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).

I must be in the front row!

Each year, we hit up Comerica Park several times with the boys and while I would love to watch every pitch of every inning, I know our time at the ballpark with the boys isn't about me. It's about them having a great experience and learning to love everything about Tigers' baseball. Because of this, though, Kevin will usually take me to a game - by ourselves - in July for my birthday. Well, that once-a-summer game was this past weekend and it was freakin' awesome!

Kevin outdid himself getting front-row seats behind home plate for the White Sox- Tigers game on Saturday. It was a 4:10 p.m. start, which meant the ballpark opened just after 2 p.m. and we were there! I felt like a little kid just watching batting practice with my mouth wide open! In all my years, I've NEVER sat that close so I tried to take in every second. It was awesome that it was the White Sox because I have a unexplainable love for Ozzie Guillen. And, to make it even better, it was a Scherzer start and I love me some Max Scherzer!

Aside from moving my arm to get a drink of beer, I did not move for nine innings. While the outcome could have been better (they lost 5-0, score some damn runs) and it could have been a little cooler (it was 88 most of the game), I had an unbelievable time! It was a day that won't soon be forgotten and it was one of the BEST birthday presents ever!

No longer napping 'Nators!

Many kids at school and many of my friends' kids gave up napping LONG AGO but Harmon has remained a good napper ... until now. I think once we hit June, he decided he would phase HIMSELF out of naps. The will still nap if he's up before 7 a.m. - like on school days - of if we're just riding in the car for a while, like on the weekends. He never could resist a car nap!

I suppose it's just as well because he won't get a nap in kindergarten. I think, though, that we'll have to put him to bed a bit earlier each night, at least in the beginning, just to make sure he's getting enough sleep. He's always really welcomed his naps and I hope Simon keeps on napping as long as Harmon has. It helps to have the house quiet, if only for an hour or so!

Brown eyes, blue eyes

On Monday mornings, Kevin drops me off at work first and then drops the boys at school. Before I head into my building, I give and receive all those awesome hugs and kisses but their favorite part is when I saw "bye, brown eyes" to Harmon and "bye, blue eyes" to Simon. I don't know WHY they start looking at each other and getting all giggly but I love those giggles! They are the perfect start to a Monday workday!

Diamondbacks at Tigers

So, our second Tigers' game this year was much, much better. Not only did the Tigers' come away with an awesome come-from-behind win but the boys got to do all the things they wanted to do. We got there early - in time to see the retiring of Sparky Anderson's number - and immediately hit up the face painting booth. Harmon desperately wanted his face painted like a Tiger and it was well worth it - he was very cute! We then grabbed the boys some hot dogs and pretzels so they could make the biggest decision of the afternoon - carousel or ferris wheel. Since they rode the carousel at our last game back in May, the ferris wheel won. The line wasn't too bad and we loaded into our "baseball" car before Simon had the chance to escape (he was a little grumpy and just wanted to run free). We then hit the upper deck concourse and caught the last half of the game. It was hot so I watched in the sun while Kevin kept the boys in the shade. Harmon would join me every now and then to ask what the score was, who was batting, etc.  SIDE NOTE: I LOVE that he's finally asking these questions.

After another save by Papa Grande, we headed down to the main concourse to get in line for kids run the bases. The line - which we were near the end of - wrapped around the entire stadium but it moved pretty quickly. Before we knew it, both boys were hand in hand taking steps on the field at Comerica Park! Harmon was very sweet in showing Simon where to start before he took off running - Harmon was about to home plate as Simon was rounding 2nd base. Kevin and I were trying to snap pictures and videos so we weren't right at home plate when Simon finished. He looked a little lost so Harmon went into the fray to retrieve him and bring him to us. It was, quite frankly, one of the sweetest brother moments I've seen between them!

Once we got packed up, we headed to the car and both of them were out pretty fast. I asked Kevin if we could drive by the old Tiger Stadium site on our way out of town and we did. There was a group of kids playing baseball there, which was good to see. The flagpole was still there too, with the flag flying high. It was a very odd moment for me - thinking about all that has happened at that famous corner of Michigan and Trumbull and thinking about how my boys won't ever know what it was like there. I'll have to tell some very good stories so they'll FEEL like they've been there. Every trip to the ballpark makes me so happy I have boys - I hope there are many, many, many trips to the ballpark in our future.

Cars 2

When Cars premiered - June 9, 2006 - Harmon was only six months old so he didn't care. He didn't even know he was alive. As he got a little older, though, it was ON! He loved that movie like no other and, because his parents are geeks, he had every damn car from that movie along with all the accoutrements. And, because Harmon loved Cars, so does Simon. It was a HUGE step in their relationship when Harmon FINALLY allowed Simon to place with his precious "face cars!"

 

Anyway, once both boys realized Cars 2 was coming out, there was a countdown of sorts. Not much time would go by without Harmon reminding us about the June 24th date!

 

So, on Friday, June 24, Kevin took the day off and we took the boys to an 11 a.m. showing. Things started off very well with both boys fixated on the big screen, snacks in hand. But, as we reached the one-hour mark, Simon started to get a little restless. As an aside, Cars 2 is 1 hour and 53 minutes long. Come ON! That's LONG for a Disney movie (the first one was 1 hour and 17 minutes). Harmon did well but the younger kids were all having a hard time holding it together!

 

Harmon loved it even though it was more Mater-focused and had much more of a plot than the first one. Simon liked it too, even though he didn't see ALL of it. Afterward, I asked them what their favorite parts were. Harmon loved the opening scene with the water, ships, spies, etc. Simon simply liked the racing! They had a great time and so did we! And, of course, we went straight to Toys R Us after the movie to get more "face cars." The boys now have about 10 cars from the new movie and they love them. Or maybe Mom and Dad just love having something to collect (remember those baseball cards)!

31-month update

So, Simon is just over 2 1/2 but you would think he was just over 5 1/2. He wants to do everything his big brother does, it doesn't matter what it is. Rare is it that he'll let me rock him to sleep anymore. If he's still plenty awake, he'll talk your ear off for 20 minutes or so until he settles down. He loves to tell stories and just tell you about "his day." If he's tired, he'll just crawl up in his bed and start playing with his ears. Speaking of his ears, he's always played with them but, lately, it's been excessive so we're getting those things checked out, just in case. Unlike Harmon, he's not one to get out of bed once he's in and he usually doesn't request that someone to stay with him until he settles down or falls asleep. As I've said before, he's our independent one.

 

Lately, we've been transitioning him out of his high chair. It's a challenge but a necessary one. Sometimes he's very good; other times, he's crazy. I assume it will get better as it has with Harmon. On a few occassions, we've tried letting them eat a meal together but that usually ends in chaos. We may wait a bit longer on that. And, speaking of eating, he eats like a horse. Most of the time, he is bottomless. What are we in for?!?!

 

Now that he's bigger, he doesn't put up with his brother's crap as much as he used to. More often that not, Harmon ends up being the first one crying after one of their little "wrestling matches." The look in Simon's eyes when they are scrapping is classic! I have to try to catch it on video. He is pissed off and determined all at once. I can see him having that same look later in life. I wouldn't mess with Simon, as he gets older, that is for sure. 

 

He has a soft side, though. He still loves to give everyone kisses and hugs and, if there is a dog in the vicinity, he has to pet it! As I always tell Kevin, there is not a lot of in-between with Simon: he's on or off. He knows no boundaries and definitely no volume. He can be extreme at times and I imagine that's why he's so damn cute - makes it easier to handle him!

T-ball

When I was pregnant with Harmon, we didn't want to find out what we were having. We figured it was life's last big surprise and we wanted to be surprised. Although we didn't know, we THOUGHT it was a girl, for sure. She was to be named Maizey Bryn Bergquist. I think I wanted a girl because, having two younger sisters, it was just what I was comfortable with. I honestly think Kevin didn't really care one way or another.

So, when Harmon was born and the doctor said "you have a baby boy," we quite honestly felt a little guilty and a little sad. Those feelings only lasted seconds, though, and then they gave Harmon to Kevin and Kevin brought him to see me. It was at that moment that I realized all the awesome things having a boy would bring! One of those things was baseball and you can't get to baseball without t-ball first. It's like crawling and walking before running.

Not that I ever wanted to hurry him in growing up (it goes fast enough) but I have been excited for t-ball since I first saw this perfect little face. The earliest he could start, in the Ann Arbor area, was the summer before kindergarten so he FINALLY had his first practice on June 1. It started off well, too. He was very excited to get out there and he got his team t-shirt - he's rocking the #2 (like Jeter). We've done a lot with him at home so I think this made it easier for him. He likes the hitting part so much more than the throwing and fielding part (he does live in an AL city, thus the DH rule) but we're working on it. I think the most important thing, though, is that after each practice and game, he's made it a point to thank me for signing him up for t-ball. This is something he's never done before and something I hope he's doing because he's having a great time. Having fun is half the battle and, if he keeps having fun, I'll have a good time seeing where this goes.

Blisters and bloody noses

So, this spring has been a little rough on Simon. He doesn't complain about any of it but it happens nonetheless. Two different pairs of shoes have given him some nasty blisters - blisters that can only be soothed with Neosporin and Scooby Doo band aids. He's also had a few bloody noses as well. One came from Harmon (fighting brothers, ugh) but the others came from just bumping his nose while he's playing. I'm hoping, as summer enters the scene, that he'll have fewer blisters and bloody noses.

Tooth #3

Harmon lost tooth #3 Tuesday, June 14. Kevin called me at work to tell me about it and he mentioned that I've not been around for ANY of the tooth losses. I'm sad. Anyway, I wasn't surprised. His bottom front adult teeth are almost all the way in and this latest tooth to bolt his gums was right next to his front, bottom left. When he had kindergarten orientation back in May, the teacher asked all the kids if they had lost any teeth yet. Harmon was the only one to raise his hand. I'm guessing he'll have at least one more (next to his front, bottom right) for the tooth fairy before school starts in September.