to the airport. No such luck.
For two excited little boys, every moment brought a new little thrill. There was the light rail train on the way to the airport (six of them), the bus ride to the airport, and, perhaps best of all, Helios got to try out his new booster seat (an upgrade from his car seat). By the way, both boys were made honorary TSA agents. This did nothing to help Mommy in getting her contraband water bottle through.
The first leg of the trip was uneventful and involved a little kicking back, some reading, a smidgeon of movie watching and, most importantly, a visit to the cockpit. When that ceased to amuse, there was plenty for Helios and Hesperos to look at - airplanes, Mount Hood, and the excitement of the beverage cart which brought almost any drink the children could imagine and many more they couldn't.
For the second leg, the two un-napped junior pilots did a little crashing and napping before we arrived at our final destination and took the shuttle to the hotel. If you're a little one, the hotel is the crowning delight of a vacation and this was never more true than during our stay at aLoft. Thanks to the techno-house music that played from the moment we passed by the waterfall, Helios was excitedly dancing from the time we walked in until we got into our room with the colorful throw pillows.
There was no family visiting on this, our first day of vacation, comprised as it was of 12 hours in airports. But there was still plenty to see and enjoy.
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In mere days will be the event that little boys and girls dream of from the time they're dropped off in daycare at six weeks old. It's the day when all those crafts, songs, and arduous physical activities finally pay off. It's preschool graduation.
Sadly, due to an ill-timed family vacation planned to visit the boys' grandparents in the northeast, Helios will miss his preschool graduation. However, thanks to the miracles of advance preparation and home video, we are still able to immortalize Helios singing his graduation song that he would've performed with his class.
LYRICS: Learned my letters, A-B-C, A-B-C Learned my numbers, 1-2-3, 1-2-3 I can even write my name with ease Aren't you very proud of me, proud of me?
Kindergarten here we come, here we come Kindergarten here we come, here we come So long preschool, it's been fun Kindergarten here we come! Here we come!
Along with "HIPPO" and "GIRAFFE," one of Helios' first spelled words was "TARGET" (that strip mall mini-Mecca where trains are sold). He also early on was able to recognize "STARBUCKS" (land of hot chocolate and scones) and "MCDONALD'S" (home of apple slices). Thanks to a few savvy marketers, he is now able to recognize "CLEAR" as well.
This past spring at the local mall, Clear Wireless introduced a promotional display. Wireless is boring enough to kids (and most adults) - even the Apple yuppie or some Intel factory bunnies can't make their products interesting to children. But Clear is smart. They slapped their logo on an inflatable "snow globe" with a cupcake inside and circulating sprinkles. If you've ever seen the chipmunk in Ice Age questing for its acorn, you have seen the wild, bug-eyed stare with which these two boys greeted this 7-foot high cupcake in a globe.
Once we got them to stop hugging the cupcake, we were able to get them to hug each other and take this picture. Don't mistake it for a sign of brotherly love - while those displays do occur, this was rather a flush of mad passion for sugary glutenous wonders manifested as a massive cupcake. The brother just happened to be there to receive some of the residual love.
September 14th. Hardly a day to live in infamy but it was the last time I posted to this blog with an update on the children.
I was okay with tardiness as long as I could count the elapsed time on one hand. When the number of weeks exceeded five, I simply re-adjusted and moved to months. That gained me another 20 weeks. But as we're nearing eight months since last posting, the only other alternative is to move to increments of years and risk Google taking this blog down (or doing so myself). Since I've already abandoned making homemade cards and threw out the idea of a scrapbook before it even dared to show itself as an idea, my mommy-vanity demands that I return to blogging about childish things (or childish blogging, as you wish).
It can be difficult to diagnose mental or emotional instability. Where is the line that separates a normal and healthy dislike of dirt from germophobia? How does one know when someone is just an introvert or an agoraphobic? It is normal to be so afraid of zombies that one risks soiling one's own pants? If you're Uncle Elmo, perhaps so. Who are we to judge (or diagnose)?
Helios appears to be normal in almost all ways. Grows normally, normal intelligence, normal aptitudes, normal shyness, slightly on the higher end of normal interest in trains, but still...pretty normal. Except for one thing:
Helios must have the large ice chest in the back of our mini-SUV.
For several weeks, Mommy and Daddy exasperatingly asked the other why the cooler was in the back of the car. Both denied putting it there, neither believed the other. We doubted each other's sanity, each other's honesty. We knew it got there, and, failing gremlins, spirits, or a pathological liar for a spouse, we were unsure how.
Then one day, we observed Helios. Like a puppet on strings, he was drawn to the large blue ice chest in the garage. Without asking, without saying a thing, he'd pick it up and carry it to the car, put it down, open the door, place the ice chest inside, and close the door. Then, Helios would be off to whatever his activities were, without missing a beat.
If we removed the ice chest from the back of the car, the entire scene would repeat itself, unfailingly identical.
When we finally asked Helios, "why is the ice chest in the back of the car?", he'd look at us as though we're dimwitted and say, very patiently, "because it needs to stay cold in the back of the car for all the food we're going to get." "But," we'd say, "we're not going to the grocery!" Helios then did the 3-year-old equivalent of an eye roll and said, "But we go to the store sometimes!"
Obsessive disorder or ready-made Boy Scout-preparedness? You decide.
Earlier this month, we embarked on our bi-annual trip to visit Daddy's parents, Grandma Jane and Grandpa Mel. The day dawned early and not so bright (since morning for us hit around 4am in order to make it to the airport on time). After we got the car packed, we tried to gently nestle the kids in their seats hoping they'd sleep to the airport. No such luck. 
For two excited little boys, every moment brought a new little thrill. There was the light rail train on the way to the airport (six of them), the bus ride to the airport, and, perhaps best of all, Helios got to try out his new booster seat (an upgrade from his car seat). By the way, both boys were made honorary TSA agents. This did nothing to help Mommy in getting her contraband water bottle through. 
The first leg of the trip was uneventful and involved a little kicking back, some reading, a smidgeon of movie watching and, most importantly, a visit to the cockpit. When that ceased to amuse, there was plenty for Helios and Hesperos to look at - airplanes, Mount Hood, and the excitement of the beverage cart which brought almost any drink the children could imagine and many more they couldn't. 
For the second leg, the two un-napped junior pilots did a little crashing and napping before we arrived at our final destination and took the shuttle to the hotel. If you're a little one, the hotel is the crowning delight of a vacation and this was never more true than during our stay at aLoft. Thanks to the techno-house music that played from the moment we passed by the waterfall, Helios was excitedly dancing from the time we walked in until we got into our room with the colorful throw pillows. 
There was no family visiting on this, our first day of vacation, comprised as it was of 12 hours in airports. But there was still plenty to see and enjoy.
