Zombies

As a family, we kind of like zombies. I remember lots of zombie movies from when I was a kid and it seems zombies have made a bit of a comeback, especially with the awesome Walking Dead series. Harmon even has an great game he plays on Kevin’s iPad called Plants vs. Zombies. So, it should come as no surprise that, when we came home one Wednesday a few weeks ago, the boys told us they were playing zombies with Nana and Papa.

Here’s how it worked. Nana and Papa took turns putting marshmallows in their mouths and doing the zombie shuffle (complete with arms outstretched) in pursuit of the boys. If they boys screamed, the zombies HAD to stop. Since then, we've done a lot of playing zombie around here. Simon insists that we play zombies before bedtime most nights and Harmon will ask for zombies quite often as well. One day, when they are MUCH older, they can check out the real zombie stuff out there. Unfortunately, THOSE types of zombies don't stop when they hear a scream. They NEED brains ...

The meaning of Harmon

Being a lifelong Michigan fan, I had always heard of Tom Harmon but it wasn't until I got to college that I thought it would make a really cool name for a son. So, while Harmon isn't necessarily NAMED after Tom Harmon, he is the genesis of the name. Living in Michigan, most people recognize Harmon's name and associate it with Tom Harmon. However, when we were in Minnesota in July and I called out Harmon's name in the airport, it struck me that it has a bit of a different meaning THERE. I'm sure when people heard the name, they assumed I was a huge Twins fan (hell to the no) and obviously named my son after Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew. This was really the first time I had considered Harmon's name had a different meaning and, honestly, it was a little weird!

Butterfly to Lightning Bug

Lost in all the talk of kindergarten is the fact that SIMON also moved into a new room at school. He is staying back at Annie's and he left the Butterfly room for the greener pastures of the Lightning Bug room. We loved when Harmon was in the Lightning Bug room because there is a huge treehouse in that room that the kids get to play in all the time. I'm sure Simon will love the treehouse as much, if not more, than big brother did. There is also a lot more independence in this room. They are responsible for things like getting and unpacking their own lunch, cleaning up after themselves, putting their toys away, etc. I think Simon will do great and I'm hoping his new teacher, Ms. Angie, will appreciate his fire! It's hard to believe this is our second boy in this classroom at Annie's. How time flies!

KINDERGARTEN!

In our house, kindergarten has been the hot topic for almost two years now. Harmon has a November birthday and the cutoff date for kindergarten in the state of Michigan is December 1 so we had a decision to make. We decided to wait ... and we're so glad we did. While waiting has helped Harmon, it didn't do us much good. Once Wednesday, Sept. 7 came, he was so excited and so ready! He talked about it for weeks and was basically counting down the days. We, however, were pretty sad. I cried on and off for days leading up to a BIG cry the night before his first day. Kevin took the boys to the park and, while they were gone, I just kind of lost it. I assume all my tears were gone by the time the next morning rolled around because I actually managed to hold it together. There were also a lot of other parents, parents we knew, at drop-off and I didn't want to be the only blubbering idiot of the bunch. So, I sucked it up. I got teary, especially as I saw him leave my sight and enter the building, but I did OK, a lot better than I thought I would.

He starts at 7:55 a.m. and goes until 3 p.m. and, let me tell you, 3 p.m. took FOREVER to arrive. We were so excited to go get him and he was excited to see us and even more excited to tell us all about his day. I know there will be tough days but I hope, during those days, he'll remember the excitement of his first day. You only get to do it once, which is especially good for sad Moms and Dads!

We're here

The other night, when I was getting Simon down to sleep (no more rocking - I haz a sad), I heard "Barely Breathing" by Duncan Sheik. This song was a hit (I use that word loosely) when Kevin lived in St. Louis and ALWAYS reminds me of our time there.

It seems like just yesterday I was booking flights to St. Louis for every break I had during graduate school. And, now, we've been married for almost 10 years, we own a home in Ann Arbor (where we've always dreamed of living), we have a son who is just days away from starting kindergarten and another son who is just days away, it seems, from being potty trained. HOW did this happen? HOW did we get here? HOW are we so blessed to be living out our dreams every day? However it happened, we're so glad we're here.

Last day at Annie's!

In the beginning, we chose a different daycare for Harmon - a place called KidZone - and it was a place we really liked. But, it ended up closing unexpectedly and then, there we were, scrambling to find another place to take care of our precious boy. We landed at Annie's Children's Center in downtown Ann Arbor with Harmon's first day there being March 1, 2007. Now, 4 1/2 years later to the day - September 1, 2011 - he attended Annie's for the last time.

Back then, I remember being worried about him adjusting to a new place. But, if we had known then what we know now, we wouldn't have been worried at all. Annie's has been great and Harmon - even though he attends just two days each week - has grown and thrived and learned so much. He's had wonderful teachers along the way - Ms. Connie (at left), Ms. Laura and Ms. Sandy (at right), to name a few - and he's had a great time with his classmates.

I told myself I wouldn't cry today but that was just wishful thinking. After just a few minutes of talking to Ms. Connie, the waterworks started and then continued on and off for most of the day. Harmon is a great kid - very smart, considerate, polite and cooperative. The entire time he was at Annie's, we never once received a bad report. I would like to thank his teachers for helping mold him into the awesome little dude he is today. He is ready for kindergarten and excited for the next step. But, he's told me he WILL miss Annie's and so will we. And, although Simon will continue at Annie's, we'll miss BOTH boys being there, in the care of such great people!

Wednesdays at Nana and Papa's house

This past year, mostly in anticipation of kindergarten on the horizon, Kevin has been meeting my parents halfway and letting them take the boys to their house. It's maybe once a month but it's a nice break for everyone.

When it was still cold, they would sometimes go see a movie or go to an indoor play area. Once it got warm, though, they were all about the kiddie pool. Unlike our backyard, which is small and, um, slanted (understatement), my parents have a huge backyard with plush green grass. In short, a yard that is awesome for a kiddie pool and the boys will play out there for hours. Before they come in, though, my Mom will give them yard showers. These are showers outside in the yard with the hose. Soap is involved, as are cushy wash clothes and towels. The boys love these, even though the water from the hose is cold.

After a nice yard shower, they usually come in for dinner and, if they're good, they'll stop by Dairy Queen on the way to meet me and Kevin. I hope, as they get older, they'll remember the fun Wednesdays they spent at Nana and Papa's house.

33-month update

This past month, we've seen great strides on the potty. So much so that his teachers have requested he try wearing underwear at school. We're giving it a try at home too. Not every day but almost every day. When he's not in his little Disney underwear, we're just fine to let him hang out in a pull-up. We're not one to push when it comes to the potty.

One place he doesn't wear a pull-up OR underwear is the lake or the pool. When he's in these places, he wears his FWIMMING trunks. Yes, FWIMMING trunks. Ask him to say something that starts with a "S," no problem. Ask him to say something that starts with a "W," no problem. Ask him to COMBINE those and it comes out in a F-W combo. So, when we were in Traverse City, all he wanted to do was put on his FWIMMING trunks and go FWIMMING. It's the cutest thing ever!

Aside from the potty and anything related to FWIMMING, he and his brother have discovered the mini basketball hoop that we've had in the garage. They played with one at school and were surprised that we had one at home and, since seeing it, they've been outside playing with it every night (until the mosquitos carry them away). He loves to play anything with his brother and, lately, they've been getting along much better. Maybe there's hope.

Traverse City

On Thursday, Aug. 18, we headed north to Traverse City for one last bit of summer. We stayed for a long weekend at a resort on the eastern bay (snaps to Kevin for finding the place). It was right on the beach so the boys got to swim twice each day. In fact, they were in the water within a half hour of arriving! Kids and water!

We love Traverse City and this is the third time we've been there as a family. We have some favorites and we hit one up - the Blue Tractor - for dinner the very first night. There IS one in Ann Arbor too but the Traverse City spot is so much better simply because of the Tractor Twists - OMG!

On Friday, we headed west to Glen Arbor (Cherry Republic - ah yes), the Dune Climb and the Lake Michigan overlook. The boys had fun in the sand and Kevin and I had fun just looking at Lake Michigan - so beautiful! On the way back to town, we hit up the Underground Cheesecake Company just before closing. In addition to getting some great cheesecake and yummy cookies for the boys, I bonded with the guy manning the store - he was working his last few days before heading back to Ann Arbor to the greatest University in the land. The boys shoveled down some dinner back at the hotel before hitting the beach for an evening swim.

On Saturday, we made our way to the Old Mission Point Lighthouse and the Grand Traverse Lighthouse. In between those lighthouses, we stopped at another restaurant favorite, the Jolly Pumpkin. Again, Ann Arbor has one but, again, the Old Mission one is better. It was so good that me and the boys rocked some t-shirts. Another long day ended with some very dusky swimming and a lot of sadness as this was our last night at the resort.

We hit the road out of town early Sunday afternoon and we all were very sad. Harmon was a bit teary-eyed and Simon couldn't stop saying that he wanted to stay. I think part of the sadness was that we knew what we were returning to - an end of summer and the start of kindergarten. I just wish we could make these long summer days last even longer ...

VTech USA Explore & Learn Map

For Harmon's 5th birthday, my parents got him the VTech USA Explore & Learn Map. He played with it for a while and then in went away, into the dark corners of his closet. This summer, though, probably prompted by his classmates talking about their various vacations, the map has made a comeback. Harmon can't put it down and, because Harmon loves it, so does Simon. Since they couldn't possibly, you know, SHARE A TOY, we decided to get Simon his OWN map and things have been a lot more peaceful. It's amazing for us to witness Simon actually knowing where various states are. He learns so much from his brother, whether Harmon wants that to happen or not. The way I see it, coming second isn't all that bad. He's got better parents and a third teacher. Sounds like a good deal to me!

The elusive L

Simon speaks very well, probably better than Harmon did at the same age. He hears us talking all the time and just soaks it all up and spits it back out. Rare is it that we don't understand what he is saying. However, there is one letter, one elusive letter, that gives him trouble: L.

I have no idea why but he has trouble with Ls. The perfect example of this was a recent trip for ice cream. I asked him what he wanted and he said he couldn't decide between vaniwa or chocowit. I died. I love you is I wuv you. Legs are wegs. The lead teacher in his class is Ms. Felona but, to him, she's Ms. Fewama. It's kind of hilarious and I hope I remember how cute it is when, in no time at all, he's saying his Ls the right way.

iMac love!

When Kevin and I met, all those years ago in the U-M Athletic Department, we worked on Macs. We could argue that our best work has been done on Macs! But, when we left sports and entered the more "corporate" world, it was all-PC, all the time. So, having PCs at work impacted our choice for a home computer as well. Not to mention, my uncles could pretty much fix any PC problem we had (and provide us with pirated software). So, we buried our love for Macs and did the PC thing for years. Our most recent computer, which we got in early 2005, worked just fine BUT it had crapped out three different times. The first time, no big deal. The second time, we lost baby videos of Simon and I was devastated. So, we got an external drive and kept EVERYTHING stored on it. The third time, well, that was it! We didn't lose anything but we were done, so done. Right after the second crash, we started talking about getting a Mac and, when the third crash happened, we really weren't that broken up about it. In fact, the day after my uncle called and said it could not be resuscitated, we were at the U-M Computer Showcase getting the computer of our dreams - the iMac! Of course, later that night, we both were like kids on Christmas day playing with our new toy. I think we stayed up past midnight just to play. And, it's just so fast and so simple and so easy. We take a ton of photos and using iPhoto has shaved HOURS off the time I typically spend on this task. We're still getting to know it but we're already in love. iMac love! Our computer dreams have come true!

Ah, McDonald's!

So, either McDonald's advertising is very effective for two-year-olds or we go get $1 drinks way too often ... or both!

Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, I'm loving it!

Random Statistical Update

The boys had a very fast doctor's appointment on Aug. 4 just to check on a few things (tonsils for Harmon and ears for Simon). Everything was just fine so the highlight of the appointment was the statistical update. Three months from being 6 and 3, here is where the Bergquist boys rate:

Harmon - 51.37 pounds and 47.6 inches

Simon - 35.49 pounds and 39.13 inches

Let me just say, giving horsey rides through the house is kind of painful these days.

Hershey's

I love chocolate (or "sockowit," as Simon would say) and that's no secret, even to my boys. While I like all kinds of things with (or covered in) chocolate, my favorite chocolate thing to eat is a simple Hershey's bar. This is well-engrained in Harmon's mind and, anywhere he goes, he gets me a Hershey's bar. I have them stashed all over the house mostly because I can't eat them at the rate he gets them for me - at least not without weighing 300 pounds! I'm not complaining because it's actually a very sweet thing and I hope he still remembers this when he comes home from college to visit. If he comes in the door and gives me a hug and a Hershey's bar, I know I'll melt (no pun intended).

Hanukkah Birthday

This year, we celebrated my birthday over the course of a couple of weeks. Kevin dubbed it my Hanukkah birthday.

We did the baseball game (and I got my awesome new sweatshirt) on July 16 and then, the day before my birthday, he got me a Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake and the boys picked out these awesome orange flowers (they know I love orange). Cards and well wishes rolled in daily and then, on Saturday, July 30, we went to my parents' house to do the usual family birthday celebration. I got awesome stuff from my sisters and my parents.

I'm thinking celebrating this way takes the sting out of that whole "getting older" thing. I might have to do it this way from now on!

32 months

Simon is a sponge. He soaks up everything he sees, hears, and reads. Most of the time, this is a good thing. But, when he's witness to his "babo's" questionable behavior ... well ... it's not such a good thing. If Harmon doesn't listen, Simon doesn't listen. If Harmon is sassy, Simon is sassy. We try to explain to Harmon that he needs to set a good example and, at times, this works. However, this needs to work ALL THE TIME. We're working on it. When he's not blindly following his brother, he's a pretty awesome 2YO. He's always been pretty good with the whole "please and thank you" thing but, lately, EVERYTHING is "please I can have ...?" Please I can have a cookie? Please I can have you read to me? It's nice to hear, even if it's grammatically incorrect.

His learning of the language is also pretty funny when it comes to Ys or Ls. He's had a hang-up with these letters for a few months now but we know he'll figure it out. In the meantime, it's hilarious to hear "yellow" become "wewwow" or "legs" become "yegs." I had a logo on a t-shirt the other night and he asked me about it. I said it was a "logo" and he repeated "yogo." Another funny thing is how he says accident. If he drops something, for example, he'll say, "oh, it was just an accent."

While I thought he had grown out of the whole "getting rock to sleep" thing, he's given me a few nights here and there where's he's let me hold him until he falls asleep. It's usually because he's just too exhausted to fight me. Most of the time, though, he loves to talk before bed and tell you all about his day. And, when he's doing this, he will grab your face and position it so you're looking directly at him. Don't dare break eye contact! Kevin took them to the Chelsea Tree House recently and some older kids weren't being very nice. They were calling the boys "dummies" and Simon has told me this story no less than 1,493 times.

Since Harmon is about done with naps, Simon has found a way to escape one every now and then. But, this is not a good idea. He usually ends up asleep during his dinner. And then grumpy when you try to get him away from the table and into his bed. You still have like three years of naps left, buddy, so cool it. You're not 5, you're 2!

Art Fair 2011

Every year, we go to the Ann Arbor Art Fairs with the boys and we never really get to see all that we want. It's hard to do art with two crazy boys. So, after every year, Kevin and I say to each other "next year, we need to take an afternoon off and go by ourselves."

Well, this year, we finally did just that but it was hot as balls! Good God, was it HOT! We went on the first day and sweat more than we ever have in our lives BUT we saw the whole thing. We covered from Main Street to Church Street and that effort, with temps in the high 90s, was impressive. Unfortunately, we didn't see a whole lot that we liked so the only purchases made were for our Moms.

It was nice, though, to walk through town and just leisurely gaze at everything without worrying that Simon was going to grab something or Harmon was going to knock something down.

5-year-old and 2-year-old boys and art do not mix!

T-ball is done for the summer

Wednesday, July 20 was Harmon’s last t-ball game of the season and he was a little sad. Here’s our awesome conversation about it:

Harmon: I’m sad that t-ball is over.

Mommy: Well, don’t be sad, you can play again next spring.

Harmon: But I’m also sad that I have to put my t-ball stuff away.

Mommy: No, you can keep playing with it and, each year, we’ll get you more and more stuff. And then, one day, you’ll be as good as those guys that play on TV.

Harmon: Well, I AM going to be playing on TV.

Mommy: Oh, really, what will you be doing?

Harmon: I’ll be HITTING!

I hope so, big guy, I hope so!

Buoyant boys

Although it took us a little while to get there, we took the first of our two family vacations this summer to Minnesota to spend five days on Upper Gull Lake. We left the evening of July 2 and made it as far as Minneapolis, but bad weather back in Detroit had delayed us too much. We made a mad dash — O.J.-style — through the Minneapolis airport, only to see our connecting flight pulled back from the gate. So we spent two hours retrieving our luggage and scrambling to find a hotel at 11:30 at night. We found one of the last few rooms at a Holiday Inn near the airport, and settled in for a quick night.

Harmon and Simon and Aimee were absolute saints during all of this. We kind of expected the boys to be a little cranky, as our second flight would have gotten us into Brainerd at 11:30 p.m. anyway, but they were very well-behaved, considering the circumstances. Even as we sat on the tarmac in Detroit for almost two hours, the boys — albeit distracted by iPads and DVD players — kept their cool.

We were re-booked for the first flight the next day, and arrived in plenty of time to feed the boys and catch up on the Casey Anthony trial — our obsession for the better part of three years, including the final week. The flight from Minneapolis to Brainerd was approximately 20 minutes and my Dad picked us up at the airport. We arrived back at the cabin about 1 p.m. and the boys immediately wanted to get in the water. We knew Harmon would do fine, as he is taking swimming lessons, but we weren’t so sure about Simon on his inaugural trip Up North. Harmon did fine, save for his fear of weeds, but Simon — true to his nature — was the real daredevil. He quickly wanted to venture out into deeper water, and by the end of the week he was jumping off the dock with a life preserver on. In fact, both boys were little fish most of the week and couldn’t wait to get in the water.

We kept very busy during the five days, eating at Bar Harbor, Zorbaz, Ernie’s on Gull, etc., and taking lots of boat rides. The boys loved taking turns “driving” the pontoon with Grandpa, although Simon was very upset when Grandpa put his hands on the wheel, as he wants to do everything “by his own self.

On July 5, while the boys went to the park with Grandma and Aunt Angela, Aimee and I cleaned off the paddleboat and headed down to the north end of the lake to catch two turtles for the boys for the Nisswa Turtle Races. The races have been a summer tradition for my 40 years, including the time we served as turtle “brokers” for about 10 summers, netting (no pun intended), like $1,000 (I know, CSB!). I was a little rusty in seeing and catching turtles, but Aimee spotted a few and we eventually netted two mid-size painters. Harmon and Simon named them, appropriately, “Mario” and “Luigi,” after their favorite video game, Super Mario Kart.

On July 6, we drove the boys into Nisswa and I waited in line for about 30 minutes to get two numbers for the turtles. We secured two spots in the 500-range and settled in to watch the races. When our numbers were called, I took Simon and Aimee took Harmon to the center of the track. I was watching Luigi when I noticed that Harmon’s Mario was booking for the finish line. Lo and behold, Mario crossed the finish line and Harmon had officially settled into his Daddy’s footsteps in Turtle Race lore. Harmon was so proud! Mario let up in the semifinals, so his racing days were over after just two heats (on our final day at the cabin, we let the turtles go off the front of the pontoon and let them swim back to their homes). The boys were tired, so my Dad took them back to the cabin while Aimee and I looked around town a little. When we came back home, of course, Harmon had been swimming.

We left mid-day on July 8, exhausted, but well-tanned and glad the boys had so much fun. They got to spend some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Angela, and my Uncle Bill finally got to meet Simon. I also got to spend some time with Tommy Fournier. We used to be inseparable during our summers growing up, and it was great to catch up. Harmon had fun swimming with his two little girls.

After a quick flight to Minneapolis, the boys both feel asleep on the second leg back to Detroit. We grabbed our luggage, took a shuttle to our car and were back home by 7 p.m. It was our first trip without Isabel in our lives, and it was a little sad to come home and not see her cage in the living room. We took the weekend to recuperate and get ready to go back to work. All in all, it was a great trip and a fun time for the boys.

Last year, we added a second, mini-vacation to our plans by going to Traverse City in mid-August. Hoping to make it a family tradition, we will go again this year and hopefully many years to come. We want to get away and enjoy some time with the boys before Harmon starts Kindergarten after Labor Day (sniff, sniff).