10 reasons Angela Bonello Hanson rocks my friggin' socks off

OK, this isn't your garden-variety HWH post, but as we wind down 2008, I feel the need to recognize the leader of our little tribe and all the great things she does for our family. what she means to me and the kind of person, wife and mother she has become. All at once now: awwwwwwwwww...

In traditional top 10 style, here's my list of why Angela Bonello Hanson continues to rock my friggin socks off (tip of the cap to the "D"):

10--She's passionate. Yeah, she might raise her voice once in a while, but I'll take passion over indifference every day of the week. No question. 

9--She puts family first. I have a tendency from time to time to get sucked into my work. But I've always admired Angela for putting family first and for the most part, leaving work at work each day.

8--She's willing to try new things. One of the things I love most about her. Always enjoys trying new food, vacation destinations or impromptu "field trips."

7--She's a sharer and a helper. If you're in need or your family is hurting, Angela is usually one of the first to jump in and help. I've seen her do it a number of times just in the last few weeks. 

6--She loves to cook. OK, I'll be honest, I'd be enjoying a steady diet of Oreos, chocolate donuts and pizza rolls if it wasn't for her penchant for creating culinary delights. 

5--She knows how to relax. This is why we vacation so well together. We both enjoy just getting away and unplugging for a week or so. Of course, we haven't done that for four years, but we'll get back to it. Just taking a little haitus here the last few years.

4--She wants to be a better person. She went back to school a few years ago. She reads. She meets new people (hello Nokomis Mom's group!). She tries new things (see #8). She looks to help people (#7). Clear signs of someone striving to be a better human being.

3--She's a good communicator. Think I would marry someone who didn't know how to hold a conversation? Great writer, too. Love our late-night conversations--when I'm not on the computer that is. Recently got her hooked on FB. Next up? Twitter.

2--She's a throwback. I say this in an endearing way. She cooks, she cleans, she takes care of our family. She's old school. But in so many other ways she's contemporary. Love the mix and balance of the two in her.

1--She loves me. Well, most days. 

Love you #2. 

Ok, family, friends, what do YOU love about Angela? C'mon, let's let her feel the love...

Christmas 2008 II: The Gremlins Strike Back

OK, first let me clarify the title a bit for any first-time HWH followers. My brother recently dubbed the kids "gremlins" in reference to their "behavior" when they haven't eaten in two hours, need sleep, want to play with the same toy, etc. Christmas Eve, we celebrated with the Hansons over in Woodbury. Kids were pretty darn good--minimal meltdowns. 

Thursday night, we spent the afternoon and early evening with the Bonellos. Enter gremlins. Actually, they behaved the bulk of the day--it was the 5-7:30 pm timeframe where the green, slimy creatures made their entrance. After two solid days of three Christmas' I think they were just overtired and overwhelmed. That said, I'm just having a little fun with the headline of this post--the kid were really very good overall. 

Great Christmas with the kids. Santa paid us a visit early on Christmas day--as evidenced by the cookie crumbs and short note. Kids got some great gifts, we got what we wanted (sleeping in until 6:30--believe me, that's a treat) and we were then off to spend the afternoon with the Bonellos where we enjoyed egg nog shots, turkey dinner, figgy pudding and some good conversation. And like I said, the gremlins didn't show up until late in the day, so we can't complain too much. Of course, when they did make their appearance, things tanked quickly, but we still had a great time. Thanks Grandma Jane, uncle Rocco and aunt Meg for a wonderful Christmas!

Let the holidays begin ...

Tonight we had the first of four Christmas celebrations. We spent most of the afternoon and evening with Arik's family out in Woodbury. Not only did we eat ourselves silly with meatballs, mashed potatoes, and lefse - we also opened some pretty amazing gifts. 

As you will see in the photos, there was no shortage of fun. 

Despite some short naps, the kids were really good. I think Amy was asleep by the time we got out of the driveway!

Thank you again Rod, Diane and Aaron for a wonderful day! Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays...Hanson style

Happy holidays to you and yours--island style!

The Happiest Gnome

Great time with the Nederloes last night at the Happy Gnome in St. Paul. Great beer (the Sprecher and Delirium Tremens were fabulous), food and conversation. We even ran into an old friend--Wally Freier for all your Woodbury HWH followeres--who had dropped in during a break from the adjacent Curling Club. 

May have to make this an annual event...

Pretzels+Chocolate=sweet holiday goodness

Angela busy making chocolate pretzel treats for a party tonight. I've been told in no uncertain terms to keep my grubby mitts off. What, a guy can't take down 24 pretzel rod covered in chocolate in a five-minute sitting? What is the world coming to?

Matthew's 4th Birthday

The birthday celebrating started early this morning. The house was decorated last night (including cupcakes baked!), so we were ready to roll when the family alarm clock of "Can I get up?" came at 6:15 am.

Arik and I went in to Matthew's room and sang him happy birthday. He had a big grin on his face, and asked, "Am I bigger?" He looked in the mirror and decided that he was definitely bigger today than he was yesterday. Very cute.

After a quick trip to the potty, we headed to the dining room where presents and birthday hats awaited. He dove into the presents first. He opened some new Spiderman pajamas, and a toy electric chainsaw (complete with safety goggles :) It was hilarious. He proudly wore his birthday hat during breakfast, and was excited to see us come around the corner with a candle in his raisin toast. We even let him blow it out twice! (see video below)

I joined Matthew and his class for lunch at the daycare. I will say this - it was probably the most balanced lunch I have had in a long time. All food groups were well represented. Notice that I did not say it was delicious. The kids thoroughly enjoyed their birthday cups (Batman or Princess - their choice) and swirly straws. I heard a lot of, "Hey Matthew's Mom ... watch this...." However, my absolute favorite memory is Matthew looking at something his friend Aidan was doing and saying, "Hey Aidan - that looks just like my chainsaw!" You definitely don't hear that every day!

We topped off the day with a quick trip to the local Burger King, and some tasty chocolate cupcakes. We can't believe how big Matthew is getting, and how much he has changed in the past year. Happy Birthday Matthew!

Happy #4 Matthew!

The big guy turns four today. Only 12 to go before that driver's license...

Running with Reindeer

So proud of Angela and Aaron--both ran the Reindeer Run around Lake Harriet on Saturday morning--in subzero temperatures no less. It was Angela's first-ever race! Woo-hoo!

The not-so-funny part? Matthew, my mom and dad and I went out to watch Angela and Aaron run Saturday morning, while Grandma Jane watched Amy (much too cold for a one-year-old). We waited patiently by the south side of the lake. Unfortunately, that's the exact spot where the track breaks in two--we ended up missing them altogether.

However, we did manage to see a bunch of interesting characters running the race including SpiderMan, a group of cows and "present-head", as you'll see in this video.

Introducing the new Roy Munson....

A reference for all you Kingpin fans out there...

Matthew's first bowling experience went surprisingly well Friday. We headed to Southtown Lanes with Rocco and Meg and bowled two games. Matthew's high game was a 72 (legitimate with bumpers). He was actually more enamored with the foot fault light sensor, but whatever. Having only bowled a 110 high score (pathetic), I thought 72 for a four-year-old wasn't too bad.

What am I thankful for?

Take a look. This about sums it up.

Well, actually, Matthew's missing from that larger group family pic below, but I think it goes without saying that I am thankful for him and the many antics and love he brings to our lives every day.

We had a great Thanksgiving day with the Hansons. We ate lefse--some for the first time.

We played the piano--always a favorite at Chez Hanson East.

Grandpa even let Matthew put some lights on the trees out front--something he's been asking to do for about six months.

We even got a little silly toward the tail-end of the day.

All in all, a great day. And really, our first as a family (Amy was only three months old last year--doesn't count). Here's to many more just like this year's...

That flouride treatment cost me how much?

We recently received a bill from Matthew's dentist. We owe $55 for his flouride treatments. But wait, we never received any kind of heads up from the dentist that this wasn't covered. No conversation about the option of forgoing the flouride. No talk about the fact that this would result in an extra charge because our insurance only covers one flouride treatment per year per child.

Would you ever get away with that in any other service industry? 

What if PR firms started charging clients randomly for services they thought they needed, but never officially asked. Isn't that the same thing? What am I missing here? At the very least, the dentist should have just sat us down and said, "now this may or may not be covered by insurance since this is Matthew's second flouride treatment of the year. Are you sure you want to proceed?" Given all the data, we could have made an informed decision. The way it played out, we were basically duped.

Now, the dentist probably isn't out to "get us" but he's definitely in the business of making money. There's a conflict there. And this is just a basic example--there are some other examples on the health care side that are far more frightening. 

Something needs to change. Providers and dentists need to be more open with their patients when it comes to what's covered, how much it will cost and your options. All the burden can't rest with the consumer. It's just too damn complicated. It's like the darn tax code trying to figure out health care insurance costs these days--thank God I married an expert in health care insurance. 

Any ideas on how we can fix this mess?

The Geek Squad needs a makeover

I've had it with the Geek Squad. I really have. I've tried to give them the benefit of the doubt because I love what the organization stands for and the way they've so strongly branded their company. 

But, my four experiences with the Geek Squad have been anything put fulfilling--in fact, they've been downright hideous. I've waited a minimum of 20 minutes every time I've visited the Geek Squad location in Bloomington. 20 minutes! And I usually have a four-year-old or baby in tow, so I don't have the luxury of being able to wait in line for an extended period of time. What's more, my latest waiting game was merely to pick up a camera. 

 

What if I could have called ahead and alerted the Geek Squad that all I needed to do was pick this up? A team member could have greeted me, grabbed the item and sent my on my way. I would have been a satisfied customer. Now, I'm an angry customer that plans on steering as many people as he can find away from the Geek Squad.

The other frustrating thing. Each time I've been to this location, there's a pretty deep line. Meanwhile Geek Squad members come and go from behind the desk as if there aren't four people patiently waiting. How about a "I'm sorry you've been waiting, but we're a little behind at the moment, and we'll be with you as soon as we can." Not that hard and would make a difference. Or, what if when you "checked in" you were greeted by a team member and handed a buzzer (similar to what they do at restaurants) and then you were free to shop and roam the store until your number is called. Again, not that hard. For an innovative and forward-thinking organization like the Geek Squad, I guess I would have expected more. 

Work on your customer service and get back to me, GS. Until then, I'm taking my repair--and warranty--business elsewhere. Very disappointed.

One reason to come to Duluth: Fitger's

One of the reasons I enjoy coming up to the north shore each fall: Fitger's. During our two-day stay at Larsmont, we get our fair share of Fitger's finest brews. Tonight, it was Starfire, the double-hopped IPA, Kolsch and a seasonal wheat beer. Good stuff. Just wish we would have had a little more of the apricot wheat. Oh well--always next year. 

Bedtime convos with uncle Rocco

"Nothing better than readin' books and taking a nap with my uncle Rocco," says Matthew...

Live from the frozen tundra

The third weekend in November means it's time for our annual pilgrimage to the north shore with the Martell family. We head to Larsmont Cottages, just south of Two Harbors, for a Thanksgiving weekend with the family. 

The accomodations are over-the-top nice--spacious cabins, good food and a pool and hot tub to boot. We rolled in yesterday afternoon and have already enjoyed a short session at the pool. The kids love it because they get the chance to play with other kids (namely, Clayton and Lewie) and bedtimes are a little later (Matthew went to bed at 11 pm last night).

The weekend plays out like this: each family is responsible for one meal. Ours was last night providing sloppy joes, chips, cookies and assorted snacks (and when I say "ours" I mean Jane's). There is always a good selection of Fitger's beer on hand as well. 

More to come later today...

P.S--buzz-phrase of the weekend has already been established courtesy of uncle Rocco: "Yanky my blankey"

My skin looks like cauliflower

Hey, he said it, not me. Matthew, that is. You see Matthew and his classmates have been studying diversity this week and making self portraits to highlight the kids' similarities--and differences. 

Today, they read a book, "The Colors of Us", which talked about skin color, race, and other differences we have. After reading the book, Matthew's teacher asked each child to think of something their skin, eyes and hair looks like. Here were Matthew's answers:

My skin is like the color of: cauliflower

My eyes are the color of: blueberries

My hair is short and white.

Everytime with the "white" hair. That slays me for some reason. Love the cauliflower reference, too. I mean, I know the kids is pasty, but cauliflower? 

Amy Hanson...Dancing Queen

Oh boy...we have a dancer on our hands.  Check out the video of Amy at the daycare center birthday party.  Bob the Beachcomber was singing ... and she quickly found her rhythm.

Bedtime rituals

Ordinarily, bedtime rituals consist of reading books, drinking a glass or milk and kissing your son or daughter on the head. While we do practice a couple of those items, we also have a unique set of bedtime rituals in our house courtesy of Mr. Matthew Aaron Hanson. Grandma Jane, Grandma and Grandpa Hanson and uncle Aaron know a couple of these rituals all too well. Most notably "talking about my day." Not sure when it started but Matthew insists on you talking about his day every day. We could be on the road in a hotel, at Grandma and Grandpa's house or camping--we always have to talk about our day. What does that mean? What, isn't it self explanatory?

It's actually not so much about you talking about YOUR day as it is you talking about MATTHEW'S day. Now, we have help from daycare, which sends all parents in Matthew's room an update on his daily activities during naptime. But basically, we follow the same, standard approach--"Well....you got up and had breakfast, you went to daycare, you played marbles/computer/sensory table, you had lunch, you took a nap, you came home and had dinner, read books and went to bed. Really, it's not complicated. However, if you don't follow this exact formula, or something VERY similar, he will correct you. "That's not how you talk about my day," he'll say. You think I'm kidding? Ask the grandparents. It's a fun ritual and actually something I look forward to each evening.

We also typically end up reading a lot of books at bedtime. But we also watch a lot of videos, too. Now, videos--yeah, you probably think I mean the Wiggles or Sesame Street or Elmo, right? Yeah, not so much. Try Hootie and the Blowfish or U2 videos. Or, the popular Will it Blend videos. This edition where Tom blends a Nike shoe is his new favorite (yes, he has "favorite" Will it Blend videos--there's about 50 of them...).



Or, recently, the montage from the end of Karate Kid. Seriously, he asks to watch these videos.



I'm constantly on the lookout for the next bedtime video--any ideas, send em my way.

Can't wait to see what Amy's rituals are--a whole new world awaits...

"Gutters"

The time has come to post another conversation between Matthew and Mommy. This one took place while we were eating lunch on Saturday. Enjoy:

Matthew: "Mommy, do you remember when you used to go upstairs and pump?"
Me: "Yes, I remember that."
Matthew: "What did you do that for?"
Me: "So I could give Amy some special milk."
Matthew: "What were those things that you put on?"
Me: "Just part of the pump ..."
Matthew: "Did you know that if you squeeze a cow's butt that milk comes out?"
Me: "Actually, milk doesn't come out of their butt ... it comes out of their udders."
Matthew: "Gutters?"
Me: "No, udders. The things you squeeze to get milk out are called udders."
Matthew: "Mommy, you know those things on the side of the bowling alley ... those are called gutters."
Me: "Yes, they are."

How we went from eating grilled cheese ... to pumping milk ... to bowling ... in about 30 seconds was truly amazing. I don't know that I will ever master his thought process. He definitely keeps us on our toes!

Halloween 2009: Spiderman vs. Puppo

Our first real official Halloween came to a close last night with a trick-or-treat excursion down a nearby street and a pit stop at our friends, the Studdifords, who live two blocks away. The Studs have two children of similar age to ours--Natalie and Zach.

We probably hit about 15 homes total down about a block-and-a-half. It was Matthew's first experience on his own approaching homes and saying "trick or treat." He did pretty well--in fact, he liked it so much, he started sprinting ahead 1-2 houses ahead of the rest of us. Hmm...that sounds familiar (for those of you who knew me when I was younger, apparently I ALWAYS had to be first and/or ahead of everyone else).

Amy did great, too. The big hit of the night for her? As you might guess, a face-to-face with a dog. It was Puppy v Puppy--and the only thing separating the two was a thin pane of glass. I'm guessing Amy could have taken him...

There was one house on the block that really got into the spirit with ghosts and ghouls flying through the air using a semi-advanced pulley system. They even had a witch out front with a talking skull in her crystal ball--a big hit with Matthew and Zach. I think mezmorized is the word.

After the kids were worn out, we headed back to the Studdiford's abode to let the kids play and consume some candy while the adults enjoyed a few drinks.

But there was more to the day than just the evening festivities--Matthew and Angela participated in a Halloween parade at Blue Cross Blue Shield. The kids always trek up to the corporate headquarters and walk around and show off their "crazy hair." I went last year--it's always a lot of fun for the kids (and I think the BCBS employees actually enjoy it more).

Angela also made a Shepherd's pie (with ghosts) that was quite tasty. Unfortunately, we didn't get to carve our pumpkins before Halloween, but we're hoping to do that in the next few days. After all, the kids won't know the difference. We like to do things kind of backwards in the Hanson house.

We're already looking forward to Halloween 2009!

Children's Museum with the Masters family

Last Sunday we trekked downtown to the Children's Museum to meet the Masters for a morning of balls, books and bubbles (I'll explain later). I used to work with Sara Masters at RSM McGladrey and we've stayed in touch since we both left our former employer-she's grown to be a good friend. Sara and Jason have their own three-year-old darling, Maren. And can you beat that name--Maren Masters? Jason, she has very high potential from a sports standpoint with that name.

The kids had a great time. We played in the water exhibit blowing bubbles and playing with ping pong balls in the water (by FAR Amy's favorite part of the museum experience). Matthew and I "manufactured" blocks and put them down the conveyor belt-in case you couldn't guess, he loved this. We even listened to storytime and a book about frogs that was acted out quite well by one of the great Children's Museum volunteers.

We also played in the make-believe grocery story and hospital and kicked, threw and bounced from wall to wall in the "ball" exhibit. Thanks to the Masters family for coming out and making the long journey from Shakopee to St. Paul--hoping to see you again soon. Take care of that little Maren.

My golf fantasy

I had the fortunate opportunity to play the White Bear Yacht Club this morning, a private club in White Bear Lake. Dr. Bert and Andy Bert, a friend of my brother's, invited us out for a round (big thank you to the Berts!). The Yacht Club is one of the more hidden gems in the Twin Cities. It's a little short at 6,400 yards from the tips, but it's everything you could want in a private club--lightning-fast greens, meticulous fairways and private-club service across the board. It's the little things that make WBYC special--blue triangle flags donning the WBYC logo, tees and ballmarkers emblazone with the logo on the first tee and water bottles on every fourth hole.

I didn't play that well--although Aaron did shooting 80 with a triple on the last--but it's more about the experience than anything else. Did I mention we played in three hours? And there were about 10 folks at the course. Nice. The locker rooms were pristine, the food was fabulous and they even cleaned our clubs while we ate. A wonderful day through and through.

The question I asked myself on the way home--how can I make this work for me? Clearly, I don't pull down enough to join a course like WBYC. I probably never will. But, I know there are private clubs that are affordable in the outlying areas of the Twin Cities. I was a member at River Falls for a few years, and even that was enjoyable. Could there be an opportunity at Northfield CC? Forest Lake CC? Stoneridge? I know the timing is right now with two kids under 4, but at some point, I need to make this happen.

Yeah! Mom is home!

Angela took off for Texas on Tuesday for a two-day business trip, leaving me alone with the kids for the first time in a while. While it's not easy handling drop off and pick up, feeding the kids and getting them down for bed at night, we enjoyed our time together. We built bathrooms (Matthew uses tiles from our former bathroom projects to simulate bathrooms in the basement--yeah, don't ask), read lots of books (Amy's a sucker for books now) and at one point both kids had every single pot and pan we own out on the kitchen floor (hey, it distracted them for a full 10 minutes--stop laughing, you'd take it if you could get it too!). 

All that said, we're very happy Mom is home. Quite frankly, we missed her. I know it was only two days, but we all missed her. Amy missed her bedtime book ritual with Mom. Matthew missed Mom "talking about his day" before bed and I missed having someone to rehash my day and the kids' antics with after the kids go down. We're glad she's home safe and sound. 

One other nugget to share. As some of you may know, Matthew is going to be Spidey for Halloween this year. Apparently, he can't wait because the last few days he's taking to wearing his costume around the house nonstop. And now he's taking it to a whole new level. He's referring to himself, as Spiderman, in the third person. "Spiderman needs to eat dinner." "Spiderman is going to sleep." "Spiderman needs his Teddy!" Need I remind you the kid is three years old. Unbelieveable. 

Yup, these are our kids...

I'm going to start a new, ongoing post series on the HWTH blog. It's called "Yup, these are our kids." It's a little spoof of The Sports Guy's (Bill Simmons for you non-ESPN.com followers) regular post. 

In this first installment, I'd just like to share some of the faces we see at the dinner table each night. 

For those HWTH readers who don't have the opportunity to see us as much as we'd both like, our kids are loud, head-strong (that's putting it lightly), opinionated, bull-headed, and a little crazy. We wouldn't have it any other way. Sometimes it drives us nuts (OK, many times it drives us nuts), but for the most part we love it. 

So again, here are a few of the faces we get from #3 (I'm #1, Angela's #2, Amy's #4--running joke) at the dinner table.

My personal fave's the blurry pic--that's a classic Matthew pose and one that comes out often.

Fall clean-up weekend begins

It's Oct. 18 and I'm pretty sure I haven't mowed the lawn since early August. Now, I'll admit, that's part laziness. No way around that. But it's also attributable to the fact that our weekends have been fairly full lately. 

Regardless it was time to get out, rake the leaves, mow the lawn and start the general fall clean up. 

First step? Create a giant leaf pile for me and the kids to jump in, of course. 

Matthew and Amy helped--I insisted. Good way to work off those Cheerios they had for breakfast. But the big hit of the morning workout was the leafblower and "tractor" as Amy called it (also known as a truck) up the street. Big hit.

 

We closed the morning session of our fall clean up by putting the leaves into bags--Matthew even did one all by himself! More on the afternoon and Sunday work sessions later this weekend.

The importance of grandparents

Today, I wanted to give "big props" as the kids say these days to a few of the most important people in our lives: our parents. But, not just because they raised us right, made sacrifices and continue to support us (even at this advanced age). No, I want to recognize them for being such a big part of our kids lives. 

We're lucky enough to live within earshot of our parents, just 20 minutes away. Virtually every weekend one of them comes over to watch the kids so we can go out, catch a movie or have a leisurely dinner that doesn't involve the phrase "Hey, Mommy" or "Hey Daddy" a minimum of 500 times a minute. We try to say thank you each time they come over, but it bears repeating. Again and again. 

So, I'll say it again: Thank you.

Not just for the baby-sitting (although we do appreciate that, more than you probably know), but for being such a big part of Matthew and Amy's lives. I grew up living four hours away from my grandparents. While my parents did their best to get us down to Fairview and Rising Sun (small towns in Wisconsin) once a month or so, it just wasn't the same as living in the same city and seeing them on regular basis. 

Matthew and Amy have their own rituals with each grandparent. They "play cords." Build castles. Put stickers on windows. Go for walks. And run through sprinklers. They've known their names and faces since they were just babies. And the kids talk about them all the time. That's worth far more than any baby-sitting gig to us. 

And we hope our parents know that. So, maybe this is the Norweigan in me, but I'd like thank our parents for being a steady and positive influence on our kids' lives. It makes a huge difference. And it certainly makes a difference for us. Thank you--and we love you.

Truck Day

Arik is out of town for the weekend, but that isn't stopping us from having some fun.  Today was "Truck Day" at the Woodbury library.  All I have to say is, what a fabulous idea!  Kids love trucks - not toy trucks - real trucks!  They cleared out the parking lot and filled it with fire trucks, snow plows, buses, giant rigs, a UPS truck and more.  Matthew had a blast.  I think every little boy between the ages of 1 and 5 in the 55125 zip code was there.  The funniest part was that all of the kids were dying to get into the drivers seat - and when they did - they insisted on honking the horn!  It was non-stop!  The kids were having a ball ... while the parents were getting a headache!  

I will attach a few of my favorite photos.  

We had a great time.  After he sat in just about every truck, we went inside for some truck stories and a trip through Lookout Ridge.  It was an awesome morning.  We had lunch at Grandma Jane's house, and then decided to even do naps there.  

If you need a Matthew funny to tide you over until our next post, I will share one little exchange from our morning rush ...

Matthew:  "Mommy, I need this wrench out of my guitar!"

Me:  "Matthew, I don't have time to take that out right now, it will have to wait until we get home tonight.  We need to get going."

Matthew:  "Take it out NOW!"

Me:  "I told you we don't have time right now because we have to leave.  If you don't turn your behavior around pretty soon, we aren't going to see the trucks at all!"

Matthew:  "That isn't very nice to say ... I am not going to invite you to my birthday party!"

Keep in mind, Matthew's birthday isn't until December ...

Bird Poop

No funny photos today. I am posting this story from work. Before I forget, I have to share yet another funny Matthew story with all of our readers. This conversation took place on our way in to daycare this morning.

That little mind of his never takes a break. If you can picture Amy watching him from her carseat and listening intently ... it is even funnier. She thinks he is amazing. Little does she know that our daily topics of conversation are far from enlightening.

Enjoy!

Matthew: "Mommy, what is that on your window?"
Me: "Um, it looks like bird poop."
Matthew: "Bird poop?"
Me: "Yeah, bird poop."
Matthew: "Like ... a bird in the sky?"
Me: "Yep, a bird must have been flying in the sky and pooped on Mommy's car."
Matthew: "But how does a bird poop?"
Me: "Just like people do, they just push it out."
Matthew: "But birds don't have a butt ... (silent thinking) ... maybe they just push it out of the fuzz on their backs ... (more silence) ... like dogs and kitties do...."
Me (trying to hide the laughter): "I don't know that much about birds, but dogs and cats do have butts like people do. That is how they poop."
Matthew: "No they don't, Mommy. When I look under them - there is no butts."

Little Helper

This picture just cracks me up.  Amy is always the first one to join the cleaning crew after dinner.  She loves to climb into the dishwasher and pull out all of the silverware.  She is especially fond of the spoons.  They often end up back in her mouth and on their way to the living room as she runs away giggling.  She is something else.  

I can never leave you without a funny comment from Matthew.  They are my signature blog ingredient.  So ... in the spirit of laughter, here is part of our conversation on the drive home tonight.  

Matthew:  "Mommy, what if you held on to Daddy's foot ... and I held on to your foot ... and Amy held on to my foot?"

Mommy:  "That's interesting, what would happen?"

Matthew:  "We would be a big pile of monkeys!"

Seriously ... I am starting to wonder what "afternoon snack" really means at this daycare.  I may need an ingredient list!