Hair!

Alex bought into the idea of hockey hair.  It's apparently bad luck to cut your hair during the season.  Sure.  Great.  Only one problem:  this kid's hair is so thick.  It just kinda poofs up bigger and bigger as it gets longer.  But, it's his hair, he can do with it as he pleases.  He does, however, need to stop being so grumpy about me documenting it.

Christmas Elves

When Alex was 3, daycare took the greatest elf picture to ever be:

Right?  I mean, come on.  You don't get a better elf picture of a 3 year old.  It's perfection.

So you can imagine my excitement when I dropped off 3 year old Sam this morning and saw that very same elf hat being taken out of a box with other silly Christmas hats.  I asked his teacher to please please please take a picture of Sam with that hat on since I had one of Alex at the same age and I showed her the picture of Alex.  Yeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaah...here's Sam:

Biggest Fan

While Sam's true love is the Zamboni, he really likes watching his big brother play.

Lyrical Lessons

I was feeling a bit festive yesterday, and while taking the boys, plus one neighbor kid, to a house near us that has an INSANE amount of lights, decorations, and teddy bears for some indiscernible reason, I had Christmas music on the radio.  On the way home, Feliz Navidad came on and Sam lit up like the insane amount of lights we had just seen. 

I knew he recognized this song from last year's daycare Christmas party when his teacher dressed them all as golden cherubs and had them sing that song, but the look of confused excitement over hearing it led me to believe Sam couldn't quite place why he knew that song.  So I happily reminded him of Miss Natalia and the time she put in teaching a group of 2 year olds to sing together.  Still nothing.  But!  He did have quite an issue with how I was singing....

"No, Mama.  It goes:  Elise.  Navi.  Dot."

Checking In

I have been so flippin' busy with work it's not funny.  And I got a cold from Germ Grower Sam.  And I'm trying to stay close to on top of Christmas stuff.  And school stuff.  And hockey stuff.  And gloves and boots and hats.  All this flying around in my head lead to me accidentally sending a link to a white nationalist website to a friend when I was just trying to share the sweet realization that Sun Maid Raisins put cute little messages on the flap of their boxes.  It's been a long week.

Understanding

Sam has a new catch phrase when you explain something to him.  He listens and then he gives a couple reassuring head nods while saying, "Oooooh...I get it."

The thing is?  You could be describing third semester calculus, or why it's important to me that he tries to hit the water when he pees, and he would give the exact same response.

Writing and writing and writing

We are back on the writing sentences punishment.  In Travis's words, "that's what broke me when I was his age."  I have to say it seems to have at least an immediate effect.  Hopefully it will turn into a lasting effect.

He was mad at me the other night because he thought I wasn't listening to his side of the argument he and Sam were engaged in.  And when I wouldn't stand there and have him disrespectfully "explain" what happened to me a third time, he turned to go downstairs with a "Fine!  Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwdddddddd." flying out of his mouth.  Before he hit the second step, Travis calmly said, "Nope.  Get your notebook."

10 "I will not groan at my parents." sentences later, he was right as rain.