Am I a Hero?

Last night before Kuba fell asleep he asked me in a sweet, sleepy voice, "Mommy, am I a hero?" In his pre-school class they have been talking about hero's...not super-hero's. They have been discussing the qualities that make a hero; like being brave, or working hard at something, or being a good friend. His question was so sincere and so sweet.

Of course I answered yes. A true hero.

And then we talked a little bit about the super power of love.

Kuba, you are a true super hero when it comes to love.

Helluva March Day

Favorite Routine

I have a favorite domestic routine. It's grocery shopping with Kuba. It has been our task and it usually falls on a Thursday afternoon, right after I pick him up from pre-school and right before we pick Anders up from school. It is simply so much fun that I have to write about it.

Ever since he was a baby we have been bookin' it down the produce, grocery aisles and dairy sections, gathering all that we need for the week. Kuba has been completely entertained and entertaining. These are our routines: getting a bagel sample (which has now turned into getting a frosted doughnut - with sprinkles), visiting the lobsters, picking up a bread sample, stopping to choose at least 2 books from the Golden Book rack in the magazine section (which Kuba reads until we get to the cereal aisle, where he then trades them in for another Golden Book), and then winding our way back to the checkout. Our favorite grocery store has just added child size grocery carts and Kuba now trades his books in for a kid size grocery cart at about the same aisle as the last books, and finishes the shopping leading or following me down the last few aisles. SO enjoyable, so much fun, so interactive, so happy. This is one routine I hope lasts until he leaves home for college. There is something about this task that really brings out the best in both of us. What a team!

The Boys on Winter Break

These are the boys.
Big now, 7 and 4.
Clearly - healthy and beautiful.
I remain eternally and deeply grateful to be their mom.

Shirtless

My dad doesn't like to wear his shirt when he's home and the wood stove is burning. He gets too hot. It seemed that each time I looked, Anders too was shirtless. I loved this. My father spent lots of time with the boys on this visit...being all around silly and affectionate. This made for a really nice connection and added more to their relationship. My father can be extremely goofy (read embarrassing at times) and this is so Anders type of humor...so the two of them had a complete riot together - secretly I was hoping that Anders would not bring some of his humor home (but you see what kind of copying happened with the shirt!) but I'm not feeling too hopeful. And quite honestly, the more he gets of my dad the better, even if it does come with some slightly immature humor.

Spying with Grandma

We went to visit grandma and grandpa over the winter break and quite honestly it was so wonderful for both my parents and the boys. The love and playfulness between the eldest and youngest in our big family was quite remarkable. Here are some photo's of grandma playing spy with Kuba and Anders. It was a fun game that lasted for days and grandma was a willing participant and guide. Her thought: the game was ideal for teaching the boys about the power of observation. She has been calling and getting updates from them about what they are currently spying on now that they are home again.