Henry's Christmas concert was earlier today and it went very well. He doesn't seem to care much for singing (even around the house when Mommy or Daddy sings), but he did an excellent job of standing politely with his classmates.







In the last video you get to see Henry showing off his tummy. Charming!

Thanksgiving was a bit warmer this year, and oddly without snow on the ground. Though I do usually enjoy being on my skis at this point in the season, I will confess that driving on dry, clear roads is very nice. We headed out to the Barnes' in Chugiak as happily and hungry as usual. Henry is pretty pumped for any visit out there these days, and I know the folks really wanted to see how much Piper had grown.

As we verified that the oil in the deep fryer was hot enough for the turkey, we immediately heard the sputter of a near empty tank of propane. After a quick check we confirmed that all of the cupboards were bare when it came to propane. Off to the gas station we went with three empty tanks and a very interested Henry.

We soon returned home and had the burner again heating up the oil. We walked back into the house and Hailey immediately asked Henry, "How was the trip to the gas station?"

Henry provided a wonderful, left field response. "It was lovely." There you have it.




Our snow finally came a few days later so onto the deck we went. Piper smiled at use through the window and Henry pushed around an excavator and dump truck. After the trucks ran their course, the ice skating helper was quickly turned into a snow plow. I happily fulfilled my job of shoveling some snow back into a pile in the middle of the deck, only to watch it plowed quickly away.

Happy kids.

It's hard to keep up with December as Christmas rambles ever closer. After a few weeks of over time work passed by, I seized an empty Saturday and took Henry to the museum. They are currently in the middle of a Lego exhibit, which is pretty exciting for Dad and Henry.

Henry enjoyed the exhibit quite a bit on the weekday he first visited. Our Saturday trip found the expected larger crowds, and because Henry is his father's son, he wanted very little to do with the Lego crowds. However, that discomfort does not extend to the wooden train set. We'll politely wait for hours to get a crack at that sucker.

It's the same magnetic, wooden train on the same scale track we have at home, except it is securely screwed into a mountain landscape. As the other kids spiraled off to the dinosaurs, boats, and foam play sets, Henry patiently waited. He stepped up into his moment, flipped his Badger hat around, and dug in. I should have brought a book and a chair.

Legos, shmegos.




While Piper may have flirted with smiling in the past, she is how undeniably a smiley girl almost all of the time. She still loves to spit up on Mom and Dad more than we'd prefer, but she keeps gaining weight, laughing, and growing -- so there is nothing to complain about.

We'll just keep an eye out for stain stick coupons.

Becky's birthday fell on a Thursday this year so we again headed to Simon and Seafort's for dinner. Henry was happy and content to plow through chocolate milks while gazing at the ships moving about in Cook Inlet. Piper's eyes popped open, only to begin drifting away as the bottle was plugged in. Everyone was well behaved and I didn't have to tip too heavily for the cleanup of our usual bread crumb cloud on the floor. It seems we're getting just a little bit more tidy -- progress.

Becky chose the bacon wrapped meatloaf and I jumped on fish (cod) and chips. Yes, we both chose old favorites in the face of plenty of great options on the menu. Old habits are just that.





When the actual day of Halloween came, Henry asserted that he no longer wanted to be a fireman, and would prefer to be an astronaut. So off he went to preschool as an astronaut (Ms. Debbie was given a heads up that the buckle and long zipper might need help in the bathroom).

The picture below is what you might call an upfront in show business. It was a warmer than average Halloween for us -- 25 degrees -- so we scooted outside to take a picture before the sun set. Henry quickly put on his snow pants and jacket before the loose fitting astronaut outfit was layered on  top. Once we had a few reflective stickers in place and a blinking bike light clipped to his back, off we went into the dark, Anchorage Halloween night.

Becky and Piper stayed home though, eagerly waiting with a well lit porch and a flickering pumpkin outside. They only ended up with one group of kids the entire night. Townhouse complexes are funny things on nights like this.




Henry and I targeted the neighborhood just across the street. About half of the homes had their lights on, which added up to about 90 minutes of trick or treating, though at the end I had to carry our NASA employee a bit (no fussing though).

We started out very strong and needed little prompting. "Trick or Treat...Thank you."

However, as the evening wore on and more folks began asking Henry questions on the fly about his spaceship or if he had been on the moon, his ability to remember the trick or treat script waned. To his credit, he fell back on his strengths.

"And are you flying to the moon? Where is your shuttle?"

"Please."

"What candy do you like the best?"

"Thank you."

All polite, positive words, so you won't hear any complaining from Mom and Dad.

Halloween this year is probably a strong harbinger of the years to come -- numerous safe events capped off by actual trick or treating. I completely appreciate the goal of trunk or treats and indoor events to keep the kids warm, supervised, in well lit rooms, and filled with candy. However, it all needs to culminate in trudging up and down a city street with a bag for the holiday to be legitimate.

Henry had the choice of either being a fireman or an astronaut, thanks to some costumes that were lent to us. He immediately picked the firefighter jacket and proceeded to wear it everywhere, everyday (thankfully it's lined). Piper fit warmly in a hand me down bear suit and seemed to like it just fine.

At Henry's preschool fall festival (I guess somebody at some time was uptight with it being a Halloween party) his badge and hat were in full effect. If you look closely you will notice Piper wearing a pumpkin orange shirt.




There were quite a few games, a silent auction that quickly rose too rich for our blood, and plenty of candy that didn't make it home that night.

...

The daytime temps are no longer making it over 32 degrees, but our first snow dump has not yet found us. A dusting here or there, sure, but not a permanent layer. So we continue to hike and tramp around Cheney Lake and point out the eagles in the trees.




I should have known it after observing how good Henry is getting at manipulating Legos, but he was perfectly up for digging slimy pumpkin seeds from the belly of our carved friend below. We chose the face of the Jack O'Lantern from one of his favorite stories (Five Little Pumpkins) and I did all the knife work. Henry took his sweet time digging out each little seed like a surgeon. It all worked out well and soon the pumpkin was sitting on our 16 degree deck with a tealight flickering inside.

Terror in the Aisles

Thanks to Becky's teaching years, we have easily hundreds of kids books hanging around our home. Even if we had a much larger house, I am not certain that we'd be able to find a place for them on shelves or in rooms. These are good problems to find yourself in. So, we cycle in and out of books as the months tick by, often resulting in a new story coming our way. Such is this case with Sendak's Outside Over There.

Henry responded well to Where The Wild Things Are, so I quickly reached for another title from the same author. The fantastical storyline, which centers on a child's abduction by 2 goblins that is eventually resolved safely, is profoundly creepy for an adult. I had no true idea how Henry digested it, though he asked to reread it a few times. Perhaps his perception is just different enough to make the images and storyline below a concern only for moms and dads.

NPR seems to think so.

Friday found us meeting up for a Halloween event at Henry's preschool such that we had 2 cars, resulting in Henry and I being tasked with heading to Safeway to pick up Chinese food. After unsuccessfully searching for caramels in the store, we paid for our food and started heading towards the doors. I made a quick detour after remembering that Alaskan beer was currently on sale, and that the seasonal Pumpkin Porter was only going to be available for a short time. I had never tasted it, so I decided to seize the opportunity and grab a case.

In Alaska the liquor department has to be its own section with its own doorway, even though it's part of the grocery store. In Chicago they drag a big accordion metal fence across the beer when it's Sunday morning, while up here they just shut the door to that little room. So we walked through the bakery, past the tables where folks read the paper while lounging, and right into a crowded beer store.

There were about 6 folks in line and I didn't want the Chinese food to get cold, so I walked with a bit of purpose towards the stacks of Alaskan beer. As we reached the middle of the room, just past the check out line, Henry tugged hard away from me. I grabbed his hand firmly in direct fear that I was about to hear a pyramid of wine come crashing down all over my credit card.

No luck, as he tugged away again. "We just need to get Daddy's beer and we'll go home."

"We need to go home now," he said clear as a bell. No mumbling, all intention.

I sighed and rolled my eyes quickly. "OK. Let's go." I began walking him towards the external door, away from the bakery (2 entrances at the beer store). He yelped and flopped right onto the floor. His face was then buried into his hands.

I have never before seen this degree of terror, so I just went into rapid response mode. I grasped the back of his jacket, picked him up like a piece of luggage, and then headed back to the bakery. He was soon walking and tugging rapidly towards the main section of the store -- anything to get away from the beer department.

I steered us into the section of tables and was then able to talk calmly with him. After a few questions and sniffled words the answer was clear. "Goblins, Daddy."

I spun around and saw the 4 foot witch standing guard at the entrance to the liquor department. It all became clear.

As I calmed him down with a french fry and had a better chance to scan the goblin lair, I saw that another witch stood at the external door as well. Henry did not realize we were under goblin attack until he was in the center of the room, at which point the only solution was to burrow into the faux wood floor and hope it all passed.

Those witches could not have looked any closer to the Sendak's goblins. Truly a perfect storm of trouble for Henry.

I imagine people in the store assumed I beat my kid and that he was merely prematurely reacting to Dad's looming, weekend bender.

I'm pretty sure this is a story/scar that will be sticking in our family's history. We have not read that book since, but Mom and Dad are laughing at the story and Henry's even smirking about the goblins at Safeway.

Henry started preschool a few weeks ago and has been enjoying it so much that it seems like he's always been there. Our commute to the southside has pretty much been dialed in and it's a real challenge to get a good-bye hug from him once he's in Ms Debbie's classroom. Any fears about a tough adjustment have proven unfounded, which is a relief. I know one little classmate is literally dragged down the steps to the room many days. We hear song fragments at dinnertime and are told bluntly the virtues of sharing. Something is sinking during those weekday mornings.




From Henry's point of view, the crown jewel of Grammy and Grandpa's visit most certainly was the Alaska State Fair. He walked the entire day even though the jogging stroller shadowed him as a backup. It ended up carrying some gear, which was just fine. Henry rode his first carnival rides (merry go round and dump trucks) and thanks to getting there right when the gates opened, was able to walk through all of the exhibits, petting zoos, and tractors without any crowds.

The plan worked perfectly in that we were able to get to the Lumberjack show early enough to secure front row seats. Henry was satiated with a light lunch as the bleachers filled in. Soon the show started and all three competitors were introduced -- representing British Columbia, Stevens Point, and Hayward, Wisconsin. Early in the show Henry was presented with a cutoff from our lumberjack and he was rendered speechless. It was an impressive gift.




By the time we had the car loaded up and were headed back to Anchorage, nap time had long since passed. I thought for sure our all day walker would pass out as soon as the car started humming along, but he decided to stay awake until we were ten minutes from home. So, we ran an errand where I stayed in the parking lot with him and he snoozed away. We definitely got our money's worth this year.





State Fair photos here.