Daddy's little hacker has figured out how to lock and unlock doors by sticking the tiny key from a diary lock through the pin hole on the backside of a doorknob. And it's made him sick with power. "Oh, m'lady, you appear to be locked out of your bathroom *cough* because I locked it *cough cough*. Allow me to rescue you by opening it." 

Holden wrote me a letter by himself, spelling the words phonetically. It started, "Dea Mom," and I said, "Opps! You forgot the 'r'." He responded, "What?! There's an 'r' in 'dee-ah'?!" ‪#‎massachusettsphonetics‬

Magical Moment

After the first snow storm of the season, I took the kids and dogs out to play. Holden, Mac, and Red burst out the door and went right to work frolicking with their long anticipated friend, as I rushed to catch up. But I realized that Ellery had hung back, standing on the porch in wonder. She looked around and said, "Oooohhh. I like snow."

My poor second child. I had overlooked the fact that she may not have remembered snow. So I stayed back with her and watched her take her time exploring what it felt like under her feet and between her fingers, how it covered her little chair, and how it sat on the branches of the bushes. It was one of my all time favorite moments.

I Didn't Do It

Holden likes to tag things (books, walls, chairs, trees, rocks, buckets, whatever) with an "H." If confronted, he will deny everything. I tried explaining to him that by putting the letter "H" on things, he's giving himself away. He stills denies everything, but lately I've been finding a lot of "E's" around the house...

Vendetta

I need some tips for blowing up a vacuum. Burning doesn't seem enviromentally friendly, but this thing needs to go. I vacuumed up a massive spider ("Mommy, can you believe that that spider is so big it eats wasps?!") and its insect ladened lair, only to realize that I gave it a lifetime supply of food and a vendetta. I also sucked up some small pieces of sticks and pebbles (from the dogs and kids), so I imagine that it is inside the vacuum building a little Crossfit gym, using its rage towards me to get ridiculously stronger. It may even have babies and create an army to rise up against me, waiting... patiently... for the moment when I change the bag.

The Day Finally Came

Well, the day finally came. Today is Holden's first official day of school. I barely got a kiss good-bye before he zoomed off into the room. There was no time to waste. He had been waiting practically his whole life for today.

Incognito

Having just stepped out of the shower, I was putting my face on in front of the mirror. Holden wanted to go downstairs, but I didn't want him down there unsupervised because he has a habit of getting into trouble. He said,"Okay, I'm just gonna go in my room." Then, as he walked out of the bathroom, said,"I'll shut the door." Nice try. I was on to him. To this kid, the word "no" is simply a challenge. "Shut the door" is code for "I'm sneaking down the stairs anyway." So I said,"Oh, no. Leave it. I like the cross breeze."

I went back to working in front of the mirror. I could see him through the reflection pacing back and forth in the hall, watching me. This went on for a couple of minutes.

The bathroom also opens into the master bedroom, so I walked through to my room. I could see Holden in the reflection of a mirror in the room, only he didn't know that. He thought this was his chance. He bolted for the stairs, but then I quickly turned my head towards him. He did a quick turn around, and acted cool, like he was just chillin' in the hall.

He paced around some more, watching my every move, but soon disappeared. I assumed he got bored and moved on. What a fool I was. Next thing I know, I see him moving down the stairs like this:

Never Simple

When Holden doesn't want to do something, he'll say he can't do it because he's too tired. So this morning, we had this conversation:
Me: "I'm cleaning up!"
Holden: "I'm just gonna watch cuz I'm tired."
Me: "You've been tired a lot lately. I think we need to take you to the doctor."
Holden: "WHAAAT?!"
Me: "It's not healthy to be so tired all the time. I think you need to see a doctor."
Holden: "Maybe my brain is weird."
Me: "Yeah?"
Holden: "Yeah. It needs more nutrients."
Me: "Should we tell the doctor that when we see him?"
Holden: "Food could work. I probably just need food. Then I'll get nutrients. I need vitamins, too."
Me: "So, if I give you food and vitamins, you'll help me clean?"
Holden: *long pause* then a quiet,"yeah," and he quickly changed the subject,"Hey! Do you see birds outside?"

Back!

I haven't updated for a year, so I think a new post is due. What a year it has been! Shortly after my last post, I found out I was pregnant. HUGE SURPRISE! That's what happens when you sleep through health class. But a wonderful surprise indeed. We moved back to Massachusetts because we wanted our daughter to be born in Boston. Miss Ellery Quinn was born in October. She is an absolute piece of sunshine. She is one of the happiest, smiliest kids I know. And she brightens up everyone she comes into contact with.

So now we are once again The Twigs in the Sticks!  I am beyond happy to be back!

No More iPhone

It has now been 2.14hrs. since the loss of my iPhone. Things have been trying for sure. Sometimes I just want to give up, and off myself, but I keep telling myself that things will get better. But it’s just so hard. I wanted to make plans for next week, but realized that without my iPhone calendar, I have no way of knowing what I'll be doing. And even if I make plans, how am I supposed to remember them if I don’t have a calendar to put them in?

Before I took the dogs for a walk tonight, I wanted to check my Weather Channel app. to see if I needed a jacket, but I couldn't, so I had to just wing it and ended up being under dressed. The pain of the cold was awful.

Holden went to bed an hour passed bedtime because I didn't know what time it was. And I had to actually interact with him tonight because I couldn't ignore him and play Words with Friends. He ended up doing something super adorable, but I couldn’t take a photo of it, and now I can’t remember what it was anyway.

Later in the night, I was stuck in the dark because I didn't have my Flashlight app. It was frightening at first, but I persevered and was able to use my own eye sight. It was a small moment of hope for me.

I'm going to bed soon. I don't know what time I'll wake up because I don't have my Alarm app. But I guess it doesn't matter anyway because I don't know what my schedule is. I think I have some things to pick up at a store, but I don’t know what they are because they are in my Shopping List app.

I’m not sure how I’ll pass the day. I could always play with Holden, I guess. Maybe go for a long walk, or go to the beach. Though, I’m afraid to go too far from home without Google Maps. We may be doomed.

Christmas from Florida

We are no longer the Twigs in the Sticks. Or the Twigs living in the city playing in the sticks, for that matter. Last September, we sold our condo in Cambridge, packed up and moved south. We are now the Twigs at the Beach.

We are currently living on a barrier island on the east coast of Florida. It is a very small town community. It is give or take a mile wide in most areas. Our little town does not even have a library. Everyone seems to know everyone. It is as you would expect beach life to be: a slower, more laid back pace with many barefooted people riding on bikes with surf boards under their arms. And everyone seems to wake up, and go to sleep with the sun. When we walk a night, it feels like that brief period in the city after last call, but before the sun, when you feel like you are the only one left, until a taxi cab whizzes by and reminds you that you are not alone. But here, it is eight at night, and the lights are out, the dogs are in, and there is nothing but you, the stars, and the sound of the ocean.

It has definitely been an adjustment. Probably the biggest adjustment has been the lack of seasons. The sun shines brightly everyday. The temperature seems to change only slightly. The landscape stays the same, and without fail, sprinklers run every night. Without the seasons, time stands still. It sometimes feels like being in a casino. It is really easy to lose track of time and become disoriented. Seasons mark change and new beginnings. But here nothing changes, and it is hard to know where things begin and end and where you are going. Christmas was especially strange. No matter how many Christmas songs I played, or how many decorations there were, I could not get myself into the Christmas spirit. Each time I saw a house lit with lights, my initial thought was not, ”Oh! Christmas is getting close,” but instead was, “Why do these people have Christmas stuff up during the summer?”

Christmas when it is 80 degrees out is definitely an interesting experience. People try to make up for the fact that there is no Jack Frost nipping at your nose and no dashing through the snow to be had. I have been collecting photos of some of my favorite ways Christmas is done in Florida. Some are clever things people have done, and some are simply just things you would only see in Florida.

And with that, I give you “Christmas from Florida.”

Frosty has to live inside with the AC on

Bill asked,"Why only *baby* Jesus?"

Christmas party... outside. It was actually t-shirt weather, but the only Christmas shirt I could find for Holden had long sleeves, so I thought he could deal for an afternoon... haha.

"Snow" at gymnastics

"Snow" on the ground

::

Video of how kids in Florida go sledding:

Typical Day

This morning, while Holden ran around like the youth that he is (remember when mornings were fun?), I stumbled into the living room with my eyes half shut and was just about to sit down with my tea when I noticed that Mac looked a little off. "Mac? What's...." I quickly realized that he was about to vomit. Chanting "No, no no!" I tripped and fell on the floor as I scrambled to get to the front door.

"Blaah." Vomit nailed my carpet.

But Mac was going for a second round, so I reached the door, threw it open and sent Mac out. As he was heaving in the front lawn, I yelled at a curious Red to stay away from the pile of nastiness, scooped up Holden and strapped him into his highchair. I then grabbed Red, who was sniffing the vomit, and ordered him out of the room. I raced to the basement and grabbed my mini carpet cleaner. As I was running around, I noticed that Mac had moved on from vomiting to pooping. After I cleaned the carpet, I went outside and walked around the yard in my nightgown-- my hair a height only achieved by hours of head tossing in a night of restless sleep-- I pick up the poop and tossed it. Five minutes later, the carpet was cleaned, Mac's stomach was empty, Holden was once again running around house, and I was finally enjoying my tea. Just a typical morning in the Terwilliger household.

Little Project

A few weeks ago, I was driving down the street when I spotted some free stuff for kids on the side of the road. There was a Little Tikes table with two chairs, and two other little plastic chairs. All of it was filthy, covered in sticker residue, mismatched, and in colors that I didn't find too attractive. But all of the pieces were still solid and, while not aesthetically pleasing, were still usable. Then my mind flashed to a post I had read on "Ohdeedoh," one of my favorite design sites (I posted the link below). The post was about a couple who took a very worn and very faded plastic playhouse and car, and gave them a makeover with some paint. "Why not?" I thought.

I took the fact that everything fit perfectly in the back of my car as a sign that it was meant to be. I stored everything in my garage until I could find time to begin the project. In the meantime, I did some research on paint. I found that Krylon makes a spray paint for plastics that is ASTM approved for children's toys. I bought three cans from Home Depot for about $4 a can. Score! A "new" table set for $12!

When the day came to do the labor, I found that the most time consuming part was the cleaning! First, we don't have a hose hook-up, so I was making trips back and forth from the kitchen to the back porch with buckets of water. After realizing what horrible idea that was, I hauled everything upstairs and washed it in the bathtub. It actually worked really well (of course, I had at that point added the task of having to clean out the tub afterwards). That damn table with its bazillion little mildew filled holes took forever to scrub (about 30 minutes really, but it felt like forever). Totally cleaning time, including my trips to the porch, was about an hour and a half.

After everything dried, I was ready to paint. I decided to not paint the molded red chairs and drawers. They were in decent shape and I liked the color. So all that was left was the table and the two mismatched chairs. They were a piece of cake to paint. I did about three coats, let them dry for two days in my garage and voila! Holden has a fancy "new" table set.

The whole project was so much fun that I can see myself becoming obsessed. It combined a few of my favorite things: frugality, recycling, and creativity. So, if you see a lady scouring the trash for children's furniture and toys, it could very well be me.

* http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/my-great-outdoors-2011/two-tremendous-little-tikes-makeovers-my-great-outdoors-149379

Before

After

I asked Holden to smile, but he said,"No." Haha.

The Worst

Holden was having difficulty walking. After I got him dressed, I put him down, but he immediately fell. Despite much effort, he couldn't get back up. I picked him up and stood him on his legs. He tried taking a step and fell down again. He wasn't crying out in pain, so I started panicking thinking that it must be neurological. But, as it turned out, the only person who needed to get their head checked was me. I had put both of his legs into the same pant leg.

Cheerios

All I want to do is eat dried Cheerios, but Holden's going,"I want my own bowl of Cheerios, but the Cheerios have to come out of your bowl. Okay, now I want to feed you Cheerios from your bowl. Those look good. I'm going to eat from your bowl. I need more Cheerios for my bowl. That's too much. Let's just dump it all back in your bowl. Okay, now please put more Cheerios in my bowl..."

Toilet Floss

Holden has successfully tossed his first household item into the toilet. As I watched the dental floss make its way into the bowl, I let out a desperate, "Noooooo!" Holden, with his eyes scrunched and jaw slightly dropped, gave me the most confused looked, as if to say, "Whaaaat is the big deal?! I see you drop stuff into this thing all the time!"

Mom. Mom. Mom.

I have my own little Stewie Griffin. The last week has been nothing but "Mom. Mom. Mom. Mooooom! Mom. Mom!" And a good majority of the time, he doesn't want anything more than my attention, so when I respond, he just smiles and moves on.

Yesterday, I was on the floor, with my back to him, picking up food he dropped, when he started,"Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. MOM!" "Yes, Holden," I said with my back still to him. But he continued,"Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom." Next thing I know, he's crouched down, with his face right in mine, yelling,"MOM!!"

Apparently, he wanted to show me something, and I wasn't looking. But, you got my attention, kiddo. So, kuddos to that.

I Can Make It!

Exhilarating morning! We drove Bill to the commuter rail, which runs along Main Street in the center of town. We stopped for coffee on the way, and as we were in line at the drive-through, we heard the train horn in the distance. I yelled,"Give me a credit card! It's faster than cash!" Then I am already on the move as I swipe the card back from the cashier. I whip a right onto Main Street, and there's the train! I lay on the gas. The train and I are head-to-head. For a moment, I think I'm Casey Ryback and start preparing to climb out of my sunroof, so I can leap on the train. Bill snaps me out of it when he yells,"Pull over!" I pull the car to the side, he leaps out, runs across traffic... and makes his train.

Now back to laundry and dishes...

Adventurer Terwilliger

Life is just an adventure to Holden. No challenge too great.

First challenge: a car seat blocking his door to the hall.

Challenge accepted!

Holden spots a small opening between the seat and the doorway. A lesser man would deem it too small, but not Holden. After much grunting and yelling, he pushes his way through the opening and finds his way into the hall.

Success!

Next challenge: a sleeping dog in the hallway.

Challenge accepted!

He tries to go around the back, but Mac moves, stretching his body across the entire hall. Holden pauses to reevaluate the situation. He decides that he has no choice, but to go over the dog. With each hand, he grabs a chunk of fur and starts to make his way over when the beast awakes. He looks him right in the eye, and then charges forward. The beast is not happy and tries to get him off. A battle ensues.

Oh! Challenge intercepted by Mom!

Here's a video of the start of this little adventure:

No One's Silier Than Daddy