4 Years

Not even a visit to the dentist can break Jack's cool:

Pandemic life isn't easy for anyone, but we've tried to find small adventures and excitement in the little things, such as..

The Front Porch!

Henry is pleased with the modest outdoors:  

Jack said, "Take a picture of me!" And then made this face: 

Fierce Henry and slightly annoyed Jack watch the world go by, eating their snack:

Large Bag!

One evening we received a comically large bag with our takeout, which allowed us to do some highly unusual grocery shopping. 

Jack seems concerned that we might actually cook him for dinner: 

Henry felt it was very important to decorate the bag, and went to work with his markers:

The Garden Hose!

Why just play in the pleasant, warm spa when you can have Dad spray you with chilly water from the garden hose?

Toy Jeep!

Jack waits patiently at the service station while mechanic Henry gets to work:

Not impressed with Mom's refusal to let them drive around the backyard: 

The jeep is currently remote-controlled, although it will eventually be converted to kid control... when I have faith they'll actually hit the brakes when I say to stop. So possibly never.

Hair Accessories!

Jack shows off his handiwork: 

Grooming!

Why let Daddy shave in peace when you can help? 

Henry sizes up the task:

Henry studies his progress: 

Hard at work:

Henry is very interested in grooming, clothing and accessories. After picking my clothes one morning, he exclaimed, "You look like a queen!" 

Paint!

Jack, a.k.a. "Cake the Cat," paints his lobster wind chime project:

I have no idea why Jack's cat name is Cake. As with so many things involving small children, it just is.

Henry paints his wind chime: 

Diligent crafters: 

Cereal!

Jack is pleased with his breakfast:

Jack has mostly ceased his barrage of questions before bed, but sometimes he just can't help himself. One night he said, "I have one more thing to tell you, then we can go to bed right away. I think I can do it." 

Chalk!

Drawing with chalk, letters by Dad: 

Sometimes our discussions of the alphabet and numbers are just too much. At one point, Henry exclaimed, "My brain can't hold any more!" 

Small Adventure 1: Goats!

In incredibly exciting news from the four year-old perspective, the boys happened upon some brush-clearing goats at the local high school. 

The boys observe: 

Then feed leaves to their new animal friends: 

Small Adventure 2: Parking Lot!
Steve found a deserted parking lot, allowing the boys ample space to drive their remote-control cars. Henry left, Jack right:

Jack takes his driving very seriously. He would try to drive our full-size cars if we let him:

Henry:

Embarking on the boys' fourth year, we're not going to have the year we thought we'd have. We've had to leave the big plans behind, particularly travel and the accompanying enjoyment of people and places away from our home. But hopefully we can keep coming up with small things to keep life as rich as possible.