Ms. A is 6 going on 13. Life as a 1st grader seems good. She maintains her own unique sense of fashion, comedy, mannerisms, and stubbornness. Dance class continues to be her passion, but Mr. Mom got her out of her comfort zone by signing her up for two days of fastpitch softball clinic and one day of "Intro to Hockey" clinic. For each of the three days it took her about 15 minutes to observe, thoroughly assess the situation, and work up the appropriate level of fortitude to join in the action. Once doing so, she did very well in each of the activities, and Mr. Mom had a hard time keeping the smile off his face while watching (from a safe distance so as not to be seen by A, of course).
Mr. Mom and Mrs. Dad wish her life of academia would be a little more challenging, but her genius is so great that the elementary school curriculum is obviously inadequate. Is 2nd grade too early for admission to Harvard? Frequent trips to Boston would benefit Mr. Mom and his Union Oyster House (http://www.unionoysterhouse.com/) oyster-on-the-half-shell habit.
Ms. A is also picking up a second language, Valley Girl. She can fit the word "like" into any sentence at any time, and does so with recurring fervor. For good measure, Mr. Mom often gets a "Seriously Dad?!?" comment. Like, who needs Spanish or Mandarin when you, like, never go to Spainia or Mandarinistan? Also, Mrs. Dad got told the other day that her fireplace mantle decor was "lame". It was classic.
Mr. B is his same effervescent self. He turns 5 on Monday, and Mr. Mom is frequently battling bouts of the surreal nature. How can this little boy be 5? Shouldn't he be toddling around the house grunting, picking on his older sibling, and being the Master of Disaster? Well, I guess he still does all those things, albeit to a lesser degree. And he still sucks his thumb for good measure, but we are working hard on stopping that.He is our extroverted social butterfly, and we love him for that. So do the ladies apparently. On 1/28/11 I was waiting for B to wash his hands before he said good-bye and headed off into his classroom. The mom of one of the girls from his class approached me to tell me that her daughter said the day before that "I love B with all my heart." It must be a brother-sister kind of love though because according to B, this other little Italian number, a mature kindergartner no less, told B that they "were to marry." Mr. Mom can't relate. I'm still trying to figure out how I tricked Mrs. Dad.
This is Mr. B's birthday extravaganza weekend, but alas one of his preferred guests probably won't make it. The other day, B found a nickel while getting into the truck, so we were talking about Thomas Jefferson, which segued into discussions of other presidents. After correctly telling me that George Washington was the first president and that Barack Obama was the current president, he paused and said, "I want to write Barack Obama a letter thanking him for being president. And I want to invite him to my birthday. He could president my party." I said, "Good idea B. We'll get right on that." I guess Obama may have considered such an invitation. That is unless B decided to have a tea party. Badumpump.
More so than Ms. A, Mr. B is openly enthused about the idea of playing sports. We had him signed up for "Sports Camp" at the posh Edina Family Center for December and January, and he played PhyEd-type games, while also being formally introduced to soccer, t-ball, football, and lacrosse. He loved it, and to see him run and play with such unbridled joy melted Mr. Mom's crusty old heart. However, one day when I asked B what his favorite thing to do at Sports Camp was, he gave the answer, "Have snack. Then play Animal Tag." Classic B.
Mr. C is an old man in the body of a 2 year old. We see a lot of this curmudgeon face shown here on the left. We also hear a lot of "No!" or "Mine!" Must be all that bad stay-at-home-dad parenting. Luckily C flashes that smile and unleashes that laugh just enough to offset it. We love going to "school" on Thursday mornings, even though it is lowly Eden Prairie ECFE and not the amazing, super, terrific Edina ECFE that A and B experienced with the former primary caregiver of FroFamily Inc. C is a hit in class. The other moms and the three teachers dig him, especially during song time. They are even warming up to the enigma that is Mr. Mom. Predictably I'm the only dad in class, but I kind of like it that way.
That should sufficiently whet your appetite for more Milk & O's and I promise to blog more regularly.
Mr. Mom out.
