Happy New Year

The Hampton boys choose to ring in the new year with a 2013 chocolate cake and a family pillow fight!

It's not champagne at midnight, it's way more awesome.

Another Superhero

So I'm unloading the dishwasher this morning, while "Batman" and "Robin" play upstairs, when I'm approached by a tiny boy holding a mask.

He hands it to me, points to his head and says, "Piderman?"

Tis the happ, happiest season...

For those of you not on facebook, I wanted to share our most priceless Christmas photo.

Zane is on Joe's knee and would have NOTHING to do with Santa!

Zane's New Words

So Zane's current favorite thing is coloring.

Anytime he sees a piece of paper, any pen, pencil, marker or crayon he starts yelling, "I color, I color!"

Zane has also invented a new hybrid word. A piece of gum, candy or anything yummy is called a "numnee." If he sees something sweet he starts pointing and saying, "Mommy, numnee. Mommy, numnee."

Health Nut

So I took Wyatt to a birthday party over the weekend.

The host announces, "I need everyone to line up and move into the other room, we are going to have cake and ice cream."

All of the kids cheer. Except Wyatt.

He raises his hand and says, "Is there going to be any healthy food?"

That Explains It!

So Colt is by far my strangest kid. He says odd, off the wall, ridiculous things ALL the time.

This morning I asked him, "Colt, what made you so weird?"

He responded immediately, Dad did."

Alphabet Snob

So we had parent-teacher conferences this week at the boys' preschool. We learned that both are smart, sweet, well behaved boys.

We also learned that Colt has a quirk. When it is "circle time" on the rug and all the children gather to listen to a story or play a game, Colt will only sit on the "C."

If another child is sitting on his "letter" he will stand in front of them until they move, or go get the teacher and ask her to move them.

Apparently, if nothing else, he is learning to protect his turf.

Backseat Theology

Overheard in the backseat:

Colt: "Is God real?"
Wyatt: "Yeah, God's real."

Colt: "Is Jesus real?"
Wyatt: "Yep, Jesus is real."

Colt: "Is Mary real?"
Wyatt: "She's real."

Colt: "Are the lambs real?"
Wyatt: "The lambs are real. But they were a really long time ago."

Colt: "But aren't there lambs now?"
Wyatt: "Yeah, there are lambs now. It's the Shepherds that are dead."

Humpty Dumpty

So Zane has about 15-20 words we can understand. He is quite the communicator. Our current favorite that he mispronounces..."empty."

When something is all gone he turns it upside down and announces, "Dumpty."

How to milk a bunny

So we have two kinds of milk at our house, "perry" milk which is the chocolate with "perry the platypus" on the container, and "bunny" milk which has the "nestle quick" bunny on the box.

Colt asks for "bunny" milk. Joe says, "how do you milk a bunny?"

Wyatt pipes up, "You grab his private parts and squeeze really hard."

Parents try really hard not to laugh.

"The Artist"

So Wyatt has learned how to apply temporary tattoos. "I watched you," he said, "and learned how to press really hard."

He has now turned both of his brothers into characters on the show "American Choppers."

Wood you?

So Joe and I tried to sneak a bit of crust into Colt.

We were down to the heel of the loaf of bread. We thought if we put enough butter on it he might not notice.

He took one bite, made a sour face and said, "I can't eat this, it has a board under it!"

Cheers!

So Wyatt had some dental work done last week and had to be sedated. He was also given a memory erasing drug.

Needless to say, he was feelin' good and not remembering a thing after the procedure. While in the waiting room he kept waving his hands, slurring his words and telling me about the carpet and light switches, "moooooviiiingggg."

When it was time to leave I hauled what appeared to be a 40 pound drunk over shoulder. As the nurse held the door open Wyatt yells to the waiting room, "There's a 5 year old....going home!"

It's Official

So all week long the big kid had refused to acknowledge that his birthday had passed.

His "real" birthday, he insisted, wasn't until his party.

He partied like a rock star Saturday with more than 20 friends. They bounced, ate cake and pizza, got tattoos and animal balloons, played "pin the tail on the platypus" and "musical bean bags."

He was exhausted and officially satisfied that he is now five.

Boy 1 is Five

So here are the first three things Wyatt said on the morning of his fifth birthday. He said them in this order, in a span of less than ten seconds.

"I have to pee."

"Am I really five?"

"I think I'm taller."

The First Born

So five years ago tonight, Joe and I lived in a quiet, uncluttered, reasonably clean, childless home. The following morning life changed.

Our first born goes to bed tonight, on the eve of his fifth birthday, in new pajamas, pretending to be a secret agent platypus.

I could never have imagined the joy Wyatt would bring us. And I don't really miss the silence, or the clean house.

The Fun Box

So to help the boys become better organized we have purchased several shelves with cubby holes.

The idea was to use them for shoes and books and toys.

Wyatt has recently adopted one of the cubby holes as his "fun box."

It is the cubby with all of his most prized possessions. If his brothers try to grab anything out of there he screams and yells, "They can't have it, it was in my fun box!"

Out of curiosity I decided to do an inventory:

One Handy Manny Tool box, a Perry the Platypus stuffed animal, a Spiderman costume, two Crayons, seven action figures (2 Batmen, Aquaman, Green lantern, Superman, Captain America, and an unidentified "bad guy"), a Dinosaur puppet, two Squishy balls (a cow and a flamingo), Flashlight, Plastic spoon, Tag pen, three Tag books, Rubber band, tiny toy camera, a pair of blue jeans that fit a stuffed bear and roll-up disposable sunglasses.

Ott Loves Simpsonville

So we took the boys to Simpsonville's annual carnival. They went to a petting zoo, bounced in inflatables, got snow cones, rode ponies, went down giant slides, built wooden trucks, tried an amusement ride or two...

After each and every activity Wyatt grabbed my hand and squeezed telling me, "I am having SO much fun!" I love having a joyful, thankful boy.

School Kids

For the first time in almost 3 1/2 years...on Tuesday and Thursday mornings I only have one child to tote around. Zane is my main man.

The two big boys are both in pre-school. I feel like I have all this free time on my hands. Maybe that's why I'm blogging again!

The boys both had a great first day. Colt read a book about spiders, Wyatt made a friend who helped him chase monsters and on the way to the playground Wy's teacher let him stop in Colt's room to say, "Hi,"...I'm told they hugged!

What Zane Said

So Zane has about 10 words in his vocabulary, the usuals, "mommy" "daddy" "bottle" "nite nite"... But his first phrase is classic Zaney. He insists on helping his brothers feed the dogs every morning. In his social fashion he spends the whole time bouncing from pup to pup, patting each one on the back and saying, "Good dog"..."Good dog"...

Party Animal

So we had to cancel our July fourth party because of Colt's sickness. No one was more irritated than Wyatt. Instead of a gathering with lots of little kids we just had a couple of our friends over. We told Wyatt it would be a small party. So all through supper he keeps whining, "When is the party going to start?" We say, "This is it. This is the party." Finally I say, "What is it that you want to do?" He looks at the four adults at the table and says, "We need to wake this crowd up."

Couch Potato

So Wyatt and Colt both spent Sunday with 102 degree temperatures. Since it was 107 degrees outside there weren't many options for entertainment. They spent the entire day on the couch. Colt got up and moved around occasionally, to draw or play with toys. Wyatt never budged. This should not surprise anyone who knows Wyatt, he is my child with the greatest couch potato potential. So after 12 straight hours of television Sunday, Wyatt looks at me with a gleam in his eye and says, "Mommy, I sat in front of the TV ALL day long!"

Where's Rufus?

So Colt chooses a book at bedtime called "Nathan and Rufus Learn to Share." It is about two lions who are best friends and learn how to share toys. I was excited that it might teach him some valuable lessons about playing nice with his brothers. But at the end of the book he just looked at me and said, "Nathan was in Iowa. Rufus was not." At least we know he has a good memory.

Fish Tale

So Colt is still talking about his first fishing trip. His Dad, Uncle Tom, Pa and Great Grandpa took him to the family farm in Iowa over the weekend. Last night in the bathtub he pretended to "fish" with his leg. He would catch the fish between his toes and ask me to remove them. He instructed me on how to remove the hook between his toes...and then toss them back in the water. He giggled every time his "catch" splashed back in. Ahhhh...good memories.

Back on Track

Sorry for the delay in posts...my laptop keyboard has malfunctioned...the "R" would not work...the frustration kept me from writing comments for several weeks...I've got a temporary fix...stay tuned for updated cuteness.

Colt Birthday Album

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.442228752472157.113599.100000551081242&type=1&l=936957ef17

New Ride

So the three year old finally has his own wheels! He needs to work on his driving skills! In his first ride he wrecked with Joe's car, three bushes and Wyatt's John Deere. But based on the dazzling smile I think the ladies will dig him anyway!

What's Up Doc?

So Wyatt is officially in love with Bugs Bunny. At the grocery store today he lets out a cheer in the produce aisle. "It's a bunny carrot," he says. Clearly I've been wasting my money on the little bagged ones.

Beach Album

If you'd like to see more beach photos this is the public link to the facebook album.....http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.423499491011750.110729.100000551081242&type=1&l=5178723b0d

Show and Share

So this is officially my favorite photo from the beach last week. It proves that Wyatt is the superhero he pretends to be! I was encouraged today when he agreed to take the photo to school for show and share. He's been a bit reserved, but is really coming out of his shell. I asked him how it went, he said, "I got to get up in circle time and show all my friends, it was awesome!"

The Terminator

So Colt coined a phrase during our beach vacation that we think would make a great t-shirt. When asked about sandcastles he repeatedly said with a smile, "You make it, I break it!"

A Path To Greatness

"This is going to be a great vacation," the big boys scream...as they high tail it to the ocean, the second we park the car!

Packin' For A Platypus

Add this to the list of things I never imagined I'd make...a suitcase for a stuffed secret agent platypus to take to the beach!

Easter Mail

So we got an Easter package in the mail from Grandma Meg today. It was filled with stuffed toys and candies and Easter eggs.

But what caught Wyatt's eye was a book about the Easter story. He grabbed it and yelled, "Yay, I got God!"

It made me smile and warmed my heart as he turned the pages and paused to show me, "Mommy, this is Jesus on the cross. And those knights are laughing."

I think he's getting it.

"Pig Pen"

So I read an article over the weekend that says exposure to dirt during childhood strengthens the immune system.

I think "Pig Pen" here is going to be a very healthy adult.

Growing Up

So the two big boys are out in the yard zooming around in their battery operated cars.

Zane can't stand to be left out.

So he crawls and grunts all the way through the flower bed and into the grass, then climbs on top of Colt's trike.

Once he gets on he beams with an "I'm a big boy now" expression!

Welcoming Committee

So I pull into the driveway and open the garage door. This is what I see waiting inside.

Two pajama clad, barefooted boys, screaming, "Mommy's home!"

Quite the welcoming committee.

What Winter?

So we spent the final day of this unseasonably warm winter as you might expect.

With ice cream.

Vanilla with sprinkles for the Ott. Chocolate with sprinkles for the C-man. Zane with a cone of his own.

The only one who finished, yep, Zaney.

Next...Pikes Peak!

So Wyatt is officially a skilled climber.

He scales everything from his bunk beds to trees to monkey bars.

Yesterday we were at an indoor playground and Wyatt spots the climbing wall.

"Can I do that?" he asks.

So we get a very skeptical staff member to strap Wyatt into the harness.

But minutes later the whole place is cheering as my boy shimmies all the way to the top.

The employee looks at me and says "Wow, I've never seen a kid that young, get that high."

So proud!

A New Tradition

So Wyatt found out that I had a tradition in my family when I was growing up. We ate popcorn and apples for supper on Sundays.

He insisted that tradition begin in our family, immediately.

Coach Wyatt

So I ran my first 10k today.

I tell Wyatt, "Mommy is running in a race."

"Are you going to win?" he demands.

"I'm going to finish and run my fastest," I tell him.

"No, you are going to win," he says.

(Footnote: I did NOT win, but I did finish in exactly 50 minutes, an 8 minute mile. I was 65th out of 565 women competing. I'm pretty proud for a first effort.)

Workin' at the Car Wash, Yeah

So Wyatt volunteers that he has a new career plan.

He wants to be a "Car wash builder."

Today I tell him it is supposed to be really nice outside, and if he wants, he can wash my car after school.

He smiles and says, "Your car will be so clean you will cry."

The Hamptons Get a Haircut

So Zane is one and ready for his first haircut.

Big brothers came along and insisted on getting a trim.

I think they all look pretty handsome.