S'mores

The boys still love Yo Gabba Gabba and they recently watched the "Nature" episode where the whole crew goes camping. Their favorite part is when they are roasting marshmallows to make s'mores. A few days after watching this episode, Harmon and I had this exchange:

Harmon: "Mommy, do you know how to make smurfs?"
Me: "Huh?"
Harmon: "Those things with marshmallows and graham crackers."
Me: "You mean s'mores?"

He was so into the whole s'mores thing that we did get the ingredients and make some over the weekend. Of course, we had to roast the marshmallows over the stove so it wasn't totally authentic but they were still yummy!

iPad

For Kevin's birthday back in August, all of us got together to get him an iPad. He loves it ... and so does Harmon. In fact, Harmon often refers to it as "his iPad." Back in November, he kept saying "I hope I get an iPad for my birthday!" Yeah right, kid.

Even though he thinks it's his and this can be a little annoying, letting him play with the iPad has paid off in a big way. If he wakes up too early on the weekend, we can buy some extra sleep by letting him rock Angry Birds for a while. We've also downloaded some other apps for him and he loves to play with those too (Google Earth, especially). All in all, we're huge fans of the iPad for so many reasons! 

27 months

This past month was pretty eventful for you. We set up the GeoTrax and you love them (big brother lost interest so quickly). You'll say "turn my train light on" so you can play in the playroom with them. You also got to eat at the big boy table for the first time. We gave you a break from your high chair but you'll probably return there sooner rather than later. We got the Traverse and the first thing you wanted was to have a whole row of seats to yourself. It's doable, little guy, as it's quite understandable that you don't want to be hit by your big brother anymore. After no sniff of a January thaw, February brought a near-50-degree day so we hit up the park and you couldn't wait to hit the swings and slides. You scored your first smore, even though I think you would have just settled for the marshmallow (or marmallow, as you used to call them). So much going on, so little time to take it all in. 

Introducing ...

... our new Chevy Traverse, Graham*! We drove him home on Feb. 12 after a month-long roller coaster ride of a deal. Will it happen, won't it happen? I think Kevin and I aged a few years. I know I broke out and it wasn't because of too much pop or chocolate.

 

ANYWAY, a little back story. Once Simon came along, Yost^ - our Jeep Liberty - suddenly got way too small. It was impossible to hit up Kroger AND Target while we were out as Simon's stoller took up most of the storage space in the back. We TRIED to remember to take the stroller out before such trips but that never happened and we often ended up having to shove groceries and toiletries in and around parts of the stroller which was just no good. We also knew that once Harmon began kindergarten in September, we would need two kid-friendly cars and Fisher# - my Jeep Wrangler - is anything but. Actually, Tetris-ing both kids in the back seat of that Wrangler often resulted in injury (to us, not them)!

 

So, now we have Graham and he smells so good and has SO MUCH SPACE! He has a third row of seats and very fancy things like, you know, interior lights beyond the cockpit area! We got the basic model, which suits us just fine, but we did splurge for the leather-wrapped steering wheel with controls! It's so awesome to be able to change the station while holding the wheel - I'm so easily impressed! We also have a three-month subscription to Sirius/XM Radio and we love it! Kevin listens to hair metal and I swoon over E Street Radio. It's going to be hard not to keep it when those three months are up!

 

The boys love the new car too! When we first brought Graham home, they each wanted their own row of seats. While we haven't done that yet, I'm sure we'll have to sooner rather than later to keep them from fighting. Ah, brothers!

 

Getting a Chevy was a little hard for me since I've owned two Jeeps. I got Fisher, my first new car, back on Oct. 10, 1997, right after I scored my first real job. Fisher and I had a lot of good times together. We road tripped from Waterford to Detroit every day while I worked at the law firm and he was with me the magical summer of 1998 when I interned for the Tigers. Lots and lots of great times in that ride! I would gladly wash him every week - inside and out - when it was warm enough. It was tough to say goodbye to him but my Mom and Dad bought him and now my Dad is getting to enjoy time with him too. I'm so glad he's still in the family AND that the boys will still be able to hit up Dairy Queen with the top down when they're with their Nana and Papa.

 

Kevin thought I was emotional about getting rid of Fisher but that's nothing compared to how I'll feel one day when we get rid of Yost. That was our first car together as a married couple (purchased 3/1/04) AND we brought both boys home from the hospital in that car. OK, I'm going to cry.

 

One observation, so far, about the Traverse versus the Jeeps. When driving the Traverse, I don't hear or feel a thing. In the Jeeps, especially in the Wrangler, I hear and feel everything! I know that's the nature of Jeeps BUT the Traverse has such a smooth ride and is SO easy to handle. But my Jeeps were freakin' awesome cars, tough as nails. So, Graham better bring it, on all levels, because he has a lot to live up to!

 

*Graham is named after former Wolverine and current Philadelphia Eagle Brandon Graham. Our Traverse is a crossover of sorts, like Brandon Graham was a crossover between Lloyd Carr's University of Michigan and Rich Rodriguez' University of Michigan. 

 

^Yost = Fielding H. Yost. Enough said.

 

#Fisher is named after former Michigan men's basketball coach (and current San Diego State men's basketball coach) Steve Fisher. Coach Fisher coached the Fab Five. That is all! 

Harmon and his Chiclets!

Back on Saturday, Jan. 8 - ironically while I was at the dentist - Harmon had a dental problem of his own at home. Our bathroom door is one of those annoying pocket doors and, on his way to the potty, Harmon pulled the door toward him very hard and failed to move out of the way fast enough. He hit his mouth and, we thought, knocked loose his bottom two front teeth. We hit up the dentist office the following Tuesday and she took x-rays and checked everything out. She wasn't concerned mostly because the x-rays showed his adult teeth were right there ready to burst through. It was her guess that these teeth would have loosened up sooner rather than later. Well, one week later (on Tuesday, Jan. 18), he lost the bottom right tooth. He said it just fell out when he was getting a drink from his water bottle. Of course, we were sad because it seemed like he was all gums just yesterday AND the first tooth to fall out was the first tooth he ever had. Then, on Monday, Jan. 24, he lost the bottom left tooth while Kevin was helping him brush his teeth. I got him the cutest tooth pillow and he was very excited to leave his teeth in it for the tooth fairy. She responded with $1 for each tooth but he was a little lukewarm on that. I wasn't sure WHAT he was expecting but I know I never got $1 per tooth when I was a kid!

Harmon picks a hat

We are big college football fans, and an interest in recruiting comes standard with your place in that fandom. While we were enjoying the 2010 season (well, as much as we could when you are part of a delusional fanbase intent on committing professional homicide on the coach), we were also making our final decision on where Harmon should attend Kindergarten next year (and grades 1-8, too).

Seems like a simple decision, right? Well, anyone who knows us well is aware that we are just a wee bit deliberate in our decision-making. But, just like the recruiting cycle through which top-flight high school football players select the best place to continue their athletic careers, finding the right school involves doing a lot of homework (declaring a top three), attening open houses (taking official visits), meeting with teachers and other school personnel (meeting coaches), and then finally choosing the right school (signing a Letter of Intent).

Today, we finally made that decision, and Harmon is all set for the fall. We knew we were making the right decision when we kept driving by the school and church on our way to work/preschool, and he would say, "That is where I am going to school next year."

Harmon is a November birthday, and he turned 5 during the current school year. We struggled briefly with the notion of sending him this year, but, while we are convinced he would do well (he is a fantastic reader and loves to learn), we also thought another year split between home and preschool would benefit him emotionally. It has, and he not only is ready to go next year, he is excited for it now, and we are, too.

So, with the decision now made, Harmon can enjoy his final few months in preschool (his senior year, so to speak), before taking the next step to big-boy status (joining his school's incoming recrutiing class) in the fall. It is possible that the school could change its mind after asking him to attend (making him an offer), but we aren't too concerned. This isn't Alabama, after all.

26 months

At 26 months, Simon is a pretty cool little dude. He's always on unless he's sleeping. If he's not talking incessantly (paragraphs just easily flow out of his mouth), he's screaming (always been a screamer) or playing with cars or reading or sparring with his brother. These two have a bond I don't understand - a love/hate relationship. One minute, they are playing together just fine. The next minute, they're hitting each other and screaming. I'm going to choose to believe this will get better. Another thing about Simon, he's a climber and he is into everything. It's not uncommon for him to end up on the kitchen counter or to have pushed his Little Tykes table over to Isabel's cage so he can climb on top of it and retrieve all the toys we've intentionally stored there out of his reach. He does things I don't think Harmon ever even considered. He'll be the kid that ends up in the school office for who knows what and we'll love him anyway!

Gator Bowl

Kevin and I were two of what seemed like very few Michigan fans that made the trip to the Gator Bowl (so much for all that bitching from M fans about "just wanting to go to a bowl game"). After Coach Rod got hired (we are still huge fans), we promised each other we would go to his first bowl game. Sadly, it took three years BUT the Gator Bowl happened within a month of our 10th anniversary so we made the trip.

It was the first time we were away from both boys so we made it a quick trip. We got into Jacksonville late on New Year's Eve afternoon and it was so nice to feel the warm Florida sun on our cold Michigan bodies. We headed straight to the Cheesecake Factory with all the windows down on our miniscule Chevy Aveo - we wanted to soak up EVERY bit of warm weather. At the Cheesecake Factory, we ate way too much. In fact, I can't remember a time when I was more physically uncomfortable after a meal! It was so worth it, though.

After our early dinner, we headed to our hotel. Rather than stay downtown, we really wanted to stay on the beach so we hit up One Ocean Resort in Atlantic Beach. This, however, was a surprise to me. Kevin had booked it and not told me so I was very excited as we pulled up. It was an awesome place and after getting settled in, we checked out the dark beach and took a long walk around the nearby town area.

We were so tired from traveling that it was so hard to stay awake to ring in the New Year. We managed, though, and as the clock struck midnight, we were on the beach listening to the tide roll in and out (and to fireworks off in the distance). It was, by far, our best New Year's Eve together! The next morning, we had breakfast by the beach and then played in the ocean and gathered a ton of sea shells for the boys. It was a perfect day and I almost didn't want to leave the ocean to go to the football game!

And, yeah, the game. It started out nicely and then went straight into the crapper. My expectations were low - I didn't think we would win - but it still sucked. It was nice to just sit in the sun for 3-4 hours and cheer on Coach Rod in what would be his last game with Michigan. Another bonus was our halftime visit with Mike and Nayla, whom we never get to see.

After the game, we headed straight for the airport to catch our flight home. After a bit of a delay, we made it back to cold Detroit around midnight. We went straight to my parents' house so we would be there when the boys woke up the next day. Overall, a great - yet exhausting - trip! We're so glad we took the time to do it, that we celebrated 10 years together. It was warm and sunny and we had a great time together, no matter WHO won the game!

Christmas 2010

Most years, Kevin and I take a lot of vacation time before Christmas to do fun things with the boys. We then join my family on the evenings of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and spend Dec. 26-30 with Kevin's family. This year, though, we had to switch it up as Kevin and I went to Florida for the Gator Bowl to celebrate our 10-year anniversary. We were in Peoria Dec. 19-23 and the boys got to open all their Bergquist family presents WAY earlier than usual. I'm hoping they won't get used to this! Aside from the presents, they had a great time in Peoria hanging out with their grandparents, aunts, cousins and uncle! More presents came from the Saling family on Christmas Eve and then we had our own time together - just the four of us - most of Christmas day. Since both boys have their birthdays in November, it's SO hard to come up with Christmas gifts for them but I think we did OK. Books are always a hit and they got plenty. They also got several ramps for their cars and the always unpopular CLOTHES. As with all kids, they had a great Christmas break!

There were two very melancholy things we had to deal with over this time, though. First, Will, our Elf on the Shelf, had to return to the North Pole. We all were VERY sad to see him go. And, on Dec. 26 when the Christmas music disappeared from all the local radio stations, we all were very sad. The boys love Christmas music and would listen to it all year long if they could. The thing I'll miss MOST about the boys and their Christmas music fascination this year is their mistaken lyrics from the Grinch song. Instead of a "dump heap," they think it says a "donkey" so they were often running around saying "you're a donkey, Mr. Grinch."

Ah, Christmas, you come and go SO fast!

Babo

Since Simon first learned to speak, he has referred to Harmon as "Babo" - short for "big brother." He can say Harmon and he says it very well but he much prefers to call his big brother "Babo." It's cute to hear this but we're starting to wonder if Harmon will forever be known as Babo Bergquist, much like Dabo Swinney, the head football coach at Clemson University. I always thought he had an odd name and then good ol' Wikipedia answered all my questions:

"Swinney's nickname was given to him as an infant by his parents when his then-15-month-old brother would try to enunciate "that boy" when referring to Swinney."

I'm sure Simon will start saying Harmon on a consistent basis sometime soon. If not, at least there's some alliteration in Babo Bergquist ...

Working the system

Simon learned very early on that kisses and hugs will get him EVERYWHERE.

And, now that he's two, he's really working the system. He knows that a big squeezy hug (both arms squeezed tight around our necks with a squeezy noise added for good measure) and a kiss (his version is a kiss on each cheek - are we French?!?!) will get him anything he wants. Simon has never been a big snuggler so we can't resist that affection when we get it. We're like putty in his hands.

Big boy bed

Simon climbed out of his crib back in September and, since then, we've been trying to find a convenient time to convert his crib to a toddler bed. We targeted Thanksgiving weekend but just couldn't do it. We waited until Harmon was 2 and a couple of weeks so we wanted to do the same for Simon. So, on Friday, Dec. 10, we did the conversion ... and he handled it like a champ. We've read books and then either rocked him or he'll request to curl up in his bed. We'll usually stay with him a few minutes until he settles down and then he's out. We decided this might be a better approach than just leaving the room like we did with Harmon. That was a disaster that yielded Harmon getting out of his bed 1,000 times each night for a week or so. So far, he's done great and even slept well on his mini aerobed at Grandma and Grandpa's house for a few nights over Christmas vacation. We're so glad he's doing so well but are so sad he's now in a big boy bed.

25 months

Simon, you turned 25 months old on Christmas day so we got you lots of gifts to celebrate! You were very excited to see them Christmas morning even though I think most of your excitement is because of your brother's excitement! I hope you enjoy turning 25 months old on the 25th of the month!

Sports

Soccer and swimming have been Harmon's sports until this past fall when he gave flag football (via the Ann Arbor YMCA) a try. For seven weeks (Sept. 14 through Oct. 26), he and 20 or so other 4 and 5 year olds tried to grasp the concept of football. Most of the time, I was able to catch the second half of practice but during the first half, Kevin would keep me posted via hilarious text messages - some examples:

"Your boy is going all Je'Ron Stokes. He is #6."

"Harmon takes and Obi angle to the ball and loses contain."

"Now they are on offense and he just went all Vincent Smith (tackled after no gain)."

He liked flag football but wasn't really in love with it. I think maybe next fall, it will come a little easier to him.

After football, we signed him up for basketball at the YMCA and he was totally into it. He asked for, and received from Aunt Erin, a basketball for his birthday. And, in addition to his weekly practice/scrimmage - which is fun, hilarious and terrible all at the same time - he really wants to spend some extra time in the gym. His last class was Dec. 14 and now we'll take a break for the holidays. The new year will bring a new swimming class and, finally, tee ball in the spring. Harmon has even asked if he can take golf lessons so we'll explore that too. The more sports, the better, except for hockey - sorry, little buddy!

Simon Says

Simon's language is amazing. We thought Harmon was a wordsmith at that age but Simon has really benefitted from having all three of us talking to him nonstop. He has certain words or phrases that he loves and he's forming full sentences by the second. Here are some language highlights from the last few months:

Whatbookawant - what Simon says when he's reviewing his library for something good to read when going potty.

Freight Train - one of the books that he typically chooses. He loves tunnels so he digs the page where the train goes through the tunnel. There also is a page where the train goes over a trestle. I'm a little concerned that Simon says "trestle" so well, especially when you think about it this way - Coach Tressel.

Michigan Wolverines - another book he likes. Simon has taken to the Michigan stuff quicker than Harmon ever did (despite his name being Harmon). He says "Michigan" when he sees the block M on our t-shirts, sweatshirts, etc. and he yells out "Go Blue" everytime we drive by the stadium. So, it's no surprise he loves this book about the Wolverines beating those Buckeyes. I wish real life imitated this particular art more!


On the occassion that we find ourselves listening to 97.1 (a rarity, these days), Simon would yell out "97.1, the ticket!"

While Harmon has taught his little brother many good things, there is one particular word that Harmon passed on to him that just thrills us (note the sarcasm) - buttcrack. I don't know WHY that word is the word he picked up on and I don't know WHY it's so fun to say but he can't get enough. In the beginning, it was crazy. No matter what we did, he would NOT stop saying it. It's gotten better lately, though, and now he mixes it in at odd times. He'll say "butt" and then pause a while and finish with "crack." Or, he make it into a song. I guess there ARE worse words but still - it's not fun to have him screaming that at school OR at Target.

I wanna' go back home - this is Simon's default phrase. No matter where we are or what's going on, he'll pull out "I wanna' go back home" if he's uncomfortable, bored, tired or getting reprimanded for something. The funniest thing is when he says it when we're already AT HOME.

Simon's stats at 2

OK, because the only thing anyone asks me about are the stats, here they are for both boys at age two:

 

Harmon - 34 pounds and 35 1/4 inches tall

Simon - 31 1/2 pounds and 37 1/2 inches tall

 

Simon still has not made up the two pounds Harmon had on him at birth (in his defense, he was three weeks early). But, he is taller and crazier too. He's so much more active and, therefore, never went through the chubby stage (although Harmon was adorable through said chubby stage).

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!