Hammers and Baskets and Yarn, Oh My!

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Today the boys had a blast using hammers to break up the remaining two inches of ice in our back yard. Smidge stood in the doorway and tried to coax them back inside, where it is warm and they can be nearby. I swear sometimes he's like the family dog. He wants everyone together in the same room, and when we're spread out he wanders from room to room, checking on everyone.

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The boys made a dump run with Zorak while I cleaned the downstairs. And I mean I cleaned. The walls are spotless. The doors are lovely. The baseboard is shiny and white. The windows and sills look child-free. The bathroom still has a good inch of pinesol water soaking around the toilet. I'll get to that tomorrow. Or next month. Eventually. Donna's still not getting a picture of the desk, though. I ran out of steam, sorry.

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Yesterday, we finally bought baskets for library books, and that's been a big hit. Wal-Mart has these tiny little wicker baskets they're marketing as "hampers" -- which we all find hilarious, as they'd hold perhaps one day's clothing, tops -- but they are great for the boys to keep their books in order. And they make wonderful helmets for space boys, as well.

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The boys also picked up yarn for their scarves. (Yes, I know, winter is nearly over. Perhaps they can be more of a fashion statement over the summer?) James' primary criteria was that the yarn be purple. Glorious, magnificent purple! The wonderful lady at our Wal-Mart fabric section then showed him the wide array of yarns available and he immediately latched onto the concept of "soft 'n fuzzy". And Purple. John went for color. Sheer, stark, bold color. He picked a great variegated yarn in colors reminiscent of Rastafarian bands. Not as soft as the fuzzy purple stuff, but definitely a statement there.

Of course I don't have a pattern. Or rather, say it with me, I just modified one. hee hee. I asked the lady in the fabric department how much yarn I could expect to need to make a scarf for a boy "about their size," and she said, "One." WOOHOO! I can do this, and if I totally botch it, the boys can pull it out and I'll start over, right?

I did ask Zorak if James' scarf (which I'm having to knit because my Valiant Knight absconded with my large crochet hook) looked like a normal scarf or like something his blind, palsied mother made for him. Zorak laughed and said it's too soon to tell. *sigh* That's not a good sign.

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Tomorrow is a special Mommy, Daddy & Boys day. The plan is to let the boys take the lead and just spend the day enjoying them. So, you know, nothing new. But still so much fun! And tomorrow night, the boys are going to play with the Wonderful Neighbors while Daddy & Mommy go enjoy music at the Museum. Like grownups! (We'll probably be home in time for bedtime for the boys, but the idea is fun to think about, anyway.)

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Kiss those babies!
~Dy