Official yearly photos

My sister, Stacey, was kind enough to attempt to herd the boys for their yearly photos. We chose the eastern part of the Diag for this and, with the exception of Simon being damn near impossible to deal with, I think they turned out nice. Here is the 2010 official photo of them together by their favorite huge tree near the U-M School of Natural Resources (SNRE):

Here is Simon (on the bench just outside of the SNRE):

Here is Harmon (near that same tree):

I also love this photo of Harmon (Harmon is awesome in black and white), taken in one of the arches near West Hall, the Dennison Building and SNRE:

Many thanks to Stacey - I know from experience that it's not easy to chase a five-year-old and a two-year-old around the Diag!

The man

When Harmon was younger, he was afraid of the generic man voice on our answering machine. Over time, we began referring to this voice as the voice of "the man." "The man" was a mythical, scary man that we would use to keep Harmon in line sometimes. So, imagine the look on Harmon's face when he saw this:

My sister, Stacey, had his birthday presents delivered to my parents' house so she wouldn't have to haul them with her from Chicago. Evidently, my Dad was the one to sign for this delivery from UPS as he's the only "man" at that house. When Harmon read that "the man" was in receipt of his birthday presents, he was more than a little concerned.

FYI - "the man" also works for Simon!

Let's Party

As will be the case for many years to come, we had the boys' birthday party in between their birthdays of Nov. 12 and 25. The party was Nov. 13 so Harmon had a to wait a day for his presents and Simon got his 12 days early. Bonus, Simon!

Anyway, Kevin's parents; my parents; my sister, Erin; my sister, Stacey; Stacey's husband, Marc; and their amazing dachschund, Murdach, were in attendance. Everyone arrived as Michigan was trying to fend off Purdue on something that resembled a football field and then Stacey, Mom and I took the boys to campus to attempt to get their yearly photos taken. Stacey was the photographer and Mom and I wrangled. One kid - SIMON - required a lot more wrangling than the other (thanks, Harmon, for being so awesome out there). Despite Simon's inability to a) listen or b) sit still for more than two seconds, I think we got some good ones. While we were handling photos, Kevin and the rest of the family decorated and got everything ready back home. Since both boys LOVE Yo Gabba Gabba, that was the theme and they loved it!

My Mom made an awesome roast and Kevin's Mom provided us with way too many appetizers and, for cake, we got awesome Yo Gabba Gabba cupcakes from the Ann Arbor Cupcake Station. And the boys needed that sugar because it took all of their energy to open the 1,857,563 presents that everyone got for them.

All in all, it was a fun day and besides the birthday boys - Murdach was the life of the party!

5

Harmon is five. Being five, he will read ANYTHING - a book, a cereal box, the side of the cup of my large Diet Coke from McDonald's. If there are words, he wants to read them.

He's also independent. He likes to do things himself and he's not shy to tell you.

He runs hot and cold with his baby brother but he loves him. He may provoke him, he may hit him but, in the end, he shares almost everything with Simon and has genuine concern for him - it's so nice to see.

He still likes to cuddle, especially when he wakes up in the morning or wakes up from a nap (and, yes, he still naps for at least an hour almost every day). Those cuddles are awesome and immediately take you back to when he was five days, five weeks, five months old.

He argues and has to have the last word. He is persistent, in the most passive-aggressive of ways. He needs to be acknowledged at all times and desperately seeks your approval. He's not a fan of being alone.

He has a sense of humor and is learning the finer points of sarcasm. He can be teased - and is - and is always so easy to forgive.

He is a beanpole. It looks like we never feed him but, aside from many a vegetable, he'll eat almost anything. And speaking of eating, when he tries something new and he likes it, he makes the cutest little "mmm" sound!

When he is with just one of us, he's an angel. When there are two or more adults on the scene, the fight for attention commences.

He loves my sister's dog and I can see in his eyes that he wants one of his own - in due time, little man.

He loves his school and has jumped right into to any activity we've signed him up for. I think it's mostly because he loves to be with other kids - he makes friends so easily.

He's an amazing little man and when I look at this face, his huge brown eyes take me back to when he was just a baby. I suppose that will happen almost every time I look at him - whether he's 5, 15 or 25.

Statistical note - measurements for 5, for record-keeping purposes: 47 1/2 pounds and 45 1/2 inches. He definitely doesn't LOOK like he's 5!

Harmon's day

Each year, we try to do something special, one on one, with the boys for their birthdays. This year, Kevin's parents watched Simon while we took Harmon to dinner at Pizza House and then to Yost Ice Arena for his first hockey game. Despite the terrible effort on the ice - we lost 3-1 to Notre Dame - Harmon had a great time! He had his usual popcorn and, surprisingly, asked a lot of questions about what was happening on the ice. At one point, he asked if he could play hockey one day - I did my best to ignore this request! We got home around 10:30 p.m. and Harmon was pretty excited to be able to stay up so late like a big boy. Over the next few days, he told everyone about his special day so we'll take that to mean he enjoyed himself!

Summer of READ

This past summer, Harmon began reading. Like with most kids, it was just a word or two at first, simple words. It was so cute to see the look of concentration on his face as he worked SO HARD to put those letters and sounds together.

We employed the BOB Books for help - these things are awesome, by the way - and Dr. Seuss helped too. He also took an interest in reading Simon's books to Simon - I assume because those were easy for him to get through. As the weeks and months went on, he began to tackle bigger and longer books and, quite honestly, the process has been amazing! Most of the time, he wants to try to read the book first and, if he's having trouble, he'll ask us to take over. The best part, though, is the look on his face when he's finished reading a book. Oh, the joy in his eyes when he proclaims "I read the whole book myself!" There haven't been too many moments that cool over the past five years!

I guess reading at least four books before bed (and God only knows how many more throughout the day) since he was just a few months old has really paid off - and it will keep paying off! That goes for Simon too!

Halloween with the Bergquist boys

Halloween is a pretty big deal for us. We start decorating the MINUTE fall arrives, with the highlight being the pumpkin lights in our front yard - the lights the boys love to go see every time to we arrive home.

When the boys aren't visting or talking about the pumpking lights, it's all about their costumes. This year, they went as Tom and Jerry. Yes, it's kind of old school but Harmon started digging on Tom and Jerry one weekend when he was at my parents' house. My Dad had a DVD of old episodes and Harmon ate it up! And the idea was born. Because they ARE rather old school, I wasn't sure if I could find costumes but wbshop.com saved me from having to make them. Or, let's be real here, saved me from finding something else. You see, I lack the skill and the patience (and the time) to MAKE a costume. I do feel bad about it, though, as MY MOM used to make all of our costumes. Ah, guilt.

ANYWAY ... on Halloween, once Harmon transformed into Tom, Simon couldn't wait to become Jerry. And the minute they had their costumes on, they were ready to go. Harmon, who is a bit on the shy side, did great this year. He showed no signs of shyness - amazing what candy can do. And, Simon, never a shy one, busted onto the scene for his first walking trick or treat session. He kept up with his big brother most of the night and they both brought in a nice haul of candy (for Mom and Dad).

To be honest, I did get misty-eyed seeing them standing at the door together saying trick or treat (and Simon doing so in the cutest little voice) and then thanking each person for the candy. We got lots of compliments not only on their costumes but also on their politenss, which, of course, makes you feel good. Here's to many Halloweens down the road with both of them happily pounding the streets for treats!

Addendum I: On the Friday before Halloween, Kevin - being the completely awesome Dad that he is - took the morning off so he could take Harmon to meet up with his classmates for story time at the Ann Arbor District Library and trick or treating in downtown Ann Arbor. So as not to ruin his Tom costume, he dusted off the old hedgehog from a couple of years ago. I think the best part of the day was the BUS RIDE they took to get there - Harmon is still talking about. All in all, he had an awesome day and Kevin is the best for making the time to take him.

Addendum II: Harmon has requested that he and Simon go as Snoopy and Woodstock next year. We'll see if that sticks! It would be so cute and I'm totally in favor of it but Harmon has been known to change his mind before. After Halloween 2009, he wanted to be a mummy and then a vampire and he ended up as Tom so ... I don't know what's going to happen!

Wolverine

Simon has never really liked stuffed animals but, a few weeks ago, we bought him a small stuffed wolverine from M-Den and he immediately bonded with this little guy. Now, it's his favorite, his baby, his "wolverine!" He says "wolverine" so clearly and, each night when we tuck him in, he grabs him and pulls him close for a tight snuggle. In addition to this wolverine love, he also says "Michigan" very clearly whenever he sees and block M and especially when we drive by the stadium (or anywhere near the U-M athletic campus). He sings "The Victors" as best he can - the tune is right, the words still need some work - and he says his fair share of "Go Blue!" He's very in-tune, even moreso than Harmon was, with the Michigan world he's living in and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Yo Gabba Gabba

The boys love Yo Gabba Gabba and, to be completely honest, we do too. So, back in the summer when we saw that Yo Gabba Gabba Live was coming to Detroit, we had to get tickets. We bought the tickets months ago and, somehow, managed to keep the whole thing a secret until we arrived at the Fox Theater last Friday afternoon. As we crossed Woodward headed toward the front door, Harmon noticed the marquee and finally realized what the “big surprise” was that we were talking about all morning.

Once we got inside, both boys were so excited for the show to start and, once it did, Harmon did not take a break from singing and dancing. Simon, on the other hand, had his mind totally BLOWN! He just stood there, staring at the stage, mouth wide open, for 5-10 minutes. When I started talking to him about exactly WHO was on stage, he got more into it. I think he just couldn’t comprehend how Muno, Tootie, Foofa, Plex and Brobee are usually on his TV at home and now they were on the live on stage right in front of him!

The show lasted just over an hour and we all had a great time! At one point during all his singing and dancing, Harmon grabbed me, gave me a big hug and thanked me for bringing him to the show. It was then that Kevin and I got a little teary-eyed. And speaking of teary-eyed, I think we all were a little sad when it was over but the boys scored matching and very cool concert t-shirts and a great poster that they would like framed and hung in their train room ASAP!

Harmon already has asked to go back but there’s not another stop in Detroit (or anywhere near Detroit) so we’re hoping the Yo Gabba Gabba-themed birthday party we’re planning for both boys in mid-November will be good enough. If it’s not, I’m sure they’ll score some Yo Gabba Gabba gifts too!

Dance Party

Both the boys have always loved to dance and, once they get going, the feed off each other. Sometimes, after reading but before bed, they hear a song they like on the radio and they have to get down and have a "dance party." Unfortunately, the songs they love to dance to most are a little ... um ... suspect. Beyonce's "Single Ladies" is a favorite as is Katy Perry's "California Gurls." They also will groove to some Lady Gaga. To balance these "music choices," we listen to plenty of Springsteen and Motown ... just so you know!

Progress on the potty

Simon first peed on the potty on Wednesday, April 14. I was in a forever-long meeting about our building dedication when my Mom broke up the monotony of it by sending me a photo of Simon on the potty. It was cute and sweet and sad all at the same time! He followed up the peeing with some pooping on Saturday, May 29. He's been going, on and off, all through the summer but once September it, we got more serious. He now sits on the potty every morning and usually goes especially if you read him a few books! And, now that it's October, we're trying to increase his time on the potty to a few times a day. Harmon was relatively easy to potty train so we hope and pray Simon is the same way.

September ...

Even though we decided to wait until next year to start Harmon in kindergarten, September was a emotional and stressful month for us. Kevin and I had a hell of a time at work - way too many events and projects due. Harmon, despite staying at Annie's, had to adjust to a bunch of new friends at school, not to mention being the oldest kid in class for the first time. Simon dropped the binky but added the potty - he's changing so much every second of every day. Despite the stress of the month, it flew by ... like they all do. On to October ...

Simon @ 22 months

Simon had a big month filled with many milestones. A lot more talking and a lot of filling in the blanks when we're reading. He says "please" and "thank you" and "no thanks" - such a polite young man. He loves "mar-mallows" and "roni and cheese!" He will tell Harmon "no bite," "no hit," "no fight" and all kinds of other things as he's learning to defend himself against his big brother. While he stopped using his binky during the day back in the summer, he finally gave it up all together around Labor Day.

On Sept. 4, while at my parents' house, he climbed out of his pack and play and, just a little over a week later (Sept. 13), he climbed out of his crib. He woke up early and I gave him some books to read while Kevin and I got ready for work. While Kevin was in the bathroom shaving, Simon came rambling down the hallway. Kevin thought I let him out but I didn't. I was back in my bathroom doing my hair while he scaled his crib. He's not done it a lot since then but we are in discussion about when to move him to his toddler bed.

He's been getting much better at the potty too, going at least once a day and sometimes more. One sad development, though, is that he no longer likes to be rocked to sleep everynight. Most of the time, the minute you sit down with him, he says "crib, crib" and wants to hop right in, curl up and go to sleep. Once in a while, though, he'll fall asleep on you and leave a huge drool spot and it makes you feel like he's a baby again.

Bye Bye, Binky!

Since he was just a few days old, Simon has always had a close relationship with his binky (his pacifier). He seemed to like it so much more than Harmon did and it never failed to soothe him. Lately, though, he's become less dependant on it - using it only at nap time and bed time - which has made us start thinking about when it should go away forever.

Harmon gave his up relatively easy at 18 months but I anticipated more of a battle with Simon. Not only because of him but also because of me. He's my baby and every last big step like this for him is the last big step like this for us.

So, on Monday, Aug. 2, 2010, as I got ready to rock him to sleep, Kevin asked him for his binky as he covered us up in the rocking chair. Simon willingly gave it to him, as he always does, so I decided to just see what happened from there. Side note: Kevin did sneak it back to me before he left the room. As Simon's eyes got heavy, he looked up at me a few times and and said "Binky? It's coming?" I said, "No, honey, it's all gone" and he would repeat this as he put his little head back down. After a few minutes, he was snoring ... and I was crying!

Now, he may very well need again but, on this night, for the first time in 20 months, he fell asleep without it.

Since that night, Simon has done a great job without his binky, only needing it a couple of times. And, as of Labor Day, Kevin and I are finally calling the binky dead. Sure, he doesn't sleep as late in the morning (at least so far) and he might wake up during the night every now and then but it's nice to know he no longer needs it. He's getting to be a big boy now.

Simon @ 21 months

One of the highlights of Simon's 21st month included our last-minute trip to Traverse City. We felt like summer was quickly disappearing so we escaped up north for a long weekend. We did nothing but eat and play in water and it was awesome! Simon had a great time playing with his big brother not only at the hotel pool but at various beaches and lighthouses in and around Traverse City. Each morning, they also had breakfast together. It was great to see them happy and playing peacefully with each other.

The boys also had a great time when we dusted off my old Wrangler and took the top down. We drive it a couple of times each week but we haven't taken the top down in YEARS. We thought, though, that the boys would love it so we drove, open air, to our favorite ice cream place (Mickey's Dairy Twist) in Saline. They had a great time and now Simon can't walk by the Wrangler without yelling out "Jeep, Jeep!"

This past month, Simon also made his first trip to the Big House! We made a donation to C.S. Mott Children's Hospital back in the spring and part of it was four tickets to a fall scrimmage. The scrimmage was the same day as the Dream Cruise so Harmon went with my parents (and had a GREAT time) and Simon came with us. It was rainy and we weren't allowed to take Simon's water, Cheerios, etc. with us (lame stadium rules in effect) but it turned out OK. It was great to see the team up close and personal and it was awesome to walk Simon through that historic tunnel (he loves tunnels)!

The only bummer of the past month was that Simon go bit AGAIN at school. This was the third time - once on the arm and two on the back (one on each shoulder blade). Evidently, there are two serial biters in his class that are now being "shadowed." Here's hoping there's no more biting in the coming weeks, months, etc.

Swimming!

Harmon just finished his third set of swim classes and he is already clammoring for more! His first class was a Tot & Parent Swim class with Kevin back in March and April (March 8 through April 5). It was five weeks long and the whole point of the course was really just to get him used to being in the water so that, in the next class, he would be able to do it without Kevin.

In mid-April, he started the Pre-School Swim class and that one ran for seven weeks (April 19 through May 31). He was without Kevin and he did a great job! In fact, all parents were ordered away from the pool deck so the instructors could do their jobs without distraction. Kevin and I alternated taking him to class and would watch him having so much from the observation deck. And, after each class, we started a tradition of getting him ice cream from McDonald's!

In June, he started his third class - the Low Beginner Swim - and it ran for another seven weeks (June 21 through Aug. 9). This class was all about kicking, strokes and getting the kids' faces in the water. Harmon did great on all but the last part - he's not too crazy about having his face submerged! He finished on Aug. 9 and, unfortunately, he can't move on to the next level until he turns 5. So, we might just tackle that in the new year. All his classes so far have been through Pittsfield Township Parks and Recreation at the Washtenaw County Recreation Pool. He loves it but, when we do start up again in the new year, we might try to move him to Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation or the Ann Arbor YMCA. Both places seem to have a lot more available times, instructors, etc. Whatever we decide to do, Harmon is all in. We can't drive by the pool without him yelling "there's my swim class!"

Summer of (no) power!

This summer has been terrible, when it came to the severe weather. It was hot as hell and it seemed there was a thunderstorm every other night. We lost power on three different occassions - all day on May 31, June 18-20 and July 28-29. Having a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old with no power is, quite frankly, no fun. They have NO idea what's going on and it's hard to keep them entertained without TV, radio, computers, etc., especially when the sun goes down. One good side affect of these power outtages, though, is Harmon's new fascination with the weather. One way for us to explain things to him during these storms was to let him see the weather map on my iPhone. Since then, he can't get enough of the Weather Channel and keeping us updated on any upcoming storms!

Simon @ 20 months

Our vacation to Pittsburgh brought on a whole new side of Simon, competitiveness. It was really the first time we've all been together since he's been mobile and interactive and he was battling for his share of attention. It was a race to see who could talk first, who could get to the door first, etc. Simon also learned quickly that if he cried, even a little bit, chances were good that big brother would get in trouble for it. And, speaking of big brother, "big bro" became "babo" this month (he also will say Harmon). His other new words this month were Grandma, Grandpa and Cici (for Aunt Stacey) and Enin (for Aunt Erin) and, finally, SIMON! His language was inspired by our trip and his words of the month were "bus" and "tunnel." Who knew the Fort Pitt Tunnel would hold such a special place in our memories of Simon at this age!

Pittsburgh

For our summer vacation this year, we went to Pittsburgh. Yeah, I know. The reaction we got from friends and family was classic but, you know what, we had a great time so shut it!

Since the boys are still little, we prefer to drive so we needed a city that was less than six hours away. We had already done Chicago and we didn't have passports so we couldn't do Toronto. We also love to check out baseball stadiums so that eliminated Indianapolis. We had heard Cincinnati was cool but the damn Reds were on the road! And, Cleveland, Kevin and I have been there lots so we were looking for something new. And, quite frankly, Pittsburgh was awesome! I was very pleasantly surprised with everything there, except the shopping and that is just fine.

We left on Saturday, July 3 and after checking into the hotel, and after our first of many trips through the Fort Pitt Tunnel and over the Fort Pitt Bridge, we checked out the Pitt campus. I was shocked to find that Pitt was founded before U-M! We visit a lot of college campus and that's not often the case. Pitt was cool - VERY URBAN - and the boys had a great time in the Cathedral of Learning. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped by the Cheesecake Factory to get a Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake - a vacation breakfast tradition for me and Kevin.

On Sunday morning, we hit the Carnegie Science Center in the morning. We had a great time checking out the USS Requin Submarine, as well as the Miniature Railroad & Village and the Highmark Sports Work. I think this was Harmon's favorite part of the trip - he could not stop talking about it. After the science center, we wandered over to PNC Park for the Phillies @ Pirates game. PNC Park is beautiful and, despite it being one billion degrees, we had a good time. After all that, the boys just wanted to hang at the pool so that's what we did in the evening with the sound of Pittsburgh's fireworks in the distance.

On Monday, we started at the Children's Museum of Pittsburg. I was excited about our visit because there was a Curious George exhibit and it did not disappoint. Actually, the whole museum was wonderful and the boys had a great time. There was one room that had cars and ramps - the jackpot for our boys - and another great water play area ... all in addition to Curious George. We were there for a long time - they did not want to leave! After a quick lunch, we headed to the National Aviary to check out all the birds. The penguins were awesome and you could get close enough to touch them as they swam by. Kevin even noticed there was a penguin named Simon! So many great birds, including some amazing owls! I was glad we made this a stop during out trip. We then did a bit of shopping and had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, always on the agenda for us, no matter where we are. After dinner, we took the boys up the Duquesne Incline and saw some amazing views of the Steel City and it's 1,582 bridges!

Tuesday morning, we headed to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. Honestly, it was SO HOT that I barely remember anything about the zoo other than the animals just being passed out everywhere. We all were sweating like never before and were tired and grumpy and hungry and it was nice to just get to the car and the air conditioning. We had planned a drive down to Morgantown, WV and it couldn't have come at a better time. The drive was beautiful. The hills and all the green were gorgeous and, again, I just never expected so much out of this part of the country. Once we got into town, the first thing we did was sneak into the football stadium. After that, we checked out campus and just missed sneaking into the basketball arena. The way we came into campus - a winding road up on a bluff above the river - made WVU seem very pretty and quaint. I was mildly impressed! We got back to our hotel late that night but had some packing to do since we were leaving around lunch time the next day.

On Wednesday, before checking out, we headed back into downtown to tour Heinz Field. It was $6 for the tour and it was so worth. Also, I figured there would be NO ONE touring in the middle of the summer but the tour was packed. People LOVE the Steelers! We went to to the field level, got to see the locker rooms, visited the press box, the suites and the stadium club. What a gorgeous facility, from top to bottom!

Overall, it was a great trip and we were impressed with Pittsburgh, despite the stigma attached to it. Being from the Detroit area, I was kind of sad seeing how Pittsburgh has been rebuilt. Detroit COULD be like that if there was ever any direction, leadership, etc. Maybe one day ...

There were a few things we didn't get to do on our vacation - Pro Football Hall of Fame, Fallingwater, Fudgie Wudgie - but we can always go back. I'm happy we visited to learn that it was indeed worth one visit and maybe even a second!

Simon @ 19 months

The past month was highlighted mostly by Simon's surgery. I feel like I wrote down NOTHING else from May 25 to June 25. I DO know Simon is continuing his talking. At this point, here is a list, off the top of my head, of his words: Daddy, Mommy, Big Bro, Nana, Nonny, Papa, close, potty, yeah, no, more, cookie, EIEI (without the O), poop, pee, eat, book, ball, blocks, read, hi, bye-bye, car and two. I'm sure there are more ... that will teach me to keep a notepad at my side.