Very sad news

We found out today that the eldest of our pack, Odin, has osteosarcoma, or bone cancer. We don’t know much yet – we have a consultation with a vet oncologist tomorrow, but we are aware that this is an aggressive and very painful form of cancer, and that Odin is on the older side. Although devastated, mdw is grateful to have a chance to enjoy every moment with him over the next days, weeks, months, years (who knows, right?) and will have a different perspective when he’s up to his crazy antics (i.e., sock-finger puppet-toy octopus-trash eating). He has always been and continues to be a sweet boy and will forever be a huge source of joy.

Adventures in Eating

We made tofu stir fry and edamame the other night for dinner, whipping out the chopsticks for mtw and mdw. Upon seeing the new eating utensils, eaw insisted upon a pair for himself. He got the hang of it (well, stabbing the tofu anyway) after only a few trys, and we were pleasantly surprised at his facility with the chopsticks. How’s that for fine motor control?

eaw is quite a natural in the kitchen, helping mdw in all sorts of ways. He inserts himself (quite enthusiastically) into meal preparation, and we are almost out of ideas to keep him both occupied and safe while he is “helping.” I am sure G’pa Durham can quote the statistics of injuries, burns, falls, etc. from kitchen activities, but I am trying to remain hyper-aware and hyper-vigilant as we share kitchen time together. The above sculpture was eaw’s attempt at reorganizing the utensil drawer, having been given a task to put the spoons away. If nothing else, we are cultivating some positive self-image and creative problem-solving skills.

DEMOLITION!

mtw has been having his way with the basement of our new house. He recently demo’ed the tiki bar that was built by the previous owners. The top of the bar was concrete, so he removed it Shawshank Redemption style, emptying pocketfuls at a time into the garbage. Then, he started banging and brought the whole thing down. The space is wide open now, and will be the future home of one, and eventually two pianos. We also got our furniture delivered for the living room (bye-bye stained grad school couch), and we are starting to feel like grown-ups. mtw, especially has been putting the sweat equity into the house, for which mdw and eaw are extremely thankful.

Be mine...

eaw enjoyed his first Valentine’s Day – collecting three full bags of Valentine’s (and candy – who knew?) when all was said and done. mdw had fun making Valentine’s with him for his various school/daycare friends and teachers – well by make them, I mean help eaw label the store-bought valentines.

mtw had a fun gig on Valentine’s Day, playing trumpet and accordion with one of his friends at a local Whole Foods wine tasting. They dressed up in red and black and played as traveling minstrels through the crowd. eaw stopped in to see them – it was really festive, and the people loved them.

Valentine's Day Party

We had the opportunity to attend a Valentine's party in a neighboring suburb with the COFLAC group. This was our third activity, and we are starting to recognize families, and make some nice connections. It was a really fun party - fun food, great activities for the kids, a valentine exchange, and even a pinata at which eaw took his best shot. It's so nice to have families who share our experiences, and peers for eaw who share his cultural heritage. Here are some highlights:

Cookie decorating

Play-doh with buddy Carter

Valentine's exchange