Christmas Lists (updated)
Sorry these are coming so late. We are having a pretty low key Christmas, with agreed upon spending limits and in one case, foregoing gift exchange altogether this year.
Liam
- Lego Agent sets
- Lego Star Wars sets
- A WebKinz eagle or a snake
Calum
- Lego Agent sets
- Lego Star Wars sets
- The new J.K. Rowling book, about Beedle the Bard
- Any of the Heinleins Juveniles or Andre Norton’s YA titles (I want to introduce him to these)
- Ben 10 Alien Force for the Wii
Getting the boys to come with ideas has been like pulling teeth this year, hence the brevity of their lists. Really, anything Pokemon, Star Wars or Harry Potter will go over well with them. Neither of them have any of the Agent sets from Lego so that is probably the safety bet when it comes to Lego kits. They have tons of Star Wars and Bionicle sets, they tend to buy those on their own with their allowance. Though it is Lego and most of what they get ends up in the massive bin within a week so duplicates aren’t a big deal.
Gift certificates for Barnes and Noble for the boys are also appreciated since we enjoy the experience of going to the book store and picking out something new for them to read.
I would also appreciate any contributions to their 529 accounts. Email me for details if you are interested.
Andrea’s and my Amazon lists are up to date. Andrea is also interested in a gift certificate for Knit Picks since she has gotten more into knitting. I also would appreciate gift certificates for ThinkGeek since I always ogle the catalog but never given into the frivolity.
Bike Rider
A year after his first attempt, Calum has finally learned to ride his bike. To be fair, he took a spill shortly after his first try and that really scared him away from the whole endeavor. But he cam in Sunday afternoon from riding his new skateboard (go figure) and reported that Kyler’s Dad was going to fix his bike and teach him to ride.
Dree and I both followed him out, a little embarrassed at the impression our failure to teach him a basic skill may have left. Not to worry, our neighbor had apparently taught six children how to ride and when we strolled up, turned things over to us.
Calum’s balance was considerably improved, something we should have suspected from his desire for and subsequent success with his new skateboard. A few circuits around the court and he was pretty much up and on his own. Within a half an hour, he was practicing starting on his own and braking.
When I left for work on Monday morning, he was already out in the court practicing. Neither of the boys had school that day. I definitely remember how excited finally riding without training wheels made me and how eager I was to ride at any time.
Dragons Aren’t Real?
Poor Calum. Yesterday morning, when I came downstairs on my way out the door for work, he was stretched out on the couch with his Draconology book over his head. I sat down next to him to see what was going on. He was crying.
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Calum, the Reader
Despite our rampant fears throughout this school year, Calum has turned out to be quite the reader. We still have some consternation over his standardized test results, especially since his teacher has been making more noise as the school year is winding down. But watching him plow through the Magic Tree House without any prompting makes me think his test score have less to do with ability than they do with interest. I certainly could care less for most of the titles I was asked to read during mandatory schooling.
Halloween Photos
If you hadn’t found them already, go click on the photos link. I posted all the pictures I took from Halloween.
Moonshots and Ideas
Dree uttered a phrase this afternoon neither of us thought we’d say, “Calum, you have to change out of your pajamas before you go to the moon.”
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Williamsburg Trip
This past weekend we drove down to Williamsburg. The primary purpose of the trip was so that several outfits Dree had made from patterns made by an independent business woman in the business of, well, making pattern could be photographed for a catalog. I took Friday off so we could try to make a weekend of it. I’ve posted all the pictures I took, click the photos link.
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Training Wheels
Yesterday, we took the boys to the toy store to get them new bicycle helmets. After we got home, I removed the training wheels from Calum’s bike. According to Dree, most of his friends are already riding without them. The way she figures it, it’s about time we try to teach Calum how to ride without them.
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Chucks!
We were doing a little shopping after dinner on Saturday and saw some Converse All Stars Chuck Taylors on sale, in kids sizes. Both boys really liked them, too, so we went ahead and got them for back to school wear.
Birthday Pictures
I brought home the digital SLR we use at work for creating test images, a Canon Digital Rebel, and took tons of pictures last weekend. Check out the photos page to see some selected pictures, with comments.
