Since Silas was born, we've focused a lot more on documenting the boys' lives in text and still photos here on the site. Putting movies together is fun stuff, but requires a serious free time investment -- something we seem to have less and less of. The boys, on the other hand? All they have is free time.

Want proof? Apparently they've figured out the video-recording side of Photo Booth. In fact, their current production rate (dozens of shorts so far) allows us to announce Luke and Silas as our new exclusive providers of AToTO video content.

Posted by Beau at 08:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

For the last year or so, the boys have held tight to a morning formality. I load up my pockets, put on my badge, and give everyone a hug and kiss goodbye. Right after -- not before! must do this in order! -- they each get to pull my yo-yo-like badge out until it stops, and then let it ziiiiiip back into place. Whee!

So for Christmas, I decided to make them their own work badges:

They like having their own IDs, but what I didn't expect was how seriously they would take their chosen professions. Luke talks about this unsourced "they" who he has apparently been conscripted to work for, "They gave me my badge, and I'm going into space when I turn ten." Silas is also positive that he's bound for firefighting at some point, "I'm going to the firehouse to drive the fire truck." We'll see if their predetermined professions stick, but never has the question "what do you want to be when you grow up?" been met with such emphatic certainty.

Posted by Beau at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I love Thanksgiving. And I love my boys. So how much more perfect could it be to combine the two? Here are some of the new things I love:

• How when you used to ask Silas to close his eyes, he would "try" by squinting and rolling them upward. Now he squeezes them together so tightly that his mouth has to hang open.
• How happy the boys are to play together after Luke gets home from school
• How patient Silas was during Luke's soccer games
• How Luke is the only kid I've seen at school who carries his bookbag diagonally across his chest
• How the boys put their hands over their ears and shout "CAN YOU HEAR ME??" to each other and to us
• Luke's incessant quest to find a "new" playground ("How about a new one, Mommy? Just go straight, and turn left, and then left again, then right...maybe there will be one there.")
• How Silas says "Mommy/Daddy, I have to tell you something..." and then searches for something to say
• How Luke will sometimes tell me to go wait in the office in the morning so that he can set the table for breakfast, complete with small dishes for everyone, cups of water from the refrigerator dispenser, forks and a frozen waffle on each plate
• How Silas puts his hand out in a firm salute to stop cars while we cross the road (after seeing a policeman do the same thing)
• How Luke loves to get Silas up from his nap ("Mommy, please let me do it?"), and then the two of them barricade themselves in his room and play together
• How the boys make the kissing sound like I do when calling Zoe in from outside
• Luke's new use of the word "anyone", since he's started adding it to the end of a noun ("Pants, anyone?")
• How the boys ask me to please stop singing in the car so that they can hear the music
• How easily Silas can be taken away from something he enjoys simply by saying we'll come back sometime
• How the boys purposely fall off their bikes and yell "Accident!"
• How the boys consistently think we're keeping them up waaaaay past their bedtime since it's been getting dark so early dark after daylight saving time

I'm so thankful for you boys!!!

Posted by Jeanine at 08:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Since the boys were infants, I've gotten into the practice of narrating the day - something I read about speech development and hearing the sound of your voice. Anyway, I guess I took it very seriously and NEVER SHUT UP. Even after they've learned to talk themselves, I'm still doing it...just in the habit, I guess.

Anyway, poor little Silas has heard daily narration about Luke's school experience as we go through the carpool line every day for the past 2 years. "Oh, look! There's Mrs. x. She's going to come get Luke out of the car and take him to his class. Looks like it's spirit day - all the kids are wearing the same shirt!" Yada yada yada. Through all of this, Silas has learned all of the teachers names and can identify them as we pull up. Subsequently, he's developed quite the crush on a pretty, young teacher named Ms. Lindsay, one of Luke's teachers from last year. As she was putting Luke in the car one day, I mentioned to her how she has quite the fan base in the young Teagues. She offhandedly touched Silas's arm and said, "Oh, I just love your boys!" As soon as Ms. Lindsay was out of earshot and after Silas had watched her go, he turned and said to me enthusiastically, "She touched me, Mommy! Ms. Lindsay touched me!"

I told Beau about it when he got home from work, so during dinner he had to press the issue. "Silas, did you see Ms. Lindsay today?" "Yes, Daddy. Ms. Lindsay luff me." Boy are we in for it.

Posted by Jeanine at 08:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)