Old McDonalds

Owen is such a big kid. I am constantly surprised by the cute and funny things he says. I am also grateful that he loves wearing his footed "penguin jammies" (because he still looks like a baby to me) and that he mispronounces words like yellow and hospital (lello and hostable-dentist in Owen-speak). He also calls McDonalds, the fast food chain, Old McDonalds. It's pretty incredible. I do not correct him and I secretly hope he keeps this up until he is berated by his friends in middle school. I kid, I kid. 

Last weekend this big kid and I went to see the Jungle Book and then for an ice cream cone at Old McDonalds. In true Owen fashion while he liked the ice cream he was not a fan of the cone. You do you Owen, you do you.

Happy Birthday Mitchell

I'm not sure where the time has gone but our sweet "baby" Mitchell turned the big 2 on April 4th. In honor of his springtime birthday Mitchell got all sorts of playthings to enjoy in the great outdoors. Unfortunately mother nature had other plans and the birthday boy has been pushing his bubble lawn mower around the house all week. On the bright side, we got the rare opportunity to play in the snow in April. 

Follow the Leader

Catching snowflakes

Mitchell Harris Linker - Age 2

Bits and Pieces

Here are some bits and pieces of our crazy funny life. Owen and Mitchell's favorite playtime activity is sitting under a blank-let (four year old vernacular). Whether they're in an underwater tanker, going on a bear hunt or playing hide-and-seek, the opportunities are seemingly endless. Luckily I was able to capture the two-headed beast during a period of relative calm - meaning Mitchell wasn't moving and Owen wasn't upset about it.

Another favorite past time is tackle. Okay, let me rephrase. I loathe tackle and don't get how that could be fun. Like, at all. I am told that this is what boys do and Mitchell would play tackle all day long if I let him. Here he is vying for precious couch space. Or maybe it's just sweet brotherly bear hug? You decide.

Check out these good listeners! The boys are learning all about t-ball at Owen's sports class and Mitchell is more than happy to hang out with the big boys.

The weather has been unseasonably warm and last weekend we were able to go for a hike in the woods. With walking sticks in hand we were "hunting" deer. However, I'm pretty sure that deer on entire Eastern seaboard heard us coming. Which leads me to Mitchell, the deer hunter.

He is nearly two and he does not stop talking. He is cute yet wildly unpredictable and has really REALLY embraced being a toddler. Oh boy. Help us.

The Interview - Part 2

It's hard to believe that Owen is already four years old! The days are long, sometimes interminable, but time has flown and it has been great fun watching Owen develop into a full fledged kid! For his third birthday I conducted an interview, which I repeated last week. Here are his answers.

1. What is your name? Owen

2. How old are you?  Three. Me, "really?" No, Four! 

3. What is your favorite thing to do? Go on airplanes
Yup! True story.

4. What do you want to be when you grow up? A witch. A nice witch.
Same answer as last year? Interesting. 

5. What is your favorite food? Yogurt raisins
Not roasted chicken with veggies? Maybe next year. 

6. Who is your best friend? Sebastian

7. Who makes you laugh? Teddy

8. What is your favorite time of day? Going to school
Perhaps this is where he receives his witch training?

9. What do you like to learn about? Listening to Mommy and Daddy
He has been "learning" a lot about this lately.

10. Where is your favorite place to go? Kidz Kastle
I'm taking this with a grain of salt because we had just been there.

11. What is your favorite book? Truck book
Book we got his for his birthday - Score! 

12. If you had one wish, what would it be? I don't know, more books?
So studious!

Bonus - Four year old questions.

14. What are you afraid of? Witches
He's scared of what he wants to become. Wonder what Freud would say about that one?

15. What are you really good at? Counting 
We count EVERYTHING but seem to always forget the numbers 13 and 16.  

Owen's fourth birthday was a big deal for us. In addition to a visit from Aunt Amy, Owen had a Star Wars birthday extravaganza with his friends. No Star Wars bash would be complete without a Storm Trooper cake - Oy Vey! Let's just say, it's good to be Owen. And it's also pretty good being Owen's Mommy :)

Blowing out the cake

Bravery

For enduring his first haircut, Mitchell gets a gold star for bravery. I was bracing for dramatics but, with truck in hand, Mitch did not shed a single tear. What a big boy!

Here's Mitchell sporting a dapper 'do and enjoying a post-cut lollipop with his big brother.

First Snow

After last winter, the thought of snow still makes me a little sick to my stomach. But alas, the fist snow has fallen, and while it was a paltry two inches, Owen was way excited to get outside. Ear and bronchial infections be damned, these boys had fun parading around.

Mitch Mourns Bowie

Happy New Year

Gone are the days of champagne toasts at midnight. This year we rang in 2016 around 7pm with noisemakers and these two party animals. And if that doesn't sound like fun, the Linker crew plus a visiting Grandma were all fighting virus number two of the 2014-2015 winter season. Nothing quite says Happy New Year like gastrointestinal distress.

The end of the year was a festive, albeit snotty, flurry of activity. We had a fun Thanksgiving trip to California where we enjoyed family time and then it was back to Rhode Island to get ready for the holidays. Here are a few cute pictures.

California bound

Owen helping Grandma with her luggage

Mitch and Bubbie

Merry Christmas!

I don't know about you but my pants are tight and I'm about ready to get moving on those resolutions. Wishing everyone a healthy, happy and "skinny" 2016!

Two Thoughts

My initial reaction when I saw this was - adorable! I then had two thoughts. First, Owen is my son. Obviously. Second, food is a peculiar choice for a kid who turns up his nose at childhood staples of pasta, pizza and grilled cheese. Last night he requested "black (chocolate) munchkins" for dinner. Okay, technically donut holes are food...I guess.

A Walk in the Woods

Losing My Marbles

This is Owen proudly showing off his full jar of marbles. Parenting can be a pretty tough gig. Especially when your kid is going through a lengthy - I won't do anything you ask me to do - phase. 

After the appearance of significantly more grays (on my head and Steve's beard) and much trial and error, we finally found something that seems to motivate "he who will not go potty." Owen gets marbles for good behavior - listening, sharing, not having tantrums, staying in bed, etc. Once the jar is full, he gets a reward. 

Owen's marble jar recently reached max capacity after being especially kind to Mitchell, and this weekend we're going to see the new Peanuts movie. I just hope he likes Charlie Brown and the gang as much as I did when I was a peanut. Get it?  

And what did Owen do that was so kind, you ask? At this point, I honestly can't remember but I do know that he made sure to get extra candy for his baby brother while we were trick-or-treating. Little Mitchell was content in his stroller while Owen, the nice ghost, roamed the neighborhood scavenging for goodies. It was seriously the best night of his entire life.

The Boo Brothers - Halloween 2015

The Great Hope

Here is Mitchell painting, with his left hand no less. Daddy is very happy. No pressure, Mitch.

Getting Ready for BOO!

I asked Owen what he wanted to be for Halloween and he said, "a nice ghost." Then I asked him what Mitchell wanted to be and he said, "a nice ghost." Cute and easy - Done! Last night, thanks to Pinterest, we executed plans for our modern day Casper(s).

You'll notice the precision in both measurement and tailoring...

As well as the top notch makeup application.

Hmm, that's a bit spooky for a nice ghost. Good thing we have a bit of time to perfect the final look before we say Boo. Or shall I say Booyah...bring it Mets!

The Master and His Subject

I Know My First Name Is Mommy

Mitchell says lots of things like, "Thank you. Truck. Bubbie. Hockey. Eat. Book. Boat." He also understands lots of things like, "Get your shoes. Go to your chair. Let's go upstairs. Time to brush your teeth." He can make lots of sounds. He knows the sound a dog, cat, duck, cow, plane and fire truck make. He calls Steve, "Daddy." He calls Owen, "Owie" or "O-wish." And he calls me, "Owie Daddy." It's funny and a little sad all at the same time. I guess the whole, you know, giver of life thing isn't terribly relevant when you're just 18 months old.

What isn't sad is that our "fantasy deck" is now reality! After no less than one million sketches and designs, here is our tree house. Just in time for winter :)