Since Aaron is off school this week and I have less tutoring, I decided to seize the moment/city and take some small trips. This morning we started off with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with emphasis on the Arms and Armor exhibit. On the way to the exhibit we also enjoyed several very old statues with missing arms, legs, and/or heads, a few mummies, and a large tomb (at least that's how Aaron understood it all).


Elliot was "wow!" and "whoa!" -ing all over the place in this room. He kept pointing at these armed horses and knights, yelling, "WOW!!" The passerbys were all very entertained.

Aaron showing Elliot around

I couldn't use flash so this one is a little blurry but Aaron is pointing the exhibit out to Elliot, telling him all about it.

Aaron asked me, "Why are they called 'arms' and 'armor'?" Anyone know?

On weekend nights, we often trade date nights with our good friends down the street. On date night, we drop our kids off at the other's house and go out wherever we please and on the other night we entertain the five kids for a couple of hours. Our babies are almost exactly the same age (eight hours apart) and the older kids get along really well. We usually end up watching a movie (determined by the voting system) and eating popcorn.


Watching a movie on the laptop, while Aaron watched a different movie on the big screen across the room. (I guess every democratic system has its flaws...)

Conrad and Elliot were so funny together. They carried on lengthy conversations consisting of grunts and facial expressions. They both want exactly what the other has, and every once in awhile they'll give each other very territorial look-grunts, announcing, "in case you're wondering, this is mine and you can't have it." Here they are in the midst of a conversation, with Ben attempting to mediate.

Storytime. There's just not enough lap to go around.

Bed Head

Elliot really puts up with a lot of torture from his big brother.

Usually not with such a smile though. Sometimes I'm conflicted about how much I should interfere when Aaron is teasing Elliot. If I really wanted to, I could probably make it so that Aaron never bothers Elliot again, but at what cost? At least they're playing together, even if right now that usually means Elliot whining about Aaron trapping him or wrapping things around him or taping signs on him that are reported to give a price of $1 (only to be purchased by me or Ben).

On Valentine's Day, I woke up before everyone else and made pink heart pancakes, coloring everything else pink or red possible (milk, yogurt), as has been the tradition in my family. Ben and Aaron ended up sleeping in late, so only Elliot ate warm pancakes. And he didn't comment even once on their festive shape or color.

Aaron has been going to a really great pre-kindergarten. It really is an amazing phenomenon, which I had mixed feelings about at first. He learns stuff that we didn't teach him. For example, he started saying "criss cross applesauce" at random points in time, and had us tell him how to spell it so he could write it on these post-it notes and tape them on Elliot's door. I finally got it out of him that "criss-cross applesauce" was the way his teacher described the method of sitting on the floor with legs crossed. I certainly like that alternative a lot better than the "Indian style" version I grew up with.

Grandma Marsha sent us a package with an assortment of winter hats. Here are some pictures of the collection...


My favorite is Elliot's snowman hat. It's a big hit on the streets.

It finally started getting cold here so we occasionally get to dress our kids like it is the middle of February in NYC. But then tomorrow is predicted to be 60 degrees, so no more of that. I can't decide if I should be happy about that or not.

Aaron "reading" a story. (My battery died right as he was continuing with the story but you can still get the gist of it.)

Watching a movie on the laptop (BPIE-- thanks Z and M!)

It's hard to tell from the last picture, but Aaron had his arm around Elliot. A rare moment of true affection, as not expressed by tackling.

Elliot really likes to talk on the cell phone

Or on two cell phones

Or occasionally on the deodorant

And every once in awhile the brothers will get a conversation going

He gets really excited when we let him play with the phone

Snoozing...


Aaron likes to sleep across our bed, regardless of whether we are there or not

Three snoozin' snugglers

Elliot coming out of the bathtub

Aaron being silly

This is my attempt to document that Elliot's eyelashes are longer than his hair. D'oh.

Still cute though

Aaron's Story, transcribed by Ben (except top part, which is "how many pages it has")

Gyj;oukj1234567890nu7o

Once upon a time there was a dinosaur and the dinosaur loved to eat crocodiles and he loved it when it was summertime and loved to play in the park when it was rainy and snowy and he likes to bonk each other with balls all the time. And then he loved to eat other t-rexes. He liked to eat other t-rexes because he liked the brains of other t-rexes, so he would just eat the brains and the stomachs, and hearts, and lungs, and the tummy.

He lived in New York City when there was no humans. It was dinosaur land; it's dinosaur land, it's dinosaur land, it's dinosaur land!

The end.

Kourtney: Did you have a good dinner tonight?
Aaron: Yeah, we ate Chinese food.
K: Cool, but I think it was Thai food, from Thailand.
A: Actually mom it was Chinese food, from Chineseland.

Today Aaron told me, "I have to pass gas." He left the room, walked over to Ben, bent over, stuck his bum right next to Ben and let it rip. Where did he come up with that?