4 Years, 3 Months

Last Gasp of Summer

Our neighbor around the corner was cleaning out her garage. Surely, she said, your kids need a small inflatable pool. She obviously just didn't want it thrown in the trash, so I caved and she went to get help to bring it over. It is, needless to say, not small. I said it wouldn't fit in our yard... but I was (technically) wrong. So our backyard became an inflatable pool for the final warm days of the year.

Jack shows off the slide:

Henry gets ready to take his turn:

Halloween

With trick-or-treating and other festivities canceled, our main activity for the holiday was going to the pumpkin patch.

Henry enjoys the irrigation tube slide:

Jack's turn:

Henry, merrily pushing the pumpkin wheelbarrow: 

Jack's turn, with Dad and Henry following alongside:

Okay, boys, smile for the camera! (Henry left, Jack right)

Sigh.

Jack scans the scene while clutching his favorite mini-pumpkin:

I want that one, the one way on the other side of the patch!

Back at home, Henry adds decor (which he calls "nests") made of rocks and flowers to the front porch:

Fearsome Henry frightens his jack o' lantern:

Jack shows that his scary face can rival any Halloween decoration: 

We didn't dress up on Halloween this year, but the boys did select costumes to wear to their preschool harvest festival party. Princess Henry and Firefighter Jack:

At school, they told scary stories while decorating their pumpkins. 

Jack's story was "there's zombies in the air," which is indeed a terrifying thought:

Henry's story was, simply, "rainbow." Nothing can bring Henry Sunshine down:

Henry at school, thoughtfully painting his pumpkin:

Jack at school, disdainful of the process, per usual:

School Craft

The boys' teacher traced their bodies and wrote down things the boys had to say about themselves. 

Jack's: 

I like to wear my light up shoes.

I like to wear my pajamas, socks, shoes, pants & shirts with pockets.

Favorite toy: R2D2

Favorite food: Mac n Cheese

Family: Daddy, Mommy, Grandpa, 2 Grandmas, Henry

Henry's:

Favorite food: carrots, broccoli, grapes, lettuce

Game: hide & sneak

Plays with stuffies (stuffed animals)

Rides a bike - goes down big hills

My family: Brother Jack, Mom, Dad, 2 rabbits, Uncle Philip, Cousin Rosie, Grandma Pool, Grandpa Pool

Henry's is amusing in that he definitely does not like broccoli or lettuce at all. Also, of his twelve aunts & uncles and fifteen cousins, he for some reason thought only of Uncle Philip and Cousin Rosie. 

Jack

Jack's primary goal in life is to be helpful, especially if he can help Dad with projects around the house. Here he helps dig the small ditch for the irrigation pipe Steve was putting in (to direct overflow from our rain barrels): 

Henry shrugs off stories from before he was born, but Jack gets very distressed at the idea that we did anything without him. He is particularly upset that we didn't let him help paint the house (which was done before he existed). 

Jack has also shown himself to have a fairly long attention span and an interest in intricate projects, like helping his dad build a fancy Lego train.

Jack with a school project:

Playful "kitty Jack":

Henry

Henry loves arts and crafts, posing here with his corn and "thumbkin patch":

Henry is also extremely goofy, and prone to boisterous laughter and frequent shrieking:

Henry has to do what he can to keep things interesting. As he put it, "grown ups are not that fun."

He'll be a great parent one day, though. We overheard him telling his baby doll, "okay, baby, if you cry again I will turn you into a frog."

Even the wildest Henry occasionally needs a break, on this day creating a nest of pillows and stuffed animals to collapse in:

Hunkering Down

Steve built PVC frames that wedge between our couch cushions for fast tent-making. So, as with so many other families, we settle in and prepare to wait out the pandemic winter.

Henry:

Jack: