Why Haven't We Done This Before?

So the kids have not been sleeping.  I won't go into it, it's such a same-old-same-old.  Anyway, this morning Dave had just had it.  Danny woke up at 6am, and David said get back in your room and closed the door behind him.  Within two seconds, Dave was snoring.  It was amazing.

I, though, was convinced he would pull the TV down on his head or something, so I had one eye open listening.  And there was a lot of strange noise.  Not crying, exactly, just noise.

About 10 minutes later, I walked out and the noise got louder and louder.  I really, really should have hit the video button, because Danny was reading, literally, reading with full descriptions and amazing embellishments (See here?  This is where the guy gets in!  And whoooop!  The crane lifts him up so he can fix the light, Matty!), these books to Matt.

I'm never getting out of bed before 8am again.  We just need a kid-sized version of a hamster water dispenser and maybe a cereal dispenser.  I gotta work on that.

The Giles Family

We had a wonderful visit from the Giles family on Saturday.  You know how some kids just don't have chemistry?  Well, that wasn't the problem here.  Oscar, the oldest, and Danny spent about an hour in our bedroom trying to find magic beans that would shrink them by using the clock, which would send them into an ice chute and they would disappear.  This made perfect sense to both of them.

And Malcolm, the youngest, and Matty both just ate snacks.  They were matches made in heaven.

Valentine's Day for Three Year Olds

Oh, boy.  So first, Danny's preschool had this board up with all of the things the kids love about their classmates, and here is Danny's...

Now, it's very sweet, considering other kids said things like "They give me presents." 

But the very best part is you can just IMAGINE him saying this.

Giovanna, his teacher:  So Danny, why do you love your Bear friends?

Danny:  Well, well, well, because, because, because I miss them and I love them!

But then, we got home, and opened his Valentine's card.  Each kid wrote one, and received one.  Danny's was from from Lily. 



And I am not embarrassed to admit I cried.  Just a little, but I cried.  Lily is one of two of the very sweetest girls in the class.  Unprovoked, one day Danny told me Lily is "the softest girl."  Well, ahem.  Anyway, I know, whatever, I'm sure the teachers are totally prodding, but still, I almost died when I read this card.

The other of the two sweetest girls is Carmen.  Carmen is, true to her name, a little bit saucier.  We've spent some time with her family, and we really, really love her family.  Her dad and I went to college together, of all things.  Apparently, Danny wrote his card to Carmen, which said (according to Danny):

Dear Carmen,

I love you.  I love climbing trees with you.  Even though I am very brave, and climb far, and sometimes you are scared.  That is OK.  Also, I like dressing up with you. 

Love, Danny

SWOON! 

We also got cards today for both boys from Pops and DiDi, and currently, both boys are hugging their cards on the couch.  Quote from Danny:  "Alligators!  My favorite!" 

Matty and Mary Update

Mary is working feverishly to meet the Sundance Lab deadline, which is Thursday. She'll probably be at work until 2am tonight....and then wake up to watch the kids...or lie on the floor while they climb on top of her. Everyone send your prayers to Mary that they get the job done and survive the next 48 hours. We'll save the prayers for getting the grant after they submit the cut.

Matt went back to the doctor today and the good news is that he doesn't have pneumonia. The bad news is that he has a tiny little ear infection. Dr. Nancy doesn't want him on anti-biotics just yet. But if he comes down with a fever between now and Friday, he gets the goods. He's feeling a lot better than he was on Monday although he still has a mildly nasty cough.

He's a little trooper and still has an appetite. Dan might be having trouble transitioning from getting loads of attention from being sick to getting far less attention because Matt is getting it from being sick, so we've been seeing quite a bit of Danny's "Mick Jagger" routine over the last couple of days.

It'll just be nice for the ear infection to just go away so that Mary can catch a break. She's been killing herself working at home and taking care of the kids while I have been on a dub stage from 9am to 7pm. She's a tough cookie and I am very jealous of her ability to do it all.

Godspeed, you Queen Mama.

Matty's Turn!

So in an attempt to avoid what just happened with Danny, I took Matt to the doctor today.  Right almost to the minute that Danny got better, Matt vomited and has been running a fever.  Today, his cough sounded horrible, so I took him in.

Well, he has the flu, but she thinks he also has pneumonia.  Possibly only pre-pneumonia, but I need to watch him very carefully over the next 24-48 hours and give him all kinds of breathing treatments and whatnot, and take him back in on Wednesday to see where we are and if it's better or worse.  The doctor gave me a big hug when I left.  "I'm so sorry, Mommy," she said.  I love her.  I always cry when I go in.  She probably thinks I'm a total mess.

Anyway, of course, the Baltimore doc is facing its most significant deadline since the POV one we missed last year - we are submitting to the Sundance Fund and doc lab on Thursday with a full rough cut and a new written treatment.  And of course David is on the mixing stage this week, meaning he can't take any time off to help me.  And of course I have probably 25 hours of work I need to do before then in the edit bay.  (The one piece of really, really good news is that we are being advised by this guy, who is on the full-time staff of the Sundance Institute to advise their documentary filmmakers.)

Uncle John is going to come by to help after work tomorrow and Wednesday so I can rush over to our editor's and stay until midnight each night trying to get this ready to submit. 

It has not been the best month for the Pants Department, that is for sure.

An Oldie

A few weeks ago we went to our friend Connor's house.  While Connor's mom and I were making chocolate chip cookies and having a proper gab, this was going on in the living room...

Three Hours Later...

The Most Adorable Thing Ever

Danny's much much better, thank you all for your emails and calls.  He just seems like he's making up for a whole lot of lost sleep.

Today, he dragged his sleeping bag into our room and when Matty climbed up there, Danny asked for "all the blankets," and then asked me to close the door.

It got very quiet, and I just walked in on this:

 

Danny's in there, somewhere...